Fun And Fancy Free

Only the best movie that I have ever seen
Okay, I have been reading the other reviews on this movie, and they all say things like "went on for too long"..."Way overhyped"...and things like that. I beg to differ. The two movies in this wonderful DVD, Bongo and Mickey and the Beanstalk, are two family classics. As a child, I watched these two movies (on VHS, of course) over and over and over again. Willy the Giant characterizes my childhood in three words..."Potroast! Chocolate potroast!" And now, I know for a fact that my two little brothers have memorized the whole movie of Mickey and the Beanstalk. I don't want to ramble on forever, but I just want to say that these two are the best movies that I have ever seen, and I have seen a lot of movies.

One of Disney's most under-rated classics.
Actually, unknown might be a better word to use. This movie is rollicking fun from beginning to end, and features some wonderful animated moments. This is the original home of the featurettes "Mickey and the Beanstalk" and "Bongo", which are presented in their entirety. If you're looking for something a little different... an alternative to the animated Broadway musical... this is it. Highly recommended.

Might not be the version you remember...
If like a lot of people you first saw "Mickey & the Beanstalk" not in theaters but on television (usually preceding a feature, like "Dumbo") you are in for a bit of a surprise.

This DVD contains the theatrical version, where the animation is interspersed with live-action footage of people at a party, who are "telling" the story. This also means the wonderfully soothing TV-version narration (provided by Sterling Halloway, also voice of Pooh) is gone. The end result is that the cartoon drags on unnecessarily as the action is constantly interrupted by the live-action segments. Additionally, the live actors tend to get a bit chatty with their narration, and some of the humor they try to inject hasn't aged well. With the capacity of the DVD medium, why couldn't the TV version be tacked on as an extra?

Still worth owning (the beautiful animation and music can't be derailed even by the mediocre live action footage)--but be warned.

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