Woody Allen tells this great joke at the start of “Annie Hall”:
Two elderly women are staying at a Catskill Mountain Resource Resort. And one of them says “Boy, the food at this place is really terrible.” The other one says “Yeah I know. And such small portions.”
That joke immediately came to mind as I was getting ready to write my review of Buena Vista Home Entertainment’s new DVD, the “Masterpiece Edition” of “Alice in Wonderland.”
Why for? Because — as I was doing some research — I discovered that laser disc collectors all over the Web are up in arms about the new DVD version of this 1951 Walt Disney Studios release.
“So what are the laser disc guys grousing about?” you ask. Well, you see — back in 1996 — Buena Vista Home Entertainment released the “Disney Archives Collection” edition of “Alice in Wonderland” on laser disc. And this two disc box set was considered — by many collectors at the time — to be the finest laser representation of any Disney animated film to ever be released.
Not convinced? Here. Let me pull a quote from David M. Green’s review of the “Alice” laser disc, which appearing in a 1996 issue of “The Laser Tribune”:
“[The CAV edition of Disney’s “Alice in Wonderland” could] easily become the reference standard for laserdisc presentation in both its showcase of the film, and its flawless and highly informative supplement which could take days to properly appreciate (I spent two, and I don’t think half of it registered). [This two disc set] belongs in any animation collector’s assortment of titles.”
And — looking over a listing of the supplemental materials that were offered with the “Disney Archives Collection” laser disc — it’s easy to see why Mr. Green was impressed. The audio extras on this 2 disc set included:
Demos for all the songs that were considered for inclusion in Disney’s “Alice in Wonderland”
Alternate takes on dialogue for various scenes in the movie
Radio commercials for the initial release of the film in 1951
Radio interviews with Walt Disney and Kathryn Beaumont
And the video extras of the “Disney Archives Collection” laser disc version of Disney’s “Alice in Wonderland” were equally impressive. These included:
Storyboards and concept drawings to Walt Disney Productions’ two earlier attempts to turn Lewis Carroll’s beloved children’s book into an animated feature. One version dating from the late 1930s while the other was in serious development during the early 1940s.
Live action footage shot as reference material for the animators working on “Alice.”
Various characters that were cut from the film.
Sounds fairly snazzy, doesn’t it? So why are laser disc collectors so upset with the “Masterpiece Edition” DVD of Disney’s “Alice of Wonderland.” Because only a handful of the ancillary materials that were created for the “Disney Archives Collection” version of the film were transferred over to this new “Alice” DVD.
Which is what made me think about that Woody Allen joke. I mean, to hear these guys going on and on about how the “Masterpiece Edition” of “Alice in Wonderland” couldn’t ever measure up to the “Disney Archives Collection” laser disc edition of the film. When it’s so obvious that these two versions of the same products were aimed at two totally different audiences.
To explain: The “Disney Archives Collection” of Disney’s “Alice in Wonderland” was clearly aimed at the hardcore Disney history fan. While the new “Masterpiece Edition” of this movie was obviously intended for a broader audience. Someone who might have an interest in the back story of this particular production. But — for the most part — the main reason that these people were purchasing this DVD was because they were looking for something to entertain their children.
That’s why the folks at Buena Vista Home Entertainment have loaded up the “Masterpiece Edition” of Disney’s “Alice in Wonderland” with kid-friendly features like the Virtual Wonderland Party. This interactive segment of the “Alice” DVD (I thought) was actually quite enjoyable. It features live actors playing Alice, the Matter Hatter and the White Rabbit who are having a Mad Tea Party with a group of kids.
What’s truly unique about the Virtual Wonderland Party sequence is that this section of the DVD allows viewers to play games and interact with characters from the film. So your kids can play games like “The Mad Hatter Says” or conduct a Teapot Orchestra. There are also songs to sing and riddles to solve. This part of the 2-disc set is really quite entertaining.
(Mind you, I don’t know the name of the performer who plays the Mad Hatter in the Virtual Wonderland Party. But this guy does a pretty amazing job of channeling Ed Wynn. By the way, be sure to linger over the menus on this section of the DVD for a while. You’ll really enjoy watching the Hatter grow more and more exasperated as he waits for you to make your next choice.)
Still, understanding that a fair number of adults are going to buy this 2-disc set just so they can aid this title to their Disney DVD collection, Buena Vista Home Entertainment has seen to it that the “Masterpiece Edition” of “Alice in Wonderland” features a fair number of extras. Stuff that’s sure to please the hardcore Disney history buffs out there. These features include:
“Operation Wonderland.” A wonderful featurette which shows Walt Disney — while riding his miniature stream train, “The Lily Belle,” around the Burbank lot — touring the various departments at the studio that had a hand in the creation of “Alice in Wonderland.”
“One Hour in Wonderland.” The very first program that Walt Disney ever produced for television. It’s a fascinating look back at the early days of the medium. Take — for example — that heavy handed Coca Cola commercial in the middle of the show. And take a gander at Edgar Bergen. No wonder this guy had his greatest success in radio. I’ve never seen a ventriloquist who moves his lips as much as Edgar does.
The very first “Alice” cartoon. Basically the pilot for this early, early Walt Disney live action / animated film series. Beautifully restored, this short gives you a keen understanding of what the pioneering days of the movie medium must have been like.
An extended clip from “The Fred Waring Show,” where a number of the songs from Disney’s “Alice in Wonderland” made their world debut. Again, another charming look back at the early days of television. And check out the show’s stylized sets (Which were actually designed by the woman who did a lot of the early color conceptual work on the feature, Disney artist extraordinaire Mary Blair).
Yes, a lot of the features that I mentioned above were actually harvested from the “Disney Archives Collection” laser disc. But that’s not to say that Buena Vista Home Entertainment didn’t create anything new for their new “Alice in Wonderland” DVD. They actually hired voice artist Jim Cummings (Best known these days as Disney’s current official voice of Winnie the Pooh and Tigger) to come in and do his Sterling Holloway impression. Cummings sings a recently rediscovered “Alice” song, “I’m Odd,” which was written as a possible piece for the Cheshire Cat to perform in the film. This song — along with the additional concept art that’s featured as Jim is performing — makes this a welcome addition to the DVD.
Yes, I guess I can understand why laser disc fans would be complaining about the “Masterpiece Edition” DVD of Disney’s “Alice in Wonderland.” Yes, it really would have been nice if all the extras that were featured on the “Disney Archives Collection” laser had wound up on this 2-disc set. But — given that this release was primarily intended for a family audience, not hardcore collectors — some sort of compromise was obviously in order. Me personally, I think that the “Alice” DVD strikes a nice balance between the family friendly stuff and the strictly-for-Disneyana-fans extras.
If it’s any consolation, I’m told that Buena Vista Home Entertainment actually does have plans to eventually revive its “Disney Archives Collection” line. Several years down the road, look for BVHE to create this limited edition series of DVDs which will be aimed solely at the hardcore Disneyana collector market. As you might expect, these multi-disc sets will supposedly feature a fairly high price tag. But — at the same time — these DVDs will reportedly also be loaded with a ridiculous number of extras. Which (to my way of thinking, anyway) will make them worth waiting for.
But — until that happens — the “Masterpiece Edition” of Disney’s “Alice of Wonderland” DVD is just fine by me. Though this 2-disc set’s extra may have “such small portions,” I still enjoyed poking through them.
In fact, as I was digging through these discs, I actually finally found the answer to an “Alice in Wonderland” related question that’s been puzzling me for years. You see, for a while now, Stan Freberg has been insisting that Walt Disney himself personally hired him to do voice work on “Alice in Wonderland.” To be specific, Stan says that Walt hired him to do the voice of the Jabberwock for the “Jabberwocky” sequence in the film.
Well, obviously, that “Jabberwocky” sequence never made it into the finished version of the movie. Which is why — for 50 years now — people have been seriously doubting Freberg’s claims.
Well, with this DVD, Stan has been vindicated. You see, as part of the new “I’m Odd” segment of the “Masterpiece Edition” of Disney’s “Alice in Wonderland,” a memo — circa 1948 — is briefly shown. “And what does that memo say?” you ask. It briefly summarizes the proposed storyline for the movie’s “Jabberwocky” sequence as well as listing the vocal talent that was to have been used in this part of Disney’s “Alice in Wonderland.”
“And just who was supposed to have provided voices for Alice’s ‘Jabberwocky’ sequence?” you query. Stan Freberg, Daws Butler (of “Yogi Bear” fame) as well as the Rhythmnaires.
So how can one possibly complain that a Disney DVD “is so terrible” if it manages to solve a 50 year old mystery? Me, I give the “Masterpiece Edition” of Disney’s “Alice in Wonderland” DVD high marks. As I said earlier, I think that this 2-disc strikes a nice balance between what a parent (who’s looking for something to entertain their children) wants and what a hardcore collector (who’s looking for something of value to add to their Disneyana collection) needs.
Plus this “Alice” DVD features a beautifully restored version of the 1951 film. So how can you possibly complain about something like that?
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If you’d like to pick up your own copy of the “Masterpiece Edition” of Disney’s “Alice of Wonderland,” then why not click on the Amazon.con link to your right. Your cost will (unfortunately) remain the same (though Amazon.com is currently offering this 2-disc DVD set for 30% off!) But — if you go there through us — JHM gets a tiny cut of what you spend. So help keep Jim Hill behind the computer where he belongs and pick up your copy of the Masterpiece Edition of Disney’s “Alice in Wonderland” DVD through the link to the right. |
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