Milt Banta Movies

Although advertised as a "premiere," the first episode of Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color was actually a continuation of the ABC anthology series that had run under the titles Disneyland and Walt Disney Presents since 1959. The major changes in the "new" version were twofold: Disney was now seen on NBC, and (of course) his program was broadcast in "living color" (and in fact was sponsored by RCA, foremost manufacturer of color TVs). Episode one opened in black-and-white, with Walt Disney discussing his plans for the future, then magically switched over to a full rainbow of hues. Further emphasizing the advantages of color over black-and-white, Disney compared his 1927 Mickey Mouse cartoon vehicle Plane Crazy with his earliest Technicolor effort, the 1932 "Silly Symphony" Flowers and Trees. Walt also introduced the viewers to his latest cartoon creation -- a brilliant, erudite Viennese duck named Ludwig Von Drake, who happened to be the uncle of good ol' Donald Duck (Professor Von Drake was not so brilliant as to disbelieve Donald's claims that Disney worked for him, instead of the other way around!). The remainder of the episode consists of the 1959 animated theatrical short subject Donald in Mathmagic Land, an entertainng foray into the world of numbers, angles, and shapes. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Disney produced this lavish animated fairy tale, the most expensive cartoon ever made up to its release with a budget of $6 million. When the young princess Aurora is cursed at birth by the evil fairy Maleficent, the baby is kidnapped by a trio of good fairies who raise the girl themselves, hoping to avoid the spell's fulfillment. Nevertheless, at the age of 16, the beautiful Aurora falls into a deep sleep that can only be awakened by a kiss from her betrothed, Prince Phillip. Knowing that Phillip intends to save Aurora, Maleficent takes him prisoner. When the good fairies launch a rescue attempt, Maleficent transforms herself into a spectacular fire-breathing dragon, forcing Phillip to defeat her in mortal combat. Sleeping Beauty (1959) was Oscar nominated for its musical score, which featured adaptations of Tchaikovsky compositions. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Physicist Dr. Heinz Haber is both narrator and technical consultant for this "Tomorrowland" installment of Disneyland. Describing atomic energy as a "genie in a bottle", Haber explains that it has the potential for both good and evil--though the episode concentrates almost exclusively on the good. When orginally broadcast, "Our Friend the Atom" was promotionally tied in with Haber's 1956 book of the same title, published under the Disney imprimatur. This episode would be released theatrically in 1958. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This episode of Disneyland is set in the basement of the Disney studio, storehouse for many a fantastic and phantasmagoric prop. Walt Disney turns the hosting duties over to the Spirit of the Mirror, originally seen in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and here played by the ineluctable Hans Conried. In demonstration how the art of magic has been utilized in animation, the Spirit introduces clips from several Disney cartoons, including Mickey Mouse's "Sorceror's Apprentice" sequence from Fantasia. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A pet project of Walt Disney's since 1939, this animated version of James M. Barrie's Peter Pan reached full fruition in 1953. Eschewing much of Barrie's gentle whimsy (not to mention the more sinister aspects of the leading character), Disney and his staff fashioned a cheery, tuneful cartoon extravaganza, which cost $4 million and reaped several times that amount. The straightforward story concerns the Darling family, specifically the children: Wendy, Michael and John. Wendy enjoys telling her younger siblings stories about the mythical Peter Pan, the little boy who never grew up. One night, much to everyone's surprise, Peter flies into the Darling nursery, in search of his shadow, which Wendy had previously captured. Sprinkling the kids with magic pixie dust, Peter flies off to Never-Never Land, with Wendy, Michael and John following behind. Once in Peter's domain, the children are terrorized by Captain Hook, who intends to capture Peter and do away with him.

After rescuing Indian princess Tiger Lily from Captain Hook, Peter must save the children, not to mention his own "Lost Boys," from the diabolical pirate captain. In addition, he must contend with the jealousy of tiny sprite Tinker Bell, who doesn't like Wendy one little bit. Breaking with several traditions, Peter had been played by a girl in all previous incarnations, Tinker Bell had always been depicted by a shaft of light, etc ... this "Disneyized" version of Peter Pan may not be authentic James Barrie, but it has never failed to enthrall audiences of all ages. Adding to the fun are the spirited voiceover performances by Bobby Driscoll (Peter), Hans Conried (Captain Hook and Mr. Darling), Kathryn Beaumont (Wendy) and Bill Thompson (Smee), and the sprightly songs by Sammy Cahn, Sammy Fain, Ollie Wallace, Erdman Penner, Ted Sears, Winston Hibler, Frank Churchill and Jack Lawrence. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This Disney feature-length cartoon combines the most entertaining elements of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. Chasing after the White Rabbit, who runs into view singing "I'm Late! I'm Late!," Alice falls down the rabbit hole into the topsy-turvy alternate world of Wonderland. She grows and shrinks after following the instructions of a haughty caterpillar, attends a "Very Merry Unbirthday" party in the garden of the Mad Hatter and the March Hare, stands in awe as the Cheshire Cat spouts philosophy, listens in rapt attention as Tweedledum and Tweedledee relate the story of the Walrus and the Carpenter (a sequence usually cut when Alice is shown on TV), and closes out her day with a hectic croquet game at the home of the Red Queen. The music and production design of Alice in Wonderland is marvelous, but the film is too much of a good thing, much too frantic to do full honor to the whimsical Carroll original, and far too episodic to hang together as a unified feature film. One tactical error is having Alice weep at mid-point, declaring her wish to go home: This is Alice in Wonderland, Walt, not Wizard of Oz! Its storytelling shortcomings aside, Alice in Wonderland is superior family entertainment (never mind the efforts in the 1970s to palm off the picture as a psychedelic "head" film). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi