Among the other shorts contained on the DVD is at least one character Disney would use later; Donald Duck's first time on the screen was in "The Wise Little Hen," in 1934. Disney was getting together its cast of characters at this point, so little did anyone know that a bit player like Donald would literally spawn franchises decades later. Disney's stock-in-trade with the Silly Symphonies series was to adapt classic tales using cutting-edge animation and catchy music. One short contained here, "The Golden Touch," builds on the famous Greek mythology around King Midas. Another, "The Ugly Duckling," was already familiar to audiences through the stories of Hans Christian Andersen. In every case, whether spinning tales about morality or not, these shorts never failed to be amusing and entertaining. The shorts feature old musical theater, tin pan alley, and jazz stylings, all delivered with studio orchestration that Carl Stalling would greatly improve on in the later years he spent with Warner Bros Studios.
Packaged with the DVD is a litho print that makes a nice framed piece, but there are no special features to educate kids about the legacy of these great animated shorts. Any reasonably serious Disney fan will want this collection, which spans across several DVDs. A less rabid Disneyite interested in animation will also get much out of this, a serious waypoint in the development of the art form.
