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Jim on Film: Bring on the Bonus Features
by Jim Miles

I can�t be the only one to re-purchase a movie for the sole sake of the bonus features. In fact, the successful Platinum Edition series that Disney has released, I would bet, is partially dependant on people like me being willing to drop another $20 for a documentary on the Xerox line in One-Hundred-and-One Dalmatians, the special effects in The Parent Trap, or an interview with Tommy Kirk on Old Yeller.

Like many others, for me the bonus features actually become crucial. In my very busy life, watching the bonus features on Brother Bear or Beauty and the Beast are my regular connection to Disney animation. I don�t always have eighty-eight minutes to watch Tarzan, but a ten-minute break allows me to watch one of its second-disc bonus features, to experience a little bit of the magic of the whole movie.

And it�s not only with animation. I am thrilled when the classic live-action movies get the bonus features treatment. There is plenty written about the making of Fantasia and Cinderella, but it�s much more difficult to come by an interview with the late David Swift (on the Vault Disney discs for The Parent Trap and Pollyanna) or a retrospective of special effects (on the original Escape to Witch Mountain DVD release). I love the special editions of the great classic Disney live-action movies, and I would add that they are worth tracking down if you don�t have them already because subsequent double-feature releases (like The Parent Trap/The Parent Trap II, Old Yeller/Savage Sam, and Escape to Witch Mountain/Return from Witch Mountain) are missing some of the bonus features from the original DVD releases.

Despite the embarrassment of riches Disney has given us (or we�ve bought from Disney, I guess I should say), my wish list of bonus features is still long. Here are a few of my top choices for what I�d like to see.

Conversations with Dean Jones
Most of the living big Disney stars have gotten a special �Conversations With� interview on Disney DVD releases�Hayley Mills, Tommy Kirk, James MacArthur, Nancy Olsen, Jodie Foster, and even director John Hough. These are wonderful because the actors get a chance to discuss memories of their work as well as perspectives on the films that only time can give. It�s great, for example, to hear an aged Tommy Kirk talking about the level of quality and work expected (and paid for) by the Disney studio. It�s also great to hear Hayley Mills reflect on her Disney films and talk about Walt Disney�s parting gifts for each movie.

Dean Jones has starred in over thirteen film projects for the studio, making him one of the most prolific of the quintessential Disney stars, an honor anchored in several of Disney�s best comedies�That Darn Cat!, The Love Bug, and The Horse in the Grey Flannel Suit being high on the list. Yet he has never been given the chance to openly share his experiences at the studio in a �Conversations With� interview. When you do see Dean Jones speak, he�s an incredibly well-spoken, warm, and insightful man, and I would love to hear his thoughts and experiences from his variety of Disney movies, including minor ones like The Ugly Dachshund, Blackbeard�s Ghost, and Million Dollar Duck.

The most obvious film for us to hear Jones�s reflections about would be The Love Bug, which has already been given an extensive, must-own 2-Disc treatment. I�m not sure which of his other films would ever be considered material for a 2-Disc treatment, but if anyone deserves a retrospective and would warrant one based upon fan appeal, it would be Dean Jones. I don�t know about you, but I want a widescreen That Darn Cat! with one or two bonus features befitting its status as a greatly loved Disney film. That�d be perfect for a �Conversations with Dean Jones.�

Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life
This is an episode of the Wonderful World of Disney from 1981. Inspired by the must-have/must-read book by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, this is a look into the world and history of Walt Disney Animation, hosted by Hayley Mills when she was, according to the special, preparing to record the voice of Eilonwy for The Black Cauldron (which was eventually performed by Susan Sheridan). Like many of the documentaries that would later be filmed to accompany the DVD releases of classic Disney films, Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life is loaded with animator interviews, though this time, we are getting perspectives by and about the great animators of the past, including Milt Kahl talking about Bill Tytla, Eric Larson talking about animating Peg�s sultry bounce, and Wolfgang Reitherman explaining his ideas behind the dog fight in Lady and the Tramp.

The reason for the special, though, was promoting The Fox and the Hound, and it provides a priceless perspective behind the scenes, including interviews from Mel Shaw and Glen Keane, plus a lip-synched performance by Pearl Bailey. It also ends with an introduction to The Black Cauldron via maquettes and inspirational artwork.

Seeing this special was instrumental in fostering my love of Disney at a young age, when I saw it replayed on some Saturday afternoon. There was something magical about witnessing steps in the creation of traditional animation that stuck with me until I was thoroughly hooked by Oliver & Company in 1988.

Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life was made available on video at some point as part of a two-episode release, probably in the 1980s. With the recent Platinum Editions hitting shelves on the anorexic side (at least in comparison to the original Platinum Editions), it might be a good chance to pad the bonus features and finally give this invaluable special to Disney fans.