Customer Reviews

Walt Disney Treasures - Disneyland USA

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Walt Disney was a visionary when it came to entertainment. This 2 DVD collection showcases one such example, his theme park Disneyland, as it was portrayed on TV during his lifetime.

This set contains four programs. The first is the first ever episode of the TV show Disneyland. It introduces the park and future episodes of the show. At the end, it includes several Mickey Mouse cartoons, including "Sorcerer's Apprentice" and "Lonesome Ghosts."

The second program is the opening day live broadcast. I enjoyed finally getting to see it. Technical problems aside, it's quite fun.

The second disc contains "Disneyland after Dark," an episode of the TV show that includes some great shots of the place at night, but is mainly a show of people performing at various places in the park.

The last program is the 10th Anniversary show. This one was most interesting because it featured the planning stages of "Pirates of the Caribbean" and the "Haunted Mansion," as well as a look at how the park had changed over its initial 10 years.

This is a collection a Disney die-hard, like me, will enjoy. It's got some great behind the scenes info and Disney history to keep us satisfied. However, the average consumer will probably not enjoy it as much. Frankly, I probably won't watch it as much as some others from this series. Still, for its historic significance and fun for the Disney fan, I rate it 4 stars.

This is perhaps the most disappointing entry in the otherwise strong Walt Disney Treasures series, mainly because there's so little about Disneyland itself in it. The two discs feature four episodes from the Disney TV series, plus a companion feature so brief (under 9 minutes!) that it's hardly worth inclusion:

"The Disneyland Story" from 1954 shows how the TV series was essentially created to help bankroll construction of the theme park, but the episode features virtually no footage of the park or its construction (which was completed, remarkably, in less than a year). Instead, we see only models, padded with a rare glimpse of "Song of the South" but only in black-and-white. (Elsewhere in the Treasures series, footage originally filmed in color but broadcast in black-and-white is shown on the DVDs in color, but not this time, probably because the Disney Company has long been embarrassed by SOS's racial content--it's never been released in the U.S. on DVD.)

"Dateline Disneyland" features almost 90 minutes of live television coverage from opening day in 1955. It's heavily padded, however, with celebrity sightings, boring dedication speeches, marching bands and staged street performances that do little to highlight the attractions of the park. (How many times does the announcer have to say, "And here's Danny Thomas with his family!" before we get the point? I found myself fast-forwarding through two-thirds of this show.)

With the exception of some priceless color footage of jazz great Louis Armstrong performing on board the Mark Twain, "Disneyland After Dark" features mostly unremarkable stage acts interspersed with precious few scenes of the park lit up at night. All Walt Disney's scenes are filmed with actors on a sound stage--and they look it.

"Disneyland 10th Anniversary" from 1965 is the only segment that truly lives up to this set's billing as a showcase for Disneyland. Disney himself gives viewers a tour around the "imagineering" department, showing off early conceptual sketches and models for such classic attractions as the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean, neither of which opened until after Disney's death in 1966. We meet such ground-breaking imagineers as Mary Blair and Marc Davis. Finally, we see color footage, narrated by Disney, of attractions that have long since been retired, like the Flying Saucers and Submarine Voyage. It takes a film like this to remind us what a boneyard Tomorrowland has become since Disney's death, but this episode alone is not enough to recommend the whole package.

Im a unique Disney fan. I can enjoy everything I read and view, but I can also be critical of the quality and content. It seems some of the Disney fans cannot do that. So here goes.

The presentation is awesome. A fine case and a cleverly packaged set. Probably a big reason I bought the set.

Like other reviewers, I was disappointed with the lack of chapter access and the generally poor quality of the "historic" clips. I understand the package is supposed to be archival but I have seen better clips on the Disney Channel.

There is plenty to enjoy...and on the second disc the sections on the imagineers is awesome. However, the "Magic Kingdom" piece on the second disc is choppy and contains footage from the other sections of the disc. Its called Magic Kingdom but it is about Disneyland. Hmmmm.

When Walt isnt in some corny staged scene...and he is allowed to just speak the moments shine with sentimentality and creativity. What a remarkable American!

The people watching is fun too. The Shah of Iran, Frank Sinatra (Sr. and Jr.!) Nehru...holy cow. Satchmo sings and plays the horn and you just wish you were there way back when.

So, what can I say? For a Disney addict, watch it and enjoy it (flaws and all). For others, Im not too sure this is worth buying.

Hope this was helpful.

Great idea but wrong shows selected for the collection.

I recently discovered some of the shows that highlight the Disneyland park in Southern California while watching the old "Wonderful World of Disney" series on the Disney Channel. They were shown several times, so I recorded them on VHS tapes.

I bought this set thinking the programs I loved so much were included. I was wrong.

So you know what I am talking about, there were three shows in particular that should be, but are not, in this DVD set:

(1) Disneyland USA - I think dated 1956 and is pre-Wonderful World of Disney television show. This featurette was in COLOR and provides a tour of the original Disneyland park after it opened. It includes each of the "lands" and is nothing but park, park, park. It even has an extended piece on the Adventureland water ride. This program was more like a travel log feature that may have been shown in theaters (probably with a Disney movie).

(2) Day at Disneyland - from the Wonderful World of Disney television show and shown in BLACK and WHITE. This show started in the studio with Walt and Tinkerbell and moves to a tent in the parking lot from a Disney company picnic. It seems to have re-used footage from the Disneyland USA featurette and covered each "land" quite extensively.

(3) Pirates of the Carribbean - from the Wonderful World of Disney television show and shown in COLOR. This incredible show provides a design view of the ride, the actual building of the sets and mannequins and then film of the press opening with a full run through of the ride (like you were really in the little boat with the first riders).

It was shows like those listed above that really captured what the part must have been like in the beginning. It is really sad that the Anniversary Show and Disneyland at Night episodes were included but these three shows listed above did not.

Leonard Maltin opens each of the segments with commentary about what you will see.

The first show is the grand-opening of Disneyland in 1955 as seen on live television. Art Linkletter hosts with Bob Cummings and Ronald Reagan as co-hosts. This is an exciting glimpse of the first day and fun to see the live action misques. Frank Sinatra with young son driving the autopia car followed by Sammy Davis Jr, Fess Parker and Buddy Ebsen do a song and dance number, Art Linkletter's family, and other notables make this an instant trip down memory lane. (The Atomic Energy Pavillion was especially enlightening)There is even the old logo for the ABC network. The only bad part of this special is the sometimes poor quality of the Black & White film.

The Ten Anniversary segment is in color and provides a real treat as you see the concept art and models for Pirates of the Carribbean, Haunted Mansion, etc. If you look closely, you'll see differences between the models and the rides today. Walt Disney hosts and you see The Shah of Iran, Marc Davis, other imagineers, and the 10th Anniversary hostess. The flavor of this period is evident in the clothes and attitudes expressed, plus the comments about the rides.

The Disneyland After Dark special is in sharper color and is highlighted by performances by Louis Armstrong, Annette Funicello, Bobby R., and the elem. school-aged Osmond brothers.
Walt Disney has a few fun scenes signing autographs and introducing various performers. I was amused to see a caption below the fire-walkers show which stated "not to do this at home." It was also a treat to see the faces of the audiences enjoying the shows.

When finished watching both DVD's in this package, I was pleased and hoping for more releases similar to this one.

This is the biggest DVD disappointment of the year. First, these are edited episodes. The episodes shown on the Disney Channel for the past 18 years are more complete. Cut scenes include songs from the Enchanted Tiki Room and every scene with the Mouseketeers at the 1955 opening of Disneyland! Was it simply because Disney didn't want to pay them royalties? There may be additional cuts, since the running times are much shorter than the original programs (even without ads).

Edited material should be labeled as such; I bought the set for material that is missing. That alone would be reason for a no-star rating.

Second, the prints of the color episodes are faded and speckled, even though Disney has better source material available; the Disney Channel versions have excellent color and no speckles. It's disappointing that Disney didn't bother to use their best prints for the DVD presentation. (The Davy Crockett box set is also poor, compared with cable prints.)

Third, the menus are bare-bones, with no direct access to the many chapters, which include many performances or brief appearances that would have made natural chapter stops. In addition, extras are skimpy and rather pointless. The "documentary" simply shows brief clips of scenes already in the episodes. There are no behind-the-scenes photos or text, either on the discs or in the booklet. (This could have been a treasure trove of backstage information.) Instead, Leonard Maltin's commentary is forced upon us at the start. If non-original programming must be added, it should be optionally accessible.

These were some of my favorite shows when I was young, so I was greatly looking forward to the DVD. Yes, it provides fascinating programming you may not have access to, but it does not reveal that it is cut, and it is sloppy in its poor presentation and lack of DVD potential, including menu features. I hope that Disney is persuaded to improve upon this in its future releases of treasured TV programming. They were always the gold standard in caring for the audience; let's hope they become so once again.

PS: Sammy Davis Jr. is second-billed as "entertainment." Sammy fans will also feel ripped off. All he does is drive by in a bumper car. Did anyone at Disney actually look at these shows?

This set wasn't created for the typical Disney fan, it was created for folks like me: Disney ADDICTS. We fanatics tend to be more demanding, but I always pride myself in being able to appreciate the good points, while still realizing the flaws, in all Disney products. I've managed to get my hands on all the Disney Treasures sets so far, and so far they've all been wonderful, but this review is about the unnecessarily weakest one, Disneyland, U.S.A.
There are 4 feature programs and 2 extras in this set. Disc 1 contains The Disneyland Story and Dateline Disneyland, both black and white. The Disneyland Story is the 1st ever episode of the Disneyland TV series. This milestone from 1954 begins with Walt Disney telling us of his plans to build the Disneyland Park, then switches to a discussion about the TV series and how it will tell stories from the various areas of the theme park, such as Davy Crockett's story from Frontierland. The 2nd half of this feature is a tribute to Mickey Mouse (by way of cartoon clips), as Walt expresses that he wants everyone to remember that, "It all started with a mouse." The 2nd feature on Disc One, Dateline: Disneyland, is the live ABC Broadcast of Disneyland's opening day in 1955, hosted by Art Linkletter, Ronald Reagan, and Bob Cummings. This features the hosts in the various "Lands" of the park, explaining the themes and rides of each of them. We are treated to celebs like Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis, Jr. riding rides, and live performances by the likes of Fess Parker and Buddy Ebsen. We also see Walt's own, live dedication ceremonies of the Park and its various lands. It can really bring a tear to the eye of a true fan.
Disc 2 contains two more features, Disneyland After Dark and Disneyland 10th Anniversary, both in color, and this time from the 1960s. Some time has passed, and now the park is an established American treasure! Disneyland After Dark is a collection of live performances from musical celebrities of the time, such as Annette Funicello and Bobby Rydell in Tomorrowland, the Osmond Quartet at the Plaza Gardens, and the highlight for me, Louis Armstrong aboard the Mark Twain! We also are treated to hula dancers and a fire dance in Adventureland. In Disneyland 10th Anniversary, we see some of Walt's last work on the park as he gives Miss Disneyland Tencentennial (some sort of Disneyland 10th Anniversary Beauty Pageant Winner) a tour of the Imagineering Department to fill her in on future park plans before she goes on tour. Here we get to see Disney attractions in early production stages, such as a 1/8th inch to a foot scale model of It's A Small World and miniature versions of some elements of the Haunted Mansion. Walt also explains audio-animatronics, showing the work being done for Pirates of the Caribbean, and treating us to a sample of the Enchanted Tiki Room show. We also see various clips of early park production and a parade down Main Street. Also on the 2nd disc are the extras; a gallery of some of the Disneyland ride poster art over the years, and a short Leonard Maltin featurette on Disneyland.
The set comes in a lovely snap case with a small litho, and is in a very nice tin box with serial number. If you are a nut for Disneyland and Disney history in general, this set is for you. Be warned though, if it's a tour of the park you are looking for, you won't find it here. Many of us were disappointed that the actual film, "Disneyland, U.S.A.," was not in this set. Strange, considering the title. That short film actually IS a tour of the park, and hopefully will find its way to DVD SOMEDAY. My other complaints? Well, the DVD set is missing scenes involving the original Mousketeers, as well as certain Tiki Room sequences. All I can say is I HATE it when I buy a DVD and find out it's been edited, but especially when it's classic Disney, as was the case with Melody Time and Make Mine Music! That's just unacceptable, especially in these Deluxe sets! Also, the "do not try this at home" warnings added onto the fire-dance and fire-walk sequences were totally unnecessary and annoying. Lastly, there was the problem of simply not enough stuff. C'mon, there is a ton of material they could have included! I would have been satisfied if they had at least included Disneyland, USA. They also could have included some of the Birthday specials of the past years, like that Disneyland Birthday that had Tony Danza, Charles Fleischer, Ernest, etc... That would have been nice! But, despite these complaints, I do love the set, I just hope this is not the only time we'll ever see this material on DVD, because we definitely require unedited releases, not to mention releases of the other episodes of the Disneyland TV show, from day one to today; from Swamp Fox to Fluppy Dogs, from The Scarecrow to Mickey's 60th Birthday. Not to mention all the other stuff on the parks, like Disneyland, U.S.A., Gala Day At Disneyland, and Disneyland Showtime. Let's hope we see another Disneyland set for these shows, and some sets for my favorite place, Walt Disney World! But unless you are incredibly easily disappointed, I encourage any fans of Disney history, or Disney park history, to pick up this set and check out the other Disney Treasures collections! Even with its disappointments, this set is still a hit!

I was real happy to see some of the "classic" Wonderful World of Disney finally get to DVD--but somewhat less so when I realized that the good folks at Disney had decided to do some judicious editing/censoring of the shows. In "Disneyland After Dark", do we REALLY need to have a bold new "warning" on the screen that the Polynesian fire walkers and flame twirlers are "professional" and "not to try this at home"? You can see this same show on the Disney Channel without this distracting "subtitles". Also, in "Dateline: Disneyland", the entire sequence with the Mousketeers is missing--something I almost missed until I re-viewed a tape I had made from the Disney Channel of the same program! I have heard there is some problem with clearance to sell their likenesses. If Disney is going to wholeheartedly go into the DVD home video market, let it be with their ORIGINAL programs (of which they have so many wonderful shows). The presentation of "special collections" of restored programming is just a bit misleading for the consumer.

What should have been a fantastic DVD release is scuttled by the Disney company. As has been documented in other posts, the shows are edited (although the box claims they're 'uncensored') and there are intrusive safety warnings during the firewalker scenes. Very silly. If this set was complete and unaltered, it'd be a 5-star release. Unfortunately Disney couldn't seem to get the release right despite the fact that the original shows air on the Disney Channel all the time.

Disneyland USA was my favorite of the first four Disney Treasures tins. It shows why the original Disney theme park will always be set apart from the rest: Walt was there, he built it.

These four programs shows Walt going through the planning stages of Disneyland, the opening day in 1955, a good tour of Disneyland at night and it's 10th anniversary special. All are great examples of how Walt was devoted to making his first theme park better for the visitors.

This is seen especially in the 10th Anniversary Show where he shows his plans for New Orleans Square, It's a small world, Pirates of the Carrabean and The Haunted Mansion very enthusiastically.

But the best is the opening day ceremony when Walt dedicated the his park and the four lands. These are things that the other Disney parks around the world did not have, the presence of the founder. This is why I think Disneyland USA is a long overdue release to show the personal investment that Walt Disney put into his theme park.

I did not give this package 5 stars becuase of the edits, and I thought some more shows would have been good. Hopefully more will be released in 2005 for Disneyland's 50th Anniversary. But until then this is a good deal. Any fan of Walt Disney's should have this document of his theme park.