Walt Disney Treasures Download Torrent

Disc 1: (Click title to view that portion of the review)
Donald Duck Shorts
1934: The Wise Little Hen; 1936: Donald and Pluto;
1937: Don Donald, Modern Inventions, Donald's Ostrich;
1938: Self Control, Donald's Better Self, Donald's Nephews, Polar Trappers, Good Scouts, The Fox Hunt, Donald's Golf Game;
1939: Donald's Lucky Day, The Hockey Champ, Donald's Cousin Gus, Beach Picnic, Sea Scouts, Donald's Penguin, The Autograph Hound, Officer Duck
Bonus Material: Publicity and Memorabilia Gallery, Story and Background Art Gallery, Easter Egg
Disc 2: (Click title to view that portion of the review)
Donald Duck Shorts
1940: The Riveter, Donald's Dog Laundry, Billposters, Mr. Duck Steps Out, Put-Put Troubles, Donald's Vacation, Window Cleaners, Fire Chief;
1941: Timber, Golden Eggs, A Good Time for a Dime, Early to Bed, Truant Officer Donald, Old MacDonald Duck, Donald's Camera, Chef Donald;
Bonus Material: 'The Man Behind the Duck: Clarence 'Ducky' Nash', Easter Eggs
Running Time: 310 Minutes (5 hours, 10 minutes) / Rating: Not Rated
Disc One: 170 minutes (162 - shorts, 4 - introductions, 4 - extras)
1.33:1 Fullscreen (Original Ratio) / Dolby Digital Mono (English)
Originally Released between 1934 and 1941
Subtitles: English; Closed Captioned / DVD Release Date: May 18, 2004
Two single-sided, dual-layered discs (DVD-9); Suggested Retail Price: $32.99

Donald Duck gets his own entry in the increasingly popular Walt Disney Treasures line. The Chronological Donald, Volume One contains the first 36 Donald Duck shorts. Spanning seven years, these shorts were released at a time when the irascible duck was growing in popularity and upstaging the studio's first solidifed cartoon star, Mickey Mouse.

Like all Walt Disney Treasures, this set is presented in a double Alpha keepcase and housed in a silver tin. Inside, you'll find a certificate of authenticity, with the number of your indivdiual copy; just 165,000 of The Chronological Donald, Volume 1 sets were produced. An 8-page booklet contains some basic info on Walt Disney common to all Treasures, a list of contents, 2 pages of notes on this set from Leonard Maltin, and a page devoted to an animator's sketch from 'Beach Picnic.' There is also a collectible card reproducing theatrical poster art from the 1940 short 'Donald's Vacation.' The slip outside the tin erroneously lists the material as being originally released between '1936 and 1941' when the earliest shorts included are from 1934.

Disc One opens with Leonard Maltin's introduction (2:27), which puts 'Walt Disney's most explosive character' into context. Maltin explains that Donald's temper made him a scene-stealing alternative to good-natured characters Mickey Mouse and Goofy. Disc 1 contains the first 20 Donald Duck shorts from the 1930s, which you have to option to Play All chronologically. You can also choose individual shorts from a chronological or alphabetical listing.

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Walt Disney's Legacy Collection:
True-Life Adventures, Volume 2 - Lands of Exploration
(Click title to view that portion of the review)
Disc 1: The Living Desert (1953), The Vanishing Prairie (1954), Seal Island (1948)
Disc 2: Islands of the Sea (1959), Nature's Strangest Creatures (1960), 'Prairie' (1954), 'Behind the True-Life Cameras' (1957)
Bonus Material: 'Backstage with Roy Disney at Disney's Animal Kingdom: Desert Insects', 'Backstage with Roy Disney at Disney's Animal Kingdom: Snakes', 'Filmmakers' Journal', 'Collectors' Corner', Trailers & Promos
Running Time: 258 Minutes (4 hours, 18 minutes)
1.33:1 Fullscreen (Original Aspect Ratio) / Dolby Digital Mono (English)
Rating: Not Rated / Originally Released and Broadcast between 1948 and 1960
Subtitles: English; Closed Captioned / DVD Release Date: December 5, 2006
Two single-sided, dual-layered discs (DVD-9); Suggested Retail Price: $32.99

By Ed South

During the 1940s, Walt Disney hired nature photographers Alfred and Elma Milotte to spend some time in Alaska capturing footage for a documentary. They Milottes sent reels and reels of film back to the Disney studios where Walt would take a look at them and find not much of interest. The project took a sharp turn for the better when Walt saw a reel featuring seals. He decided that the heart of the story was to be found in the marine mammals, so he sent the Milottes back to Alaska to focus on filming the seals. The resulting film is known today as Seal Island, the first in what would become a long string of True-Life Adventures.

One of the four sets which mark the launch of Walt Disney's Legacy Collection, Volume 2: Lands of Exploration brings to DVD not only Seal Island but also the majestic The Living Desert, the first time the True-Life Adventures formula was applied at feature-length. Both films were huge successes which led to more True-Life Adventures... 13 in all to be exact (seven featurettes and six features) over a period of twelve years. This new two-disc set concentrates on films from the series that spotlight regions that are home to some of the planet's most interesting and unique members of the Animal Kingdom.

The True-Life Adventures series was never your average, run-of-the-mill nature documentary. The footage is real and authentic and each program is full of facts, just like any video we were all forced to watch in science class at one time or another. The Disney documentaries look to tell stories found in nature. They make insects, birds, and animals all characters in their own little soap opera. Most Disney films use tricks of the trade to bring you into worlds that don't exist in real life; these True-Life Adventures use the same tricks to bring you a new look at a world that does exist.

As with most products brandishing the Disney name, music plays an important role in the True-Life Adventure films. These films were scored with music written directly for the action taking place on the screen. The same kind of music that may have been used in a short featuring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck was now being created to underscore prairie dogs digging tunnels underground or a family of kangaroos jumping across the Australian outback. The unique music also can also intensify a scene like a battle between a rattlesnake and a hawk or even a flash flood. The Living Desert and The Vanishing Prairie offer the greatest examples of how music plays a big part in these films. As the first two ushered under the True-Life banner, they sometimes feature a little too much cute music or 'mickeymouseing' as it was known in the business. A millipede chugs along to railroad music, two scorpions appear to be square-dancing and bighorn sheep butt heads in tune to the 'Anvil Chorus.' Some may find the musical antics a bit silly, but they're part of the charm that Walt Disney worked into his creations.

Volume Two features three of the series' eight Academy Award winners. Seal Island took home the very first Two-Reel Short Subject award for 1949. In 1953 and 1954 respectively, Living Desert and Vanishing Prairie were awarded the statue for best documentary feature. Islands of the Sea, also included on this set, was nominated for a short subject award in 1960, but failed to take home the prize.

However, it wasn't all cheers and applause for the True-Life Adventures; one of the films was met with some controversy. For the first time, the name Walt Disney was involved with a film that was banned. The Vanishing Prairie features a scene showing a buffalo giving birth. The State of New York's board of censors felt the scene was too much for sophisticated New Yorkers to handle and decided to ban the film from screening in the state. New York turned out to be the butt of many jokes because of its decision and Walt Disney himself was even quoted as saying, 'It would be a shame if New York children had to believe the stork brings buffaloes, too.' The decision was eventually overturned.

Two featurettes included in this collection -- Islands of the Sea and Nature's Strangest Creatures -- are not actually True-Life Adventures. Although they feature the same storytelling techniques and narrator as the designated features, they were not released under the True-Life banner. No explanation is given on this disc as to why these productions were not considered part of the series.

You'll also find some great material from Walt Disney's landmark television anthology series, which he more than often used to promote his other projects. Actually, here's everything you'll find within these two exciting discs...

When filming was completed on The Living Desert, Walt sent camera crews out into the American prairie to film material for this next project. What they captured was another fascinating look into animal life in a remote area of our country. Unique views of Prairie Dogs building their underground living quarters offer one of the lighthearted moments of the film. So is footage of Bighorn sheep and Pronghorn antelope frolicking on steep, rocky mountainsides. And, of course there's plenty of time devoted to the wacky inept landings of the prairie's winged residents. But all is not fun and fancy free in the prairie: mountain lions prey on deer, a coyote uses forced entry to get to a prairie dog dinner, and there's plenty of buffalo waiting to pick a huge fight. All in all, The Vanishing Prairie manages to capture all the warmth and excitement of The Living Desert without repeating any of the same elements.

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