I have a lot of friends who love animation. They realize that animation isn’t just for kids, never was, never will be. For the most part these friends are separated by one tangible line, at least in terms of animation from the bygone eras. Warner Brothers or Walt Disney. Only a handful, like me can appreciate what they both had to offer, while most are decidedly one side or the other. I feel the most sorry for those friends, because both studios really did have much to offer and any time one of them releases certain Special Edition DVDs, the treasures they hold are often priceless. This time around, the treasures I speak of are those that are a part of the Walt Disney Treasures Collection. These are magnificent 2-disc sets that offer a veritable cornucopia of animation history. In the past, Disney has released 3 ‘waves’ of these sets, of which I reviewed the Wave Three here. This month we see the release of ‘Wave Four’, which includes the titles, “The Mickey Mouse Club”, “Mickey Mouse in Black & White: Volume 2” and “The Complete Pluto.”

I had not really taken a good look at any of the sets until the release of ‘Wave Three’, at which time I was first struck by the packaging, each one featuring a ‘collector’s tin’ that held the actual DVD cases. When I read that ‘Wave Four’ was being released, I knew a little of what to expect. These silver tins are quite impressive (though a little hard to store on the shelf) and are embossed with the ‘Walt Disney Treasures’ logo. The front and back has the artwork from the inner DVD case printed directly on to them, which looks quite nice. Once inside, you can pull out the case where you’ll find the DVDs themselves.

Whenever I started looking at what each of these sets had to offer I am literally struck speechless. Casual fans of animation will probably not be that impressed by the contents, but those who have a real appreciation for the art and history of the subject are in for days and days of materials to pour over. I’m not exaggerating either, each set boasts upwards of four to five hours worth of materials, and in some cases these materials haven’t been seen in years. The producers of these sets went about as far back into the archives as humanly possible to pull out every little bit they could find.

These sets are nothing short of amazing. “The Mickey Mouse Club”, as the title suggests, focuses completely on the first week of the original series 1955 debut. All five episodes are available here in their entirety. Even though the show ran way before I was born, I can still remember watching the reruns when I was a kid. I knew all the words to the theme song (who doesn’t?), and can still recite the opening introduction to the Mouse Cartoon Time part of the show. Later episodes would introduce me to the world of The Hardy Boys (whose adventures I used to read voraciously). These first five episodes are a tremendous treat to watch, none of which I had ever seen. But not at all content to sit back and rest on their laurels, film historian Leonard Maltin is on hand (on every set by the way) to introduce us to the episodes as well as the extra features. Maltin is a major Disney expert and offers a ton of terrific anecdotal information to the set.

The extras are the best for Disney fans. Here you can see the original animated opening to the series in full color, which was not available to viewers in 195, plus you get a glimpse of the Mouseketeers rehearsing for the debut of the first episode. Then you get a chance to hear six of the original Mouseketeers reminisce about their experiences working on the show. This includes Sharon Baird, Bobby Burgess, Lonnie Burr, Cubby O’Brien, Doreen Tracey and Karen Pendleton. Plus you get a look at some great home movie footage and a tribute to the man himself, Jimmie Dodd.

The next set, “Mickey Mouse in Black & White: Volume 2” completes the collection of early Mickey Adventures that began in the previously released “Volume 1.” This is one of the ones I don’t have and you can bet I’m trying to track one down. “Volume 2” includes 40 of the animated shorts, many that haven’t seen the light of day in years. I’ll include a list at the end of this review. These particular shorts were created between 1928 and 1935, and are meticulously restored. I’m sure most of them look better than they did when they were originally released! Along with these shorts, you’ll also find a multitude of extra features, including an interview with the late John Hench, who became Mickey’s official portrait artist. One of the other features I found especially interesting because they took the time to visit with Mickey collector Bernie Shine, whose collection is obsessive to say the least. I have a couple of friends that collect Disney items with a passion, and I used to think THEIR collections were big. Add to this set a ton of galleries full of posters, animation art, and backgrounds and you have a very fulfilling set.

Currently, “The Complete Pluto” is unavailable for review, but you can be sure when it comes in I’ll be back to update this review. I’ll be sure to set up an additional link back to this review once it is updated.

I could go on for days about the sets that are coming in this fourth wave of “Walt Disney’s Treasure”, but it would take me that long to write about them. Personally, I will say I’m thrilled to have these sets in my collection, not only for me, but for my kids when they get a little older. After watching ‘Wave Three’ and now ‘Wave Four’, I’m definitely on the lookout to find the first two waves so I can complete the collection!

The Mickey Mouse Club:
Disc 1 –
Monday: Fun with Music Day
Tuesday: Guest Star Day
Wednesday: Anything Can Happen Day

Bonus Material:
The Leader of the Club
Galleries:
Inside the Clubhouse
Spreading the Word – Mouske-Promotion
Sketching the Ideas
Mousketeer Role Call

Disc 2 –
Thursday: Circus Day
Friday: Talent Round-Up Day

Bonus Material:
Mouske-Memories
The Mousketeers Debut at Disneyland
Opening Sequence in Color
Still Frame Galleries

Mickey Mouse in Black & White – Volume 2:
Disc 1 –
The Barn Dance
The Opry House
When the Cat’s Away
The Barnyard Battle
The Plow Boy
Mickey’s Choo Choo
The Jazz Fool
Jungle Rhythm
Wild Waves
Just Mickey
The Barnyard Concert
The Cactus Kid
The Shindig
The Picnic
Traffic Troubles
The Castaway
Fishin’ Around
The Barnyard Broadcast
The Beach Party
The Mad Dog
Barnyard Olympics

Bonus Material:
Mickey Mania – Collecting Mickey Merchandise
Mickey’s Portrait Artist – John Hench

Disc 2 –
Musical Farmer
Trader Mickey
The Wayward Canary
Mickey’s Pal Pluto
Mickey’s Mechanical Man
Playful Pluto
Mickey’s Steamroller
Mickey Plays Papa
Mickey’s Kanagaroo
The Haunted House
The Moose Hunt
The Delivery Boy
The Grocery Boy
Mickey in Arabia
Mickey’s Good Deed
Mickey’s Mellerdrammer
The Steeplechase
Shanghaied
Mickey’s Man Friday

Bonus Material:
Mickey’s Sunday Funnies – A Virtual Comic Strip
Galleries:
Background Paintings
Animation Drawings
Mickey’s Poster Archive
Mickey Mouse, Fully Covered

Walt Disney Treasures: Wave Four
Studio: Disney
Release Date: 10/7/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give Walt Disney Treasures: Wave Four an A.