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Oswald Unleashed in Walt Disney Treasures Wave VII

Walt Disney Home Ent. continues the popular WALT DISNEY TREASURES series with three new two-disc DVD sets, available today (Dec. 11.), for $32.99: THE ADVENTURES OF OSWALD THE LUCKY RABBIT, CHRONOLOGICAL DONALD, VOLUME 3 and DISNEYLAND: SECRETS, STORIES AND MAGIC.

THE ADVENTURES OF OSWALD THE LUCKY RABBIT: Oswald The Lucky Rabbit, who predates Mickey Mouse, has recently returned to the Disney fold and comes out of the vault for the first time ever on DVD. The silent shorts made from 1926 to 1928, with Walt's personal touch, are revitalized with brand-new scores (by well-known silent film accompanist and composer Robert Israel) specifically made for WALT DISNEY TREASURES WAVE VII. Several of the shorts offer audio commentary from Leonard Maltin, Mark Kausler and Jerry Beck. Bonus materials include:

* THE HAND BEHIND THE MOUSE: Full-length doc about legendary cartoon director/animator, Ub Iwerks. He was Walt's first employee, as well as Oswald and Mickey's first animator, and subsequently became one of the unsung heroes of Disney animation. Narrated by Kelsey Grammer, this doc was made by Ub's granddaughter, Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Leslie Iwerks.

* "Oswald Comes Home": Tells how Oswald came back to the Disney studios. Features new interviews with Bob Iger, Roy Disney and Diane Disney Miller.

* "The Work of Ub Iwerks": Six examples of the unique creations of Iwerks, before and after Oswald, are featured (a newly restored STEAMBOAT WILLIE among them).

CHRONOLOGICAL DONALD, VOLUME 3 features the most prolific of "Walt's Fab Five," the short-tempered but hilarious Donald Duck in rarely seen solo shorts dating 1947 through 1950. Bonus materials include:

* "The Many Faces of Donald Duck": A retrospective look at Donald's career, including insight from Tony Anselmo, Disney animator and the current voice of Donald

* "Sculpting Donald": Well-known Disney sculptor Ruben Procopio discusses the challenges of creating a 3D model of a 2D character

* "Donald Duck on the MICKEY MOUSE CLUB": An Easter Egg Hunt for all 10 variations of the Donald Duck gag at the end of the popular show's opening titles

DISNEYLAND: SECRETS, STORIES AND MAGIC is a comprehensive look at the "Happiest Place on Earth." The centerpiece of this volume is a new doc with archival footage, including Walt's own words, as well as new interviews behind one of the world's most famous destinations. The set also includes a vintage collectible of one of the original Disneyland Theme Park tickets. Bonus materials include:

* "Disneyland: Secrets, Stories and Magic": A revealing new documentary that includes archival footage, commentary from Walt himself and new interviews.

* "People and Places: Disneyland U.S.A.": Released just one year after the Disneyland opening, this is one of the park's first cinematic tours presented in CinemaScope and Technicolor with a newly restored 5.1 audio track.

* "The Golden Horseshoe Revue," "Disneyland Goes To The Worlds Fair" and "Disneyland Around The Seasons": Three original DISNEYLAND TV broadcasts.

* "Operation Disneyland": A closed-circuit piece made for ABC TV affiliates that illustrates the gigantic challenge of the park's 1955 opening day live broadcast This internal broadcast has never been seen by the public before.

* "Building Walt's Dream: Disneyland Under Construction": Also never-before-seen and showcasing color time-lapse footage of the construction of Disneyland. Features illuminating audio commentary from Disney Imagineer Tony Baxter.

* "A WONDERFUL WORLD OF DISNEYLAND" Trivia Game and Still Frame Gallery

Each volume contains intros from Maltin, and is individually numbered, with an authenticity certificate, and an exclusive lithograph in the collectible, unique packaging tins in a limited supply only.

Buena Vista Worldwide Home Ent., a recognized leader in the home entertainment industry, is the marketing, sales and distribution company for Walt Disney, Touchstone, Hollywood Pictures, Miramax and Buena Vista product, which includes DVD, Blu-ray Disc and electronic distribution. Buena Vista Worldwide Home Ent. is a division of Disney Enterprises Inc.

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Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.

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