Mickey & Minnie: 10 Classic Shorts - Volume 1 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

Mickey & Minnie: 10 Classic Shorts - Volume 1 Blu-ray Movie Review

Here's a brief, but beautifully curated collection of ten of the best Mickey and Minnie Mouse cartoons in the Walt Disney vault. They're all wonderfully fun and, individually, make for a fine few-minutes diversion but together represent a legitimate slice of animated history. Curiously, these are not on the disc in chronological order. For example, On Ice follows Mickey’s Delayed Date, even though the former released a dozen years prior. Nevertheless, it doesn't matter, because each of these shorts is timeless. It's a joy to have them in one collection, and here's hoping that Disney releases subsequent volumes in the near future. Each is preceded by a short intro in color with Mickey and Minnie narrating the story behind the story, or how the story has impacted their relationship since.

• Steamboat Willie: It's a pleasant time for Mickey Mouse, who is whistling and merrily piloting a steamboat. However, Captain Pete angrily pushes him aside to take the wheel. Things get crazier when Minnie Mouse nearly misses the boat but drops her music. The sheet is eaten by a goat, so the two ingeniously find a way to produce the music, anyway.
• Brave Little Tailor: Mickey, a simple tailor, boasts about his prowess as a swordsman, supposedly having killed seven giants with one blow. He is called before the king, recounts his tall tale, and is recruited to slay a giant the king wants dead. Of course, Mickey didn't really do the deed -- he killed a few flies instead -- but when he learns that successfully slaying the giant will win him Minnie Mouse, he decides to take on the impossible task in hopes of earning great reward.
• The Little Whirlwind: Its baking day, and Minnie has prepared some scrumptious-looking cakes. Mickey Mouse wants some cake, too, and he's promised to have some if he will clean up Minnie's cluttered yard. However, a tornado pops up nearby, and it seems to have a mind of its own: a mind to make Mickey's chores a pain!
• Mickey's Delayed Date: Mickey has a date with Minnie, and he's about to miss it! When she rings to remind him that the time is at hand, he scrambles to get into his tuxedo. Unfortunately, a series of misadventures cause him to lose the tickets and ruin his formal wear. Can anything salvage this date?
• On Ice: This short follows a trio of on-ice tales: Mickey teaches Minnie how to ice skate, Goofy tries to go fishing using chewing tobacco as a lure, and Donald causes Pluto to go for an unexpected ride on the ice.
• Hawaiian Holiday: It's time for the crew to go on vacation, and where better than the sun, surf, and satisfaction of a relaxing Hawaiian getaway? Of course, in classic cartoon fashion, "relaxing" isn't the name of the game: antics and shenanigans are! In short: what can go wrong in Hawaii does go wrong in Hawaii, but to satisfying comic effect.
• Mr. Mouse Takes a Trip: Mickey and Pluto are travelling via train, illicitly. Dogs aren't allowed, so Mickey has smuggled his four-legged best friend in a suitcase. Can the two keep up the ruse, or will the train's conductor, Pete, catch wind of dog and dump the pair from the ride?
• Figaro and Frankie: Minnie's cat Figaro is trying to catch a cat nap but finding it impossible with the caged Frankie bird tweeting nearby. Fig wants to silence the bird, but Minnie threatens him with a good old-fashioned spanking if he does so. However, his feline instincts get the best of him, much to Minnie' chagrin and possibly Frankie's demise.
• Bath Day: Figaro needs a bath! Minne makes sure her cat is clean, and smells good, too, but the question is whether Fig can stay clean. Some stray cats will have something to say about that!
• Thru the Mirror: When Mickey falls asleep reading Through the Looking Glass, he finds himself in a topsy-turvy Lewis Carrol world! Can he navigate the newfound curiosities in this wonderland cartoon?

Mickey & Minnie: 10 Classic Shorts - Volume 1 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Disney's 1080p Blu-ray release of Mickey & Minnie: 10 Classic Shorts absolutely delights. The "weakest" picture comes first. Viewers will see some significant wobble on the opening title for Steamboat Willie. There is some flickering, too, but the image is in fine shape with only a few speckles and vertical lines otherwise posing any problems. The animation is smooth, the picture is clear, and the grayscale is more than adequate for basic contrast and black depth. All of the other nine shorts are in color. The color grading is absolutely beautiful with Brave Little Tailor. Primaries are bold, especially on the title card, but within the show they're deep and accurate, especially against many of the earthy backdrops seen throughout. Black levels (Mickey's head, for example), are wonderful. The picture is exceedingly clear and crisp, presenting with a healthy light grain structure and freedom from even a hint of print wear or encode artifacts. These core characteristics hold for all of the nine color images. They are gorgeous top to bottom, and for the most part they are very consistent in color depth, fine detail stability and clarity, grain, and overall excellence. There are a few more aggressive spots and speckles in Mr. Mouse Takes a Trip, but they're not overly distracting and certainly not debilitating. Overall, this is a grade-A release from Disney!

Mickey & Minnie: 10 Classic Shorts - Volume 1 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The audio is certainly nothing challenging, and the Dolby Digital 2.0 configuration is more than adequate for the purposes of this collection. For Steamboat Willie, the presentation is at the mercy of the source, which is nearly 100 years old. It's unkempt, with little hisses and scratches, and not much vigor or attention to detail, but that's part of the throwback, vintage charm that is what this release is all about. The track improves for basic clarity with Brave Little Tailor. It's still not potent, and there is no sense of depth when the giant parades through the village, nor is there any in On Ice during a shot featuring a rushing waterfall. Nevertheless, overall clarity satisfies, and spacing is adequate. Dialogue is nicely center imaged for the duration.

Mickey & Minnie: 10 Classic Shorts - Volume 1 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Mickey & Minnie: 10 Classic Shorts contains no supplemental content. The main menu screen only offers options for "Play All," "Shorts Selection," and "Set Up." A DVD copy of the film and a Movies Anywhere digital copy code are included with purchase. This release ships with an embossed slipcover.

Mickey & Minnie: 10 Classic Shorts - Volume 1 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Obviously this collection will most appeal to fans of classic Disney animation, but considering the history that pulses through the collection, it's a necessary addition for any serious library. The studio did miss an opportunity to provide retrospective supplementary content, but the video and audio presentations are nearly above reproach. Highly recommended!