Toon Talk: Peter Pan Platinum Edition DVD
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Toon Talk: Disney Film and DVD Reviews
by Kirby C. Holt

 

(c) Disney

 

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Since 2001, Disney Platinum Edition line has delivered sterling examples of the best way to present classic movies on DVD. Such treasured animated fare as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Lady and the Tramp and Aladdin have each been released with a bounty of extras, mostly new (and that’s the operative word here) and well-produced, usually more then enough to please discerning collectors.

With the success of the Platinums, Disney has since ramped up production on the new releases, adding titles to the original slate of ten. The first of these new editions, Peter Pan, is available today. And while fans of this film will be happy to get their hands on a two-disc set for their favorite, they may be disappointed that about half of the bonus features are actually left over from previous home video releases.

Carried over from Pan’s last DVD release (this is actually the third) from five years ago is the Roy Disney “hosted�? Audio Commentary (featuring archival audio recordings of such film participants as Frank Thomas, Marc Davis and Ollie Johnson), the 1952 black and white theatrical promotional short The Peter Pan Story, a DVD storybook (“Peter’s Playful Prank“) and the 15-minute “You Can Fly! The Making of Peter Pan�?, which is actually a hold over from the 1998 VHS release.

In my original review of the 2002 “Special Edition�? of Pan (click here to read), I noted how that release was lacking in-depth bonuses. And while that problem has been rectified with this release, it is a tad disconcerting that a so-called “Platinum Edition�? is, in fact, a triple-dipper. Nevertheless, considering the quality of the new material, it will be given the benefit of the doubt - even if such unquestionably classic films as Pinocchio (only released once on DVD, with no extras) have yet to receive any type of special treatment.

(c) Disney