BCDB: Cartoon Reviews: Victory Through Air Power

Finally, this has been released in the "From the Front" Disney Treasure Tin. I have read about this since the early 70s (in Finch's "The Art of Disney") and had always wanted to see it. HAD I seen it back then (when I was in my early teens) I would probably not have appreciated it. But after a 20 year career in military (Naval) aviation I found it fascinating. The first 20 minutes is a very nicely animated, mildly amusing "historu of aviation" (at least the first 40 years of animation). From there, it moves to the heart of the matter - the presentation of Sevrensky's tretise on the importance of long range bombing capabilities to win the war. Some live action of Sevrensky is intermingled with "textbook" style animation to create a very powerful massage. Anecdotal stories say that it is this film that finally convinced FDR to commit to a long range bombing strategy (at Churchill's prodding). Parochially, I found Severensky's dismissal of Naval carrier-based aviation as being innefective; especually as in the 21st century, the national strategy is to move away from large (vulnerable) land-based air bases and TOWARDS mobile sea-based aviation. Probably due to the difference in a "World War" and today's "terror" wars. This is not for everybody, but if you are either a fan of Disney, or a WW II fan, it should not be missed.

It seems odd, that EVERY full length animated feature has seen a DVD or VHS release except this one. I've read somewhere that Disney had no plans to every release this from their archives (too politically incorrect or somesuch nonsense). However, what with the releases of the uncut Mickey Mouse and Goofy cartoons in the TREASURE Tin set DVD's (where black characters are made fun of and Goofy smokes), surely now is the time this movie should get a TREASURE release all of it's own!

P.S. It could be packaged with uncut versions of Melody Time and Make Mine Music (both of which had been cut or 'touched over' for their standard Region 1 DVD issues (they are not available over here in Britain on DVD (although the British VHS versions seem unaltered (indeed The Martins and the Coys section of Make Mine Muwsic is on the British VHS but not on the American DVD)).