Canta Con Nosotros: Blancanieves - Heigh Ho (Disney's Sing-Along Songs: Heigh Ho) (1993) Review

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(More customer reviews)I've gotten the other Sing Along Videos in Spanish and this is by far the best one. It is simply awesome! Weather you get it for youngsters that are learning Spanish as a second language or those that already master Spanish...it is simply the best.
ADVISORY NOTE: IF YOU HAVE YOUNG CHILDREN UNDER 3 OR 4 BE AWARE THAT THERE IS A PIRATE SONG WITH THE VIDEO THAT MAY BE A BIT SCARY TO SOME CHILDREN.
BE AWARE AND PREVIEW WITHOUT THEM IF POSSIBLE. MY SON WHEN HE WAS 2 WAS VERY SCARED WHEN HE WATCHED THAT PARTICULAR SONG VIDEO BUT NOW
THAT HE IS 3-1/2 HE LOVES THE ENTIRE VIDEO. MY FIRST-BORN SON NEVER HAD A PROBLEM AT ANY AGE AND NEITHER DID MY DAUGHTER. EVERY CHILD
IS DIFFERENT! ENJOY!!! LAUGH AND SING AND DANCE WITH YOUR CHILDREN; THEY WILL REMEMBER FOR A LIFETIME!!!

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The Wonderful World of Disney - Run, Appaloosa, Run; The 101 Problems of Hercules Review

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(More customer reviews)This video has 2 separate adventure episodes from "The Wonderful World of Disney" television show that played on Sunday nights from 1953 to 1983. These are two of my favorite episodes, both are very thrilling adventure tales. The first is "Run, Appaloosa, Run", originally aired on the TV show in 1967 (season 14, episode 7) after serving as a theatrical featurette in July 29, 1966 along with the Main Feature at the time, "Lt Robin Crusoe". First release to video was in 1986. It's a story of Mary Blackfeather, a Native American girl of the Nez Pierce tribe who trains horses and performs as a trick rider. The Nez Perce are known for developing the spotted horses. Mary adopts a motherless colt that is rescued from a mountain lion by the family's herd dog "Silver", raises her and names her "Holy Smoke". Mary is eventually separated from her horse when she is forced to sell it at an auction to help her tribe raise money as horse sales are the basis of the tribe's economy in the film. The horse passes from one unworthy owner to another before he and Mary are reunited. They find each other again at a rodeo, and then land up joining in the historic annual "Suicide Relay Race", at Hells Mountain during the Omak Stampede. This is known as the roughest horse race in North America, dreamed up originally by the Nez Perce, consisting of a two horse per team relay of very rough terrain including jumping and swimming elements. Worse yet there are no rules and riders try to knock other riders off their horse. The herd dog "Silver" is amazing, and performs very well. This film is unique because it also features the famous rodeo clown Wilbur Plaugher playing himself, and many Native American actors. The movie was credited by Time Magazine at the time for a surge in popularity for Appaloosa horses. The Official Disney Encyclopedia Disney A to Z, on page 478 incorrectly lists the colt as "Sky Dancer", and in all fairness it is rare to see mistakes in that book.
The terrific cowboy singing and narration is by Rex Allen, and the title song he performs, "Ballad of Appaloosa" is written by Bobby Wayne. Fun and exciting adventure film for the whole family. Filmed in Technicolor and directed by Larry Lansburgh, who also wrote the original story, photographed and produced the film. Lansburgh had a long career of making Disney animal featurettes from the 1940's. Later he wrote and produced, a terrific theatrical feature film for Disney, "the Littlest Outlaw".
This next episode on this VHS is really a good one, first aired in October 10, 1966 and twice more in the next 10 years. Based on a true story, "101 Problems of Hercules" is about a sheepherder in the 1880's named Buckeye Jones (Harold Reynolds) in the old western frontier days. Buckeye and his 3 faithful dogs take great care of their herd, despite the fact that the dogs are an unusual mix of herding breeds. The dogs are Lady (a Collie), Boomer (English Sheepdog), & Hercules the lead dog (Hungarian Kuvasz). Buckeye is put out of action by some Indians, and the dogs attempt to get the sheep home without him through rain storms, duststorms, wolves and other predators, and thieves that are after the flock. Real exciting story and amazing what the dogs can do. I recommend this tape.


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Winnie the Pooh - Sing a Song With Pooh Bear (1998) Review

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(More customer reviews)"Sing a Song With Pooh Bear and Piglet Too" is a wonderful DVD featuring Pooh songs from all the back towards the beginning up to the still somewhat recent "Piglet's Big Movie." You get classic songs such as "Harvest What You Grow" and "Heffalumps and Woozles" as well as newer songs like "Sing Ho For the Life of A Bear (Expotition March)" and "With a Few Good Friends." These later songs, as well as some others are performed in part or whole by Carly Simon.
This isn't just some cobbled together sing-along thing. They actually went to the trouble of putting together a real story. Pooh is on a search for his song --- a special song to call his own. He searches all over the Hundred Acre Wood and discovers some of his friends' own special songs. Eventually, he ends up finding "My Song" --- a wonderful number and a great new song.
One odd thing about this here is that repeated lyrics don't show up on-screen, at least not in the normal sing-along font. Fortunatley, close-captioning and/or subtitles are available to fill in.
Overall, I think this is really great. Not only did they manage to pull up some really classic stuff that I'd never heard before, the more recent songs are great as well. A wonderful compilation of classic and new animation and voice talent. Piglet is featured here --- John Fiedler --- may he rest in peace.
This DVD also has some neat special features. The most interesting one is sing-along versions of all the songs except the Carly Simon ones in Spanish and, oddly enough, Italian. I say oddly because Italian isn't an option you would normally see. But it's quite nice to hear. The "Winnie the Pooh" theme song is also included with these, even though the English version on this DVD is a Carly Simon version. The Spanish and Italian version is in the classic style.
The "Word Time" vocabulary activity is so clever! The idea of it is that the viewer is given a word by the narrator and then they select the object on screen that matches it. But the real fun is in selecting items that don't match --- there's some extremely witty and fun commentary from the characters if you do this.
There's also a musical note activity in which short tunes are played on a xylophone and then the player tries to play it back. I don't think this one is too good --- it plays too quickly and you only get two chances --- worse, it's confusing because you end up forgetting where it was you messed up.As for the quality --- I don't see any decline here. The quality is the same as ever, it's just different. Things change, things grow and Pooh is certainly bigger than ever. Sing ho for this DVD!Great for kids (though not those who are too young to really understand or follow it yet) or any Pooh fan.

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The Adventures Of Timmy The Tooth: Big Mouth Gulch (1996) Review

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(More customer reviews)My son has seen all the Timmy the Tooth videos except 2 and he says this one is the best. Timmy and the gang are cowboys in the Old West in this adventure. They meet Goonie the Kid who spells everything wrong, and have to get Timmy's library card back. Full of bad puns and silly fun, I bet your kids will go Tooth Crazy, too.

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101 Dalmatians (1996) Review

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(More customer reviews)Disney remade their classic animated film of the same name 35 years after the original, as a live-action movie in 1996. The tale is familiar to most: two Dalmatians, Pongo & Perdy, bring their owners together. Roger (Jeff Daniels) and Anita (Joely Richardson) fall in love almost at first site when they meet in the park. They get married and their Dalmatians have puppies. Sounds like a lovely romantic tale, right? It would be if it weren't for Anita's boss, the evil Cruella de Vil (Glenn Close). Cruella is a fashionista who loves fur...and her latest desire is to own a coat made of Dalmatian fur. When she learns that Anita's dog has had a litter of 15, she sets her sites on them to make her desire come true. Anita & Roger turn down her offer, so she sends her bumbling minions Jasper & Horace (Hugh Laurie & Mark Williams respectively) to steal them for her.
Does it equal the original? No, not really...but this is not a surprise. How could you top Marc Davis' animation of Cruella, one of the most memorable characters in animation history? Still, you have to give Glenn Close much credit for making Cruella her own...remove her and you have little reason to watch this film. With her fright wig and amazingly over the top costumes, Close truly comes close...she is an evil delight to watch as she barks orders (pun intended) and does everything in her power to make the fur coat a reality. Laurie (now starring in the hit series "House") and Williams are excellent as her bumbling henchman. The animals are also lots of fun to watch, as they often show that they are much smarter than their human counterparts.
Note to parents: this movie is somewhat darker than the animated versions, with a few creepy scenes with the taxidermist. Nothing major, but still parents might want to be careful as Glenn Close's characterization is more frightening and nightmare inducing than her animated namesake.
Sadly and surprisingly, there are no extras on this DVD other than a theatrical trailer. The widescreen (2:35:1) picture is excellent (enhanced for 16x9 TVs), and there is a wonderful Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround mix.
Overall, an enjoyable film that is bumped up a few notches thanks to Glenn Close's performance.

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Hercules: Zero to Hero (1998) Review

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(More customer reviews)This video is not REALLY a sequel, it's not REALLY a new feature length movie. What this video REALLY is, is a compilation of 3 episodes of the very funny and entertaining Disney's Hercules animated TV series.
The video takes three episodes of the TV show and links them together with some rather badly done animation of Hercules and Megara moving into their new home together after their Honeymoon. Megara comes across Herc's High School Yearbook, er, scroll, and suddenly wants to know more about Herc's High School days. She rides on Pegasus to visit Phil, Herc's trainer/manager, and he gives her the whole story. This is where the episodes of the TV show take over. First we have Herc's First Day At (High) School. In the second story, a new student comes to Herc's school, who is actually a Batman type superhero, and the pair teams up to fight a menacing monster. In the third story, Herc's dad Zeus poses as a teenager to see what life is like for Herc. Meanwhile, his brother Hades plans a hostile takeover.
The video ends with Meg singing a pretty horrid song to the man of her dreams, but the heart of the video, the episodes of the wonderful TV show, earn it a five star rating from me, and I wish Disney would give us more episodes of their wonderful shows on video, preferably DVD. But I wish they knew that the wraparound stories are really unnecessary. Hercules: Zero To Hero, is a great buy for anyone who enjoyed the TV show, but remember that this IS a TV show. Don't expect spectacular animation. At least most of the original voice actors reprised their roles for this TV series, and James Woods always rocks as Hades!

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Buddy (1997) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a fine retelling of Dr. Doolitle, based on some true aspects of Gertrude Lintz's life. Buddy was best known worldwide as "Gargantua" after his sale to the Ringling Brothers circus in 1937 by Ms. Lintz. There was no nature preserve, and no putting him out to pasture. Buddy had been rescued by Ms. Lintz as a baby after he fell victim to an attack by a disgruntled sailor aboard the ship that was carrying him away from his home in the lowlands of Africa. The sailor emptied the contents of a fire extinguisher containing acid into the baby's face and left him for dead. Ms. Lintz bought the once valuable cargo from the captain at a bargain and nursed him back to health. As the movie shows, she raised Buddy along with a menagerie of other creatures as her own child. When he became unmanageable and dangerous, she contacted John Ringling North and Henry "Buddy" Ringling North with a proposition to sell Buddy. Their account of the meeting and sale is vastly different than anything shown in the happy ending of this movie. They characterize Ms. Lintz as an eccentric middle aged woman whose mansion in Brooklyn resembled the drawings of Charles Addams. They sat in her parlor sipping tea for a long time before John broached the subject of the gorilla. They were led to an area in the basement where they saw a man standing guard over a large wooden box that looked like an oversized coffin. The wood had been reinforced with steel, for very good reason. The box was held in place by sturdy wooden timbers on the top and both sides to prevent the gorilla from breaking free. When the door was opened they saw what was later billed as "The world's most terrifying living creature". The grossly disfigured face and hostile behavior meant that Buddy was no longer able to live outside a cage, among men. Both men knew they had to buy the creature and struck a deal to pay $10,000.00 for him. They later had him picked up at Ms. Lintz' home. Henry Ringling North made the suggestion to change his name, since his own nickname was "Buddy", to something more sensational. He came up with the name "Gargantua", adding the term gargantuan to the popular lexicon in the process. Read more about this exchange in the book "The Circus Kings" (out of print) by Henry Ringling North and Alden Hatch, Doubleday Press.

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Born to Be Wild (1995) Review

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(More customer reviews)I thought this movie was made really well. This has been the greatest family movie I have ever seen. It had me laughing and crying at the same time. This is a film that the whole family can enjoy from 0 to 99 years old. And I believe that your whole family will love this movie and watch it everyday like I do.

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Space Jam (1996) Review

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(More customer reviews)Space Jam teams up His Airness, Michael Jordan, with His Hareness, Bugs Bunny, for a fun, and funny, family film.
Michael Jordan has retired from basketball, and currently playing baseball, when Bugs Bunny and his Looney Tunes pals ask for his help in playing a b-ball game against diminuative aliens from Moron Mountain. These aliens have stolen the talent of 5 NBA players, including Charles Barkley and Patrick Ewing, and are now larger than life. Since this is Looney Tunes Land, this game is NOT your average basketball game. If it was, it wouldn't be any fun.
Though not an actor of any kind in anyone's book, Michael Jordan does a very good job of interacting with his cartoon co-stars. Most of the jokes are well done and the basketball game itself is a lot of fun. In addition, it is quite funny to watch the 5 NBA players that had their "games" stolen trying to cope with their newfound ordinaryness.
This movie is not groundbreaking by any means and most all of the original Looney Tunes cartoons are better. But this movie never tries to be more than it is: a good time. And at that, it succeeds very well.

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The Pagemaster (1994) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is the first movie I remember seeing as a kid. I LOVED it. It was my favorite. Then, I didn't get to see it again for several years (stupid Blockbuster!) When I finally saw it again, I STILL liked it. I like it as I write this very day. The music is good (the background music behind the movie that nobody really conciously listens to, but helps the mood anyway). The animation's good, too. And I ACTUALLY KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT! (How often does that happen?) See, what happens a lot of the time, is that people blame colors they don't like, or designs that are annoying, or WHATEVER on the animation. But it isn't the animation's fault! The way the thing on-screen MOVES is the only thing the animators do, mostly. So, if you really want to criticize the animation, look at how they MOVE, not what they look like. Do you see?
I think that, really, most of the reason that this is one of my favorite movies is that it is about BOOKS. When I was little, my dad read me "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" and "The Hobbit"; things like that. So, naturally, I loved books and stories. This is practically the only movie I've seen that encourages reading so much while still being sincere. It's obvious that the filmmakers themselves (or at least, a lot of the people working on it) actually like to read. THAT'S really why I like the Pagemaster.
So, if you like to read, watch this movie. If you don't (you utter nincompoop), stay away, and don't criticize what you have no comprehension of.

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A delightful children's tale about magic!

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Gordy (1995) Review

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(More customer reviews)Having been subjected to multiple viewings of Gordy during rainy days at a beach vacation, I now consider myself an expert on the movie. The main problem with the movie is the human acting, which is abysmal. Even the relatively highly touted Kristy Young seems to have serious problems with remembering and delivering her lines. The logic of talking animal movies is always suspect, but in this case there are serious problems. Why, for example, does a patriarch name the titular piglet to administer a company until the grandson reaches the age of majority? Even in pig years Gordy is a child too! The motivation of the movie seems not to be to discourage eating pigs but to promote the values embodied in the Branson brand of country music - relatively bland and harmless, to be sure, but not too well thought out. What do you do with the farm when the animals reproduce out of control? So while the movie doesn't make too much sense, and the actors don't help convince you further, there is some amusement for children that are too young to think this through. My children were delighted by the mild dramatic tension and funny animal sounds and voices. I think this means that producers have free rein to create similar low-budget talking animal vehicles and they will be guaranteed an income, certainly from the video sales. Although thankfully there isn't a Gordy II!

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Bring home the lovable talking pig who waddled off the farm and into our hearts -- and the movie everyone's gone hog-wild over! It's Gordy! The world's cutest piglet whose kindness and bravery lead him and the children he loves on one big adventure after another! The fun begins the moment you enter Meadowbrook Farm, a magical world where real live animals can talk! When Gordy's family is trucked "up north," a mysterious place from which no pig has ever returned, Gordy runs off to find them. He soon befriends two equally adorable children -- the only humans who can hear him because they are "pure of heart. "Together, they teach the adult world the true meaning of friendship and the value of family. Now you can own this heartwarming piggy tale full of charm, laughter, and toe-tapping music from the biggest names in country music -- and "overflowing with good will and genuine affection." (Seattle Weekly)

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Homeward Bound II - Lost in San Francisco (Walt Disney Pictures Presents) (1996) Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought this CD based on the reviews that were posted here and on how much my family loved the first movie, HBI, but I cannot figure out how people like this movie about the same as the first one (average 4 1/2 stars).
HBII is loaded with politically correct themes. The female animals are naturally smarter and stronger than the male ones. Some dogs "speak" ebonics and they, of course, are the "good guys" whereas those that speak "white" (but with a NJ, Philly or NY accent) are naturally the "bad guys".
There are slight departures from political correctness in this movie in that it has no trouble with poking fun of the stuttering dog character (which is made fun of by one of the ebonics-speaking dogs in the movie); same goes for the "hillbilly" dog and the french poodle character (a stereotype you can probably imagine).
This movie is also alot more violent than the first. In HBII you have snarling dogs, a burning building (with a child trapped inside), dogs biting humans (the bad white humans of course), dogs fighting dogs, children bullying other children, children being mean to dogs, gangster dogs wanting to "get" Sassie the cat (the language used was: "you know what I want" and "She's mine").
In HBII you see Chance abandoning Shadow and Sassie when the gangster dogs attack them, leaving Shadow to fight it out alone. Chance also is not as spirited as in the first movie - he is too busy "falling in love", getting rejected, and then getting back together with a dog. Just who is this movie targeted for?
The whole movie has a mean-spiritedness that is missing from the first movie. You also hear alot less of the music that was so great in HBI.
Unlike HBI where Shadow, Chance and Sassie interact with each other and show (or grow to show) great affection for each other, HBII has the three for the most part dealing with the other dogs than with each other. That same chemistry isn't there.
Where Sassie was a tolerably lovable curmudgeon in HBI, here she is just outright mean. The other dogs in this movie are really annoying as well - especially the female dog that speaks ebonics (Sample language: "thats right chump, run" and "you goin' down" followed by a grunt that expresses the use of force as she takes her bite). Very nice.
The bad white humans in HBII are also excessively mean with one of them telling the driver of the truck they are in at one point to "run them over" whereupon he proceeds to make a great effort to step on the gas. At one point one of them actually says, "they're going to light you up like a freakin' Christmas tree". Is this language really necessary?
It seems to me that Disney let some dysfunctional 20 somethings write the screenplay for this. Although it appears to be for children, dogs and children being the primary characters, it probably is suited more for the kind of children that will end up in juvenile hall. Garbage, pure garbage.
Buy the first one; its five stars easy. This one gets one star only because of the cinematography (made easy by being filmed in San Francisco).

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Your favorite trio of talking animals is back in this action-packed Disney adventure that'll have the whole family bursting with excitement and laughter! Michael J. Fox, Sally Field, and Ralph Waite supply the voices of Chance, the American bulldog; Sassy, the Himalayan cat; and Shadow, the golden retriever -- and Sinbad speaks for their newfound canine friend, Riley -- in this critically acclaimed sequel to Disney's now-classic HOMEWARD BOUND: THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY. When the pets accidentally get separated from their vacationing owners, Chance, Shadow, and Sassy navigate the mean streets of San Francisco, trying to find their home across the Golden Gate Bridge. But the road is blocked by a series of hazards, both man and beast. It's another incredible journey for three very brave, very lovable pets, in a thrilling, funny adventure that's 'bound to please' (New York Post) the entire family!

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Frank and Ollie (Special Edition) (1995) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a wonderful tale of 2 of Walt Disney's "nine old men". I had no idea that the two of them were as close as they were. Shot in a documentary-style, so the viewer has a sense of being their houseguest. Lifelong friends, who shared the same career, and very similar, and disimilar life experiences. This film is for anyone who truly appreciates classic animation. By the end of the film, I understood their artistic motivations, as well as their struggles and triumphs. I also got some insight into their relationship with Walt(Disney), and how his death affected them. A truly wonderful film. I own a copy, and highly recommend it.

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Before computer graphics, special effects wizardry, and out-of-this world technology, the magic of animation flowed from the pencils of two of the greatest animators The Walt Disney Company ever produced -- Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston. Frank and Ollie, the talent behind BAMBI, PINOCCHIO, LADY AND THE TRAMP, THE JUNGLE BOOK, and others, set the standard for such modern-day hits as THE LION KING. It was their creative genius that helped make Disney synonymous with brilliant animation, magnificent music, and emotional storytelling. Take a journey with these extraordinary artists as they share secrets, insights, and the inspiration behind some of the greatest animated movies the world has ever known!

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The Three Caballeros (1945) Review

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(More customer reviews)THE THREE CABELLEROS was Disney's 2nd foray into the world of Latin America during World War II. Working alongside the State Department to help foster goodwill in the Western hemisphere (and using Disney's iconic characters to help promote American values), the film is a huge improvement over the previous venture, SALUDOS AMIGOS. And while it may not tell a story, per se, the film introduced several songs that have gone on to become classics, contains several rousing moments, features some fun short subjects, all in a nicely diverting package film.
The film itself is supposedly set on Donald's birthday (here we find he was born on Friday 13th). From his many friends in Latin America (Donald was far more popular south of the border than his more even-tempered costars), he has received a box of presents, and the first present he opens is a movie projector and some movies. (Not very original, but it works.) After some trouble with the projector, Donald sits down to watch the show.
Sterling Holloway (a famous Disney voice, having appeared in films from DUMBO all the way to THE JUNGLE BOOK) narrates the story of Pablo the Penguin. Pablo is cold so he decides to float to a warmer climate. The story is no great shakes, but it cute and some of the stylized maps as he floats up the South American coast are quite nice.
A narrator introduces Donald to other birds of South America, including the Aracuan, one of Donald's costars in the "Blame it on the Samba" section of MELODY TIME. After some craziness with the Aracuan, we are told the story of the little Gauchito who went hunting and ended up with a flying burrito. A cute story, with a great narrator, plus several funny sight gags as the narrator reminds himself of the tale he is telling. The characters were popular enough that Disney began working on a (never released) sequel.
Joe Carioca, a Brazillian parrot, sings the beauty of "Baia," just one of the big hits from the movie, and takes Donald to the beautiful, magical country. They journey on a train through a sequence designed by the amazing Mary Blair, one of the few Disney inspirational artists to take the trip to South America with Walt to research the subject. Her highly stylized designs were a favorite with Disney, much to the chagrin of animators who had to bring the thing to life.
Interaction with human costars begins here, as Aurora Miranda and company sing a tune as Donald and Joe fight for her affections. Considering the film was released in 1945, the blend of animation and live action is quite seamless and very impressive.
The highlight of the film is the title number, "The Three Caballeros," which animator Ward Kimball turned into a tour de force of non sequitirs, sight gags, and amazing silliness. Throughout the song, as Panchito the Rooster sings and dances, Donald is constantly frustrated at his own lack of ability, and the gags pile on one after another. Truly a masterpiece of animation, and one of Kimball's most highly regarded works.
The rest of the movie is a travelogue through Mexico, with some great period film (shot by Disney animators on their goodwill tour), more great music ("You Belong to My Heart" was another big hit from the film), and a wonderful expression of Christmas celebrations highlighted by the first appearence (on film) of Mary Blair's distinctive "children" characters. (These would go on to be the stars of one of Disney's most popular and enduring attractions, "It's a Small World," also designed by Blair.)
All in all, a delightful period piece featuring some outstanding animation by the Disney artists, and the wonderful design work of Mary Blair. If you are a fan of Disney's earlier films (SNOW WHITE, PINOCCHIO) or the later output (ALADDIN, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST), you may want to skip this one. It's not story driven, is not a true musical, and feature some highly surreal animation toward the grand finale.
For true Disneyphiles, this is a MUST for your collection.

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The ever-popular and excitable Donald Duck stars in one of his greatest adventures -- a dazzling blend of live action and classic Disney animation bursting with south of the border sights and sounds! When Donald receives a magical collection of gifts from his Latin American friends, they become his passport to a fantastic musical journey with Joe Carioca and Panchito, the charro rooster. With these experts to guide him, Donald hops, skips, and jumps his way through every splash of local color -- each stop full of surprises and sensational songs!

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101 Dalmatians 2: Patch's London Adventure - Special Edition (2002) Review

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(More customer reviews)This animated sequel to Disney's 101 Dalmatians (Two-Disc Platinum Edition) is a very cute movie; very much at home on a video release, the animation and vocals are definitely above what you'd expect for a direct to video film. This tale begins where the first movie left off; Cruella de Vil is out on parole while her two flunkies are stuck in the slammer. She hooks up with a beatnik artist, Lars (voiced by Martin Short), who also likes spots. She hires him to create a one-of-a-kind masterpiece just for her. Meanwhile, Anita (voiced by Jodi Benson, best known as Ariel in The Little Mermaid (Two-Disc Platinum Edition)) & Roger are moving to the country. Patch accidentally gets left behind, which is just fine with him, as it allows him to go to London and audition for his TV Hero's show, the Thunderbolt Adventure Hour. When Lars is unable to satisfy Cruella with his art, she decides to go after the Dalmatians again and have Lars use their fur coats as a canvas!
There are some life lessons for the kids as you would expect; Thunderbolt's (voiced by Barry Bostwick) thirst for fame and vanity are not very admirable traits. Naturally, when he teams up with cute little Patch, he realizes (and hopefully the kids watching will too) that there are more important things in life.
Overall, this film is fine for children, other than some off-camera violence where Cruella knocks out a dog (who eventually wakes up unharmed) and the fact that Cruella actually does smoke in the film. The smoking shouldn't be a big deal as she is so over the top and nutty that it is obvious that she is not a person to be looked up to or imitated!
The backgrounds and animation style do a very good job of trying to follow the same stylings of the original. Although they lack the amazing artistry of animator Marc Davis & art director Ken Anderson, they are definitely better than most of the TV animation you find today.
This DVD also has some nice extras:
*A 7 minute behind-the-scenes "Dog-umentary," which is a look at how the movie was made, hosted by a group of dogs who are being given a tour of the Disney Studio. It shows Bostwick, Jason Alexander (voice of Lightning, Thunderbolt's sidekick), Susanne Blakeslee (Cruella), and Martin Short recording their parts. It's also interesting to see art director Bill Perkins create the backgrounds and how the unique hand-drawn/xerox style is achieved.
*"Try Again" & "You're The One" music videos
*3 games: "Patch's Twilight Adventure" in which the player looks for keys to help free the dalmatians from their cages; "Lost in London" is somewhat of a travelogue of London complete with footage of famous landmarks as players (once again) try to track down the dalmatian puppies; and "Thunderbolt: A Look Inside" lets you tour the canine star's trailer.
Specs for the movie are Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound with French & Spansih language tracks, and Widescreen (1.66:1). Approximately 71 minutes.
Overall, an enjoyable family film to watch with your children.

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Robin Hood (Disney Gold Classic Collection) (1973) Review

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(More customer reviews)Previous to this 'Most Wanted Edition' release, Disney had released a Gold Collection version. Having seen the two head to head, the Most Wanted is definitely a worthwhile purchase, though purists may wish to hang onto their Gold Collection Edition.
For those interested in the movie's plot (though if you don't know it by now), this 1973 Disney film follows the adventures of the classic Robin Hood story (though all the characters have been replaced by Disney animal versions), where he and his pal Little John are constantly thwarting the plans of Prince John, his servant Sir Hiss, and the rotten Sheriff of Nottingham. It doesn't follow the original legend too closely, but then, Robin Hood is a walking, talking fox, so don't expect historical accuracy. Made during Disney's less 'talked about' era (the void between Disney's untimely death and the song stylings of Elton John), the film is still a delight for adults and children. At least, I like it, but critics and animation buffs seem to have some issues with it (not the least of which is a segment where several sequences reuse animation from other Disney films). It's not as plot intensive and tightly told as Disney's later films, but it has quite a few memorable sequences and some great one-liners ("Oo-de-lally! A CROWN!").
But onto the DVD and its features.
VIDEO: The film is presented in a 1.75:1 aspect ratio, making it widescreen. However, (and this is where the purists may take offense), the film was initially created in 1.37:1 aspect, thus making the fullscreen version available on the previous Gold Collection release the 'correct' video standard (a viewing of the widescreen next to the fullscreen does, in fact, show cropping at the top and bottom). However, this does not mean that the widescreen is automatically a problem. Not only is the transfer noticeably clearer and more detailed, but the film was animated to take both fullscreen and widescreen into respect (theatres at the time were capable of displaying one or the other), so technically both aspect ratios can be termed 'the original theatrical.' Because of this, no significant portion of the picture at the top and bottom is lost (though like I said, purists should hang onto their Gold Collections for this reason only). Perhaps a choice of viewing options should have been made available because of this issue, but unfortunately only the widescreen is included on this DVD.
AUDIO: Sound is noticeably better, especially the music (at least, on the sound system I compared them). The 5.1 transfer, while not causing the sound to do miraculous things, does sound more dynamic and sharper. A definite improvement here.
SPECIAl FEATURES: This release includes all the features from the Gold Collection release, with the notable exception of the Read-Along Storybook (a DVD version of the printed storybook released alongside the original movie) and switching out a trivia game for...another trivia game. Interesting. However, everything else is there, along with some additional features (including a storyboarded alternate ending) not previously available.
So, what's my pick? I say, especially if you don't own the film, this is the best version of the two to get. The picture's better, sound's better, and the special features overall are better (and since the previous release, Disney invented its 'Fastplay' feature, which is nice to have compared to the Gold Collection's 'fast forward through the trailers'-only option). But, this is mainly a caution to those looking for the 'Ultimate, Never Have to Buy It Again' edition: the fullscreen, uncropped version is not here. Perhaps in a future two-disc release, though it is doubtful Disney cares enough about this film and its era to do that.

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Swashbuckling adventure and unforgettable characters make the story of ROBIN HOOD an all-time favorite! The animal kingdom serves up a feast of bowmanship, swordplay, and daring deeds in Disney's classic version of this timeless medieval tale. England is at war and ruled by a phony king! Greedy Prince John and his slithering sidekick, Sir Hiss, are taxing Nottingham's residents to the limit. But roguish Robin Hood, along with his trusted companion Little John and his devoted band of merry men, hatch one exciting adventure after another to outfox the prince. Robin won't rest until he wins the hand of fair Maid Marian and King Richard is restored to the throne! Superb storytelling, wonderful animation, and sensational songs make ROBIN HOOD a magical movie for kids of all ages!

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Oliver & Company (Special Edition) (1988) Review

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(More customer reviews)During the 80's, the studio hit an artistic, creative, and commercial slump. However, I still find that I quite enjoy Disney's 80's films, many of which experimented with computer animation, non-musical storylines, and different source materials. One of my favorite pre-Little Mermaid 80's Disney films is Oliver and Company. Boasting a soundtrack filled with great songs and a wonderful cast of characters, Oliver and Company finally gets the DVD treatment, albeit a less-than-stellar one.
For one, the transfer is good, but it could be much better and it has a fair amount of grain.
The bonus features could have been much better as well. A few fluff EPK-type featurettes, which are nice, but still fluffy, are sadly enough the meat of the bonuses. Also included, fortunately, are the original trailer, original TV spot, and the 1995 re-release trailer. Two sing-alongs are included as well as two classic Disney short cartoons.
Overall, it's nice to see Oliver and Company on DVD at last. This is probably the best DVD edition Disney will give it for at least a while, so if you're considering picking it up, go for it.

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A timeless classic inspired by Charles Dickens' novel "Oliver Twist," OLIVER & COMPANY is a fun-filled, action-packed musical adventure voiced and sung by one of the most talented casts in Disney history! And now you can own this Disney masterpiece on DVD! The film artfully blends lovable characters, cool songs, and action-packed adventure into a contemporary classic that's "charming, funny, musical, and thrilling!" (ABC-TV) Disney's hip, high-energy tale begins in the concrete canyons of New York City, where Oliver, an adorable orphaned kitten, is befriended by Dodger, a carefree mutt with a certain street savoir faire. The mischievous little cat is welcomed by Dodger's pack of pickpocket pooches, including dim-witted Einstein, ravishing Rita, and live-wire Tito. This ragtag family of misfits runs into trouble when the evil mastermind Sykes -- aided by his two daunting dobermans -- schemes to kidnap the lonely little rich girl who just adopted Oliver! It's up to the brave kitten and his newfound friends to race to the rescue in an electrifying chase through the city's subway system. Boasting five outstanding original songs and the musical talents of Billy Joel, Bette Midler, and Huey Lewis -- and overflowing with brilliant animation, OLIVER & COMPANY is a modern masterpiece.

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