Jiminy Cricket narrates two classic Disney adventures in this animated masterpiece. This is the original theatrical version, featuring Walt Disney himself in his last performance as the voice of Mickey Mouse. 1947/color/73 min/G/fullscreen.

FUN AND FANCY FREE, Walt Disney's 9th full-length animated masterpiece, is a delightful gem that not only sparkles with charm, but is unbelievably rich in history-making Disney moments. It was the last animated feature starring Walt Disney as the voice of Mickey Mouse, and the only film featuring all four of Walt Disney's most famous characters -- Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, and Jimi

Average Customer Review: ( 51 customer reviews )
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This DVD contains the theatrical version, where the animation is interspersed with live-action footage of people at a party, who are "telling" the story. This also means the wonderfully soothing TV-version narration (provided by Sterling Halloway, also voice of Pooh) is gone. The end result is that the cartoon drags on unnecessarily as the action is constantly interrupted by the live-action segments. Additionally, the live actors tend to get a bit chatty with their narration, and some of the humor they try to inject hasn't aged well. With the capacity of the DVD medium, why couldn't the TV version be tacked on as an extra?

Still worth owning (the beautiful animation and music can't be derailed even by the mediocre live action footage)--but be warned.

22 of 29 found the following review helpful:

What's with the lame narration?Apr 09, 2006
By Jake Shore
I loved Mickey and the Beanstalk as a kid. The version I recall was pleasantly narrated by Disney voice actor, Sterling Holloway (Winnie the Pooh). This edition is narrated and intercut with cheesy comedy relief from live actors and puppets. It was so annoying I couldn't even finish the cartoon. If you enjoyed the cartoon-only Mickey and the Beanstalk, find another version. This one will only frustrate you.

4 of 4 found the following review helpful:

Do your homework!Jan 09, 2008
By T. Gramse
I am still watching the laserdisc version of this film, so I cannot comment on the quality of the "restored" DVD. I intend to up-date to DVD shortly, if the DVD includes the short, historical "making of" that is on the laserdisc. It is a short, but fascinating look at the Disney Studios in 1947 and contains some brief, but previously unseen footage of Walt, himself, from that time. I would agree with the reviewers who say that the weakest part of the film is the Bongo segment. However, some of your writers need to do their homework before making the statement that the version of Mickey and the Beanstalk presented is an edited version with Edgar Bergen added as narrators. Indeed, this is the original version! It was the various incarnations on Disney's Wonderful World of Color that were re-edited, some with Professor Ludwick von Drake replacing the original Bergen/McCarthy narration. How horrible was that??

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