Rank the Walt Disney Treasure Sets (1 Viewer)

[Patrick McCart]

I really think Tomorrowland is the big surprise of the entire Treasures line.

I initially purchased only because of the reputation of the animation in the "Weird Life on Mars" segment of Mars & Beyond. My expectations were a bunch of boring educational films.

Well, I was wrong. The specials were incredibly entertaining, as well as being educational. As someone who loves astronomy, they were wonderful! The EPCOT film was amazing, too.

 

[Scott_MacD]

I don't know if my opinion is as valid as the others expressed here, but here goes.. I've only picked up the entirety of Wave III.. and they rank as follows

1. Disney on the Front Lines - After Ernest Rister's essay on IGN, I just couldn't resist, and snapped up the others too.
2. Tomorrowland
3. The Chronological Donald - Volume 1
4. Mickey Mouse in Living Color - Volume 2[/list=1]
   Good idea for a thread, btw.. I'll probably end up weighing up eBay auctions for the good stuff.

 

[MikeDE]

Of the six I own, here's how I rank 'em according to how often they come out of the tins:

1. Complete Donald (gotta love him!)

2. Mickey in Color 1 (love that Band Concert)

3. Mickey In B&W 1

4. Mickey in Color 2 (more nice mouse and friends)

5. Silly Symphonies (good stuff, but don't re-watch it a lot, enjoy the characters more)

6. Complete Goofy (I'm in the minority, but just don't like these, only watched them once, and it'll probably just collect dust on the shelf)


Mike

 

[Lars Vermundsberget]

I've got all 11 of Waves 1-3 (and will receive Wave 4 within a few days). All in all, I'm very happy about these sets - they cover essential parts of the history of Disney. Both historical significance and entertainment value count in my book. However, I find it hard to rank them.

I consider the cartoon shorts sets to be the most important ones. Of those I'd rank the Front Lines set number 1. How about the rest? I really don't know. They're all "important" and I really can't tell if any of them have more entertainment value to me than others.

Of the ones whose focus is not cartoon shorts, I think Tomorrowland is the greatest. Really high score on both historical value and entertainment. Davy Crockett was also a pure joy to watch. Does that make it better than any of the cartoon sets? I don't know.

The one that ends up at the bottom of the pile is undoubtedly Disneyland USA. I'd say this is the only one with serious issues about parts being edited out. I still found it quite interesting, it's far from a worthless collection of material, but the others are so much better.

 

[Ernest Rister]

"I don't know if my opinion is as valid as the others expressed here, but here goes..."

No more or less valid than anyone else's. Nobody but you can say what you do or don't like. You are the foremost expert on yourself.

The one that ends up at the bottom of the pile is undoubtedly Disneyland USA. I'd say this is the only one with serious issues about parts being edited out.

Agreed, but it is also thin on context and bonus features. Just imagine a "Disneyland Through the Years" feature, which showed the original layout of the park, and you could click to progress to the next year to see what changed, what attractions came and went.

And if we wanted to get even more nuts, we could have each attraction listed on a separate menu, and viewers could click on each attraction for a brief history and photos or video of the ride or show or exhibit in action.

Going even more inside than that, other supplements could be a trip inside Walt's apartment over the Disneyland fire station, an explanation as to who the people are whose names are on the windows along Main Street, or even a trip inside Club 51, the not-so-secret members-only bar in New Orleans Square. And if they dared, maybe even a "Disneyland behind the scenes" feature, where we see the backstage locales of the Happiest Place on Earth (TM).

Instead, for supplements we have a brief interview and a still frame gallery of some posters. The budget for this disc must have been on a shoestring, because there is so much left out.

 

[Brian Kidd]

Okay, here goes:

1)ON THE FRONT LINES
Although some of the content is iffy, entertainment-wise, the historical value of these films is undeniable. The set really shows off the graphic design talents of the Disney artists.

2)SILLY SYMPHONIES
I find myself returning to these shorts again and again. The variety of subjects and styles represented on this set means that the content never gets stale. I also quite enjoyed the segment about SS memorabilia.

3)TOMORROWLAND
I wasn't going to purchase this set until I read the glowing reviews by folks on this site. Boy, was I glad that I did. These shows are proof positive of Disney and Co.'s ability to present quality television the likes of which is sadly absent from today's world of WORLD GROSSOUT CHALLENGE, etc.

4)THE CHRONOLOGICAL DONALD, VOL. 1
Donald always made me laugh. Although, as Ernest mentioned, Donald's shorts got better as they went along, these early shorts are no less entertaining.

5)THE COMPLETE GOOFY
I love the Goof. I always have and always will. I do have to say that I'm not a huge fan of Bill Farmer's version of the voice. He just lacks a certain quality that Pinto Colvig had. I suppose I shouldn't compare the two, as Farmer has had to perform much deeper emotional work with the character than Colvig ever did, but I still prefer Colvig. When Farmer went back to the "old-style" Goof character for THE THREE MUSKETEERS (worth seeing, btw) he wasn't able to satisfactorally capture the innocent bumbling of Goofy. He tended to just come off as stupid. But I digress. Get the Goofy set. Laught at Goofy. It feels good.

6)MICKEY MOUSE IN LIVING COLOR, VOL. 1
The teaming of "The Big Three" never worked as well as it did in some of these shorts. Great shorts that played off of the strengths of the three characters.

7)MICKEY MOUSE IN BLACK AND WHITE, VOL. 1
Overall, an uneven, but decent set of cartoons. The set is hurt a bit by the fact that it skips around instead of just featuring MM's appearances chronologically, but I understand that this is because the content is essentially ported directly from the old ld set. I love the easter eggs featuring the publicity reels.

8)DAVY CROCKETT
Damn, but this is fluff at its finest. Truly enjoyable to watch. Not historically accurate by any stretch, but a good yarn.

9)BEHIND THE SCENES AT WALT DISNEY STUDIOS
While I was glad to finally see THE RELUCTANT DRAGON in its entirety, I must admit the whole thing comes off as a bit of an infomercial. Although parts are good such as Baby Weems and the titular short, it can get downright dull at times. The Disneyland episodes are as good as they ever were, but don't have as much rewatchability as some of the other shows.

10)DISNEYLAND, USA
Man, what a disappointment. I was so looking forward to this set. I'm a huge fan of the theme parks and the opportunity to see Disneyland in its heyday and Walt's plans for its future was just too good to pass up. Don't get me wrong, there is some great stuff there, but the edits to the programs really stuck in my craw.


Like most folks here, I'm a little let down by this coming wave, but it isn't because I think the sets will be crappy. Disney made very little that was truly bad during Walt's tenure. I've never been a fan of Pluto, so that set won't be under my Christmas tree. I'm intrigued by the MMC set and have a vague recollection of seeing reruns of the show when I was a very young child. I just don't know if it will be worth the $30. I have a young baby so my dvd money is very much on the light side. I'll pick up the MM in BW set just to complete the collection. I'm sure that there will at least be some interesting stuff on there.

 

[DaViD Boulet]

tomorrowland at the top for me.

 

[Bruce*A]

1. Tomorrowland
A true revelation! I never saw these programs in school, but I wish I had. What magic and imagination! The Discovery Channel could learn a thing or two from these programs. The bonus interviews are priceless as is Walt's pitch for EPCOT. The crown jewlel of my Treaures collection and probably of my Disney DVD collection as a whole.

2. The Silly Symphonies

I love these shorts so much. It's a shame they aren't in chronological order, but the creators joy and growth are still impossible to miss. Many of these I have never seen before but they have now become treasured stories.

3. Behind the Scenes at the Walt Disney Studios

What a treat! A glimpse (however brief) of the inner workings of Walt's magic making factory.

4. Disney on the Front Lines

Who would ever have thought that we'd finally be able to see this long burried work? A treasure trove.

5. Mickey Mouse in Living Color Volume 1

How can you pass up the best Mickey shorts to ever come out? You'll gain a new repect and awe for the mouse watching these.

6. The Complete Goofy

A master of gafaws! Goofy is second only to Mickey in my eyes.

7. Mickey Mouse in Living Color Volume 2

Finally a chace to see "Mickey's Christmas Carol", "The Prince and the Pauper" and "Runaway Brain."

8. Mickey Mouse in Black and White Volume 1

A chance to see how it all began. Mickey is quite different from the character we know today, but he's still very likable. I haven't watched these that much, but still I'm glad to have it.

9. Disneyland USA

It was great to see the opening of the park and glimpse a few of the changes. I wish we had more chance to delve into the changin face of the park. Still the sight of Walt strolling around and mingling with guests is precious. And most of the performances included are highly entertaining. A good start, but I want a lot more.

10. The Chronological Donald Volume 1

Donald in his youg years. Before he's fully realized. I'm sure the second volume will be more entertaining.

11. Davey Crockett King of the Wold Frontier

It was good to finally see these but I'm still at a loss as to why it became such a cultural phenomonon.

I've bought but have yet to watch Mickey Mouse in Black and White Volume 2 and The Mickey Mouse Club - Week One.

 

[Ruz-El]

I missed this thread! My list goes a little like this:

1: TOMORROWLAND
2: FRONT LINES
Front Lines is wonderful, don't get me wrong, but I never would of thought that the space stuff would be so fascinating! And some of the Front Lines stuff, as cool as it is too have, is a little boring

3: SILLY SYMPHONIES
4: MICKY B&W 1
5: MICKY B&W 2
These three are pretty close too a tie for me, I love old animation, and even though each of these have some creakers, I can't help but love them!

6: BEHIND THE SCENES
Hey Ernest, Tommorowland is always in the top 5, where's the love for this? The masters making movies, what's not to love? It's practically a primer in how to do animation, while also being a history on animation in general. It's just packed full of goodness (and The Reluctant Dragon, a long waited "see" for me!)

7: DAVEY CROCKET
Not enough good things can be said about Crocket! All doubters are soon swayed by the time Crocket takes a "Tommy-hawk" to the head, and the love jsut flows. If I wasn't such an animation whore, this would be right up there!

8: Mickey In color Vol 1

9: PLUTO VOL 1
I haven't watched it all yet, but what I have seen totally charmed me. I'll edit this list if I deem it unworhty for this spot.

10: DONALD DUCK VOL 1
Left me kind of flat. I guess my expectations were too high.

11: DISNEYLAND USA
A flawed set, and a bit of a missed potential, but how can't you love watching Sammy Davis Jr. rear end Frank Sinatra at Autotopia, or Luis Armstrong?

12: MICKEY MOUSE IN COLOR 2
Bored me. None of the shorts stood out. Christmas Carol and Runaway Brain redeemed the set for me.

13: COMPLETE GOOFY
Same as Mickey Color vol 2. Bored me mostly. Warners did gag stuff better, and MGM did frantic chaos better.

14: MICKEY MOUSE CLUB
At the bottom by default because I haven't watched it yet. From what I've skimmed this could get bumped up to 6 or 7. It looks awesome.

Which meens the Complete Goofy is my least favorite. Doesn't seem right, does it? But then, these sets are all must haves, and even the bad set's are better than most anything else out there!

Full disclosure. I'm 30 years old, and never saw 75% of this stuff when it was "new, current of a fad" discovered an interest in most of these in my teens, when I blossmed into a full blown film fanatic. Some of my choices might seem strange (actually to me they mostly look safe, does anyone hate rontlines or symphonies?), but I don't have the nostalgia factor built into me. And nostalgia is high on these types of releases. I could see Mickey Mouse Club shooting to the top of one of these lists due to a fans memory of plunking down in front of a grainy blach and white set with a glass of ovaltine to see what the gang was up too.

Oh yeah, pardon my spelling, I've jsut spent 30 mins at work geeking out over Disney toons!

 

[HaigH]

1. On the Front Lines

2. Tomorrowland

3. Silly Symphonies

4. The Complete Goofy

5. Mickey Mouse in Black and White Volume 1

6. Chronological Donald

7. Mickey Mouse in Living Color Volume 1

8. Behind the Scenes at Walt Disney Studios

9. Mickey Mouse in Black and White Volume 2

10. The Complete Pluto

11. Mickey Mouse in Living Color Volume 2

12. Davy Crockett

13. Mickey Mouse Club

14. Disneyland USA

 

[DavidBL]

I must have the same tastes as Ernest, as I own his 1-8 and would rank them about the same, and passed on 9, 10, and 11. I have yet to evaluate MM:B&W II and Pluto, they're under the tree along with all the other good DVD's that have come out this month.