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Walt Disney Treasures: Behind the Scenes at the Walt Disney Studio

Many modern Disney followers would be surprised to learn that the origins of this now-great film studio rest in the outskirts of Hollywood, in an old organ factory purchased by brothers Walt and Roy Disney for a meager deposit of $400 in 1926. Doesn't sound like much for a moviemaker who brought us such terrific pieces of animated entertainment as "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" and countless others. But like many production companies and filmmakers, Walt Disney Studios started out small and gradually increased over time, until 1940, when it was relocated. On this edition of "Walt Disney Treasures," the makers create a nostalgic look at the studio in its early days, and how the developments of animation and moviemaking were born and nurtured. ***

The journey begins on Disc One with "A Trip Through the Walt Disney Studios," filmed in 1937 at the Silver Lake studio as a means of answering the public's requests for knowledge of how Disney films were made. Like many of today's featurettes, although not as superficial, this was the public's first look at Disney's master craft, featuring glimpses of the animators hard at work, the process of going over the story in meetings, as well as a peek at the art of storyboarding, used for a sketch entitled "Baby Weems." If there's anything that can be learned from this short, it's the amount of work and experience that went into each animated feature and cartoon short, and the devotion that Disney himself put into each and every effort. ***

As a ploy to satisfy the still-unquenched thirst of the public, Disney produced a feature-length film entitled "The Reluctant Dragon," which isn't really an animated film in the sense that we have come to know. The movie stars all sorts of big names from the day, like Robert Benchley and Alan Ladd, who all play various live-action characters as the movie basically takes us through the Walt Disney Studios in a more extended, expansive manner. When the animated section of the movie finally came into play, audiences and critics alike felt cheated because of the lack of cartoon material, apparently unaware that Disney's intention, as he puts it in the opening credits of the movie, was to "show the backstage life of animated cartoons." It was a gimmick film, yes, but seen today, it can be valued for what it really is. ***

A somewhat pointless piece, however, is the short "How Walt Disney Cartoons Are Made," which is basically a condensed version of the previously-unreleased "A Trip Through the Walt Disney Studios." This new short was basically a way for Disney and R.K.O. to cash in on the upcoming release of "Snow White;" appropriately enough, footage from the movie was inserted here and there to attain interest in the film as well as the minds and methods behind its creation. ***

Then, Disney did something even more enticing: he began appearing in the livings rooms of millions of fans with his show "Disneyland," which took viewers behind-the-scenes for looks at everything from movies to cartoons to animation. "The Story of the Animated Drawing," "The Plausible Impossible," and "Tricks of Our Trade," feature three of Disney's most revealing conversations concerning his various advancements in the world of animation. Of these, "Tricks" is the most intriguing, as it discusses many of Disney's methods like the multi-plane camera, the use of slow-motion photography to further study the physical appearance of certain elements, and the study of live-action as a means of getting animation correct. ***

For anyone who is hungry for the real behind-the-scenes story of the Walt Disney Studios, this collection of vintage material should prove to be extremely valuable and invasive, giving us an intimate look at one of the most famous methods of moviemaking, and the man who started it all.

Much of the footage for this edition is featured in black-and-white, and the image transfer is respectable in this field. Much of the dirt has been removed from the film, giving us a picture that, although still somewhat grainy, is cleaner than ever. Blacks and greys are as solid as they can be with some minor noise due to aging, but it's nothing to get upset over. The color segments are nicely rendered, vivid and sharp in detail, with little noise or distractions. ***

The sound for the vintage footage is the original monaural tracks, cleaned up a bit for better clarity. Some background hiss is still audible, but the dialogue and music cues are less harsh and easier to discern. It may not be 5.1, or even 2.0 surround, but hey, it's not like it matters all that much here.

The extras on this set don't stand a chance against the actual vintage footage and episodes of "Disneyland," but they're a respectable effort all the same. Located on Disc One, "Leonard Maltin's Studio Tour" isn't so much a real tour as it is a look at the studio through archival footage and photos, all cut to his narration as he talks about the progression of Walt Disney Studios from a small garage to an old organ factory, and finally to bigger and better things. Later, he interviews the man behind the "Baby Weems" concept, who discusses his entrance into the world of Disney, becoming accustomed to their methods and new concepts of animation, and how the "Weems" idea generated interest in regards to the way in which it was created. ***

Disc Two features an audio program that takes us on an audible tour of Walt Disney Studios (an interesting bit, considering all they were going on was descriptions through words rather than pictures or film), and a gallery of animator Kem Weber with audio bits from Maltin. --