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Walt Disney Animation Collection DVDs:
Wave 1: Volume 1: Mickey and the Beanstalk • Volume 2: Three Little Pigs • Volume 3: The Prince and the Pauper
Wave 2: Volume 4: The Tortoise and the Hare • Volume 5: The Wind in the Willows • Volume 6: The Reluctant Dragon
Walt Disney Animation Collection: Classic Short Films - Volume 2: Three Little Pigs DVD Review
For a good quote to support why the Disney company shouldn't rely heavily on sequels, fans can point to something Walt himself said several times over the years: "You can't top pigs with pigs." The statement refers to a lesson learned in the early days of Disney animation, when the studio followed the hugely popular 1933 Silly Symphony Three Little Pigs with three successors over the course of the '30s.
Two of the three sequels -- 1934's The Big Bad Wolf and 1936's Three Little Wolves -- are gathered alongside their Academy Award-winning predecessor in Walt Disney Animation Collection: Classic Short Films - Volume 2: Three Little Pigs. Accompanying those pig cartoons are a quartet of somewhat memorable talking animal stories first released as one-reel shorts from 1936 to 1952. Like nearly anything worth mentioning in Disney's vast catalog of animated shorts, all seven of these have previously appeared on DVD in the collectible Walt Disney Treasures series. Even if that quickly-disappearing, tin-housed line intimidated you, you could have already encountered up to four of these cartoons on DVDs like Timeless Tales, Volume One, The Fox and the Hound, Melody Time, The Rescuers, and Dumbo. But now they're gathered in one place, to give you a pleasant sampling of the quarter-century when color Disney cartoon shorts thrived, or simply to serve as a moderately-priced, hour-long babysitter.
"Three Little Pigs" (1933) (8:44)
Chosen by the Library of Congress for US National Film Registry preservation in 2007, this short features the first popular original Disney song in "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?", which has been covered by the likes of Duke Ellington, Barbra Streisand, and LL Cool J in the 76 years it's been around.
Unsurprisingly, what's seen here is not entirely true to the original short; the Big Bad Wolf's Jewish peddler disguise as part of him pretending to be the Fuller Brush Man is gone, as is the presumably more Yiddish voice he originally used. The animation was revised long ago, dating back at least to the short's 1984 home video debut, and even affects the normally unedited Walt Disney Treasures' release of it.
"The Big Bad Wolf" (1934) (9:23)
"Three Little Wolves" (1936) (9:21)
"Lambert the Sheepish Lion" (1952) (8:18)
"Chicken Little" (1943) (8:47)
"Three Blind Mouseketeers" (1936) (8:44)
"Elmer Elephant" (1936) (8:34)
VIDEO and AUDIO
True to their original designs, all seven shorts are presented in 1.33:1 fullscreen and two-channel Dolby Mono. There are far fewer disappointments here than on Volume 1. Three Little Pigs is clean and sounds good (if somewhat inconsistent); you'll notice some stationary smudges and imperfections here and there, but nothing major. The Big Bad Wolf is even cleaner, with fewer flaws spotted, although its soundtrack is a little thinner and more dated. Three Little Wolves is almost perfect; it's marred only by slight flicker.
By far the youngest short on the disc, Lambert the Sheepish Lion is also the best looking and sounding. Though its Disney Rarities was one of the most erratically-restored of recent Walt Disney Treasures sets, it's maybe a little dark but highly satisfactory. Chicken Little is a bit grainy, but also up to snuff in picture and sound. Windowboxed Three Blind Mouseketeers may be the least sightly; its bright colors border on harsh, plus speckles appear throughout and the shrill dialogue is tough to understand. On the whole, it looks like the ample Treasures restorations have been utilized here, meaning all but those with unreasonable expectations (like improvement over the Treasures' transfers) should be pleased.
BONUS FEATURES, MENUS and PACKAGING
The one bonus feature is a tangible one found inside the keepcase. This DVD's collectible lithograph, measuring 7 1/8" wide by 4 3/8" high, depicts the Three Little Pigs singing their signature song with Practical Pig at the piano. It's kind of cool but hardly worthy of display.
Also sitting inside are a Disney Movie Rewards sheet and a booklet promoting Blu-ray. The white keepcase is housed in an embossed, reflective cardboard slipcover, whose presence we can probably thank for this line's list price standing $5 above most of Disney's prior hour-long cartoon short compilations.
The static menus use imagery from Three Little Pigs and its sequels while playing an instrumental version of "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?"
Promos for Disney, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Princess and the Frog, Up, Bedtime Stories, and Disney Movie Rewards play at disc insertion. Post-feature with FastPlay or from the menu on your own, the second tier of previews advertise My Friends Tigger & Pooh: Tigger & Pooh and a Musical Too, "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse": Mickey's Big Splash, Monsters, Inc. Blu-ray, The Black Cauldron: Special Edition, Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure, and Disney Parks.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
The second volume of the Walt Disney Animation Collection |
Related Reviews:
New to DVD: Walt Disney Animation Collection, V1: Mickey and the Beanstalk • Bedtime Stories • Schoolhouse Rock! Earth • Bolt • Marley & Me
Walt Disney Treasures: Silly Symphonies • Walt Disney Treasures: More Silly Symphonies • Walt Disney Treasures: Disney Rarities
Walt Disney Treasures: Walt Disney on the Front Lines • Shrek the Halls • Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey's Storybook Surprises
The Fox and the Hound (25th Anniversary Edition) • Dumbo (Big Top Edition) • It's a Small World of Fun! Volume 4 • Home on the Range
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Academy Awards Animation Collection • Chicken Little • Popeye the Sailor: Volume 1 (1933-1938)
UltimateDisney.com | DVD Reviews | DVDizzy.com: DVD & Blu-ray Schedule | Upcoming Disney DVDs | Walt Disney Treasures | Search This Site
Reviewed April 2, 2009.