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Review Walt Disney Home Video / 101 Dalmatians - Live Action [1996]
Actors & Directors
  • Jeff Daniels
  • Hugh Laurie
  • Joan Plowright
  • Joely Richardson
  • Glenn Close
  • Stephen Herek
Release date: 2001-09-10
Run time: 106 min.
RRP: £17.99
Price: £4.97

Review 101 Dalmatians - Live Action [1996] / Walt Disney Home Video:

It's hard to know who thought it would be a good idea to make a live-action version of Disney's animated classic. The one bright notion anyone had was casting Glenn Close as Disney Übervillainess Cruella de Vil; her flashing eyes and angular features are a perfect match and do credit to what is one of the most indelible animated characters Disney has ever created. The story remains essentially the same, focusing on Cruella's plot to kidnap the puppies of a young married couple (Jeff Daniels and Jolie Richardson) and make them into a coat. But the dreaded John Hughes, who wrote this script, fills it with sadistic slapstick and far too few genuine laughs. The human actors work hard, but to little avail; thankfully, there's a posse of puppies to regularly steal scenes when the going gets dreary-although there are only so many laughs to be had from inappropriate dog puddles. -Marshall Fine, Amazon. com.

Review Lace / Roman Mysteries - The Complete Series One [2007]
Actors & Directors
  • Paul Marcus
  • Simon Callow
Release date: 2008-07-07
Run time: 280 min.
RRP: £15.99
Price: £6.11

Review Roman Mysteries - The Complete Series One [2007] / Lace:


Review Uca / Bicentennial Man [1999]
Actors & Directors
  • Chris Columbus
  • Lynne Thigpen
  • John Michael Higgins
  • Robin Williams
  • Sam Neill
  • Stephen Root
Release date: 2006-03-06
Run time: 127 min.
RRP: £5.99
Price: £3.93

Review Bicentennial Man [1999] / Uca:


Review Hit Entertainment / The Wiggles - Hoop Dee Doo / Wiggly Wiggly World
Actors & Directors
  • The Wiggles
  • Rolf Harris
Release date: 2005-09-12
Run time: 122 min.
RRP: £12.99
Price: £4.28

Review The Wiggles - Hoop Dee Doo / Wiggly Wiggly World / Hit Entertainment:


Review MGM Entertainment / Chitty Chitty Bang Bang [1968]
Actors & Directors
  • Gert Fröbe
  • Lionel Jeffries
  • Sally Ann Howes
  • Ken Hughes
  • Dick Van Dyke
  • Anna Quayle
Release date: 2000-02-01
Run time: 136 min.
RRP: £19.99
Price: £2.99

Review Chitty Chitty Bang Bang [1968] / MGM Entertainment:

This re-mastered, pan-and-scan 30th-anniversary edition of that kiddie-car caper is flawed but solid family fare. It retains a quaint charm while some of the songs-including the title tune-are quite hummable. A huge plus is Dick Van Dyke, who is extremely appealing as an eccentric inventor around the turn of the century. With nimble fingers and a unique way of looking at the world, he invents for his children a magic car that floats and flies. Or does he? The special effects are tame by today's standards, and the film is about 20 minutes too long-but its enthusiasm charms. The script was cowritten by Roald Dahl and based on the novel by Ian Fleming, best known for his James Bond adventures. -Rochelle O'Gorman Chitty Chitty Bang Bang entranced and thrilled children and their parents when it puttered into the cinema in 1968. More than three decades later, and despite the eventual arrival of a stage version that throws the full weight of blockbuster effects at the story, the original remains the real thing for fans of all ages. The flying car is the star and it's impossible not to feel a surge of thrilling relief as the wings kick in when she plunges over the cliff and soars off on her great adventure. The songs might not be the greatest in musical history, but they are delivered with great charm by Dick Van Dyke as Caractacus Potts (a toned-down version of his infamous Bert in Mary Poppins), Sally Ann Howes (Truly Scrumptious) and the children. [+]
And then there is Robert Helpmann's child catcher, a terrifyingly sinister figure who exudes a pungent whiff of undiluted evil unmatched by any character since Dorothy squared up to the witch in The Wizard of Oz. Cameos from British character actors abound: Benny Hill, Lionel Jeffries, Anna Quayle, James Robertson Justice and Max Wall all put in appearances that add some fibre to the overall sweetness of the story. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is the ultimate nostalgic confection for family viewing. On the DVD: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Special Edition comes to DVD in widescreen format with a Dolby soundtrack to recreate the authentic cinematic experience for everyone who remembers it from the first time round. The picture quality is robust, revealing some rather homespun aspects to the special effects. Extras are dominated by Dick Van Dyke remembering his time on the film, plus a short item on the origins of the car itself and various trailers. -Piers Ford.

Review Little Einsteins / Little Einsteins Vol.2 - Team Up for Adventure [2006]
Release date: 2007-09-03
Run time: 69 min.
RRP: £11.99
Price: £4.13

Review Little Einsteins Vol.2 - Team Up for Adventure [2006] / Little Einsteins:

Classical music and famous artwork might not sound like the most promising recipe for a children's show, but this trio of Little Einsteins episodes makes music and art exciting and accessible to children ages two to seven. Little Einsteins' Leo, Annie, Quincy and June are known for their world-traversing missions, but "How We Became the Little Einsteins" tells the story of how a small rocket ship hanging from Leo's cot mobile initially inspired the group's first mission. Naturally, that mission takes the group around the world, exposing them to the music of Antonin Dvorak and the art of John Singer Sargent, and acquainting them with important musical concepts like high and low and accelerando. "I Love to Conduct" follows a bald eagle with Leo's baton in its clutches to Washington, exploring the art of Edward Hicks and the music of Edvard Grieg along the way as well as encountering musical terms like crescendo and diminuendo. "Rocket Safari" takes the group to Africa where Rocket gets stuck between the rocks of a waterfall. The gang follows a real "Flight of the Bumblebee" (music by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov), learning about fortissimo and pianissimo, and enlists the help of a host of animals including a rhinoceros by Albrecht Durer to free their friend Rocket. Little Einstein productions effectively blend computer animation and live action photography and always encourage audience participation by inviting young viewers to clap, conduct and sing along. -Tami Horiuchi.

Review Warner Home Video / Speed Racer [2008]
Actors & Directors
  • Larry Wachowski
  • Matthew Fox
  • Christina Ricci
  • John Goodman
  • Emile Hirsch
  • Andy Wachowski
  • Susan Sarandon
Release date: 2008-11-10
Run time: 130 min.
RRP: £15.99
Price: £7.98

Review Speed Racer [2008] / Warner Home Video:


Review 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment / Horton Hears A Who (Single Disc Edition) [2008]
Actors & Directors
  • Steve Martino
  • Steve Carell
  • Seth Rogen
  • Jim Carrey
  • Jimmy Hayward
Release date: 2008-10-20
Run time: 83 min.
RRP: £19.99
Price: £12.98

Review Horton Hears A Who (Single Disc Edition) [2008] / 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment:

Dr. Seuss's classic 1954 book Horton Hears a Who has entertained generations of children and served as the inspiration for a 26-minute, 1970 television special Dr. Seuss's Horton Hears a Who and the 2000 Broadway musical "Seussical: The Musical". This 2008, full-length animated movie features the voice talents of Jim Carrey as Horton, Steve Carrell as the Mayor of Whoville, Carol Burnett as the Kangaroo, and Jesse McCartney as JoJo and promises to delight a whole new generation of children and their parents and grandparents. The technological wonders of computer animation have allowed 20th Century Fox Animation to bring to life the wacky, colourful Whoville with its minute inhabitants and the lush Jungle of Nool with its host of distinctive animals and the result is a rich, fantastical world of wonder worthy of Dr. Seuss' own imagination. All the major plot elements of Dr. Seuss' book are present, with Horton hearing the faint cry for help from a tiny dust speck atop a small clover and doing his best to protect the inhabitants of that small civilization of Whoville despite the disbelief, disdain, and persecution of his fellow animals. The feel of Dr. Seuss' original rhyming prose is partially preserved in the sparse narration by Charles Osgood that's interspersed throughout the film's dialogue and the overarching themes of staying true to one's convictions and the celebration of the power of perseverance, imagination, and kindness come through loud and clear. [+]
Horton Hears a Who is a fun rendering of a classic Dr. Seuss story that's sure to entertain viewers of all ages. -Tami Horiuchi, Amazon. com.

Review Paramount / Over The Hedge [2006]
Actors & Directors
  • Tim Johnson
  • Karey Kirkpatrick
Release date: 2006-12-04
Run time: 80 min.
RRP: £19.99
Price: £2.49

Review Over The Hedge [2006] / Paramount:

The manicured lawns and overstuffed garbage cans of suburbia become a buffet for woodland creatures in Over the Hedge. A self-centered raccoon named RJ (voiced by Bruce Willis, Die Hard) steals and accidentally destroys the hoard of an angry bear (Nick Nolte, 48 Hours), who gives the raccoon a week to replace it. RJ despairs-until he meets an odd gang of foragers, ranging from a turtle named Verne (Garry Shandling, The Larry Sanders Show), a father/daughter duo of opossums (the bizarre pairing of William Shatner and pop singer Avril Lavigne), a family of porcupines (with A Mighty Wind's Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara as the parents), and a hyperactive squirrel named Hammy (Steve Carell, The 40 Year Old Virgin). By convincing these friendly beasts that the suburban homesteads on the other side of a recently erected hedge are a mother-lode of cast-off food, RJ hopes to dupe them into doing his gathering. But when the suburban residents realise they've been invaded by woodland pests, an exterminator is called to take care of the problem. The overarching storyline of Over the Hedge is pure formula-your basic "family matters more than anything" lesson-but moment to moment, the movie is delightfully crisp and clever. The animation is topnotch, the acting is excellent (other voices include those of Allison Janney, The West Wing, and Thomas Haden Church, Sideways), and the satirical jabs at consumerism are actually funny. An above-average animated movie. -Bret Fetzer.

Review Optimum Home Entertainment / Swallows and Amazons
Actors & Directors
  • Claude Whatham
Release date: 2006-08-21
RRP: £12.99
Price: £3.98

Review Swallows and Amazons / Optimum Home Entertainment:


Review Walt Disney Home Video / The Lion King (2 Disc Special Edition) [1994]
Actors & Directors
  • Jonathan Taylor Thomas
  • James Earl Jones
  • Moira Kelly
  • Rob Minkoff
  • Jeremy Irons
  • Roger Allers
  • Matthew Broderick
Release date: 2003-10-31
Run time: 85 min.
RRP: £22.99
Price: £49.50

Review The Lion King (2 Disc Special Edition) [1994] / Walt Disney Home Video:

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 second disc is organised by 20-minute-ish "journeys" tackling the elements of story, music and so on, including good background on the awkward Shakespearean origins at Disney where it was referred as "Bamlet". The most interesting journey follows the landmark stage production, and the kids should be transfixed by shots of the real African wildlife in the animal journey. Three deleted segments are real curios, including an opening lyric for "Hakuna Matata". Most set-top DVD games are usually pretty thin (DVD-ROM is where it's at), but the Safari game is an exception-the kids should love the roaring animals (in 5. 1 Surround, no less). One serious demerit is the needless and complicated second navigation system that is listed by continent but just shows the same features reordered. -Doug Thomas.

Review Warner Home Video / Charlie & The Chocolate Factory (2 Disc Deluxe Edition) [2005]
Actors & Directors
  • Freddie Highmore
  • David Kelly
  • Johnny Depp
  • Tim Burton
  • Helena Bonham Carter
  • Noah Taylor
Release date: 2005-11-21
Run time: 110 min.
RRP: £24.99
Price: £1.99

Review Charlie & The Chocolate Factory (2 Disc Deluxe Edition) [2005] / Warner Home Video:

Director Tim Burton's take on Roald Dahl's classic story is undeniably more faithful to the source material than the 1975 musical retelling of the same story. His Charlie & The Chocolate Factory is also a slightly darker, visually inventive film, and is ultimately a tasty treat that the whole family can enjoy. Filling the coat of Willy Wonka is frequent Burton collaborator Johnny Depp-the pair have previously worked together on the likes of Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood and Sleepy Hollow-and what fun he clearly had. His Wonka is a kooky, isolated figure, extremely distrusting and clearly uncomfortable around the children who win a golden ticket to look round his factory. Burton invests time in his main character, giving him a rounded back story that pays dividends, and while some will inevitably prefer Gene Wilder's edgier take on the same role all those years ago, Depp nonetheless is on strong form. The cast around him also perform well, particularly Freddie Highmore in the title role. The story is as you'll likely remember it, with five children given the chance to visit Willy Wonka's mysterious chocolate factory. And what a visual treat that factory is, bursting with colour and vibrancy. Along the way, they encounter chocolate lakes, industrious squirrels and the infamous oompa loompas, and truthfully, it's fun to be along for the ride. Is it better than that aforementioned 1975 version? Actually, it's just different. [+]
Each film will no doubt have its legion of fans, but the bottom line here is that Roald Dahl's classic has provided the source for an enjoyable, well pitched movie with plenty of rewatch value. Now if only they'd go and film Charlie & The Great Glass Elevator…-Simon Brew.

Review Charlie and Lola / Charlie And Lola : The Absolutely Complete Series 1 (4 DVD Set In Tin Lunchbox Gift Set)
Release date: 2006-11-13
Run time: 300 min.
RRP: £34.99
Price: £25.18

Review Charlie And Lola : The Absolutely Complete Series 1 (4 DVD Set In Tin Lunchbox Gift Set) / Charlie and Lola:


Review Paramount Home Entertainment / Sabrina The Teenage Witch - Series 3
Actors & Directors
  • Melissa Joan Hart
Release date: 2008-09-15
Run time: 521 min.
RRP: £24.99
Price: £13.98

Review Sabrina The Teenage Witch - Series 3 / Paramount Home Entertainment:

Accepting one's own strengths and weaknesses and feeling comfortable with oneself is a difficult process for any teenager and Sabrina the Teenage Witch is no exception. In season three, Sabrina (Melissa Joan Hart) finally earns her witches license, but finds out she can't actually use it until she discovers a hidden family secret. Thus begins a procession of distant relatives from the other realm who offer important clues to Sabrina's family's secret. Along the way Sabrina learns some important lessons about romance, laughing at oneself, self-confidence, the evils of gambling and the power of addiction, superficial versus inner beauty, and the importance of family and telling the truth. Sabrina's witch aunts Hilda (Caroline Rhea) and Zelda (Beth Broderick) and their talking cat Salem (voiced by Nick Bakay) always offer their support and guidance in their own quirky, though sometimes questionable ways while Sabrina's best friend Valerie (Lindsay Sloane) and boyfriend Harvey (Nate Richert) provide the peer support Sabrina needs to mature and thrive in the mortal world. Add in Sabrina's always scheming school nemesis Libby (Jenna Leigh Green) and her vice-principal turned Aunt Zelda's suitor Mr. Kraft (Martin Mull) for 25 episodes of teenage fun, angst, humor, and drama. Sabrina's family secret is finally revealed in the final episode and it could just be life-changing for the whole family. Especially notable are the Halloween episode "Good Will Haunting" which is packed with guest artists including Gary Owens, Ruth Buzzi, David Madden, Alan Sues, Joanne Worley, Corbin Allred, and Tara Charendoff; the Christmas episode "Christmas Amnesia" in which Sabrina realizes just how much those seemingly silly Christmas traditions really mean to her; the final family reunion episode set in Hawaii, "Silent Movie" which is a parody of the old-time silent movies; and "Sabrina's Real World" which is a tongue-in-cheek salute to modern day reality programs. Other famous guest appearances include N'Sync in "Sabrina and the Pirates," Jerry Springer and Julia Duffy in "Mr. [+]
Kraft," Alex Rocco in "Sabrina's Real World," and Michelle Kwan in "Sabrina the Teenage Writer. " (Ages 8 and older) -Tami Horiuchi.

Review MGM Entertainment / Hans Christian Andersen [1952]
Actors & Directors
  • Zizi Jeanmaire
  • Danny Kaye
  • Farley Granger
Release date: 2005-03-14
Run time: 108 min.
RRP: £12.99
Price: £2.92

Review Hans Christian Andersen [1952] / MGM Entertainment:


Review Paramount Home Entertainment / Shrek the Halls [2007]
Actors & Directors
  • Antonio Banderas
  • Eddie Murphy
  • Gary Trousdale
  • Cameron Diaz
  • Mike Meyers
Release date: 2008-11-03
Run time: 22 min.
RRP: £7.99
Price: £5.99

Review Shrek the Halls [2007] / Paramount Home Entertainment:


Review Contender Entertainment Group / The Complete Bod [1975]
Actors & Directors
  • Maggie Henderson
  • John Le Mesurier
Release date: 2007-09-24
Run time: 111 min.
RRP: £5.99
Price: £2.62

Review The Complete Bod [1975] / Contender Entertainment Group:

Those who remember the children's animation Bod from the 13 episodes broadcast by the BBC in 1975 generally recall, with considerable precision, not stories but images. This is because the stories that constitute Bod, created by Joanne and Michael Cole, are mere wisps of narrative, in which, almost always, almost nothing happens (in "Bod and the Cake", for example, no cake arrives), serene anti-dramas which are elusive and thus hard to remember as stories. Its images, by contrast, are the heart of its minimalist charm and its unforgettable strangeness, from narrator John Le Mesurier's unvarying announcement, "Here comes Bod", to the moment the unvarying fivefold cast sashay towards the horizon at the end. Bod is small and bald, with a yellow dress and a Buddha-like imperturbability. He and his four eternal companions-Aunt Flo, Farmer Barleymow, Frank the Postman, PC Copper-are animated as sparely as a 60s cartoon from the Eastern bloc. In each episode, the five gather one by one, each arriving to their own characteristic perky jazz-folky theme, in their own characteristic gait (indeed, like a zen riddle, the walk itself is far more important than where they're walking to, or why). Some viewers consider the cartoon's mysterious pastoral stillness alarming, as if something terrible were going on that we're never told about or shown-"Waiting for Bodot", as it were-but most found its calmness both beguiling and addictive. As in the original Watch with Mother format, Bod is paired with Alberto Frog and his Amazing Animal Band (in which an all-animal orchestra plays the classics, then guesses what flavour milkshake their frog conductor will reward himself with). Who knows how tots so exposed to the over-active kids-fare of today will respond, but the grown-ups in their charge will find The Complete Bod soothing, seductive and bizarre. -Honey Glass On the DVD: the DVD contains all 13 episodes of Bod. [+]
Five of these are extended, as originally broadcast, to feature animal identification games, counting songs, Bod snap and Alberto Frog and his Amazing Animal Band.

Review Looney Tunes / Looney Tunes Golden Collection
Release date: 2004-10-18
Run time: 413 min.
RRP: £40.99
Price: £13.57

Review Looney Tunes Golden Collection / Looney Tunes:


Review Paramount Home Entertainment / Spongebob The Movie
Actors & Directors
  • Spongebob Squarepants
  • Clancy Brown
  • Bill Fagerbakke
  • Stephen Hillenburg
  • Tom Kenny
  • Roger Bumpass
Release date: 2005-05-16
Run time: 83 min.
RRP: £17.99
Price: £3.28

Review Spongebob The Movie / Paramount Home Entertainment:

How many movies offer the rare spectacle of a parasailing pink starfish flying over a crowd with a congratulatory pennant clenched between his buttcheeks? And that's only the tip of the iceberg-The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie is a freewheeling goof of a cartoon, full of surreal twists as its diminutive heroes head down a dangerous road to rescue the lost crown of King Neptune. SpongeBob (voiced by Tom Kenny), an arrested adolescent in the mold of Pee-wee Herman, works at a fast-food restaurant that serves something called Krabby Patties (as the restaurant owner is himself a crab, it's not clear what exactly they're made of). His best friend Patrick Starfish (Bill Fagerbakke) lives under a rock and has an IQ in the lower digits. Still, their friendship carries them through many a tight spot as they strive for manliness. Anyone seeking a coherent world will be disappointed; in this undersea adventure, things catch on fire or seem to be surrounded by air whenever it's convenient for a gag. The jokes are often more silly than actually funny, but there's an undeniably energetic joviality to the proceedings. Featuring the voices of Scarlett Johansson, Jeffrey Tambor, Alec Baldwin, and a fully fleshed appearance by David Hasselhoff. -Bret Fetzer, Amazon. com.

Review David Bowie / Labyrinth (Anniversary Edition) [1986]
Actors & Directors
  • Jennifer Connelly
  • Jim Henson
  • David Bowie
Release date: 2007-10-01
Run time: 97 min.
RRP: £12.99
Price: £4.73

Review Labyrinth (Anniversary Edition) [1986] / David Bowie:


Browse Children's DVD:

Models & Brands:
101 Dalmatians - Live Action [1996], Roman Mysteries - The Complete Series One [2007], Bicentennial Man [1999], The Wiggles - Hoop Dee Doo / Wiggly Wiggly World, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang [1968], Little Einsteins Vol.2 - Team Up for Adventure [2006], Speed Racer [2008], Horton Hears A Who (Single Disc Edition) [2008], Over The Hedge [2006], Swallows and Amazons, The Lion King (2 Disc Special Edition) [1994], Charlie & The Chocolate Factory (2 Disc Deluxe Edition) [2005], Charlie And Lola : The Absolutely Complete Series 1 (4 DVD Set In Tin Lunchbox Gift Set), Sabrina The Teenage Witch - Series 3, Hans Christian Andersen [1952], Shrek the Halls [2007], The Complete Bod [1975], Looney Tunes Golden Collection, Spongebob The Movie, Labyrinth (Anniversary Edition) [1986]

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