WALT DISNEY TREASURES: ZORRO
THE COMPLETE FIRST & SECOND SEASON SETS
DVD release date: November 3, 2009

On October 10, 1957, out of the night, when the full moon was bright, the horseman known as Zorro was first introduced to television audiences. The Ztory of the masked avenger Ztarred Guy Williams in the title role of Zorro and his daytime alter ego, Don Diego de la Vega. After the Zeries 78 total episodes had been completed, four hour-long episodes appeared on the Disneyland television program. Well, this Zet not only includes episodes from the Zeries, but those Disneyland episodes as well.

Now, the first two seasons of Zorro are available as this year’s Disney Treasures set, appropriately, in sleek black metal containers, instead of the typical silver containers that hold the Disney Treasures sets. Another distinction is that these sets have six discs each instead of the typical two. Top that with a mini litho and an exclusive Zorro pin in each set, and these sets are zorrific!

As is typical with the Disney Treasures set, these are top quality, uncut, beautifully remastered with stunning picture and sound, and as always, seeming to include the bonus features you were wishing for.

BONUS FEATURES FOR SEASON ONE include:

ZORRO: EL BANDIDO is one of the Disneyland episodes that was created after the series ended, but with all of the series original stars. The complete episode is included, with the Disneyland opening titles, and of course, your Disneyland host, Walt Disney to introduce the episode. This episode is from October 30, 1960. The episode concludes with a sneak peek at the next episode of Disneyland, and one that you wouldn’t want to miss. Luckily, it’s also on here…

ZORRO: ADIOS EL CHUCHILLO aired the following week, on November 6, 1960 and is also on here in its entirety.

The EXCERPT FROM THE FOURTH ANNIVERSARY SHOW
 (3:15)of Disneyland, which aired on September 11, 1957 introduced the series to viewers for the first time, just a month before it would air. Walt Disney tells the Mouseketeers all about the upcoming shows, including, of course, Zorro, who appears for a quick swordfight before the Mouseketeers very eyes.

Finally, there’s THE LIFE AND LEGEND OF ZORRO (12:25) which tells behind-the-scenes story of Zorro, starting with the earliest magazine stories and silent movies, but mostly focusing on the Disney version. Casting, writing, music and other aspects of production are covered in this well produced piece.

BONUS FEATURES FOR SEASON TWO include:

The remaining two Disneyland episodes of Zorro, each with a special guest. ZORRO: THE POSTPONED WEDDING kicked aired on January 1, 1969 with special guest, Disney’s sweetheart, Annette Funicello.

ZORRO: AULD ACQUAINTANCE first aired on April 2, 1969, with special guest, the debonair Ricardo Montalban.

BEHIND THE MASKS (7:52) – is another excellent piece, focusing on Guy Williams, with anecdotes from those who knew and worked with him. Included is costar Suzanne Lloyd, Guy Williams, Jr., and Buddy Van Horn, the stunt double for Zorro who performed stunts not only for Guy, but other characters as well. In addition to fantastic memories, there are some vintage photos and a little bit of vintage video footage, including Guy Williams as Zorro at Disneyland.

A TRIP TO THE ARCHIVES (10:54) features Guy Williams, Jr. and Leonard Maltin at the Disney Archives in Burbank, California. When Leonard came up with the idea for the Disney Treasures sets, he hoped Disney would release some of his favorite shows and movies. His enthusiasm for Zorro is evident in this piece as he gets the chance to ask Guy Williams’ son about many of the costumes from the show as the two of them admire them. It’s great fun to see many of the costumes in living color and some of the details that went into them. For the second half of this featurette, Leonard and Guy, Jr. have fun exploring all kinds of original merchandise which was available during the show’s run.

Hope you enjoyed learning about the Zorro Disney Treasures set. After watching all this, I’ve got to go catch some Z’s.