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VHS : Walt Disney's American Legends (Paul Bunyan, John Henry, Johnny Appleseed, The Brave Engineer)
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Walt Disney's American Legends (Paul Bunyan, John Henry, Johnny Appleseed, The Brave Engineer) from: Buena Vista |
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Availability: Usually ships within 1 - 2 business days
Binding: VHS Tape EAN: 9780788832147 Format: NTSC ISBN: 078883214X Label: Buena Vista Manufacturer: Buena Vista Publisher: Buena Vista Release Date: December 21, 2004 Studio: Buena Vista Theatrical Release Date: August 01, 1958 Sales Rank: 243 Browse for similar items by category:
Editorial Review: From Amazon.com: American history and pioneer mythology blur in this collection of animated Disney shorts hosted by James Earl Jones. From Disney's Golden Age come the marvelous Johnny Appleseed (1948), a fanciful, folksy, story-song tale of the real-life planter who seeded the Midwest, and The Brave Engineer (1950), a screwball version of "The Ballad of Casey Jones." Paul Bunyan (1958) is pure tall tale turned energetic American myth: the giant lumberjack is a homespun Zeus in flannel and logger boots creating the mountains and valleys of the American West with his big, blue ox, Babe. Joining these classics is Disney's stylized new take on the folk song John Henry (2000), narrated by Alfre Woodard. The sketchy, roughed-up style echoes Jacob Lawrence in moments, and the rich soundtrack soars with spiritual-influenced music. Like the best of Disney, these spirited folk tales speak to both children and adults. --Sean Axmaker Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
 Rating: - Cashing in on patriotismThis DVD was probably created as Disney's quick, kiddie answer to the surging patriotism in the United States after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. As American consumers were buying flags in record numbers, Disney artists were likely tossing through tinny stacks of old film reels, scavenging for old pro-American cartoon clips that could be spliced into a new collection for kids. Only one of the four cartoons on this disk is new. The other three have the familiar look and sound of Disney past, and if you are American, you're guaranteed to have seen these three cartoons more times than you could have counted during your own childhood. I'll forgive Disney for cashing in on our heightened American-ness right now. I recognize ... Read More: Rating: - Glad to have itI Love the original Disney shorts, and this is a pretty good collection. Others have already commented on the omission of Pecos Bill, who I also missed. But I haven't seen Casey Jones in A Long Time, and had forgotten how funny that cartoon is. The new John Henry short was pretty well done. I liked how the social context of the time was explained in the little space a short allows. The animation is fluid and life-like, but the rough pencil sketches can be seen under the color, which makes the cartoon look rough and is distracting. Rating:  - what a disappointment!1. I'm glad I bought it used. 2. I've sold it already. 3. Buy the Silly Symphonies and save yourself this lackluster excuse for nostalgia. Rating:  - Very Enjoyable!This is great for any age! My 2 and 4 year olds love it and so do the 8th graders I teach when we go over American legends. I just can't help but cheer for John Henry every time! It could have been priced a little less but the moralistic value remains. If only everyone had that spirit for what is good and right... Rating:  - The New House FavoriteNow we don't have the DVD edition, so I don't know about the extras that have been mentioned, but we LOVED this movie. Great traditional tales with great songs (my little one apparantly is incessantly singing them and we've had this video for quite a while). Disney movies that teach some values (without preaching) and hold kid's attention are a welcome addition as far as I'm concerned. Not sure what those other reviewers were expecting, wide-screen or not, remember these videos are supposed to be kid's movies... |
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