In this final volume, our chronicle of Donald's solo-starring shorts wraps up with some of his rarely seen, feather ruffling adventures from 1951 through 1961. And, for the first time on DVD, Donald's CinemaScope cartoons are presented in their original widescreen format. This collection of classics includes two of Donald's Academy Awardr nominated Best Shorts -- "Rugged Bear" (1953) and "No Hunting" (1955); a retrospective of Donald's career in comic books; and a storyboard presentation for an unproduced Donald Duck cartoon pitched by famed Disney animator Eric Goldberg. From bit player to superstar, Donald gave voice to the frustrations of everyone and in the process endeared himself to the world. Featuring exclusive introductions by film historian Leonard Maltin, this is a timeless collection from generations past for generations to come.
Film critic and historian Leonard Maltin, who provides introductions for both discs included in The Chronological Donald, Vol. 4: 1951-1961, points out that Walt Disney continued to make Donald Duck cartoons well after his studio had stopped creating titles featuring Goofy, Pluto, and even Disney figurehead Mickey Mouse. Perusing the nearly three dozen items included here, it's easy to see why the "wise-quacking duck" was still in business nearly 30 years after his creation. This stuff is brilliant: clever, funny, endlessly inventive, and sometimes even educational, it simply never gets old. Of course, some are better than others; "Trick or Treat," to name just one, features Huey, Dewey, and Louie, allied with the hag Witch Hazel, taking their Halloween revenge on their mean and stingy uncle, with not one but two original songs, one of them a hilarious "dance" number after Hazel puts a spell on Donald's feet, all crammed into about eight minutes. Elsewhere, we find traditional nemeses like Chip 'n' Dale (particularly good in "Working for Peanuts," which was originally produced in 3-D) and Black Pete, as well as a variety of newer adversaries, both "human" and animal, on whom the hot-headed duck unleashes his notorious temper. Of particular interest to some will be the educational shorts like "Mathmagic Land" (at nearly 30 minutes, it's several times longer than the average cartoon in this set), which sports a weird, almost postmodern look and includes jokes about trees with "square roots," information about the value of pi, circles, pentagrams, pentagons in nature, the "golden rectangle" in Greek architecture, and a great deal more, and even some live action footage. Other rarities include "Grand Canyonscope," filmed in CinemaScope (with ample big, wide vistas as Donald lays waste to the Grand Canyon), a look at some storyboards that were never made into a finished product, and more. But the main attraction is Donald. Voiced, as always in those days, by Clarence "Ducky" Nash, the irrepressible duck ("Who's never wrong but always right? Who'd never dream of starting a fight?" goes the theme song) is one of the great creations in the history of popular entertainment. --Sam Graham
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 5.0 / 5.0
An Inconditional Fan!:
I confess I am an inconditional fan of Donald Duck. Here is the (final?) volume of his early adventures. All of these little masterpieces are there, remasterized. I would gladly have done without the Leonard Maltin presentations, which are totally incompatible with Donald's character! Otherwise a nice set to own with the other three. Inexplicably, the previous (third) set has gone out of print with Disney. So, get this one while it lasts!
A DEFINATE TREASURE:
IF YOU ARE A DONALD DUCK FAN, THIS IS A VIDEO YOU MUST SEE. DONALD IS AN
AMAZING LITTLE GUY WITH A GOOD HISTORY. CHECK HIM OUT!!
What happened?!:
I knew this item was coming out, and I was excited to get it. I have the first 3 volumes and love them. That and my favorite Donald cartoon "Trick or Treat" was finally coming out on this set! Apparently I was distracted, as this set has gone from "Pre-Order" to "Out of stock" in the blink of an eye! What happened? Are there going to be more of this set produced, or do I have to pay to an online price-gouger just to get this set? Does anyone know? Thanks in advance!
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