Wonderful Tribute To Disney Legend Annette
Continuing the fan-favorite Walt Disney Treasures collectible tin set, this one is "The Mickey Mouse Club Presents: Annette." Starring everyone's favorite Mouseketeer, Annette Funicello, showcased in an original 20-episode serial on DVD for the 50th anniversary of the serial's conclusion. This serial was featured on the Mickey Mouse Club and is presented in glorious black and white. Annette plays an orphan from the country who moves "uptown" to live with her wealthy Aunt & Uncle. Her aunt, played by Sylvia Field, will be recognizable as Mrs. Wilson from the original "Dennis the Menace" TV series. The "Annette" serial also stars Tim Considine and David Stollery (better known as "Spin and Marty") and Shelley Fabares, who became life-long friends with Annette.
The series does seem a little dated, but Annette is so natural that she really does make it enjoyable, even 50 years after it was first broadcast. This serial is also a fantastic time capsule with the Disney-fied version...
"ANNETTE! ANNETTE! ANNETTE!"
I am quoting the theme song from this Mickey Mouse Club Serial, which was also a "Fun With Music Day" song by Jimmie Dodd, and cheering too, because if you read Mouse Tracks, you know Annette is very special to us. This DVD set is somewhat of an event. It's also an interesting coincidence that is has been released within weeks of the Hannah Montana Season One DVD. Again if you read Mouse Tracks, there is a definite connection between today's Disney pop star and Walt's first and most beloved.
Leonard Maltin's commentary and two special bonus mini-documentaries give you a brief overview of Annette's career as America's first female teen pop idol, from her selection by Walt to her beach party movie days, and gently touching on her more recent bout with Multiple Sclerosis (which resulted in her and her husband, Glen Holt, creating a foundation to help others with the affliction -- how can you not love her even more?)
It's the subject of many a Disney fan's roundtable...
It's Annette, not Donald Duck
I think the previous reviewer reviewed the wrong DVD set, as I don't believe all those Donald Duck cartoons are included in this one. There may be a couple, as this set includes two complete episodes of the "Mickey Mouse Club." But this set features Annette Funicello and the live-action 20-part serial that she starred in during the Mickey Mouse Club's 1957-58 season and that is worth more than any Donald Duck cartoon.
The serial had a charming story about high schooler Annette McCloud trying to adjust to city life after moving there from a rural area following the death of her parents. It also features a great supporting cast, most of whom would co-star on prime-time TV series soon after. Richard Deacon, who would play Ward Cleaver's co-worker Fred Rutherford on "Leave it to Beaver" and producer Mel Cooley on "The Dick Van Dyke Show" and later Roger Buell on "The Mothers In-Law," plays Annette's Uncle Archie; Sylvia Field, who would portray Mrs. Wilson on "Dennis the...
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