Amazon.com video review:
All nine of Disney's first collection of animated classics on DVD are
included in
this set. Some of the nine titles include bonus features, and the DVD format will provide
optimum sound and picture quality for the young and old collector alike.
The crown jewels are Pinocchio and The Little Mermaid. The
former celebrates its 60th anniversary with a brand new print, while the latter
is the 1989 film that revitalized Disney's animation wing and brought new
audiences to the art form. Both offer Oscar-winning songs. Two of the
popular classics from the '60s are represented with 101 Dalmatians and The Jungle Book, which was the
last
animated feature that Walt Disney directly worked on and which saved the
animation department when it was a box-office hit in 1967. Hercules and Mulan make great strides
in the look of animation. The mythical figures of the former are based on
the radical designs of Gerald Scarfe, and the latter makes bold advancements
in computer animation in the refreshingly unknown legend of a Chinese girl.
The collection rounds out with Lady and the Tramp in a
grand widescreen format, the charming Peter Pan that hardly
shows its age, and 1998's The Lion King II: Simba's
Pride, a made-for-video sequel. Although the sequel is entertaining,
it's
frustrating to note the original The Lion King has been kept out of
circulation completely for a few years (as Disney does with many classics),
gearing towards a grand future release into theaters. --Doug Thomas
Amazon.com video review:
Peter Pan has a special place in the realm of classic animated
Disney
films: it instills an element of childlike wonder. The 1953 version of James
M. Barrie's story is colorfully told and keeps on the straight and narrow
of the book. Barrie's wondrous focus on child's play is the key to its
longevity: kids who don't grow up, shadows that run away from their owners,
pirates, a fairy, and the magic ability to fly. In short, you can't help
wishing the adventure would happen to you. Fueled by a few memorable songs
(the stunner being "You Can Fly") and the strong impression of the pixie fairy
Tinkerbell and the goofy Captain Hook, Disney's version of this story
neither supplants nor lessens the Broadway version with Mary Martin that
was produced for television the same decade. Unlike some classics, Peter
Pan never ages along the way. --Doug Thomas
Amazon.com video review:
Peter Pan has a special place in the realm of classic
animated Disney
films: it instills an element of childlike wonder. The 1953 version of
James
M. Barrie's story is colorfully told and keeps on the straight and
narrow
of the book. Barrie's wondrous focus on child's play is the key to its
longevity: kids who don't grow up, shadows that run away from their
owners,
pirates, a fairy, and the magic ability to fly. In short, you can't
help
wishing the adventure would happen to you. Fueled by a few memorable
songs
(the stunner being "You Can Fly") and the strong impression of the
pixie fairy
Tinkerbell and the goofy Captain Hook, Disney's version of this story
neither supplants nor lessens the Broadway version with Mary Martin
that
was produced for television the same decade. Unlike some classics,
Peter
Pan never ages along the way. --Doug Thomas
