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Walt Disney Home Entertainment is proud to release Zorro, one of the most popular television shows in history on DVD November 3, 2009. The latest addition to the celebrated Walt Disney Treasures, Zorro, makes its fully restored black & white DVD debut. All 78 episodes of the timeless classic will be included on two new six-disc sets–making up the ninth installment of the popular Walt Disney Treasures, and for the first time, will be housed in collectible black, numbered unique tin cases. From 1957 to 1959, Disney’s Zorro was one of the most popular series on television starring Guy Williams, Henry Calvin, and Gene Sheldon. The show helped transform the literary character Don Diego de la Vega into the ultimate iconic, beloved swashbuckling masked hero of the time. The adventures of Zorro and his trusty steed Tornado have captivated audiences since their inception, gaining new audiences when it was re-aired on the Disney Channel in 1983 and re-colorizing the episodes in the 1990s. After the series conclusion, the Zorro adventures lived on from 1960 to 1961 on Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color in the form of a four-episode anthology series of hour-long Zorro specials, all of which are also included in Walt Disney Treasures Wave IX. Both debut Walt Disney Treasures sets are hosted by noted film historian, author and critic Leonard Maltin. Each limited edition, individually numbered volume includes a Zorro pin, an authenticity certificate, exclusive lithograph and comes in a unique, collectible black tin.
Introduced in 1957 via 30-minute dramas, which was typical for the time, the Disney series arrives on DVD in the Treasures series. Though the Zorro episodes have been available for some time, many fans of the show are probably wondering if the set is worth the not-so-cheap retail price. The answer is an emphatic yes…for collectors. Unlike past products from the Treasures line, the Zorro seasons have an astounding amount of material ( though it could have been more) with only a small hike in price of its predecessors. It’s actually a good deal.
Zorro is a very charming series and holds up well for its age. Reflective of its time with its simple “good guys vs. bad guys” motif, Zorro remains very engaging over five decades later due to Williams’ charisma, the humor derived from characters like the bumbling Sergeant Demetrio López García, and plenty of action, particularly sword-fighting. No doubt fans who grew up with the series will want to relive it, but there’s no reason the series shouldn’t make new fans.
BONUS MATERIAL
Zorro: The Complete First Season
Zorro: El Bandido – Part 1 of a 2-part story shown as a 1-hour-special on the Disneyland television show (original air date: October 30, 1960)
Zorro: Adios El Cuchillo – Part 2 of a 2-part story shown as a 1-hour-special on the Disneyland television show (original air date: November 6, 1960)
Zorro: The Complete Second Season
Zorro: The Postponed Wedding – A 1-hour special that originally aired on the Disneyland television show (original air date: January 1, 1961)
Zorro: Auld Acquaintance – A 1-hour special that originally aired on the Disneyland television show (original air date: April 2, 1961)
