Disney's 1994 animated feature, The Lion King, was a huge smash in cinemas and continues to enjoy life in an acclaimed stage production. The story finds a lion cub, son of a king, sent into exile after his father is deposed by a jealous uncle. The little hero finds his way into the "circle of life" with some new friends and eventually comes back to reclaim his proper place. Characters are very strong, vocal performances by the likes of Jeremy Irons, Nathan Lane and Whoopi Goldberg are terrific, the jokes are aimed as much (if not more) at adults than kids, the animation is sometimes breathtaking and the songs from Tim Rice and Elton John, accompanied by a colourful score, are more palatable than in many recent Disney features. -Tom Keogh On the DVD: The Lion King Special Edition is a superb restoration: take a look at the serviceable but dull film clips incorporated in the plethora of extras and compare them to the vivid gorgeousness of the film presentation. This special edition also adds a 90-second song ("Morning Report") that originated in the lavish stage musical. To Disney's credit, the original theatrical version is also included, both restored and featuring two 5. 1 soundtracks: Dolby Digital and a new Disney Enhanced Home Theater Mix, which does sound brighter. As with the Disney Platinum line, everything is thrown into the discs, except an outsider's voice (the rah-rahs of Disney grow tiresome at times). The excellent commentary from the directors and producer, originally on the laser disc, is hidden under the audio set-up menu. [+]

The Disney Studio was built on innovation in animation, so it seems ironic that Atlantis is both a bold departure and highly derivative, borrowing heavily from anime, video games and graphic novels. Instead of songs and fuzzy little animals, the artists offer an action-adventure set in 1914: nerdy linguist Milo Thatch (Michael J Fox) believes he's found the location of the legendary Lost Continent. An eccentric zillionaire sends Milo out to test his hypothesis with an anachronistic crew that includes tough Puerto Rican mechanic Audrey (Jacqueline Obradors), demolition expert Vinnie (Don Novello), and butt-kicking blonde adventurer Helga (Claudia Christian). When they find Atlantis, its culture is dying because the people can no longer read the runes that explain their mysterious power source-but Milo can. Nasty Commander Rourke (James Garner) attempts to steal that power source, leading to the requisite all-out battle. Atlantis offers some nifty battle scenes, including an attack on a Jules Verne-esque submarine by a giant robotic trilobites and fishlike flying cars. But the film suffers from major story problems. If Princess Kida (Cree Summer) remembers her civilisation at its height, why can't she read the runes? Why doesn't Milo's crew notice that the Atlanteans live for centuries? The angular designs are based on the work of comic book artist Mike Mignola (Hellboy), and the artists struggle with the characters' stubby hands, skinny limbs and pointed jaws. The result is a film that will appeal more to 10-year-old boys than to family audiences. -Charles Solomon, Amazon. [+]

In the wonderfully entertaining Freaky Friday, teenager Anna (Lindsay Lohan) and her fortysomething psychiatrist mum Tess (Jamie Lee Curtis) have sunk into a rut of frustrated bickering-until a magic spell causes them to switch bodies. Suddenly Tess finds herself faced with petty teachers, vicious rivals and a hunky boy, while Anna has to cope with her mother's neurotic patients as well as her befuddled fiancé (Mark Harmon), who doesn't understand why his bride-to-be is suddenly recoiling from his embrace on the eve of their wedding. Both Lohan and Curtis turn in deft, delightful performances, with Curtis showing a surprising flair for physical comedy. The movie even manages to explore serious issues about fractured families, new parents and adolescent sexuality with honesty and empathy-and without making the story stop dead in its tracks. This 2003 remake of the 1977 original is a mother-daughter film that fathers and sons can enjoy just as much. -Bret Fetzer.

It is rare to find a sequel which outdoes the original concept, particularly in the world of Disney movies, but 102 Dalmatians is an exception to the rule. The high jinks and action is back, with an additional puppy-the lovable Oddball, who has no spots-and of course the cruellest of villains, Cruella DeVil. After two years of rehabilitation Cruella is released into London's community once more-but this time insists on being called Ella, "Cruella just sounds so cruel"-but has the evil one really changed her ways to become not only a pillar of society, but also a dog-loving activist? Her probation officer Chloe is not convinced and added to that her dalmatians have just had puppies. Glenn Close is back in fine form as Cruella-this may be the defining role of her career-and with a great range of costumes and hair-dos she adds fantastic menace to the character. Added to this is the joy of having two British actors in the role of dog-loving humans (Ioan Gruffudd as Kevin and Alice Evans as Chloe)-instead of having to listen to the cod Dick Van Dyke English accent that Disney seems to love. The film also offers an extrovert turn by Gerard Depardieu as the flamboyant French Fashion designer Monsieur Le Pelt. Through Le Pelt this film does make some important references to the fur trade and the "No Logo-esque" fashion production methods-adding political humour for adults. However as always the true stars of the films are the animal actors themselves, with the talking parrot Waddlesworth who thinks he is a rottweiler (voiced by Eric Idle) and of course the true star Oddball-the cutest puppy since the promotion of a certain toilet roll! On the DVD: This disc is literally rammed with features and fun. From "Puppy Overload" (a compilation of clips to music) and trailers to educational Featurettes, set out in an easily to use menu allowing kids to stop and start the DVD and fully comprehend how the movie and the digital effects work. In addition to these features is a deleted scene offering further Cruella antics, "Dalmations 101" which will help parents across the world to wriggle out of that ultimate question "Can we get a puppy!" and a nice little commentary from the Director Kevin Lima and a multitude of dog handlers which offers lively and concise information on the movie. [+]

More exciting than The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian continues the movie franchise based on C. S. Lewis' classic fantasy books. The movie picks up where the first left off. sort of. It's been a year since the Pevensie children-Peter (William Moseley), Susan (Anna Popplewell), Edmund (Skandar Keynes), and Lucy (Georgie Henley)-returned to England from Narnia, and they've just about resigned themselves to living their ordinary lives. But just like that, they're once again transported to a fantastical land, but one with a long-abandoned castle. It turns out that they are in Narnia again-and they themselves lived in that castle, but hundreds of years ago in Narnia time. [+]

With less drama and more slapstick than its predecessor, Disney's Mulan 2 continues the animated saga of the young Chinese heroine, Fa Mulan (voiced by Ming-Na Wen, sung by Lea Salonga). The story picks up one month after Mulan has saved her country through bravery and determination. Revered by all, she now returns to her village and becomes engaged to General Li Shang. Wedding plans must wait, however, when the Emperor assigns the couple to a secret mission to escort his three princess daughters across China where their arranged marriages to waiting princes will secure an alliance with a rival kingdom and save China from invasion. Meanwhile, Mulan's wise-cracking guardian dragon, Mushu (voiced by Mark Moseley), realizes that if Mulan's marriage takes place, he is out of a job and so he undertakes his "18-phase master plan" of relationship sabotage to breakup the happy couple. Most of the film's jokes come from Moseley's Mushu (as quick-witted as Eddie Murphy's earlier performance), while a trio of prankish soldiers provide additional comic relief. While the film's overall effort is not as sensational as the original, it offers solid family entertainment, healthy female role models, and a handful of catchy songs. -Lynn Gibson.

As good a film as Pixar has ever put out, Ratatouille is a frantic, innovative movie, boasting some of the finest quality animation ever put on the screen. Ratatouille tells the story of wannabe-chef Remy The Rat, who becomes drawn into the mantra of legendary cook Gusteau, that anyone can cook. The deceased Gusteau's ghostly image appears to Remy, and guides him to his restaurant, whose standards have been slipping since his death. Remy, through the manipulation of a lowly restaurant worker called Linguini, soon starts secretly cooking the food, and this unusual set up proves to be a trove of treasures that Pixar carefully picks through. Ratatouille's trick is to tie its cutting edge animation techniques to old-school essentials. At times harking back to the frenetic style you'd expect of Chuck Jones, it threads an original narrative through its story, which itself is packed with memorable characters (none more so than Peter O'Toole's superbly-voiced restaurant critic). It perhaps runs a little too long, but it's so well-written and so lavishly entertaining that it's a churlish complaint to have. For in an era of cynically-produced family movies, Ratatouille is really something special. With an appeal that spreads across generations, and a quality that puts it right up there with Pixar's finest, it's an outstanding piece of cinema, and one set to be enjoyed for many, many years. Unmissable. [+]