Baby Van Gogh is from the award-winning infant-developmental media company Baby Einstein, whose goal and philosophy is the satisfaction of a child's curiosity through sight and sound. In the main Theatre section of this disc you'll find lots of simple shapes, primary colours and favourite toys passing across the screen. Unlike the simpler earlier releases, this is focused on the works of Vincent Van Gogh, who is here represented by a blue sock puppet! To begin with the video seems like something of a nature documentary with flowers in bloom and animals on the move, before we're taken through the colours of the rainbow with sections devoted to the individual colours. For example in Yellow, there are toy chicks, sunflowers, lemons and children playing in yellow paper shavings. All the while, The Baby Einstein Music Box Orchestra play us music from Van Gogh's era such as The Blue Danube Waltz, The William Tell Overture, Swan Lake and Flight of the Bumble Bee. This is a slight advancement in expectation of your child from the more basic initial releases but has a Video Tutorial to help the parent understand how it all works. On the DVD: Baby Van Gogh is the name of the feature itself, but from the Main Menu you can enter a Concert Hall to replay the musical cues from the main show. There's also an Art Exhibit of each of the featured Van Gogh paintings, a Resources section with the aforementioned Video Tutorial and a Toy Chest crediting all the toys used, just in case a certain someone wants one of their own. -Paul Tonks.

Stardom can be a heavy burden for a teenager, but Miley Stewart (Miley Cyrus) has always risen above the temptation to flaunt her fame and firmly resolved to keep her true identity as teen rock star Hannah Montana a secret from her classmates, in favour of being perceived as a typical teenager. Miley's resolve begins to falter in this foursome of episodes when famous television star Jake Ryan (Cody Linley) suddenly shows up as a new student in Miley's class. Initially assuming that Jake is just another snooty superstar, Miley's distaste quickly turns to confusion and jealousy over all the attention her fellow students, including her smitten best friend Lilly (Emily Osment), are lavishing on him. Miley's inner turmoil results in an impulsive confession of her true identity to Jake and a local reporter. Miley's father Robbie Stewart (played by Miley's real-life father and famous country musician Billy Ray Cyrus) helps convince the local reporter that Miley is just another drama-loving teenager with grandiose dreams and typically wacky schemes. A visit from Aunt Dolly (played by country music icon Dolly Parton) helps Miley realize the importance of taking chances and reaching for her dreams. In the end, everyone learns an important lesson about being open-minded and staying true to one's goals and beliefs. -Tami Horiuchi.

Disney's direct-to-video sequel to their 1995 hit places the Native American princess Pocahontas in harm's way in London, where she is almost tossed into jail and has some other mishaps. She's not alone, however: a cute racoon named Meeko does a nice job as the obligatory funny animal. The songs are about as memorable as those in the first film, but the art and animation maintain far higher standards than most animated sequels dumped onto tape. If you don't drive yourself nuts thinking about the appalling historical revisionism at work here, this is passable family entertainment. -Tom Keogh Disney's direct-to-video sequel to their 1995 hit places Pocahontas in harm's way in London, where she is almost tossed into jail and has some other mishaps. She's not alone, however: a cute racoon named Meeko does a nice job as the obligatory funny animal. The songs are about as memorable as those in the first film, but the art and animation in Pocahontas 2 maintain far higher standards than most animated sequels dumped onto tape. If you don't drive yourself to distraction thinking about the appalling historical revisionism at work here, this is passable family entertainment. -Tom Keogh, Amazon. com.

Pokémon 2000, the second film to spin off the powerhouse child-friendly franchise of the turn-of-the-millennium, consists of the colourful if babyish human-presence free, short Pikachu's Rescue Adventure and the more elaborate feature The Power of One. The main attraction is up to snuff animation-wise, with imaginative settings (an island lair, a huge dirigible) that crossbreed cyberpunk futurism and Jules Verne style retro-fantasy. It even has the germ of an interesting, almost subversive idea, in that the story's wealthy villain is a green-haired fanatic who is as obsessive about collecting Pokémon as the film's target audience-he's after three fabled birds, Moltres, Zapdos and Articuno, but is really interested in the cute Loch Ness Monster-type being Lugia-but his philosophy is so skewed that he is more interested in owning and numbering the fabulous creatures than training or befriending them. A clever pun in a prophecy decrees that in a predestined crisis, "the world will turn to ash"-this turns out not to be a gloomy foretelling of holocaust but the revelation that human hero Ash is a messianic "Chosen One" who can restore the balance of nature when the collector's antics have unleashed worldwide climatic change. Adults might find the whole thing an endurance test for its shrill voicings, with Americanised kids and Japanese baby-talking Pokémon, not to mention the meld of incredibly simplistic storyline with amazingly intricate backstory. A trace of self-awareness comes in a brief snippet from a Weird Al Yankovic's song ("Polka mon") under the crowded end credits. -Kim Newman Video description DVD special features: The nice-looking DVD (letterboxed to 1. 85:1) comes with a "special edition" Pikachu card; trailers for this film and Pokémon 3; video clips of Pokémon-themed songs performed by Dream Street, Alysha Antonio and Youngstown; a snippet-like "making of the soundtrack" featurette, DVD-ROM features that won't play on a Mac (mostly Web-site links and ads for new poképroducts-"for the first time you will be able to discover if your Pokémon are male or female"!); soundtracks in English, French, Dutch, German and Italian with subtitles in English, French, German, Italian, Dutch and Arabic.

The Little Einsteins are a talented group of musically-inclined, preschool-age friends who just happen to have a rocket ship named Rocket for a friend and a knack for helping those in need. In this animated adventure, it's up to Leo, Annie, Quincy, and June to preserve music around the world by traveling to Russia to free the magical Firebird from the grip of a music-hating ogre named Katschai. Set to themes from Igor Stravinsky's "Firebird" and featuring the art of Wassily Kandinsky, Faberge eggs, and Matryoshka Nesting Dolls, this full-length Little Einsteins adventure conveys the basic gist of Stravinsky's "Firebird" ballet in which the Firebird casts a spell of energetic dance and sleep upon the creatures of a magical kingdom. Prominent musical themes are emphasized by linking them to specific onscreen characters and their actions and basic musical terms like adagio and allegro are introduced while the Little Einsteins promote friendship, cooperation, and compassion and engage the active participation of young viewers by encouraging them to clap, sing, dance, and pretend to play musical instruments. The bonus episode "Rocket Soup" emphasizes teamwork and introduces orchestral instruments with the help of Dvorak's "Humoresque No. 7" and Paul Klee's painting "Moonrise. " Engage the "Magic Mission Mode" and children can view "Rocket's Firebird Rescue" with animated pop-up facts. (Ages 3 to 7)-Tami Horiuchi.

Opinions remain divided on Disney's ongoing policy of making straight-to-DVD sequels to some of their classic hits, of which Cinderella: A Twist In Time is the latest example. In this particular case, it's actually a second sequel, and while it improves on the film before it, it still can't hold a torch to the original. The story this time finds the evil stepmother zipping back in time and undoing the previous work of the fairy godmother. So no slipper, no dress and Cinders with little chance of going to the ball. It's hardly original, but it still works as a neat twist, and there's a fair few ideas in Cinderella: A Twist In Time worthy of merit. What's disappointing, in common with many of Disney's new breed of sequels, is that it's so unambitious. While obviously produced to a tighter budget, there are nonetheless sparks that things are working here, tempered by a ruthless adherence to formula that holds it back. The end result is still an improvement, and it's not too bad a film. Crucially for parents, though, Cinderella: A Twist In Time is likely to easily entertain the under-tens for just over an hour, and as a result, we suspect we've not seen the back of Cinders just yet… -Jon Foster.

When Baby Einstein started its "video board books" in 1997, the company was virtually alone in the field of baby development. By its sixth video, the field has become crowded with similar-sounding titles. Now scientists might be able to analyze what a baby will get out of a DVD like Baby Einstein - Neighbourhood Animals compared to Baby Van Gogh, but is it worth getting more baby videos? Absolutely-babies love variety as much as their adult counterparts. On that level, Neighbourhood Animals scores. Using a stimulating mix of brightly colored toys, whimsical puppets (including your host, Pavlov the Dog) and lots of pictures, Neighbourhood Animals takes the viewer on a 30-minute tour of commonly found animals. Help your little pal spot a pig on the farm or a dog in the house. Baby Einstein - Neighbourhood Animals uses animals' sounds, kids' drawings, and photography for each animal in four habitats. The natural settings and original, bright recordings of Beethoven, Rimsky-Korsakov, Vivaldi, and others should make this a favorite every time you want to visit Old MacDonald's Farm. Followed by a companion production, Baby Einstein: World Animals. -Doug Thomas.

Duchess and her three kittens are enjoying the high life with their devoted human mistress until the wicked butler Edgar, with his eyes on a big inheritance, decides to dope them and get them out of the picture. How can these fragile creatures cope in the unfamiliar countryside and the meaner streets of Paris? Only by meeting the irrepressible alley cat O'Malley, a rough diamond with romance in his heart. After they get a taste of the wide dangerous world, he guides them home, and Edgar gets his just desserts at the wrong end of a horse. As always, it's really the voices rather than the animation that are the heart of the Disney magic: Phil Harris is brilliant as O'Malley, Eva Gabor as Duchess is. well. Eva Gabor; but perhaps the most memorable turns are by Pat Buttram and George Lindsay, who turn the old hounds Napoleon and Lafayette into a couple of bumbling Southern-fried rednecks. [+]

This legendary animated feature is surely beyond criticism by now and, furthermore, it's unlikely that we'll see such forceful narrative in a kids' cartoon ever again. Disney's treatment of Collodi's story of the little wooden puppet who wants nothing more than to be a real boy is always guaranteed to have audiences entranced. While some of the movie's success is derived from its liberal use of the kind of imagery no children's film-maker would even attempt to get past the storyboard stage today-a mysterious island where children smoke cigars, get drunk and turn into donkeys, a monstrous, malicious sea-creature which is devoid of any trace of cuddliness and a pair of villains who routinely abduct children, to give just a few examples-the characters are depicted with the finest attention to detail, most of the songs have become classics in their own right ("When You Wish Upon a Star" being only one of many) and the graceful, stylised animation positively glows with fine detail. Essential family viewing. -Roger Thomas.

The bonds of true friendship and love are powerful enough to persist through even the most extreme circumstances, but can even the strongest bond endure when a young man and a young woman are split apart by the spirits? Since being turned into a bear as punishment for his insensitivity in Brother Bear, Kenai has managed to find true happiness and a compelling sense of purpose in his new relationship with his adopted brother Koda. But when Kenai's old friend Nita prepares for her wedding day with another man, the spirits send a sign indicating that a strong connection still exists between Kenai and Nita. The tribe Shaman suggests that the two join forces in a ritual to sever the bond between them and Nita, newly endowed with the ability to communicate with animals, seeks out Kenai in the woods. Even as the two friends resolutely journey to break the connection between them, the inescapable bond between them strengthens and threatens to disrupt not only Nita's upcoming marriage, but the special relationship between Kenai and Koda. In the end, destiny may require that each of the three choose between his or her happiness and the happiness of the other two. Like its predecessor Brother Bear, Brother Bear 2 features lush animation; a nice blend of action, suspense, and comedy; and a powerful message. (Ages 3-12)-Tami Horiuchi.

The monsters in Monsters, Inc. are just so incredibly cute-and they know it. Whereas Woody, Buzz and pals in the Toy Story saga were filled with self-doubt about just how much the children in their lives would continue to love them, here our heroic monsters and their impossibly lovable human ward Boo have no such worries, at least when it comes to the cinema audience. And that's why Monsters, Inc. , for all its wondrous computer-animated artistry, its smart humour and its family-friendly appeal, doesn't quite capture the naïve charm of its predecessors. Nevertheless, John Goodman and Billy Crystal, as scare-champions Sulley and Mike, are a great double-act whose comedy never goes over kids' heads but still reaches up to make their parents laugh. The film's central conceit-that monsters in the bedroom closet are just doing a night's work in order to generate power from screams for the city of Monstropolis-is funny and cleverly worked out; and kids will of course love the fact that the monsters are mortally afraid of the very children they are trying to frighten. The animation is extraordinarily detailed (Sulley's fur is a marvel in itself) and the set-piece action sequences top anything that has gone before for sheer audaciousness. But overall Pixar play things very safe, from the hissable villain to the end credit "outtakes". A bolder film might have taken inspiration from The Nightmare Before Christmas; instead, a little of that Disney disease of knowing cuteness seems to have crept into the formula. [+]

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.

A thoroughly engaging fairy tale that's family friendly without being condescending, The Princess Diaries is your basic Cinderella makeover story given a fresh, affectionate twist courtesy of a game, energetic cast and a screenplay that skirts schmaltz in favour of gentle, effective comedy. Mia Thermopolis (Anne Hathaway) is a frizzy-haired, glasses-wearing 15-year-old girl whose two highest ambitions are to become invisible and to get a few smooches from the slickly attractive school heartthrob. As a girl who can't stand being the centre of attention so much that she throws up during debate class, she's stunned and horrified when her coolly continental grandmother(Julie Andrews) shows up and informs her that she's the crown princess of the European principality Genovia. Soon enough, Mia has to undertake "princess lessons" (and a makeover) from her queenly grandmother, and eventually she blossoms into a confident, radiant girl despite the worries and pressure that her newfound status brings. What makes The Princess Diaries work is director Garry Marshall's guileless, irony-free approach to the material (based on Meg Cabot's novel). In comparison to most sarcastic, ultra-hip teen comedies, The Princess Diaries is refreshingly and enjoyably square, content to win you over on charm alone and not a slick bag of tricks. Hathaway is a charismatic, appealing role model with a sharp sense of comic timing, and Andrews-who came to stardom as the object of a makeover supreme in My Fair Lady on Broadway-is at her regal best, whether teaching Mia the proper royal wave or learning how to eat a corndog. Both leading ladies are complemented by a finely tuned cast, including Hector Elizondo as Genovia's head of security (and romantic counterpart to Andrews), Heather Matarazzo as Mia's best pal, and Robert Schwartzman as the good guy who ultimately wins Mia's heart. All in all, this is a royal pleasure. -Mark Englehart, Amazon. [+]

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. [+]

Okay, sure, if you're a ten-year-old girl, this sequel to Disney's 2001 hit will completely transfix you. How could it not? Bubbly Mia (Anne Hathaway), the American teenager who in the first film learned she was actually European royalty, finishes college and-whoosh!-heads off to Genovia, where she's given a closet full of fabulous clothes and jewelry in preparation to rule the kingdom under the tutelage of grandmother Julie Andrews. Throw in a horse and a volatile but innocent romantic attraction to the dreamy young stud (Chris Pine) who's also vying for the throne, and you have the kind of stuff that prepubescent girls rhapsodize about at slumber parties. Oh-and there's a slumber party here, too, featuring a bevy of cute, international young princesses mattress-surfing down a giant slide. Resistance is futile. For the rest of us, though, director Garry Marshall has managed to make his Laverne & Shirley days seem positively Shakespearean in comparison. The movie is precious, padded (two hours!), and pandering twaddle; Andrews, in her role as Queen Mother, is even shoehorned into a faux-hip-hop duet with Disney Channel favorite Raven (one of many, many grueling moments intended to sell the soundtrack). Then the film takes a maddening left turn three-quarters of the way into the plot and decides that, despite all the preceding consumption and connubial fantasies to the contrary, it's really about feminine emancipation. But don't worry-what causes you to smack your forehead in frustration will go right over the heads of its hypnotized target market. -Steve Wiecking.