7.9 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Celebrate 100 magical years of Disney with this collectible compilation of animated shorts! Mickey and his friends embark on 10 hilarious, madcap adventures that include Mr. Duck Steps Out, Winter Storage, Pluto's Party, Pluto and the Gopher, Mickey's Trailer, Pluto's Sweater, Boat Builders, Tugboat Mickey, The Band Concert and Lonesome Ghosts.
Starring: Walt Disney, Clarence Nash, Pinto Colvig, Marcellite Garner, Ruth CliffordAnimation | 100% |
Comedy | 48% |
Short | 16% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (320 kbps)
French: Dolby Digital 2.0
Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0 (320 kbps)
English SDH, French, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Digital copy
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Disney has never been overly shy about revisiting its storied catalog time and time (and time) again, and frankly, who can blame them? With an arsenal of both classic animated fare and live action productions that can be trotted out for subsequent generations or even returning patrons every few years, despite some kind of interesting "Debbie Downer" news about the iconic film institution that has crossed entertainment news feeds over the past few days in particular, releases like this second volume of Disney shorts featuring the venerable Mickey Mouse (at least in dribs and drabs this time out) offer more than substantial proof that Disney is probably going to be able to weather any temporary storm it may encounter along the way. That said, when you're on your umpteenth re-release of material, how do you provide potential consumers with a "value add", especially if any particular disc is not going to include official supplements? And it's here that some may feel like I do that newly produced interstitials featuring what basically amount to shadow puppet versions of iconic Disney characters being voiced by modern day performers are at best indicative by way of comparison of how artful so many of the older shorts were, and at worst seriously distracting interruptions into an otherwise very enjoyable collection.
Mickey & Friends: 10 Classic Shorts is (are?) presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Disney / Buena Vista with AVC encoded 1080p transfers in 1.37:1. Many of these shorts have been released previously (some many times), including on Celebrating Mickey, and I don't see any major differences between presentations when comparing older releases with some of these same shorts. The transfers are typically excellent, especially with regard to a beautifully suffused palette and some appealingly sharp line detail. While any major signs of age related wear and tear have been ameliorated, eagle eyed videophiles will still be able to spot some passing issues with things like flicker and some noticeable wobble during credits. Screenshots 16 through 19 document some of the kind of silly (symphony?) interstitials.
Disney often defaults to lossy audio on their vintage animated collections, and that's once again the case with the Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono tracks included on this disc. Longtime readers of my reviews know that my audiophile sensibilities prefer lossless audio, but the Dolby tracks suffice for what are often shorts comprised of relatively little dialogue and lots of score and sound effects. Still, lossless audio would only make these archival treats more enjoyable in my considered opinion. Optional English, French and Spanish subtitles are available.
Mickey & Minnie: 10 Classic Shorts contains no supplemental content on the disc. The main menu screen offers only Play All, Shorts Selection, and Set Up options (see screenshot 20). A DVD copy of the film and a Movies Anywhere digital copy code are included with purchase. Packaging includes an embossed slipcover.
This is another genial and often sweet collection of Disney shorts, but I for one would have much preferred this disc had either not included what I consider to be totally needless interstitials, or at least offered the viewer the option of just viewing the shorts without the interstitials (even choosing any individual short gets you the shadow puppet introduction, whether you want it or not). Interstitials themselves are not necessarily a bad thing, but these simply offer characters talking about what we're going to see anyway. If production data or other background information had been imparted, that may have been a true "value add". With that one niggling qualm aside, this collection features nice video and acceptable (if lossy) audio and comes Recommended.
Disney100
1928-1947
1941-1972
El lince perdido
2008
1961
2009
2019
2013
1941
Paramount Technicolor cartoons
1942-1957
The DePatie-Freleng Collection
1976
Warner Archive Collection
1988
Warner Archive Collection
1987
2012-2018
2005
2001
2021
2016
2014
2022
1943-1946