Disney Treasures Screenshots! (1 Viewer)

[Ernest Rister]

Just before laserdisc went belly-up, Disney released a box set called "The Disneyland Anthology", which contained several episodes of the original Disneyland TV series. The set contained the following:

* The Disneyland Story (1st Episode of the Series)
* A Day In The Life of Donald Duck
* Along The Oregon Trail (Promotion for Westward Ho! the Wagons)
* The Crisler Story (Making of White Wilderness) & Prowlers of The Everglades
* Adventures in Fantasy (Bringing inanimate objects to life)
* Mars And Beyond

 

[CraigF]

I'm trying to maximize my chances: I really only want Tomorrowland and Front Lines, so they're pre-ordered, and in case they don't show up, I'm going to try to pick them up at a B&M first thing too. However, I have noticed that some people locally buy up ALL the tins of the titles they think are most desirable, and amazon.ca doesn't promise delivery, so I may end up with nothing...

Not numbering the tins themselves IMO makes the tins much less desirable in some ways, and I'm kinda hoping it might help prevent speculation...

Marco: I have never received a special set from amazon.ca that had any damage whatsoever, and I'm picky about that too. Same goes for DVDSoon, even though they tend to ship in bubble envelopes. I recently received a "vintage" Disney tin shipped from CA in a bubble env. and it survived perfectly. I do appreciate that you want to hand-pick your items though, but when availability or price become a BIG factor, I pre-order online. When there's no price or availability issue, then I can always hand-pick and pay full price in a store, usually no time limits for that.

 

[MarcoBiscotti]

Well when it comes to these Treasures I can honestly say that price is not a factor. I would willingly pay double what these initially sell for retail and still feel justified just because of the care and overall treatment that goes into these sets. They are easily in my opinion, the most well produced DVD's on the market from the featured content and plethora of fascinating supplementals to the overall packaging and aesthetics, the classy menu screens, etc. These are worth every hard earned penny.

Craig, I'm also concerned about the selfish people that buy up all the retail stock which is why I will make sure to be standing outside Metro Video at least 20 minutes before the doors open on the 18th - I won't feel secure until these are in my hands though!

Everybody has relayed the same thing to me about ordering online from Amazon, that they've always arrived in pristine condition, but I just feel a lot better going through retail. Plus to me it feels more rewarding to actually go out and pick them up rather than sitting at home and waiting for the mailman to show up. Eitherway, I wouldn't trust any pre-orders placed at this point due to potential overstock estimations. People have been waiting since last December for these so I'd expect most e-tailers to already be on their last few units due to the high volume of pre-orders since Christmas. I would feel just as uncertain now placing a pre-order with Amazon or any other online retailer.

 

[MarcoBiscotti]

Thanks for the info about the DisneyLand Anthology, Ernest!

I just read about it in an article posted over at DVDToons and it sounds great! I hope these are revisited in future Treasure waves and all original episodes are released, I'd love to have a collection of original black and white Disneyland television shows! I believe there were intially 20 episodes produced for the first season of DisneyLand and I think they ran close to one hour each. That would make for 4 nice Treasure sets with 5 episodes on each volume. I'd especially want to see "Your Host, Donald Duck" released, I have that on an old VHS recording that I would love to replace. It's my absolute favorite of the anthology shows next to "The Ranger Of Brownstone" and "On Vacation With Mickey And Friends", I don't even care if much of the content is rehashed, I'd kill to own these on DVD!

 

[CraigF]

Marco, we had a thread on this a while ago, and some others besides me have noticed how not all retailers seem to get everything on release day like they used to. I became so frustrated with that locally and driving all around that I have practically given up buying new releases at a B&M. It might be worthwhile to go to your favorite store in advance and make an "arrangement"...I'm going to try that at the local Wal-Mart, heretofore reliable for Disney stuff and I'm "known" there.

 

[MarcoBiscotti]

Oh believe me, I plan on hasseling my retailer every single day an entire week in advance to make sure that stock is recieved and ready to be shelved on the 18th. I'm even going to ask them to set aside one of each for me the night before, just to make extra certain!

The absolute worst case scenario is that Metro Video will be a couple days behind, but I'll know whether that's the case before the 18th and since there are at least 3 DVD retailers within a five block span downtown, I shouldn't have a problem grabbing these. I'll drive all over the city if I have to but rest assured that come March 18th, these will be mine! Metro Video has them officially listed for release on their website anyways and they're usually good with this for the most part..

 

[Ernest Rister]

"Thanks for the info about the DisneyLand Anthology, Ernest!
I hope these are revisited in future Treasure waves and all original episodes are released, I'd love to have a collection of original black and white Disneyland television shows! I believe there were intially 20 episodes produced for the first season of DisneyLand and I think they ran close to one hour each. That would make for 4 nice Treasure sets with 5 episodes on each volume."

Well, most of the material would be redundant since much of the content seen in Season One has already been released on DVD. Let's get the ol' Maltin out and take a look...

1954-55 Season (Season One)

1. The Disneyland Story (seen on WDT: Disneyland, USA)
2. Alice in Wonderland (available on DVD with network introductions)
3. Prairie/Seal Island (True-Life Adventure shorts, n/a)
4. The Donald Duck Story (Donald Vol. I streets in three weeks)
5. So Dear to my Heart (n/a)
6. A Story of Dogs (I'm assuming these are Pluto cartoons and promotional material for Lady and the Tramp)
7. Operation Undersea (the making of 20,000 Leagues - much of this material is on the DVD)
8. Davy Crockett, Indian Fighter (seen on WDT: Davy Crockett)
9. 1954 Christmas Show
10. Cameras in Africa/Beaver Valley (making of The African Lion + TL Adventure short)
11. Treasure Island Part One
12. Treasure Island Part Two (film available on DVD)
13. Monsters of the Deep (excerpt seen on 20,000 Leagues DVD)
14. Davy Crockett Goes to Congress (seen on WDT: Davy Crockett)
15. Wind in the Willows (avaialble on "Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad" DVD)
16. A Progress Report & Nature's Half-Acre (Disneyland construction & TL Adventure short)
17. Cavalcade of Songs (song excerpts from Disney films)
18. Davy Crockett at the Alamo (seen on WDT: Davy Crockett)
19. From Aesop to Hans Christian Anderson (Silly Symphonies and clips from feature films)
20. Man in Space (seen on WDT: Tomorrowland)
21. Further Report on Disneyland (more construction footage)

Season Two follows in a similar vein, although there are more "episodes" that contain films and shorts not available on DVD, like The Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men, The Sword and the Rose, and some of the "People and Places" shorts.

Season Four & Five get interesting, because Disney was fishing for another "Davy Crockett", and so he made multiple episodes built around charcaters like "Texas John Slaughter" (one TJS episode is called "A Holster Full of Law" - great title), "Elfego Baca", "Daniel Boone", etc. Characters like "Zorro", "The Swamp Fox" (with Leslie Nielsen) and "Gallagher" would follow later.

"I'd especially want to see "Your Host, Donald Duck" released, I have that on an old VHS recording that I would love to replace. It's my absolute favorite of the anthology shows next to "The Ranger Of Brownstone" and "On Vacation With Mickey And Friends", I don't even care if much of the content is rehashed, I'd kill to own these on DVD!"

I remember those.

WALT
Donald...the people are waiting.

DONALD
(looks at camera, angrily)
Let 'em wait.

 

[Reagan]

I just bought the Costco set last month, so they may be still in stock.

As for future sets, don't hate me, but I'd love to see Disneyland USA, Volume 2. "Disneyland Around the Seasons" is one episode in particular I'd like to see.

-Reagan

 

[Ernest Rister]

CraigF: "I'm trying to maximize my chances: I really only want Tomorrowland and Front Lines, so they're pre-ordered, and in case they don't show up, I'm going to try to pick them up at a B&M first thing too. However, I have noticed that some people locally buy up ALL the tins of the titles they think are most desirable, and amazon.ca doesn't promise delivery, so I may end up with nothing..."

I wouldn't panic, but because Wave 2 had a lower run, and because the Mickey Vol. I set started selling for upwards of $80-$100 on e*bay, "WDT: The Complete Goofy" sold out in less than a month. It goes for around $60 or thereabouts on e*bay. I'd like to think it sold out to average joes, not to shrewd collectors who bought multiple copies in order to make a killing on e*bay.

Still, I see some of the other sets here and there, like "WDT: Disneyland USA" and "WDT: Behind the Scenes at the Walt Disney Studio". Perhaps the reason "WDT: Tomorrowland" has such a low run is because few people bought the "Disneyland" and "Behind the Scenes" sets, and Disney doesn't expect to move a lot of "Tomorrowland" units.

Anyway, who knows which sets will sell out, or if any of the Wave 3 titles will sell out. I'm sure you'll be able to find them in a Bricck and Mortar store - but how long is anybody's guess. If the past is any indication, look for "Mickey Vol. II" and "Donald Vol. I" to sell out within a few months, perhaps before Christmas, perhaps afterwards. Who knows how the War shorts and the Tomorrowland sets will fare. They could go quick, or could still be taking up space at a Best Buy a year from now.

 

[DaViD Boulet]

Ok,

I just received four "treasures" sets from Disney to Review.

I'm daunted! Even just one would be quite a challenge.

Could you all give me some "pointers" as to how you'd like for me to approach these reviews? Combine them all into one or keep each one separate? Focus on picture or spend more time with extras? Do you need each and every item listed?

thanks!

dave

 

[Ernest Rister]

"As for future sets, don't hate me, but I'd love to see Disneyland USA, Volume 2. "Disneyland Around the Seasons" is one episode in particular I'd like to see."

I'd like to see another Disneyland set as well, but one that went into detail on the history of the park...like an interactive exploration on each themed land and all the attractions that have appeared there. Of all the WDT sets, "Disneyland USA" is perhaps the weakest. Sure, the live opening day broadcast and the 1st episode are fun, and it's always a pleasure to see extended episodes with Walt gushing about future attractions...but there is little else to set beyond that and a gallery with some vintage posters. A second set that explored the actual park and the attractions in addition to the TV episodes would be most welcome.

This is what I'd like to see in future "Waves":

Walt Disney Treasures: True-Life Adventures Vol. I

Walt Disney Treasures: True-Life Adventures Vol. II (with an apology for throwing all those lemmings off a cliff in Canada in White Wilderness)

Walt Disney Treasures: Walt Disney's People and Places (completely forgotten today...Disney produced a "travelouge" series dedicated to celebrating different world cultures. Many were Oscar-nominees, and a couple were Oscar-winners...I've never seen them aired, not even on the Disney Channel back in the 80's)

Walt Disney Treasures: The Specials ("special" short subjects like Ben and Me, Ferdinand the Bull, It's Tough to be a Bird, the "teen Kurt Russell Learns to Drive" short we all had to watch in Driver's Ed in the 80's, The Truth About Mother Goose, Lambert the Sheepish Lion, Morris the Midget Moose, Don Bluth's Small One, Susie the Little Blue Coupe, etc.)

Walt Disney Treasures: Chip & Dale (though the Donald sets may burn through most of the Chip & Dale cartoons...)

Finally, there's Pluto, Ludwig Von Drake, Ranger Woodlore, and all those live-action TV characters like The Swamp Fox, Texas John Slaughter, Zorro, Daniel Boone, etc. A set devoted to the Mickey Mouse Club and the "I'm no Fool" series is way down on my list (especially since I suspect any Mickey Mouse Club set is going to feature performances by recent members Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake)

 

[Ernest Rister]

David - do them separately. They are individual entries in a series. Treat them the same way you would any other release. Can't wait to compare notes, my sets should arrive in a few hours.

 

[Casey Trowbridg]

David, I agree with Ernest, I think you should do them separately because they aredistinct titles. I enjoy your reviews very much, so am looking forward to them, I'd just say do them like you would do any other review.

 

[Charlie O.]

I think Disney needs to release sets finshing up black and white mickey cartoons and the Silly Symphonies. After that I'd like to see the silent shorts such as Alice and Oswald, the Lucky Rabbit.

 

[Chris Bardon]

I don't know about these-I'm interested in the Donald set for sure, and possibly the war one, but I really don't know if I'd watch the others. I think that the Tomorrowland one could be cool, but if I buy it I just fall into Disney's trap of "buy it now or else".

I'd be very surprised if Didney didn't re-release these at some point though. Maybe if enough bootlegs of the first waves start flooding the market, disney will reconsider keeping these discs under lock and key?

 

[ChrisKe]

David,

Can you confirm that the tins are no longer numbered? If so, did yours include numbers inside? How is this presented?

CK

 

[Mark-W]

I'm curious about the numbering, too.

I honestly hope that they have raised the edition sizes so all that want these can get them, and that those people who buy tons of sets merely to do some scalping on eBay will be less inclined.

It is one thing to limit the release to generate a sense of urgency to buy them. It is another to create eBay fodder.

I can just see some person going to Costco first thing in the morning on May 18th, and buying them all up only to haven them re-appear on eBay later for twice the price.


I ordered mine on-line at Costco.com since I work all day on Tuesdays. If they ship even a day before the 18th, I'll relax, otherwise, I'm going to have to beg a relative to make a trip to Costco to pick them up for me in the morning.

I think the public's awareness of these sets, and the penetration of DVD into the average home will make these dissapper much quicker than Ernest is predicting.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

I'm positive that those are the press numbers listed on the certificates. For all I know, the certficates are wrong, but unquestionably, that's what the certificates read...

 

[ChrisKe]

Sorry Colin. I didn't read your earlier posts carefully enough.

How well presented are the certificates?

CK

 

[Ernest Rister]

The tins are not numbered. They come with a certificate designating what number you have received.

Just some spoilers:

The Introductory Graphics and "WDT Theme" have been re-worked a tiny bit.

On certain shorts in the "Disney on the Front Lines" set, you cannot skip or even fast-forward through the Leonard Maltin introductions, as he is putting the content of the shorts in historical context. Disney must be gun-shy of offending people...Maltin cautioning parents to watch Chicken Little alone before deciding to show it to their kids seems a bit over-the-top in light of the actual content...I think kids can handle Foxy Loxy having an off-screen meal. If they can take watching the prow of a ship impale Ursula in The Little Mermaid, they can handle Chicken Little...

"Mickey's Christmas Carol" is wide-screen, looks to be about 1.85:1. "Prince and the Pauper" is also presented in wide-screen, as is the terrific "Runaway Brain".

Tons upon tons of top-notch bonus material on the Mickey set.

The shorts on the Mickey and War sets that I've seen so far are incredibly, shockingly pristine. Hats off to the Disney restoration gurus, because I was ready for some beat up IPs (especially for the war shorts), and instead, the few shorts I watched were absolutely gorgeous. The transfers retain the look of film, so there is very light film grain present - the look reminded me of the work done to restore Dumbo for the 60th anniversary DVD a couple years back. The only artifacts I've spotted are production artifacts inherent in the original photography, like some cel dust and cel scrawl, but even these are at a minimum. The few shorts I watched were "Der Fuerher's Face", "Education For Death", "Chicken Little", and "Reason and Emotion". I skipped through the Mickey shorts just to see how they looked, and was surprised to find the recent films in OAR. The transfers are top notch. Beautiful colors.

As for the "Tomorrowland" set, I checked out Mars and Beyond briefly. While the print used for the transfer wasn't flawless (in fact, you'll see many artifacts), the sharpness and color definition are flat-out eye-popping. Not too big of a leap to say that "Mars and Beyond" has never looked so good. Parts of it look like the episode was filmed yesterday. The end of the episode includes the original "next week on Disneyland" promotion tags, in black and white.

I'll be checking out Victory Through Air Power tonight, as soon as I know I can watch it without being interrupted. Then on to the rest of the Tomorrowland films and bonus features and the Donald shorts.

Disney buffs around America are going to be picking their jaws off the floor on May 18th. These are the best Disney Treasure sets ever made, from the beautifully designed menus to the gorgeous transfers to the content of the discs and the depth of the bonus features. These are the kinds of DVD releases where you feel sincere gratitude towards the people who produced them. They're better than I expected they could be, and I feel lucky just to have the privilege of owning them.

One of the easy DVD highlights of the year.