Leonard Maltin

Forgotten Silver is a mockumentary which details the prodigious life of "lost" filmmaker Colin McKenzie and his incredible advances that were lost to history...until now. This supergenius filmmaker, posthumously inducted into the pantheon of cinema greats, made incredible advances in filmmaking technology, supposedly making a talkie in 1908 and using color film in 1911, but madness and poverty and the usual industry tolls drove him into obscurity. (imdb)

Leonard Maltin introduces us to and takes us back to a theatre showing Wartime cartoon shorts and explains how Bugs and Daffy and the gang, through a collection/sampling of 11 cartoon shorts which served the war effort. (imdb)

This documentary looks at how the social, financial and moral forces all helped shape one of the most intriguing periods in Hollywood history.

In this 1999 documentary, Leslie Iwerks offers viewers a look at the work of her grandfather, one of the unsung giants of animation and film technology. (amazon.com)

A nostalgic and compelling look into the legendary three camera, three projector process that revolutionized motion pictures and led the industry into the widescreen era. Through actual Cinerama clips, rare behind the scenes footage and new interviews, CINERAMA ADVENTURE takes the viewer back to a lost era of movie showmanship, placing this American cinema phenomenon into historical perspective. (imdb)

The story follows two out of work actors, Mel and Fred. Mel works part time as a day laborer. They learn that screenwriter Fritz Frobisher, who had violently abused the two actors with a whip during a childhood acting job, will be appearing at a screening of one of his films that will take place in Monument Valley. The two decide to travel from Los Angeles to the screening, but neither owns a car, so they convince Mel's daughter, Delilah, to drive them on their revenge journey. (Wikepedia)

The true stories that spawned the eerie tale of Damien, a small boy with an angelic face, whose very name still conjures up thoughts of Satan. This documentary shares spine-tingling information about the the all-too-memorable flick that has terrorized film audiences since 1976.

Leonard Maltin interviews film historians and Disney staff members alike on Donald Duck's significance to Disney and particularly draw attention to the duck's career beyond short subjects, in movies and episodes of Disney television shows. (imdb)

A retrospective interview about Disney's version of the Hardy Boys.

This was a short that is on the DVD set of the first Hardy Boys show on Disney's Mickey Mouse show. It was most enjoyable to watch and had the feel of friends sitting around talking about fond old times. Although the boys are 50 years older than the 1956 show, one can definitely recognize them. You can see the same engaged energy in Tommy Kirk's eyes as he remembers many things from those early Disney years. Tim still has that laid back personality as when he played Frank Hardy. (imdb)

This featurette is available on the DVD for "Walt Disney Treasures: The Chronological Donald, Volume 2" (1942-1946). (imdb)

A documentary short extra on the Mickey Mouse - Living Color Vol. 2. (imdb)

Andreas Deja, the animator of many of Disney's villains from the 1990s, speaks about the value of studying classic cartoon shorts to aid in his ability to animate. He then goes to the drawing board, where he shows how to bring the Disney character Pluto to life from just one circle, like how he did it for his work in the 1990 short, "The Prince and the Pauper". (imdb)

A documentary short on the Disney 'Tomorrow Land' DVD. (imdb)

A documentary short on Disney's 'Tomorrow Land' DVD. (imdb)

A interview with Roy Disney. (imdb)

A interview with Joe Grant. (imdb)

A interview with John Hench. (imdb)

An analysis of Pluto from Leonard Maltin. (imdb)

Leonard Maltin talks about the history of Mickey Mouse's voice. (imdb)

A featurette on the "Walt Disney Treasures - Behind the Scenes at the Walt Disney Studio" DVD. (imdb)

A featurette on the "Walt Disney Treasures - The Complete Goofy" DVD. (imdb)

A featurette on the "Walt Disney Treasures - The Complete Goofy" DVD. (imdb)

A featurette on the "Walt Disney Treasures - The Complete Goofy" DVD. (imdb)

A featurette on the "Walt Disney Treasures - Mickey Mouse in Black and White" DVD. (imdb)

A featurette on the "A Trip Through the Walt Disney Studios" DVD.

Leonard Maltin interviews the founder of the Walt Disney Archives, Dave Smith, and is shown Disney artifacts from different eras. (imdb)

A documentary on legendary movie-poster artist Drew Struzan. (IMDb)

Making of' film Top Hat that examines the reason for its success.

Film historians examine the making of the 1938 "The Adventures of Robin Hood." (imdb)

"The Davy Crockett Craze" (19:05) has Leonard Maltin interviewing author Paul F. Anderson (whose book has the same title as this featurette). Anderson spends most of the time explaining Davy's place in history, and hearing his well-put view points is rather enjoyable. This is basically just a video of the two men talking, but it's peppered with archival footage and photos.

"A Conversation with Fess Parker" (17:05) is another interview, edited almost exactly like the previous, where Maltin visits the man who played Davy Crockett at his winery in California. Memories of how he got the part, what it was like to make the series and the reaction from fans are all recalled by Parker. This is a low-key documentary, but a very nice inclusion for the set.

Leonard Maltin talks with song writer Richard M. Sherman about Disney music.

This featurette is available on the 'Walt Disney Treasures: Disney Rarities' DVD. (imdb)

This featurette is available on the 'Walt Disney Treasures: Disney Rarities' DVD. (imdb)

This featurette is available on the 'Walt Disney Treasures: The Chronological Donald, Vol. 1' (1934-1941). (imdb)

Various film critics and historians talk about how the planets and stars aligned just right in 1939 creating an explosion of excellent films, narrated by Kenneth Branaugh.

This featurette discusses why the film is still so important. Also discusses "Windies", the GWTW fan club. New for the 70th anniversary release.

Documentary on John Huston's "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" (1948).

A documentary inquiry into the strange but true collaboration of Samuel Beckett and Buster Keaton. (imdb)

At 80 years old, see how Disney Legend Floyd Norman, the first African-American animator at Disney, continues to impact animation and stir up "trouble" after the company forced him to retire at age 65.

The people who did this movie had a talk about Dumbo. (imdb)

Bonus feature mainly deals with the rise of Humphrey Bogart and how he wound up with this role as "Roy Earle" on the film "High Sierra," a movie that finally made "Bogie" a star. (imdb)

Film critic Leonard Maltin talks about the making of and his appreciations for Alfred Hitchcock's Topázio (1969). He speaks of the difficulties with preview audiences in general and how they affected this film, as well as presents several deleted scenes not available before this.

In the 40's Howard Hawks boasts that he can make a movie out of the worst thing Hemingway ever has written. When Hemingway asks, which novel he means, Hawks says To Have and Have Not. Jules Furthman writes a script, which follows the book closely. The location of the story is Cuba, but the US Government is against depicting corruption and violence on Cuba, and threatens to withdraw the film's export license. William Faulkner rewrites the script, and relocates the story to Martinique.

Documentary on the life and works of comic genius Buster Keaton, directed by Peter Bogdanovich.

Daniel Raim's documentary following the history of America's first cinematographers.

Bogart was interested in this project because it offered a chance to work with his new bride. The studio wasn't convinced but the result speaks for itself.

Son of a shoe manufacturer, Georges Méliès decided to devote himself to magic. In 1888, he used his share of the inheritance to buy the Robert-Houdin Theater, Boulevard des Italiens, where his fairy-tale shows drew crowds. Seven years later, dazzled by the animated image of the Lumière brothers, he launches into a new art form, cinema. (imdb)

The nearly 30-year struggle to bring sound to motion pictures is the backdrop for this insightful documentary. Film historians, and survivors from the era take the audience from the early failed attempts by scientists and inventors, to the joined forces of Western Electric and Warner Bros. who, with their Vitaphone process,revolutionized the entertainment industry, perhaps more than any time before or since.

A documentary about High Noon (1952).