Walt Disney Treasures - Mickey Mouse in Living Color, Volume Two

Walt Disney Treasures - Mickey Mouse in Living Color, Volume Two
By 1939, when the earliest films in this collection were made, Mickey Mouse was the most famous cartoon character in the world. The unsuccessful hunter in "The Pointer" (1939) and the irrepressible magician in "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" (1940) rank among his finest performances. In both films, he sparkles with vitality. But as Mickey grew more popular, more restrictions were placed on what he could do, and the character grew dull. Those restrictions become obvious when the viewer compares these films with the shorts on Walt Disney Treasures: Mickey Mouse in Living Color. In "Mickey's Birthday Party" (1942), he clowns and stumbles through a comic dance routine, but it feels like he's working for the laughs. In 1936, when a more impish Mickey danced with a deck of cards in "Thru the Mirror," the fun came from the stylish grace of his movements: That Mickey didn't need to mug for the camera. In the later films, Mickey serves as a genial straight man, with Pluto and other side characters supplying the comedy.

A new generation of animators faced the same problems and restrictions when they tried to revive the character in "Mickey's Christmas Carol" (1983) and "The Prince and the Pauper" (1990). The extras include some deleted animation from "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," and the five opening sequences from the "Mickey Mouse Club" (1955), the last time Walt Disney provided the character's voice. (Rated G, suitable for all ages: minor cartoon violence, tobacco use) --Charles Solomon
Customer Review: Great Mickey Mouse Addition
This is a great example of later Mickey Mouse Color Cartoons and it's biggest plus is the is had "Runaway Brain" the only Mickey Cartoon that has him become a monster. And the in jokes in the cartoon are many and hillarious.
Customer Review: Mickey and Disney
This is where animation really got started. There were other animation studios doing shorts. It's just Disney's constant striving to raise the bar. And to keep raising it through the years. You'll see why Disney said "the house that mouse built". There is more edgy content with the warner brother/MGM bunch but these Disney shorts are quality.