Walt Disney Treasures
Silly Symphonies

In 1928, when Walt Disney's artists completed "The Skeleton Dance," the distributor of the Mickey Mouse shorts rejected the first "Silly Symphony" with a two-word telegram: "MORE MICE." Disney arranged to screen "Skeleton Dance" at the Carthay Circle Theater in Los Angeles.

Walt Disney Treasures
Mickey Mouse in Living Color

During the mid-'30s, Mickey Mouse's fans ranged from the more than one million children who were members of the Mickey Mouse Club to Franklin Roosevelt, Mary Pickford, and the Nizam of Hyderabad; theater marquees announced "A Mickey Mouse Cartoon" with the feature titles.

Hercules

Not the egregious foul it seemed to be in theaters, Hercules stands up as an entertaining spritzer of an animated feature. The continual peppering of in-jokes and cultural references becomes less irksome on video.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

The misconception about this animated film from Disney was that it was a movie for kids--something Victor Hugo never had in mind. In fact, despite a cute brace of singing gargoyles who are Quasimodo's (Tom Hulce) best friends, this version of Hugo's classic tale is really adult entertainment, with a strong set of songs by Alan Menken.

The Sword in the Stone

Based upon T.H. White's beloved novel, this Disney-fied version chronicles the tutoring of the Once and Future King, Arthur, as handled by the magician Merlin. Sword was a portent of things to come, with slapstick upbraiding storytelling, and cultural in-jokes substituting for wonder.

The Little Mermaid

From the moment that Prince Eric's ship emerged from the fog in the opening credits it was apparent that Disney had somehow, suddenly recaptured that "magic" that had been dormant for thirty years.

Toy Story & Toy Story 2
The Ultimate Toy Box: 3 Disc Collector's Set

There is greatness in film that can be discussed, dissected, and talked about late into the night. Then there is genius that is right in front of our faces--we smile at the spell it puts us into and are refreshed, and nary a word needs to be spoken.

Walt Disney Treasures
Behind the Scenes at the Walt Disney Studio

As Walt Disney's fame grew during the 1930s, people wanted to know more about his studio and how the "Silly Symphonies" and Mickey Mouse shorts were created. Although Disney seldom allowed visitors, he periodically offered viewers peeks inside into the studio through the films in this collection.