Top Ten Disney DVDs of 2004
Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2005 10:20 am
2004 was a very positive year regarding Disney DVDs, even if we still didn't get some of our most awaited titles (Pocahontas, Lilo & Stitch, Dumbo). We had a good deal of quality releases (Aladdin, Mary Poppins), a few surprises (Mulan), an avalanche of catalogue titles and two waves of our beloved Walt Disney Treasures. While we look forward to the releases that are coming in 2005, I though everyone could give their opinion on what they though were the top 10 Disney DVDs of the past year.
Here is my list:
10. Walt Disney Treasures: Mickey Mouse In Black & White Volume 2
The highlight of the fourth wave of the Disney Treasures, with this title we have all of the Mickey Mouse cartoons available on DVD. Presented here are rare shorts that hadn’t seen the light of day since their original releases and others that had never been officially released on home video. All of the cartoons look and sound really good considering their age, and it’s even surprising that some of them survived all these years. Bonus features are a bit scant when compared to the first volume, but they are interesting and well-done nonetheless.
9. Walt: The Man Behind the Myth
A fascinating and touching docummentary on one of the greatest men the world has ever known. The bonus features extend the movie experience with lots of additional interviews and home footage. The only negative point is that the movie itself is not presented in anamorphic Widescreen.
8. Brother Bear: Special Edition
This film was received with mixed reactions upon its release, but I though it was a really nice effort from the talented animators of the late Florida studio. Color banding aside, the picture looks great for most of the time and the DTS track really puts you in the middle of the action. The menus are really classy and well done and even if it is not the collector’s edition we had hoped for, there are plenty of bonus features for everyone. The highlights are the hilarious Rutt & Tuke audio commentary and the lengthy and informative making of feature.
7. Walt Disney Treasures: Mickey Mouse In Living Color Volume 2
Continuing where volume one left off, this is another great collection of the world’s most famous animated character’s cartoons. Even though Mickey was losing popularity to Goofy, Donald and Pluto, his shorts still were hugely entertaining (even if not as funny as Goofy’s), some of them even better than his thirties entries (unfortunately, quality clearly dropped by the 1950’s). The restoration undertaken for these shorts is really amazing, as all of them look and sound great. Some of the bonus features repeat things seen on other DVDs, but a couple of new lengthy interviews and other rare material make this a winner.
6. Mulan: Special Edition
I would have given it the fifth spot hadn’t it been for one problem: picture quality. The movie looks great up to the 50-minute mark, but after that (I believe it is after the layer change) it is filled with edge enhancement and softness. It is not as aggressive as the problems in “Beauty and the Beast”, but some scenes do look rather ugly. At least the sound still is of great quality, with moments that literally bring the house down. The bonus features are all informative and entertaining and the fact that they are more adult-oriented than most of recent Disney DVDs is a positive point. If only they had included the theatrical trailers…
5. Alice In Wonderland: The Masterpiece Edition
First of all I have to say that this is one of my favorite Disney films and I’ve never completely understood why it has always been so underrated. As the first title of Disney’s Masterpiece Collection (and it seems it will be the only one), there was a lot of expectation surrounding this release, specially considering that a bonus features-filled laserdisc was released a few years ago. Unfortunately, a good bunch of the LD extras were left out of the DVD and, instead, we got some new unbearable silly children’s games. Still, there is a lot of good stuff on this DVD, mostly archival material, the highlights being Walt’s first television show “One Hour In Wonderland” and the first film of the “Alice” series, “Alice’s Wonderland”. The best of all is that the film is presented in a wonderfully restored version, looking and sounding better than ever (I can’t wait until more of Disney’s older titles receive this treatment).
4. Walt Disney Treasures: Walt’s Tomorrowland
I’m sure that this title took a lot of people by surprise. It really shows the genius of Walt Disney (the eternal optimistic) and his staff, always looking into the future and into the progress of the years ahead. Even if not the most accurate today, the shows are still entertaining to watch, thanks mostly to the great work done by Ward Kimball. The highlight of this set is “EPCOT”, Walt’s last film in which the man is really able to show why he has always been called a visionary. Two fascinating interviews and a few other bonus features round out the package, making this one of the best entries in the Treasures series.
3. Mary Poppins: 40th Anniversary Edition
Pratically perfect in every way, Walt Disney’s crowning achievement has finally gotten the treatment it long deserved. Restored by Lowry Digital, the film looks better than ever (if you get over the aspect ratio issue) and even if the new Disney Enhanced Home Theater Mix may not be for everyone’s tastes, you still have the option to listen to the original mix. The extras are bountiful and insightful, and you may be surprised by how little fluff there is.
2. Aladdin: Platinum Edition
For long we feared that we could get an enhanced and modified version of “Aladdin”, with picture marred by edge enhancement (like “Beauty and the Beast”) and fluffy bonus features. I’m sure Disney took us all by surprise when they released this last entry in their Platinum series, surely their best since the 2001 release of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”. The DVD hits all the notes right: the movie is presented with flawless picture and earth-shattering sound and the extras offer a personal and in-depth look on the production of the film, highlighted by two audio commentaries and a full-length making of feature. Heck, even the kid’s games are well done!
1. Walt Disney Treasures: Walt Disney On The Front Lines
I chose this the best release of 2004 not only because of its high quality, but also because of its historical importance. Certainly one of the most eagerly awaited releases of all time, it showed that Disney had the guts to release such controversial material that fans were afraid would never see the light of day again, besides opening the door for future releases of its kind (a certain “Song of the South” movie). And best of all is that all the films in this collection are presented as they should: uncensored, with spot-on video and audio transfers and accompanied by a great batch of interesting and educational extras. This is what the Disney Treasures are about, isn’t it?
Here is my list:
10. Walt Disney Treasures: Mickey Mouse In Black & White Volume 2
The highlight of the fourth wave of the Disney Treasures, with this title we have all of the Mickey Mouse cartoons available on DVD. Presented here are rare shorts that hadn’t seen the light of day since their original releases and others that had never been officially released on home video. All of the cartoons look and sound really good considering their age, and it’s even surprising that some of them survived all these years. Bonus features are a bit scant when compared to the first volume, but they are interesting and well-done nonetheless.
9. Walt: The Man Behind the Myth
A fascinating and touching docummentary on one of the greatest men the world has ever known. The bonus features extend the movie experience with lots of additional interviews and home footage. The only negative point is that the movie itself is not presented in anamorphic Widescreen.
8. Brother Bear: Special Edition
This film was received with mixed reactions upon its release, but I though it was a really nice effort from the talented animators of the late Florida studio. Color banding aside, the picture looks great for most of the time and the DTS track really puts you in the middle of the action. The menus are really classy and well done and even if it is not the collector’s edition we had hoped for, there are plenty of bonus features for everyone. The highlights are the hilarious Rutt & Tuke audio commentary and the lengthy and informative making of feature.
7. Walt Disney Treasures: Mickey Mouse In Living Color Volume 2
Continuing where volume one left off, this is another great collection of the world’s most famous animated character’s cartoons. Even though Mickey was losing popularity to Goofy, Donald and Pluto, his shorts still were hugely entertaining (even if not as funny as Goofy’s), some of them even better than his thirties entries (unfortunately, quality clearly dropped by the 1950’s). The restoration undertaken for these shorts is really amazing, as all of them look and sound great. Some of the bonus features repeat things seen on other DVDs, but a couple of new lengthy interviews and other rare material make this a winner.
6. Mulan: Special Edition
I would have given it the fifth spot hadn’t it been for one problem: picture quality. The movie looks great up to the 50-minute mark, but after that (I believe it is after the layer change) it is filled with edge enhancement and softness. It is not as aggressive as the problems in “Beauty and the Beast”, but some scenes do look rather ugly. At least the sound still is of great quality, with moments that literally bring the house down. The bonus features are all informative and entertaining and the fact that they are more adult-oriented than most of recent Disney DVDs is a positive point. If only they had included the theatrical trailers…
5. Alice In Wonderland: The Masterpiece Edition
First of all I have to say that this is one of my favorite Disney films and I’ve never completely understood why it has always been so underrated. As the first title of Disney’s Masterpiece Collection (and it seems it will be the only one), there was a lot of expectation surrounding this release, specially considering that a bonus features-filled laserdisc was released a few years ago. Unfortunately, a good bunch of the LD extras were left out of the DVD and, instead, we got some new unbearable silly children’s games. Still, there is a lot of good stuff on this DVD, mostly archival material, the highlights being Walt’s first television show “One Hour In Wonderland” and the first film of the “Alice” series, “Alice’s Wonderland”. The best of all is that the film is presented in a wonderfully restored version, looking and sounding better than ever (I can’t wait until more of Disney’s older titles receive this treatment).
4. Walt Disney Treasures: Walt’s Tomorrowland
I’m sure that this title took a lot of people by surprise. It really shows the genius of Walt Disney (the eternal optimistic) and his staff, always looking into the future and into the progress of the years ahead. Even if not the most accurate today, the shows are still entertaining to watch, thanks mostly to the great work done by Ward Kimball. The highlight of this set is “EPCOT”, Walt’s last film in which the man is really able to show why he has always been called a visionary. Two fascinating interviews and a few other bonus features round out the package, making this one of the best entries in the Treasures series.
3. Mary Poppins: 40th Anniversary Edition
Pratically perfect in every way, Walt Disney’s crowning achievement has finally gotten the treatment it long deserved. Restored by Lowry Digital, the film looks better than ever (if you get over the aspect ratio issue) and even if the new Disney Enhanced Home Theater Mix may not be for everyone’s tastes, you still have the option to listen to the original mix. The extras are bountiful and insightful, and you may be surprised by how little fluff there is.
2. Aladdin: Platinum Edition
For long we feared that we could get an enhanced and modified version of “Aladdin”, with picture marred by edge enhancement (like “Beauty and the Beast”) and fluffy bonus features. I’m sure Disney took us all by surprise when they released this last entry in their Platinum series, surely their best since the 2001 release of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”. The DVD hits all the notes right: the movie is presented with flawless picture and earth-shattering sound and the extras offer a personal and in-depth look on the production of the film, highlighted by two audio commentaries and a full-length making of feature. Heck, even the kid’s games are well done!
1. Walt Disney Treasures: Walt Disney On The Front Lines
I chose this the best release of 2004 not only because of its high quality, but also because of its historical importance. Certainly one of the most eagerly awaited releases of all time, it showed that Disney had the guts to release such controversial material that fans were afraid would never see the light of day again, besides opening the door for future releases of its kind (a certain “Song of the South” movie). And best of all is that all the films in this collection are presented as they should: uncensored, with spot-on video and audio transfers and accompanied by a great batch of interesting and educational extras. This is what the Disney Treasures are about, isn’t it?
