I don't really get the "disturbing" reviews by others. Almost every Disney story has a death in it! That's just part of story telling, tragedy followed by lessons learned and how to overcome. Life is sometimes good, sometimes bad.

My kids love these short stories, I love these short stories. I only wish I had a way to access each one individually, without running through the entire package to find the ones they prefer watching at that moment.

If you are a Disney animation fan, then owning this marvelous collection is a no-brainer--you MUST buy this collection! Be assured that even the grimmest "Disney-BAH HUMBUG" lover of motion pictures will have to bow to the charm, pathos, artistry and sheer brilliance of this singularly adult fare.

DON'T BE PUT-OFF by the cover art sweetness. This collection has NOTHING to do with "Frozen". The marvelous anthology is a collection of theatrical shorts that have been accompanying Disney features for the last decade or so. These are NOT "TV cartoons". The stories, sentiment and production values were intended for the big screen. On a decent HDTV, you'll equally enthralled!

I challenge you to view "The Little Match Girl" without getting misty--if not full-tilt tearful. Dostoyevski meets Fantasia? Hmm.

Be aware that this is NOT all Pixar and CGI. You'll marvel at the Disney Studio's latter day cel animation (which comprises more than 50% of this offering). "JOHN HENRY" is a 21st century tale for a modern day audience. Drawing upon the animators' rough pencil sketches, the story moves along with elegance and style.

If you have not yet seen "Paper man", then grab the moment here and now.

So, where does this leave us? I could rave over each and every one of the theatrical short subjects featured here. Happily, my time (and my readers' patience) forbids. I'll advise you to BUY this collection, because a "one-time viewing" is simply not enough.

Whether you buy or "rent"--see this wonderful collection. You will not be disappointed!

Even though there's a DVD version of this movie in the Blu-ray combo pack, it's not on a separate single DVD, just like the Diamond Editions of 101 Dalmatians and Aladdin (combo packs only). What's more, if you're expecting the Oscar-nominated Mickey short Runaway Brain (1995) to be here, it's only in an all-digital format via the enclosed Movie Rewards code, and not on the discs at all. Those are the reasons why I dinged this 1 star, but all the other content deserves all 5, had it not been for the aforementioned drawbacks. All the shorts in the DVD & Blu-ray disc contain John Henry (2000, uncut and in its original Widescreen format), Lorenzo (2004), The Little Matchgirl (2006), How To Hook Up Your Home Theater (2007), the Prep and Landing short Operation Secret Santa & Tick Tock Tale (2010), The Ballad of Nessie (2011), Tangled Ever After & Paperman (2012), Get A Horse! (2013), Feast (2014), and the newest one of the bunch; Frozen Fever (2015). All contain introductions by the folks who helped make them, and there's a bonus short documentary about these shorts. It's been said in it, that The Ballad of Nessie took at least 3 years to make, the longest production period for any 1 "one-reeler" Disney short ever (or at least in the modern era). If you have any of the ever-increasingly-rare Treasures tins, this would make a great companion for them, and this combo pack seems to pay tribute to the Treasures tins, while still being family-friendly, and not so scarce by being made in limited numbers! If your kids wanted this, or the live-action Cinderella movie (from 2015), just for Frozen Fever, try to make them watch all the other shorts in this release too, and see if they like these more recent gems before Frozen Fever. Why pay up to $30 or more plus tax just for that one short, for Pete's sake? Even without Runaway Brain on the discs, let alone a separate single DVD, go ahead and add this dozen of beloved modern classics as a combo pack, and/or in all-digital format, today!

These shorts are mostly very good; not surprisingly, they put Frozen Fever on the front of the packaging but only show it at the very end. No big deal. What IS a big deal (at least to me personally, since I have a 3 year old): the second film here is a bit dark for any kids under 6. Its about a fat cat who shows off his tail to a black cat; the black cat puts a spell on his tail, he is suggestive of the devil. Good imagery, just not for little people. Artistically is was great, but the solution in the end is the fat cat has to cut off his pretty tail with this big butcher knife. My daughter floated on the surface of it, never really sunk in thank goodness - but I think some kids would be upset by it, perhaps have nightmares. Just use your judgement, based on what you know about your kid. The John Henry at the beginning was fantastic! Great history lesson there. So some good stuff mixed in, but I won't buy it. Glad I rented first.

I must admit that I was hesitant to buy the two Pixar shorts compilations that have been released. I had most of them from the various Blu-Ray releases of the films. (Okay, so I didn't hesitate too long, but the thought did cross my mind.) However, the instant I heard about the Walt Disney Animation Studios Short Film Collection I knew I had to get it because I hadn't seen many of the shorts and knew I didn't own them. I'm glad I did because there are some wonderful shorts here.

This disc contains 12 shorts, with release dates ranging from 1999 up to 2015. Yes, that means we've got some hand drawn animation mixed in with computer animation. The shorts range from one about American legend "John Henry" to a new Goofy short "How to Hook Up Your Home Theater" and Mickey and Friends in "Get a Horse!" as well as the sequel shorts "Tangled Ever After" and "Frozen Fever."

There are quite a variety of styles and subject matters covered in these 12 shorts, but all of them are good. You can definitely tell that some of them are experiments in style. That is especially true of "John Henry," which features some artwork that has stitching on the edges and rough sketches on the character's faces. It works for the short, although I don't know that I would want an entire animated feature that way.

A couple of the ones I hadn't seen before feel like they could be part of either of the Fantasia movies. "Lorenzo" is set to a Tango and features a cat whose tail comes to life thanks to a curse. In classic Disney shorts fashion, it has a few "Don't do this at home" moments, but it is lots of fun. "The Little Matchgirl" is also all set to music, but it is a much more somber piece, in fact the most somber short on the disc.

The ones I had seen before, I really enjoyed watching again. "How to Set Up Your Home Theater" harkens back to some of the classic Goofy how to shorts, and the results are hilariously funny, partially because they are so true.

Then there's "Get a Horse!" which is a brilliant piece of animation. It starts out like an old black and white Mickey short, complete with Peg Leg Pete, Minnie, Horace, and Clarabelle. However, suddenly the characters start popping through the screen and winding up as 3D computer animated characters. Any fan of classic Mickey needs to watch it. The gags are wonderful and the result is a new classic short.

Fans of Tangled and Frozen will enjoy the respective sequels. In the first, Flynn and Rapunzel's wedding day almost turns into a disaster when the rings start to roll away. You won't believe what Pascal and Maximus go through to get them back. There are so many great cameos from the film in this one. "Frozen Fever" shows us that one kind of cold can still bother Elsa as she tries to create the perfect birthday for Anna. Both shorts feature the return of all the original voices for a true treat.

Finally, there are the brilliant "Paperman" and "Feast." One features love at first sight and how paper plays a part in the couple getting together. In the second, we see a man's relationships grow and change from the viewpoint of his dog and the meals the dog gets. Both are funny and touching and both are well deserved Oscar winners.

All the shorts here average 7 minutes or so, but they manage to give us full stories, good characters, laughs, and tender moments in that time period. Obviously, some focus more on one than the other, but just because these are short doesn't mean you aren't getting a full story.

In addition to the 12 shorts in the set, you also get optional introductions to each short by the producers, directors, and writers (or some combination thereof) who worked on each short. Each intro is just under a minute and gives some fun backstory and/or things to watch for. The only other extra is a short documentary hosted by T.J. Miller on the process of creating these shorts. At only seven minutes long, it feels like one of these shorts and really could have been much longer. Still, it's worth watching if you are a Disney animations fan.

The shorts included in the Short Films Collection are fun, and I'm glad I have them as part of my collection. I'll enjoy pulling this out from time and time and watching them again, and any fan of Disney animation will feel the same way.