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:
Disney's first animated feature in CinemaScope is now
available in widescreen presentations on video, and it is definitely
good to get the whole picture. One of the studio's most original and
charming movies, the 1955 film tells the story of a rakish,
street-smart dog named Tramp, who helps an aristocratic pooch named
Lady out of some trouble and then commences a romance with her. Sweet,
funny scenes abound, and the combination of innocence and
sophistication would have done well in a live-action picture. Peggy
Lee cowrote the songs
and provides the voice of the Siamese cats in one of the film's
best-known musical sequences. This newly restored version spruces up
both sonics and visuals, and a letterbox version is
available. --Tom Keogh
Amazon.com video review:
Disney's first animated feature in CinemaScope is now
available in widescreen presentations on video, and it is definitely
good to get the whole picture. One of the studio's most original and
charming movies, the 1955 film tells the story of a rakish,
street-smart dog named Tramp, who helps an aristocratic pooch named
Lady out of some trouble and then commences a romance with her. Sweet,
funny scenes abound, and the combination of innocence and
sophistication would have done well in a live-action picture. Peggy
Lee cowrote the songs
and provides the voice of the Siamese cats in one of the film's
best-known musical sequences. This newly restored version spruces up
both sonics and visuals, and a letterbox version is
available. --Tom Keogh
