Walt Disney Treasures: Silly Symphonies

Before Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Disney animators cut their teeth on "Silly Symphony" cartoons, which were music, not character, driven. This indispensable DVD-only two-disc set is an instant library of 30-plus gorgeous cartoons spanning 1929-1939 that hinted at the wonders to come in Disney's animated features. From the eerie "Skeleton Dance" to the Oscar-winning "The Old Mill," the adorable critters ("The Three Little Pigs"), fairy tale characters ("The Ugly Duckling") and anthropomorphized "Flowers and Trees" will especially enchant younger viewers. Animation historian Leonard Maltin appears on both discs to introduce his favorite 'toons, and illustrate how they were a training ground for the animators and a dry run for the revolutionary techniques and equipment (such as the multiplane camera) that made Disney cartoons the envy of other studios. Click around the first disc's menu screens to find hidden cartoons with Walt Disney's original TV intros. Three other discs are also available in the Walt Disney Treasures series: Disneyland USA, Davy Crockett and Mickey Mouse in Living Color. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (K. Lee Benson)