Walt Disney Treasures - Mickey Mouse in Living Color
During the mid-'30s, Mickey Mouse's fans ranged from the more than one  million children who were members of the Mickey Mouse Club to Franklin Roosevelt,  Mary Pickford, and the Nizam of Hyderabad; theater marquees announced "A Mickey  Mouse Cartoon" with the feature titles. These wonderful shorts, many of which have  never been released to the home market, remind viewers just how charming Mickey was  before his popularity and role as a corporate symbol restricted his behavior. In these  cartoons Mickey's personality was boyish, appealing, and slightly mischievous. The  superb animation emphasizes that impish appeal. When Mickey dances with a deck of  cards in "Thru the Mirror," he displays a stylish grace Fred Astaire might envy; in "Brave  Little Tailor," his expressions and body language reveal his thoughts as he outwits Willie  the Giant. It's virtually impossible to watch him without smiling. These shorts overflow  with color and motion, and their lavish visuals pack an increased impact in an era of  minimal television animation. Only Walt Disney would spend the money to animate a  full deck of cards, a band flying through the air in a tornado, or a clutch of  semitransparent ghosts, and only his animators could make those characters live on the  screen. The prints have been lovingly restored without pumping up the color too much:  the nuances of the delicate watercolor backgrounds still come through. Parents, Disney  buffs, and animation fans will want this superb collection in their home libraries.  Unrated: suitable for all ages.--Charles Solomon