TCM’s Treasures from the Disney Vault: March 2016

For the sixth installment of TCM's Treasures from the Disney Vault on Wednesday, March 9th, Leonard Maltin has chosen an assortment of films and shorts with nature at the center. Walt Disney loved animals and nature conservation, themes that can be found in many of his films and the theme parks he inspired. One of the award-winning True-Life Adventure films is on the evenings roster, as is one of the narrated animal films the succeeded that series. But the headliner of the evening is without a doubt 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Those looking for familiar Disney faces will be happy to see the evening end with one of Dick Van Dyke's lesser-known Disney comedies. This guide is designed to provide some background information on each film and to help you make decisions about when to tune in or what to set your DVR for.

8:00 PM – Nautical Animated Shorts

The evening's lineup begins with some of Disney's most classic characters taking to the high seas. Leonard Maltin will provide an introduction to both shorts, which he recently filmed at the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco. First up is The Whalers, a 1938 Mickey Mouse cartoon. Mickey, Donald and Goofy find themselves working on a whaling ship where nothing goes as planned.

One year later in 1939, Donald Duck found himself captaining another vessel in Sea Scouts. His crew is comprised of his three nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie. In this short, their individual colors had yet to be established and they all wear red sailor shirts. Donald Duck's attempts to teach his nephew's how to sail is foiled when a hungry shark decides that Donald would make a good lunch.

Recommendation: Don't miss these classic shorts in newly restored high definition.

8:30 PM – 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Walt Disney understood that his studio needed to become a major player in live action filmmaking in order to guarantee its future. By the 1950's, the only domestic live action films the studio had produced had relied on animated segments to win audiences over. Tied up war profits were used to create a handful of films in the United Kingdom, but his heart was set on proving to the world that Disney could produce all manner of family entertainment. 1954 was a turning point for Disney with 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

Jules Verne's classic novel comes to life like never before in this Cinemascope epic adventure. Kirk Douglas, Paul Lukas and Peter Lorre find themselves imprisoned aboard the Nautilus, an undersea submarine lead by the vengeful Captain Nemo, expertly played by James Mason. But when they discover the secret of Captain Nemo's mission, they must do everything in their power to stop him.

Director Richard Fleischer was the son of one of Walt Disney's animation rivals, Max Fleischer, but Walt took a chance on him with this production. The film was partially shot on location in the Bahamas while interiors and water tank sequences were shot between Disney, Twentieth Century Fox and Universal Studios in Hollywood. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was a huge hit in 1954, grossing $24 million at the box office (the equivalent of $545 million today). When Disneyland opened, one of the highlights of Tomorrowland was a walk-through exhibit featuring many of the sets and props from the film for guests to experience. But for many Disney fans, the highlight of the film is not the battle with the giant squid, but the film's catchy song "A Whale of a Tale."

Recommendation: This is a must "sea" film for any Disney fan or film buff with some impressive special effects well before their time.

10:45 PM – Operation Undersea

The seventh episode of Disneyland was an hour-long advertisement for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea called Operation Undersea. Walt Disney leads this journey behind the scenes of the film, revealing some of the new underwater filming techniques used and the challenges of filming on location. This episode won the series its first Emmy Award. For some reason, this was absent from the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea DVD release, making this top of my watch list for the evening.

Recommendation: This is a rare opportunity to watch Walt Disney enthusiastically sell audiences in 1954 on his newest film while also getting a rare glimpse behind one of the studio's earliest blockbusters. You won't want to miss this!

11:45 PM – Merbabies

Merbabies is a Silly Symphony short from 1938. Oddly enough, the animation for this short was not done by Disney artists but was instead outsourced to MGM's animation division, lead by two of Walt's Kansas City friends Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising. The outsourcing was a "thank you" for the use of their ink & paint department during production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, without which that film would not have made its release date. In the short, mermaid babies lead an undersea parade that rivals an above water circus.

Recommendation: This short is adorable and one that I fondly remember from the days when Disney Channel played this type of content regularly. Stay awake or set your DVR for this short.

It may be past my bedtime, but TCM's Treasures from the Disney Vault isn't even halfway through. For the rest of the evening's lineup, go to the next page.

12:00 AM – Secrets of Life

The fourth full-length feature in Walt Disney's True-Life Adventures nature documentary series was 1956's Secrets of Life. Rather than focusing on a particular species or region of the world, Secrets of Life focuses on plants, how they grow, and how their seeds get planted. Many audience members had never seen time-lapse footage of plants growing prior to this film's release. It also features some amazing photography of bees and the mysteries behind how honey is made.

Recommendation: There's a lot of beauty to be found in 'Secrets of Life,' although the late hour, dry subject matter and dulcet sounds of Winston Hibler's narration might put you to sleep. DVR if you're interested.

1:30 AM – Nikki, Wild Dog of the North

Nikki is a malamute puppy in the beginning of this film when his owner rescues an abandoned bear cub. After tying the two animals together, they get lost in the wilderness and rely on each other's animal instincts to survive. As Nikki grows up in the wild, he learns to distrust humans when he crosses paths with a wolf hunter. It will take a reunion with his original owner for this wild dog to learn how to trust again.

It's very fitting that Nikki, Wild Dog of the North airs right after a True-Life Adventures film because these narrated animal pictures were the series' successor. Producer Winston Hibler continued to write and produce these scripted animal films, which were inexpensive to make and an easy money maker for Disney. This particular film was a co-production with two Canadian film companies (Cangary and Westminster Films) and the animals were the main draw, with unknown actors in the human supporting cast roles. While slow at times and more violent than typical Disney films of the 1960's, it's one of the best films of it's kind and is only surpassed by 1963's The Incredible Journey, which went on to inspire 1994's Homeward Bound.

Recommendation: While 'Nikki, Wild Dog of the North' doesn't entertain the same way modern animal films do, it still offers an inspiring story and some beautiful shots. DVR if interested.

3:00 AM – Return to Snowy River

Return to Snowy River begins with the infamous blue castle intro, yet this Walt Disney Pictures release from 1988 bears little resemblance to the type of film you expect from Disney. A sequel to the 1982 film The Man from Snowy River (released by Twentieth Century Fox), this film reassembled most of the creative team and cast of this Australian production from the Hoyt Film Group. Disney served as a co-financier and gained distribution rights in the US in perpetuity, but does that make it a Disney film?

In Australia, this film was released as The Man from Snowy River II. Jim Craig returns to Snowy River to rekindle his romance with Jessica. However, her father has arranged a wealthy marriage for her and does not agree to their partnership. When the young lovers defy her father, a new fight breaks out between Jim Craig and her wealthy would-be suitor.

While Return to Snowy River is fitting with the evenings lineup of nature films, it doesn't quite feel fitting as a "Treasure" from the Disney Vault since it encourages you to redefine what a Disney film is. Is it simply the ownership of the film in one country, or should they have been more involved in the film's creation? There is one interesting connection to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea though, which is that Kirk Douglas was in The Man From Snowy River and his part was recast with Brian Dennehy in this sequel. It's a slow paced drama that doesn't offer much excitement until the end of the film, but it does feature some breathtaking wide shots of the Australian mountains.

Recommendation: Only tune in if you have insomnia, in which case this will surely fix your problem. It's not worth staying awake for and also isn't worth the opportunity cost of adding it to your DVR. But if you somehow stay awake, be sure to check out the rarely used "adult" Walt Disney Pictures logo at the end of the credits.

4:45 AM – Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N.

The successful writing team behind Mary Poppins (Don DaGradi and Bill Walsh) leant their talents to this 1966 Disney comedy based on a story by Retlaw Yensid, which Disney fans will instantly recognize as Walter Disney spelled backwards. Walt Disney loved working with Dick Van Dyke and this project was created especially for him, directed by one of Van Dyke's go-to TV producers, Byron Paul. With all that in mind, it's surprising how bad Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N. truly is.

Dick Van Dyke plays Lieutenant Robin Crusoe, a Navy pilot who winds up stranded on a deserted island. But he soon finds that he's not really alone when he finds a stranded space chimp named Floyd to keep him company. But when the daughter of a nearby island's chief is marooned on Rob's island, he finds himself leading a gang of rebel island natives in a civil war against their tyrannical ruler.

The biggest problem with this film is that it's two hours long. The first thirty minutes alone are comprised of Van Dyke trying very hard to make being stranded seem funny without anyone to act against. Things improve slightly once the chimp arrives, but there are only a handful of genuine laughs (most of which are thanks entirely to Floyd). There's some impressive location shooting in Kua'i, but for inexplicable reasons the film also uses a lot of sodium vapor shots to make the actors look like they are on an island when they are clearly not. One scene features animated fireworks, similar to the "Step in Time" sequence from Mary Poppins, and I suspect some of that animation might have been reused here. But perhaps the worst thing about Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N. is the stereotypical Japanese impression that Van Dyke pulls out for more cheap laughs. He also bizarrely references the original Robinson Crusoe novel on which this is based, and to keep on trend also makes a 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea reference long before the Eisney synergy era.

Recommendation: If you want to see some of the most talented people at Disney do a painful belly flop, watch 'Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N.' But if you prefer to believe that the talented team behind 'Mary Poppins' could do no wrong, just pretend it doesn't exist.

Thus concludes this quarter's evening of all-Disney entertainment on TCM. I really enjoyed the nature theme and it's one that Leonard Maltin could easily revisit several times over as the studio produced tons of content with this theme. The evening starts out very strong with some great shorts and truly classic films like 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Secrets of Life. The weakest content has been saved for the latest hours, with Return to Snowy River and Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N. barely worth your time. I hope you’ve enjoyed this look ahead at March 9th's programming lineup and I can’t wait to find out what the next theme for TCM's Treasure's from the Disney Vault will be.