DVD Review: Disneyland: Secrets, Stories and Magic

Writer: Various
Director: George Scribner, Jerry Rees
Cast: Tommy Chico, Jeff Lam, Sammy Davis Jr., Walt Disney, Steve Martin, Ronald Reagan
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Walt Disney Home Entertainment
Release Date:December 11, 2007

It’s time again for another round of the Walt Disney Treasures DVD sets. Now in round seven, these limited edition classic sets are both interesting to watch and a pleasure to own. There are three collections in this round of Treasures. This review is of Disneyland: Secrets, Stories and Magic. Other reviews in this series are for Chronological Donald, Volume 3 and The Adventures of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.

This particular DVD is presented in a number of different segments ranging from small featurettes and bonus features to larger documentaries on Walt Disney and his magical theme parks. When Disneyland opened back in 1955, I find it hard to imagine that anyone would have any idea the legacy that was being built. This phase of the Walt Disney Treasures line pays homage to the wonderful addition to Anaheim, California that seems to get more popular every single year. It’s common for Disneyland to receive millions of visitors every year, and any of these visitors are Disney obsessed.

Disneyland: Secrets, Stories and Magic is a good first DVD when it comes to offering an obsessed fan information about the Disneyland legacy and history. With such a positive presentation it is easy to imagine that Disney will soon be offering more thorough peeks into the history and soul behind Disney and all that the name implies. This DVD set will be adored by fans as it contains a touching look at the meaning behind the park for Walt Disney and the lengths that have been taken to ensure growth and preservation of the park in his name.

Disneyland: Secrets, Stories and Magic is broken into two DVDs. In the plot area I will break down each of the discs so that you know just what you can find on both of them.

Release Information:
Disneyland: Secrets, Stories and Magic is one of three DVD Box Sets that is part of the Disney Treasures collection. These DVDs are released periodically in limited editions. Often, they celebrate the older days of Disney, hence the name of the set being called Disney ‘treasures’. This wave of DVDs was released on December 11, 2007. You can purchase Disneyland: Secrets, Stories and Magic on Amazon, while the box set is still available, for $22.99.

The Disneyland: Secrets, Stories and Magic Plot
All of the information on the Disneyland: Secrets, Stories and Magic set has been put on two DVDs. I have listed information on what you will find and where it is located based on each disc for your convenience.

On disc one, there are several offerings including a short “Introduction with Leonard Maltin”, the documentary “Disneyland: Secrets, Stories and Magic of the Happiest Place on Earth”, a little bit of fun with the “Wonderful World of Disneyland Trivia Game”, an early day at Disneyland with “People and Places: Disneyland U.S.A.”, and a tour of the beginning of Disneyland in “Places”.

The Introduction lasts for two minutes and gives you a chance to learn more about what you will see from the Disney Treasures ambassador, Leonard Maltin. “Disneyland: Secrets, Stories and Magic of the Happiest Place on Earth” is the longest feature on this disc, lasting for 81 minutes. As you might have guessed, this makes it the main piece for this DVD. “Disneyland: Secrets, Stories and Magic of the Happiest Place on Earth” focuses on the history of the park. There are interviews with the people who helped make the park what it is. At one point this was meant to be its own DVD, but after a little remastering and a new look, this feature came to life beautifully.

Julie Andrews is included in this DVD as the host for the documentary. It seems impossible for them to shove 50 years of history into such a brief documentary, though they manage to get all of the little known points and bits of trivia into this section. There are numerous interviews with important Disney personalities. Some of the interviewees include Marty Sklar, Roy Disney, Tony Baxter, George Lucas, and plenty of others that were not mentioned here. The interviews are not only interesting, but they are nice to watch because everyone speaks of Walt and his memory so highly.

Some of the high points of this DVD include the death of Walt Disney, failed attractions, Holidayland, renovation, and much more. The park footage in this documentary is fascinating to watch. The reason this is so amazing to watch is because many of the clips that are viewed were part of the Disney Vault. This means plenty of retro clips and tons of nostalgia are presented for your viewing pleasure. There are moments that may remind you of a vacation planner DVD, but this soon changes and what you see will leave you wanting to know more.

The trivia game, “Wonderful World of Disneyland Trivia Game” is at times easy if you can follow a hint, but it is fun to play nonetheless. You have the option to play beginner or advanced, so if the one level is too easy you can move on to something harder. This trivia game is special because when you win by answering things correctly you receive Disneyland park tickets, which give you a chance to see the rides in actual motion.

“People and Places: Disneyland U.S.A.” is similar to a tour DVD. You are shown around the park. Originally filmed in 1956 and narrated by Winston Hibler, this was meant to be a piece of promotional material that showed people enjoying the park. This portion of the DVD is incredibly interesting as you will see shots of Disneyland that you probably haven’t seen before. There is also the pleasure of seeing Disneyland in such an infant-like state. The tour that you receive here is unlike any other that you will receive at a Disney park.

The second disc has another “Introduction with Leonard Maltin”, a small sneak peek called “Operation Disneyland”, a color episode of “The Golden Horseshoe Revue” and “Disneyland Goes to the World’s Fair”. Finally there are two more offerings, “Disneyland around the Seasons” and “Fantasy on Parade”.

“Operation Disneyland” lasts for 14 minutes and gives a small peek at what things were like on the first day the park opened. This mini-documentary gets right to the point. The quality here is not the best though it offers a few interesting points about the running of early Disneyland.

The next feature, “The Golden Horseshoe Revue” is much longer, lasting nearly an hour. This episode from “The Wonderful World of Color” was made in the early 60s. This episode is hosted by Betty Taylor. Guests on “The Golden Horseshoe Revue” include Ed Wynn, Annette Funicello, Gene Sheldon, and Wally Boag. This show is definitely interesting to say the least. There are plenty of laughs, interesting skits, and lots of action going on in this feature!

The next feature, “Disneyland Goes to the World’s Fair” is all about Disney’s presence at the 1964 World’s Fair, as the name partially suggests. This episode is more about the creations of Disney that made him a success at the fair than anything else. While interesting, I could have taken or left this particular feature.

In yet another “World of Color” episode, “Disneyland around the Seasons” shows the opening of the ride, “It’s a Small World”. There are some similarities here to the episode prior to this one, though things still remain fresh enough to warrant its place on the DVD and to keep things interesting. The last feature is about a Disney Parade! “Fantasy on Parade” was, at one point, a holiday classic. While this parade show is interesting, it has special significance because it was aired in 1966, days after Walt passed away.

Storyline/Plot:
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:

Audio/Visual:
Disneyland: Secrets, Stories and Magic offers a variety of different video qualities so it is hard to list them all. However, the majority of them have held up incredibly well over the years. Most of the picture quality comes through nearly perfect with sharp colors and little grain. Most of the audio format was done in Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Sound. Overall the sound works well and there are no complaints to speak of in this area.

Visual:
Audio:

Bonus Features:
The main bonus feature on the first disc of this box set is commentary courtesy of Tony Baxter and Leonard Maltin. The second disc offers a 37 minute video, “Building Walt’s Dream: Disneyland under Construction”. Commentary is also available on this second disc. Bonus features are rounded up with a map gallery. These features add to the overall feel of the DVD set, offering plenty of interesting information and some great material for Disney buffs.

Bonus Features:

Bottom Line:
This is a first step in showing some of the best of Disneyland’s history. While this is by no means complete, what you have here will entertain and inform you about one of the most spectacular parks on the planet. Disneyland: Secrets, Stories and Magic will make a perfect gift for Disney fans that are older, as younger children may be put off by the documentary style and lack of constant cartoons.

Overall Rating:

Technorati Tags: Disneyland: Secrets, Stories and Magic , DVD Review, Disney, DisneyWorld, Documentary, DVD Review

If you like this site, Donate to help keep us going!

---------------------
Written by Shayne - Visit Website
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am the proud Papa of a son, Dylan Michael Keller. Other than spending time with my son, I have two main obsessions in life; video games & movies. Often, the two accompany time spent with Dylan. I've been married to Andrea for 13 years this December. One thing I've learned about married life is to always expect the unexpected. After nearly eleven years with just the three of us, and our Golden Retriever, Braeden, I've just found out I'm going to be a dad again. In my professional life, I'm a bit of a cyber geek. I enjoy D&D, writing stories, role-playing, computer games, working on websites, and just hanging out. I work for a computer firm doing computer-tech type work and that's all I can really say about my job. In my fantasy life, I escape to the world of film. I'm not ashamed to admit that I've seen The Return of the King at least 37 times. I signed up to review movies, and you can guarantee I'll do the job right. I hope you enjoy my reviews and always remember kids...Make Love, Not Warcraft.