the latest new on Walt Disney Treasures from the Bits Rumor Mill (1 Viewer)

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/rumormill.html

this is simply great news indeed.

So, we'll probably be getting

* Disney in Outer Space, with Man in Space, Tomorrow the Moon, Mars and Beyond and the short Eyes in Outer Space.

* Wartime Disney, hopefully with Victory Through Air Power. We've known this was likely for a while.

* Sounds like Donald Duck is still rumoured.

Should be fun. I really want the educational films (especially for Freewayphobia), and I am really eager to get Little Hiawatha and Ferdinand the Bull at some time - I remember watching those at school when I was young, on one of those old clacky projectors.

Well this was all "confirmed" earlier in another thread. I believe someone quoted an emial from Mr. Maltin stating these three, plus a Volume 2 of Mickey Mouse in Living Color are to be released.

One thing that I do not understand is why the second wave of WDT discs got wrong what the first discs got right. What do I mean?

I currently have Mickey In Colour, Goofy, Silly Symphonies, and received Davy Crockett yesterday. I am waiting for Behind the Scenes and Disneyland USA to arrive, and am trying to get hold of Mickey In B&W.

Firsly, looking at the first wave's Davy Crockett, that disc has each episode broken up into chapters. However, I understand the second wave's Behind The Scenes elements aren't broken up into chapters - a problem particularly with The Reluctant Dragon which has many different shorts in the film that viewers may wish to jump straight to. Discs with elements running longer than 10 minutes must have chapter breaks in them. Full stop.

The other problem is one I have seen discussed on other threads. The first wave shorts discs like Mickey In Colour and Silly Symphonies have the Play All feature, which is essential - second wave discs like Goofy and B&W Mickey don't and I'm beginning to wear out my remote's Enter button having to press it every 8 minutes whenever I watch Goofy.

If it is true that it was to stop people from sitting their kids in front of the TV for several hours when the short contain potentially offensive material, that is silly. Maybe it is understandable with B&W Mickey (much of the early shorts I've seen bordered on Itchy and Scratchy cruelty level) but was the material in Goofy really that awful that we need parents to be there keeping an eye on what the kids watch?

As for the Leonard Maltin introductions to 'offensive' shorts and materials - I've noticed people complain about these, but as long as we get them uncut, I don't care. I'm willing to sit through one minute of Leonard telling us "we didn't know better" or "it was a different world" if it means I get Victory Through Air Power uncut. I just wish we could get Fantasia uncut.

Looking forward to many more WDT releases, hoping they use chapter breaks and a Play All function, and hoping the second Colour Mickey will include both Mickey and the Beanstalk and Mickey's Christmas Carol.

Mickey and the Beanstalk is part of "Fun and Fancy Free" which is on DVD already.

Quote: "As for the Leonard Maltin introductions to 'offensive' shorts and materials - I've noticed people complain about these, but as long as we get them uncut, I don't care. I'm willing to sit through one minute of Leonard telling us "we didn't know better" (...)"

You don't have to sit through that minute if you don't want to. Just press the skip button and jump to the start of the animated short. Just a little bit ironic, I guess.

Lack of chapters on Reluctant Dragon is indeed a little pain, but the whole film is very fun, so it's not very bad. Lack of play-all feature I think is a non-issue for me, since I didn't use it with the sets where it was provided. I prefer to click on each short...

Can someone enlighten me on which one Victory Through Air Power is? I've seen it referenced a few times, but don't know if I've ever seen it, and just can't assosciate it in my mind with anything.

I can't wait for the Disney in Outer Space! I've kept copies of Walt Disney Presents and they're looking pretty worn. Now, if they'll just put out some of the True Life Adventures. I know it'll be a long while for the Disney World features, but I want them too.

Yes, I know that you can skip the Maltin intros, and after I’ve seen them once I do. But sometimes they do provide some interesting information about the background of the cartoon.

I’ve heard the Reluctant Dragon is very different but very fun. I’m looking forward to watching it. I just think it would be nice to skip to particular shorts if one wants to. DVDs have really spoiled us – remember fast forwarding and rewinding videos to get to a particular scene?

Is Fun And Fancy Free available? I didn’t know that. I’ll try to get hold of it.

I’ve never seen Victory Through Air Power, (after all, it is mentioned in the Digital Bits post as being rare), and I don’t have my 15 year old "Encyclopaedia of Walt Disney Animated Characters" in front of me, but from memory I think it was a full length feature produced during WW2 outlining the history of planes, from the Wright Brothers up to the 40s fighter planes that will give the Allies victory over the Germans (hence the film title). Can someone please correct me if I’m wrong?

"Mars and Beyond" is simply one of the best television programs in history and I've been dying for it to come to the DVD format. It's a thing of beauty.
All of this is good news. It's a pity we're only getting 3 or 4 a year as I would buy just about everything they put out in any quantity at any interval.
Hoping for "An Adventure in Color/Donald in Mathmagicland" eventually. Right up there with "Mars and Beyond."

"Mars and Beyond" was released on the laser disc box set entitled "The Disneyland Anthology" in the 90's.


...long before man walked on the moon, he imagined all manner of ideas about the universe and the prospect of life. From the vantage point of the fifties, "Mars and Beyond" explores the possibilities, investigates predictions and presents a humorous look at what we might find on "Mars and Beyond"...aired December 4, 1957!

Further information from The Digital Bits rumour mill, 4/2/03 http://www.thedigitalbits.com/rumormill.html

We have an additional update on the Walt Disney Treasures DVDs expected to be released later this year. The latest intelligence indicates that you'll get The Chronological Donald, Disney: The War Years (which will include Victory Through Air Power as expected) and Mickey Mouse in Living Color 2. The other title we mentioned the other day, Disney in Outer Space, IS in production, but we're told now that this will probably not make the 2003 slate.

Click to expand...

oh man! does this mean another year of only three treasures!?

Not that I"m complaining but I was looking forward to FOUR this year again.

we've now heard of three TV titles be rumored at the bits and then not eventually make it out on dvd, I'm wondering if Disney's TV catalog is not as well preserved as their theatrical elements?

If so I wonder if its possible one of the two title rumored last year and then pulled will show up in Man in Space's place? Tru Life Adventures of Dr Syn: Alias The Scarecrow anyone?

Still War Cartoons, Chronological Donald (presumably vol. 1) and Mickey in Color 2, already this entire wave is more universally anticipated by me than any of other waves (never really did like Disneyland USA, but it turned out that "behind the scenes" was outstanding!).


Adam

I'm not sitting on any more info about forthcoming releases than most of the other guys here, but you asked for "thoughts" and that's what you'll get from me.

"Victory..." is a feature film and the others are shorts.

I think all the titles you mentioned should be included in the wartime set. I'm not just saying that because that's what I want - I'd really wonder, could there be a "wartime" set without these titles? In addition they should include "Chicken Little" and some more war-themed Donald Duck shorts. And then some of the army instruction titles never released to the public. And the "propaganda" titles like "The New Spirit" and so on.

I have "Reason and Emotion" as an MPG and it's nothing really shocking. Quite fun, actually. But shouldn't those Donald Duck shorts be on subsequent Chronological Donald sets?

My understanding on "Victory" is that it was a feature film developed based on a book of the same name about the importance in air campaignes for the successful winning of world war 2. It was supposedly quite contoversal upon its first release, as many people still saw air craft in warfare as a novelty. (This is based on a Maltin book I read about 13 years ago, so forgive me if I'm not intirly correct)

I would hope that the war set would include evrything, from instructional films for the war department to the "Buy War Bonds" shorts for the public. I would think that the donald shorts would also be included in this set.

I'm already losing sleep over this slate of treasures.