Melody Time (DVD)

Melody Time is a lot better than some reviews say, but don't expect Snow White or Dumbo. It's one of the collections of short cartoons Disney made right after World War II, before he went back to doing one story features. The individual cartoons range from just fair to good, but none of them are really special. I'd give it 3 1/2 stars instead of 3, actually, it's almost good. Best cartoons are the"Blame it on Samba" sequence with Donald Duck and the "Bumble Boogie" sequence, both get surrealistic. The "Pecos Bill" segment is also pretty good, with a good musical background. I'd say the Disney fan would be better off getting the earlier "Make Mine Music". I know they complain about the cartoons that feature just good drawing and special effects for their own sake, but the songs are more memorable and there true "cartoon" sequences (Willie the Whale, Peter and the Wolf, and the unbelievable Casey at the Bat) are a lot funier. That one gets 4 stars. I'd give Fun and Fancy Free 4 1/2 Anyhow, at least it's not the disappointment a lot of reviewers make it out ot be. Chuckalone