Disney's 'Zorro' back in action in new DVD sets (see the slideshow)

November 2, 8:38 PMTV on DVD ExaminerSteve Marinucci

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     "Zorro: The Complete First Season" (Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment)

One of our best childhood TV memories was Walt Disney's "Zorro." Guy Williams was perfect as the caped crusading hero who constantly outwitted the Spanish forces governing California. He couldn't fly, but he sure could carve a mean "Z". (See pictures from the series in the slideshow at the bottom.)

Disney Treasures' two new "Zorro" releases, the ninth wave of the limited edition Disney Treasures DVD series, is probably the most anticipated one yet. It certainly was on our DVD release wish list.

The new sets don't disappoint. They contain all of Disney's episodes of its two seasons of "Zorro," all in half-hour segments in the original black-and-white. The colorized versions shown in some reruns after the initial broadcasts are nowhere to be found in these sets.

In addition, each one contains special added background short subjects. "Walt Disney Treasures: Zorro - The Complete First Season" also contains "Zorro: El Bandido" and "Zorro: Adios El Cuchillo," the two-part, one-hour specials shown on Disney's anthology series "Walt Disney Presents" after the original series ended. "Walt Disney Treasures: Zorro - The Complete Second Season" includes two more specials from "Walt Disney Presents," "Zorro: The Postponed Wedding" and "Zorro: Auld Aquaintance."

Season One also has an excerpt from the fourth anniversary episode of "The Mickey Mouse Club" where Walt Disney introduces Zorro to the Mouseketeers, plus a documentary, "Zorro: In Life and Legend," a look back at the history of the character and how Disney took charge of Zorro and made the character his own. Season Two also contains a documentary, "Behind the Mask," a look at the making of the series, and "A Trip to the Archives,"  with Leonard Maltin and Guy Williams Jr. looking at costumes and items used in the series. Both volumes also come with booklets, a Zorro pin and a numbered certificate.

Leonard Maltin's bubbly introduction to the set is, for once, spot on: Watching these episodes again is a wonderful experience. The acting is marvelous and the cast meshes beautifully. Guy Williams wasn't the first actor to play Zorro, but he was certainly the best known -- and the guy who looked the most comfortable in the role. Gene Sheldon plays the comic sidekick Bernardo in a bubbly version that is typical Disney casting.

Henry Calvin's Sgt. Demetrio Lopez Garcia is a throwback to ethnic stereotypes and is probably part of the reason why it's taken Disney so long to put the series out, and then in a limited edition.

We hope, however, that Disney will relent and put out some of the series in a more available version so that a wider range of Disney fans can get them. These two Disney Treasures are limited to 30,000 copies, which probably means their shelf life will be short.

  "Zorro: The Complete Second Season" (Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment)

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