Fans of All Things Disney should find this a very rewarding release to add to their collections.
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Eight U.S. presidents have visited Disneyland since the park opened in 1955, we learn, with the most humorous moment coming when Harry Truman was offered the chance to board the Dumbo ride. "No no," he said. "Too much Republican symbolism."
These are the kind of anecdotes that accompany a wonderful visual tour of Disneyland, from it's initial site development and construction through 50 years of operation. Julie Andrews leads a line-up of talking heads who reminisce about Walt Disney's dream-come-true. Just as he created the first feature-length animated cartoon in "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves," Walt Disney created the very first theme park. There were plenty of doubters, we learn on this full-length 2005 anniversary feature--including most of the people who worked for Disney. But Disney believed in it, so much so that he hocked the studio to pay for the park. If Disneyland failed, Disney animation went bankrupt.
Of course, we all know how that turned out. Though the Disney theme song is "When You Wish Upon a Star," Walt never believed in sitting around waiting for the Blue Fairy to make things happen. This two-disc set reinforces how much Disney pushed to make his own dreams come true.
The showpiece features are all on Disc One. Bob Garner and Jan C.J. Jones co-produced a wonderful 50th anniversary feature, bringing to the forefront many of Disney's "imaginers" who give us an insider's look at the way this park was conceived and built. The mixture of vintage clips, still photos, and talking heads is nicely connected with an intelligent narration. By the end of this feature, if you don't get the urge to book a visit to one of the Disney theme parks after this feature--or at least a chill or a warm fuzzy--you're just not a Disney lover. It's an excellent feature.
So is one of the first films made in CinemaScope, "Disneyland U.S.A.," which was made for the big screen. Disneyland has evolved considerably since it was first built, and it's a wonderful time-capsule moment to see people in 1956 enjoying Walt's theme park. This feature is playable with or without commentary by Leonard Maltin and imagineer Tony Baxter, whose presence is felt on other bonus features. Baxter does most of the talking, but I actually recommend watching this with the commentary. Baxter is a wealth of information and anecdotes, and he'll even tell you where you can find landmark objects that have been removed. It makes this newly restored feature (which looks TERRIFIC, by the way) a truly rich experience.
Rounding out the Disc One features is a trivia game that's organized the same way the popular Trivial Pursuit games are. You have to answer one question correctly from each of seven areas of Disneyland in order to win the game. There are two levels, beginners and advanced, but the play is the same: If you answer correctly that section of the park disappears from the map and you choose another area. If you answer incorrectly, you get sent to Main Street, where you have to answer a question correctly before you can go back to choosing areas and going for the "win." The first time you "enter" a land, a short feature plays. There's no shortcut around this, but the clips are actually pretty engaging, even if they seem a bit like a promo that might be sent out to entice people to come to Disneyland. When you answer questions correctly from all lands, you get a fireworks display at the castle and you can "choose" your prize from different tickets. Here, the developers of the game cleverly devised "virtual" park experiences where you can select from different rides and attractions to experience from a you-are-there-in-the-seat perspective. Like the two full-length features on this disc, it's really nifty.
But Disc Two? While it's not often that one of the Walt Disney Treasures disappoints, I have to say that the second disc on "Disneyland: Secrets, Stories & Magic" could have had a few more secrets and a little more magic.
As is, it's mostly a collection of some pretty dull and tedious Disneyland-related episodes from Disney shows like "The Wonderful World of Color."
"Operation Disneyland" is a case-in-point. Produced for ABC by Dick Brown and narrated by John Fell, this thing is so dull that it feels like the flipside of the fascinating stuff from the first disc. It's a long, slow-moving behind-the-scenes look at what was involved in creating the World's Largest Live Telecast of the opening of Disneyland. But too much focus is on camera placement and not enough on the excitement of the time, or the fact that Disney pulled another P.T. Barnum moment here by creating another first: the first time something of this magnitude has been done. I just couldn't believe how dull and slow-moving it was. Even though we're told how rare it is, and that it was only intended for ABC affiliates to show them the care that was going into the special that would be broadcast, it still drags, big-time.
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[release]22730[/release]