AllMovie

Produced for cable's Disney Channel, this 30-minute animated paean to the genius of Walt Disney is hosted by John Lithgow. With forgivable self-aggrandizement, the special details Disney's many innovations in the field of cartoonery, including the first all-talking cartoon (Steamboat Willie, the first animated short in three-strip Technicolor (Flowers and Trees), and the first animated feature film (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs). Several longtime Disney employees and associates share their reminiscences, while comedian Cheech Marin cheerfully promotes his voiceover work in the upcoming cartoon-feature release Oliver and Company. Written by film historian and longtime cartoon enthusiast Leonard Maltin, The Art of Disney Animation first aired in 1988.