Running Time: 263 Minutes (4 hours, 23 minutes) / Rating: Not Rated
1.33:1 Fullscreen (Original Aspect Ratio) / Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono (English)
Originally Released between 1947 and 1950
Subtitles: English; Closed Captioned / DVD Release Date: December 11, 2007
Two single-sided, dual-layered discs (DVD-9); Suggested Retail Price: $32.99
REVIEW CONTENTS
Page 1: Set Overview and Disc 1 Shorts
Page 2: Disc 2 Shorts, Video & Audio, Bonus Features, and Closing Thoughts
DISC 2
Leonard Maltin appears for another introduction (1:54) which, like the first disc, explains the progression of Donald's shorts and informs us of what shorts are featured on this disc.
Sea Salts (1949) (7:32) Captain Donald and his first mate Mack are stranded on an island where Mack does all the work for survival.
Winter Storage (1949) (6:53) Chip and Dale don’t have enough acorns for the coming winter, so they steal Donald’s supply.
Honey Harvester (1949) (7:13) When Donald sees a bee extracting honey from his flowers, Donald follows him to find out where the honey is being stored.
All in a Nutshell (1949) (6:45) Chip and Dale think Donald’s factory is a giant walnut but soon set their sights on stealing what the factory produces: peanut butter.
tells us how the following shorts may have content offensive to some.
Donald’s Happy Birthday (1949) (6:42) Huey, Dewey, and Louie try to raid their personal bank to get Donald a birthday present without him knowing. Undoubtedly, this short is placed here because Donald forces the boys to smoke the cigars they bought, not knowing that those were meant for him.
Bee at the Beach (1950) (6:33) Donald and a bumblebee each try to enjoy a stay at the beach but end up ruining each other’s experience. It’s not exactly clear why this short could be considered offensive. Perhaps Disney didn’t want small children being afraid of the beach, as several sharks try to eat Donald towards the end of the short.
Exhibited in their original 1.33:1 ratios, the shorts featured here look the best they've ever had. Colors and sharpness are the two standouts. The former shows up vividly and boldly without bleeding, while the latter is always nicely refined without edge enhancement. Print flaws are minimal. Some flickering and speckles show up infrequently but are never really a concern. Purists will be happy to know that the shorts have not been scrubbed so clean that they look like they were animated on CAPS. Dust that adhered to cels and to the camera lens during filming remain intact. The Dolby Digital 2.0 tracks are as adequate as one expects from this shorts of this vintage. Music and dialogue come cleanly with no hissing as do the extensive sound effects. The sound remains front heavy, but that's perfectly acceptable, especially for those against surround tinkering with older tracks. In all, both picture and sound have been given proper care and attention for this release.
Maltin appears once again, this time interviewing acclaimed Disney sculptor Ruben Procopio. He demonstrates what it takes to transfer a a flat character like Donald into the realm of 3-D. He also discusses his background and how his father influenced his work, making this both a tight and fascinating look at the sculpting process.
Both discs feature a section titled "Donald on the 'Mickey Mouse Club'." When selected, a 24-second clip from Maltin explains how each week, the introduction to the "Mickey Mouse Club" would end with a unique piece between Donald and the gong. Ten of those intros (2:41 each) are hidden as easter eggs throughout both discs and are quite easy to find. It's rather cumbersome, though, to search and fast-forward each opener just to reach a few seconds of unique Donald animation. A reel playing all of these animated closings back to back would've been preferred.
Finally, each disc contains its own gallery relevant to the shorts of that respective disc. Disc one holds 162 stills while disc two holds 179. Both feature a nice mix of storyboards and painted backgrounds, though original posters are conspicuously absent.
The menus are all in a 4x3 ratio and, like the other Treasures, are simple, static, and accompanied by original little musical cues. One has the option on either disc to play all of the shorts consecutively in either chronological or alphabetical order. Each short can also be accessed to play individually on either menu.
