Toon Talk: Walt Disney Treasures Wave 8 DVDs
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With three previous two-disc sets, The Chronological Donald finally concludes with Volume 4, containing 30 cartoons from Donald�s last decade of solo shorts, 1951 to 1961. And what do you know, they saved the best for last (okay, not exactly, considering the whole �chronological� thing �).
Through most of his career, Donald was nothing if not consistent, if not down right redundant. Let�s face it, as seen in the series� first three volumes, a lot of the duck�s oeuvre was pretty repetitive. That is, until his later period when, long after the toons of his co-stars Mickey, Goofy and Pluto were phased out, he was still going strong -- and in Cinemascope no less. Beginning with Grand Canyonscope, the Donald could be seen bigger � and, in most cases, better � than ever before. Most rarely seen on television in their original format, all of Donald�s Cinemascope cartoons are included here in glorious widescreen, such as two stand-outs co-starring Humphrey the Bear and Ranger J. Audubon Woodlore, Bearly Asleep and Beezy Bear, plus Chips Ahoy, featuring Chip �n� Dale.
Those mischievous chipmunks also appear in two other gems, Donald Applecore (�Applecore!� �Baltimore!� �Who�s your friend?� �Me!� Splat!) and Working for Peanuts, Donald�s only 3-D toon (not seen here in 3-D though). Donald�s other frequent nemesis, his nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie, show up in the delightful Halloween-themed favorite, Trick or Treat, which also features the sublime June Foray (in a rare Disney voice role) as the wicked Witch Hazel.
Donald�s educational shorts are also highlights, most notably Donald in Mathmagic Land (an Academy Award nominee, not for animation, but documentary short subject) and Donald and the Wheel (featuring the legendary voice of Thurl Ravenscroft). These shorts also integrated live action footage, a throwback to such early features as The Three Caballeros. Five cartoons are also regulated to �the Vaults� due to their negative racial stereotypes and/or violent nature, including Donald�s two other Oscar nominees, Rugged Bear and No Hunting.
Bonus features include audio commentaries (by Maltin and fellow animation historian Jerry Beck) for Working for Peanuts and Grand Canyonscope, a featurette on Donald�s side job as the star of comic books and strips (�Donald Goes to Press�), a look at the never-made Trouble Shooter (with ace animator Eric Goldberg handling pitch duties) and ten cartoons from the TV series Disney�s Mickey Mouseworks starring our favorite duck.
Toon Talk Rating: B+
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-- Kirby C. Holt
-- Logos by William C. Searcy, Magic Bear Graphics
Kirby is a lifelong Disney fan and film buff. He is also an avid list maker and chronic ellipsis user ... In addition to his Toon Talk reviews, Kirby is the creator of Movie Dearest, a blog for movie fans.
Took Talk: Disney Film & Video Reviews by Kirby C. Holt is posted whenever there's something new to review.
The opinions expressed by our Kirby C. Holt, and all of our columnists, do not necessarily represent the feelings of LaughingPlace.com or any of its employees or advertisers. All speculation and rumors about the future plans of the Walt Disney Company are just that - speculation and rumors - and should be treated as such.
-- Posted November 11, 2008
-- Kirby C. Holt
-- Logos by William C. Searcy, Magic Bear Graphics