Just after WWII, Disney released a feature film ("Fun & Fancy Free") that was actually just two shorts strung very tenuously together. The same thing happened with "Make Mine Music" and "The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad". And, for the most part, these shorter films were of lesser quality and don't stack up all that well with the best of the studio.
As for "Mickey and the Beanstalk", it is the film that makes up the second half of "Fun & Fancy Free". The first half is a very lame short, "Bongo"--and the less said about that dull cartoon the better! Because of that, I'd recommend seeing a copy of "Mickey and the Beanstalk" on its own--without the first portion. I've seen it marketed that way on several Disney DVDs and videotapes. The only major difference is that the live action portion that accompanies "Mickey and the Beanstalk" from "Fun & Fancy Free" is missing--though some of Edgar Bergen's narration is there--along with new narration by Sterling Holloway. While I miss the cute live action portions (Charlie McCarthy had some nice lines in it), it's just more compact and enjoyable on its own. Not a great short--but well made and entertaining--and a variation on the earlier Disney short "The Brave Little Tailor"--which, incidentally, is actually better than "Mickey and the Beanstalk".
As for "Mickey and the Beanstalk", it is the film that makes up the second half of "Fun & Fancy Free". The first half is a very lame short, "Bongo"--and the less said about that dull cartoon the better! Because of that, I'd recommend seeing a copy of "Mickey and the Beanstalk" on its own--without the first portion. I've seen it marketed that way on several Disney DVDs and videotapes. The only major difference is that the live action portion that accompanies "Mickey and the Beanstalk" from "Fun & Fancy Free" is missing--though some of Edgar Bergen's narration is there--along with new narration by Sterling Holloway. While I miss the cute live action portions (Charlie McCarthy had some nice lines in it), it's just more compact and enjoyable on its own. Not a great short--but well made and entertaining--and a variation on the earlier Disney short "The Brave Little Tailor"--which, incidentally, is actually better than "Mickey and the Beanstalk".