спасибо tatuk за диск

With one of the biggest stockpiles of animated films in their vaults, a collection going back more than seventy years, the Disney studios probably can't be blamed for repackaging old favorites in any number of new configurations. Thus do we get big double-disc sets and smaller single-disc affairs like this one, featuring casts of well-know characters.

I've said this before but it bears repeating: I don't believe any of the Disney cartoon-short characters can hold a candle to Warner Bros.'s Road Runner and Coyote. I'm afraid I've always found the Disney animated critters rather a tame bunch, especially their trademark Mouse. Still and all, with Donald's ill temper and squawking voice (a voice, incidentally, performed for over fifty years by Clarence "Ducky" Nash), he remains for me the best of the lot. His tantrums beat the relatively conservative Mickey anyday.

Anyhow, for fellow Duck admirers, I recommend Disney's "Chronological Donald" sets, volumes one and two, the sets that come in the big double-disc Disney tins and contain almost all the major Donald Duck cartoons the studio ever made. But for those viewers who prefer a lighter dose of Donald, this single-disc collection of eight Duck favorites, "Best Pals Donald and Daisy," should satisfy the casual viewer and at least whet the appetite of the dedicated fan. You can see from the set's title that its theme is the romantic entanglements of Donald and Daisy, and the studio presents the cartoons in an approximate chronological order from 1940 through 1954.

"Mr. Duck Steps Out"
Released in 1940, "Mr. Duck Steps Out" was directed by Jack King, with Clarence Nash doing the character voices. Donald spiffs up to go on a date with Daisy. The trouble is keeping the nephews--Huey, Dewey, and Louie--from butting in to his plans. A good deal of time is taken up with music and dancing, so unless you like 40s' pop jazz, this one might not suit you.

"Cured Duck"
Released in 1945, "Cured Duck" was also directed by Jack King, again with Clarence Nash doing the voices. This one shows us more of the wrong side of Donald, as Daisy takes exception to her boyfriend's temper and his smoking big cigars. Most of the action centers on Donald's trying to cure his temper and stow his stogie. He mail orders a temper-taming machine that reminded me of a Monty Python routine. It's cute and a little hectic.

"Donald's Double Trouble"
Released in 1946, "Donald's Double Trouble" was again directed by Jack King, with Clarence Nash as always doing the voices. I liked this selection because it reveals more of the Duck's troubled personality than most of the other cartoons about him. Daisy doesn't want to see Donald again until he improves his personality, so Donald finds a refined double for himself, a fellow who sounds like British actor Ronald Colman, and has him impress Daisy. The results are predictable: Donald gets jealous of his newly created rival. It's one of the better Duck cartoons, with a quick pace and few good gags.

"Sleepy Time Donald"
Released in 1947, "Sleepy Time Donald" was directed by Jack Kinney, with Clarence Nash the famous voice. In what is probably the most risqué of Disney cartoons, Donald starts sle



epwalking during the dead of night and walks right in through Daisy's bedroom window. Humoring him, Daisy walks with Donald around the city without waking him up. Frankly, this one is a pretty dull affair, with only so-so art work.

"Crazy Over Daisy"
Released in 1949, "Crazy Over Daisy" was directed by Jack Hannah, with Clarence Nash as always doing the voices. This is the sweetest item of the lot, set in the 1890s, with an appropriately old-timey title tune. Some attractive graphic designs, Chip and Dale as secondary characters, and a pleasant story line make "Crazy Over Daisy" one of the best cartoons in the collection.

"Donald's Dream Voice"
Released in 1948, "Donald's Dream Voice" was directed by Jack King, again with Clarence Nash. The studio decided to add words to Donald's theme music, but it doesn't seem to have stuck. In any case, Donald is trying to sell brushes door to door, but he can't because nobody can understand a word he's saying. So, he takes some Ajax Voice Pills, which work for a time, but then.... Oh, dear.

"Donald's Crime"
Released in 1945, "Donald's Crime" was directed by Jack King, and, of course, Clarence Nash did the voices. This cartoon was nominated for an Academy Award, and while it does a smart take on conscience as Donald steals from his nephews' piggy bank to go on a date with Daisy, it doesn't really have either the same tomfoolery or the same sweetness of some of the best Duck cartoons.

Donald's Diary"
Released in 1954, "Donald's Diary" was directed by Jack Kinney, with Clarence Nash the voice of Donald and Ronald Colman as the interior narrator. The 1950s brought a new and, unfortunately, less-detailed and more stylized approach to Disney's background art. This entry suffers from simply not looking as good as the rest in the series, not because the transfer is inferior but because the art design is uninspired.

Video:
As we would expect from Disney's recent animated releases, these cartoons look probably as good as they could possibly look, given the age of some of the releases. The Technicolor holds up brilliantly, with deep, solid colors all around. There is, however, a touch of grain visible in the older films and the occasional line or fleck. It's not much of a problem, though, nor are the 1.33:1, standard-screen presentations.

Audio:
The monaural sound has been remastered in Dolby Digital. Most of the time, the sonics are a bit soft around the edges, but they're robust and dynamic enough; and behind the soundtrack we get almost dead silence, so the audio reproduction does its job well, if not spectacularly so.

Extras:
I can't say this disc is exactly high on value per dollar. You get eight cartoons, and that's about it. The disc contains a selections menu; a selections insert; Sneak Peeks at eight other Disney titles; English and French spoken languages; and English captions for the hearing impaired. The cartoons are obviously the one and only thing.

Parting Thoughts:
So, there you have it, more Donald, with a little romance thrown in. OK, so maybe romance is not exactly what we have here; more like romantic mayhem. Still, it's nice to see Donald, Daisy, the nephews, and the others in some appealing adventures. Donald Lite doesn't match Donald in the big tin boxes, but this single-disc collection will keep the youngsters happy, and it's surely a step up from the usual animated drivel kids have been fed on commercial TV over the years.

"Walt Disney's Classic Cartoon Favorites: Best Pals Donald & Daisy" joins two more Disney releases in the same vein: "Best Pals Mickey & Minnie" and "Best Pals Mickey & Pluto." They are also brief, single-disc sets of eight cartoon each.