Search - Disney Animation Collection 3: Prince & The Pauper on DVD

Perhaps the best volume in the set - still beautiful

Alexander M. Walker | Chicago, IL USA | 05/17/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Disney Classic Short Films collection abounds with animation gems that have been wiling away the last few years. In the third installment of this collection, headlined by the more well-known The Prince and the Pauper, we get one the better animated features in the old Disney library. Accompanying the main cartoon we have five additional cartoons of starkly varied age, style and quality (more so than on the other sets).



The Prince and the Pauper (1990)



Directed by George Scribner, Written by Gerrit Graham and Sam Graham



Here we have one of the best Disney shorts to come of the pre-Pixar era. Created back in 1990, the animation here stands up to the test of time - in fact, seeing it for the first time in what must have been a decade, I was shocked at how beautiful it still looks. Based on the classic story by Mark Twain, it has all the Disney characters in their modern personas with some of the old classics (Clarabelle Cow) mixed in. As far as classic animated shorts go, it's certainly younger than the others on the disc, but it's also the one your kids will be able to watch and enjoy over and over again. We have some of the beloved voice actors like Wayne Allwine (Mickey), Bill Farmer (Goofy) and Tony Anselmo (Donald) returning as well as alums like Frank Welker popping up for smaller bit parts.



Old King Cole (1933)



Directed by David Hand



This one will take you back. With a genuinely classic style, Old King Cole will entertain with its simple melody and clever words. Old King Cole throws a party and invites every (yes, literally every) nursery rhyme character. If the animation loses your children's interest, all of the classic nursery rhyme characters will recapture it in no time. It definitely shows its age, but then again it was made in 1933 and still has appeal - that's pretty impressive.



The Pied Piper (1933)



Directed by Wilfred Jackson, Written by Robert Browning



Set to a whimsical rhyme, the animated classic tells yet another classic tale with a lesson about keeping your word. After the Pied Piper rids Hamelin of its rat problem they renege on the deal causing the piper to take his revenge. With a magical tune he leads the children of the town away. It's another genuine classic and in this case the narration helps make it quite enjoyable.



A Knight For A Day (1946)



Directed by Jack Hannah, Written by Bill Peet



Setting the stage for the Goofy World of Sports which would follow decades later, A Knight For A Day takes place in a medieval time where everyone looks like Goofy. That Goofy is the blueprint for every character in this piece is somewhat odd, but the story still manages to keep up a decent level of slapstick. A squire finds knighthood thrust upon him, when his master is knocked unconscious shortly before a jousting match. The squire takes his place and, as you would expect in a world of Goofy-looking characters, hilarity ensues. Like The Pied Piper a narrator guides the story along with a good sense of humor. The short is made even more palatable by the fact that the animation style is pretty close to modern hand-drawn standards. Had it not been on a disc with the overly remarkable The Prince and the Pauper, the animation style would seem terrific in comparison to the other entries on the disc.



Ye Olden Days (1933)



Directed by Burt Gillett



Good luck getting your chitlins to sit still for this one. Noticeably antiquated even by comparison to The Pied Piper and Old King Cole, Ye Olden Days will seem downright foreign to your kids. The characters don't have the personalities they've come to know and the style is very rough.



Of the six DVDs in the Disney Classic Short Films set, this one easily earns its place on your shelf. The Prince and the Pauper alone earns makes the DVD worthwhile, the fact that it has four complementary shorts of memorable quality just sweetens the pot. The older films on the set might not be your kids' first choice, but The Prince and the Pauper will be watched over and over - it's just that good."