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The First, the Last & The Middle Chipmunks
Good ol' iTunes. Until now, three important original Liberty albums by David Seville and The Chipmunks (one also guest starring the great June Foray) have been released so you can have them digitally -- and they sound fantastic.
The first one, LET'S ALL SING WITH THE CHIPMUNKS, was the first LP by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. and his speeded-up creations. This was the original cover:
but when the TV series THE ALVIN SHOW premiered, it was redesigned like this:
Another album, THE CHIPMUNK SONGBOOK, which was never reissued in its entirety until now, contained fourteen actual soundtrack songs from the show, with June Foray playing three characters:
And the very last Chimpunk LP in the original Liberty series, THE CHIPMUNKS GO THE MOVIES, contains songs from sixities family films like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Mary Poppins and The Jungle Book.
Ross Sr. passed away three years after this release and it wasn't until the early 80's when Ross Jr. and his wife Janice Karman brought the group back with Chipmunk Punk.
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: May 10 2008
SAVE! SAVE! SAVE! Hard cover books with DUST JACKETS!
There are a limited amount of HARD COVER editions of MOUSE TRACKS available WITH A DUST JACKET at a special bargain price! It also includes a free Walt Disney Records mini poster.
$39.95
plus $5 shipping
The published hardcover of Mouse Tracks did not have a dust jacket, so one has been specially printed.
If you already have the hard cover edition and would like a dust jacket on its own, it's $9.95 plus $3 shipping.
To order, visit paypal.com, request the amount send along with the item selected, and have it sent to wonderproductions@hotmail.com.
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: Apr 01 2008
SIDE-BY-SIDE "ENCHANTED" REFERENCES
To celebrate the release of Enchanted, here are some visual parallels that appear in the film that reference classic Disney films. The precision is astonishing. I realize that I missed some of them when I watched the movie.
These are the ones that I picked up on immediately:
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: Mar 18 2008
Behind the Scenes at the Golden Age of Filmation
 There hasn't been much attention given to the quiet but significant wave of DVD sets featuring the animated and live-action work of the Filmation studios. Likely it's because Filmation is kind of polarizing among animation fans; their cartoons use recycled animation and some of their later work is on some "worst of" lists.
However, the influence of this studio cannot be denied and that's probably why Filmation cofounder Lou Scheimer was given the Windsor McCay award for lifetime acheivement (which also raised a hue and cry in some circles. The facts are that Filmation employed domestic artists as long as they could hold out during a time when others were outsourcing, gave many industry leaders their first chance in the business and created several iconic series including The Archies, Star Trek, Isis, Groovie Goolies, He-Man and Fat Albert.
Anyway, you can find a surprising quantity of these on DVD, and often the bonus material is worth the price alone. Mission: Magic" contains a 30-minute documentary called "The Magic of Filmation" that chronicles the history, including the Abbbott and Costello-style way they faked having a thriving studio to get the Superman series, with numerous interviews of such animation and TV veterans as Tim Sito and J. Michael Straczyniski.
The Journey Back to Oz DVD has a fascinating commentary that reveals the strange way the film was funded, the Sinatra connection and how Journey was the film upon which the empire was built (who knew?).
And those of us who sighed over the visage of lovely JoAnna Cameron (above), guiding troubled teens to the straight and narrow as the mighty fine Isis will love the complete series, chock a block fill of extras and special footage. It really brought me back to those sugary cereal Saturday mornings of long past!
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: Mar 13 2008
NEW WAVE OF WALT DISNEY TREASURES ANNOUNCED
See the press release here.
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: Feb 20 2008
SINGING VOICE OF DISNEY'S DUCHESS FINALLY OFFICIALLY ACKNOWLEDGED
Back when acclaimed writer/producer Les Perkins told us he was preparing a wonderful new Disney DVD bonus feature that acknowledged Robie Lester as the singing voice of Duchess, we had our fingers crossed, hoping nothing would prevent it. Fortunately, when you see the "Deleted Song" Bonus Feature on the new THE ARISTOCATS SPECIAL EDITION DVD released today, you and world will see the great Richard Sherman host a seven-minute segment telling, for the first time, the story behind the song, "She Never Felt Alone."
In the finished film, Duchess -- with the speaking voice of Eva Gabor -- recites a few lines of the song's lyrics. But originally it was a full-fledged song, performed by our beloved Disneyland Story Reader, the late Robie Lester.
 Robie in 1965
Even we have never heard the snippet of studio chat, as well as the song demo, that is heard in this new segment. Of course, Robie can be heard in the finished film singing "Scales and Arpeggios" and the solo with the harp during "Ev'ry body Wants to Be a Cat." She later also sang "Rescue Aid Society" for Bianca in The Rescuers.
Disneyland Records' fully-orchestrated version of "She Never Felt Alone," sung by Robie and produced by Camarata, was released on CD a few years ago on an abbreviated disc called Songs from The Aristocats.
Robie in 2001
But the big news is that Robie Lester is finally being publicly acknowledged on the new DVD by Disney for her contributions to two animated features. Her husband Geoff was delighted to hear the news and to share it all with her daughter and grandchildren.
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: Feb 05 2008
MY FAVORITE MARTIAN & THE AVENGERS soundtrack albums FINALLY released!
There's never been an original soundtrack album of the 1960's TV fantasy classic MY FAVORITE MARTIAN until now, but it's here on a limited release CD. There are lots of interesting facts about the show in the accompanying liner notes, too.
There's also never really been a soundtrack album of another 60's TV classic, THE AVENGERS, though the theme song has popped up on various complilations. Apparently this one is only available as part of a three-disc set saluting composer Laurie Johnson.
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: Jan 31 2008
CLASSIC DISNEY ALBUMS ADDED TO iTUNES!
Randy Thornton of Walt Disney Records is pleased to announce that:
Uploading for release on January 29th are the following albums...
NEW RELEASES
Italiannette (BV 3304)
Annette Sings Anka (BV 3302)
Westward Ho the Wagons (WDL 3041)
Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House
(DQ 1257; the original 1964 release, narrated by Laura Olsher)
PLUS THESE TITLES, PREVIOUSLY ONLY AVAILABLE AT DISNEY THEME PARKS:
Meet Me Down On Main Street
A Musical Tour of France with Maurice Chevalier
Songs from Lady and the Tramp
The Disney Afternoon
Country Bear Jamboree
PLUS A VERY SPECIAL TITLE -- THE FIRST CLASSIC DISNEY SOUNDTRACK PREMIERE ON iTUNES.
Walt Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (an album 10 years in the making)!
 Beginning January 29, visit your iTunes store and search for each of these by title to locate each album.
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: Jan 19 2008
THE GREAT CHIPMUNK DEBATE
Apparently the big controversy nowadays isn't about Iowa caucases or Hillary, Barack, Rudy and Mitt. It's about Alvin, Simon, Theodore and Dave.
The runaway smash success of the Alvin and the Chipmunks feature has set animation fans and insiders ablaze with strong opinions about the relative strength or weakness of this film, the earlier feature, both TV series, and the records that started it all. The animation web site Cartoon Brew has the comment thread here (some explicit language; parental discretion advised).
The fact that what appears to some to be a mere novelty gimmick has actually had such a cultural impact is well worth noting. Perhaps Clyde Crashcup's assistant Leonardo espressed it best when he said, "Mwsserpishwssswrrssurruhswss..."
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: Jan 06 2008
WHERE WERE YOU ON NEW YEAR'S EVE?
On New Year's Eve, I spent five and a half hours directing Epcot guests to step to their right and proceed over this lovely bridge to and from the France and United Kingdom pavilions. I waved one of those lighted wand things that air traffic controllers use in the movies.
This is a phenomenon among Disney salaried Cast Members known as "Cross-U" (cross utilization), in which we're asked very nicely to help out in the Parks during especially popular times.
I've done this many many times over the years, at Crystal Palace, Pecos Bill's Pinocchio Village Haus, The Haunted Mansion, The Hall of Presidents, Odyssey Restaurant, Main Street Emporium, Mouse Gear and others. It's kind of fun and it really helps me realize how many hard working, dedicated Cast Members work extremely hard all year. I like to cross-u because I get a chance to meet guests, who really do see Cast Members as "Disney" personified.
Anyway, sometimes when I didn't have a lighted rod to wave, I used one of those lighted cocktail cubes. It was red and as long as I waved it around, no one realized how humble it was -- some guests got a big kick of it if they realized it was a little cube! And we laughed and laughed.
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: Jan 02 2008
WIN FREE PRIZES, PLAY IN YOUR SOCKS!
ANYONE CAN PLAY, is just that. It's a radio game show where anyone, even you, can answer trivia questions and win nice board games and DVD games.
All you have to do it register here. Then they email you with the dates when they call you and you're a contestant. You don't have to dress up; you can lie down on the couch in your comfy socks and play.
You can listen to this and other TV-related shows on your computer at Shokus Internet Radio.
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: Dec 30 2007
"HOW INTERESTING! I NEVER KNEW THAT."
That's what Leonard Maltin, an expert himself, says on the audio commentary for the new DISNEYLAND SECRETS, STORIES & MAGIC Walt Disney Treasures DVD.
Leonard is reacting to this factoid made by master Imagineer Tony Baxter, who is on the DVD commentary for the theatrical featurette, Disneyland, U.S.A., with him:
"People think of the Disney characters--Mickey and the gang--that they meet at Disneyland, but in the early 50's, when we first opened, the characters weren't allowed.
"You see a few on the opening day. Those were loaned from the Ice Capades, but from that opening until the late 50's, like '59 or '60, Mickey and the gang didn't appear. So [streetmosphere-type] characters like "Trinidad," the fellow that was sweeping the streets there, became very, very important in kind of giving that sense of people "living" in Disneyland. So you see boat captains and saloon girls and native american dancers and everything that really made this place come to life because there were no characters."
Posted By: Greg, Date of Post: Dec 29 2007
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