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Review Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainm / Robin Hood [1973]
Actors & Directors
  • Wolfgang Reitherman
Release date: 2007-05-07
Run time: 80 min.
RRP: £17.99
Price: £9.82

Review Robin Hood [1973] / Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainm:


Review Walt Disney / The Aristocats Special Edition [1970]
Actors & Directors
  • Eva Gabor
  • Phil Harris
  • Wolfgang Reitherman
Release date: 2008-02-04
Run time: 76 min.
Creator: Robert B. Sherman
RRP: £19.99
Price: £9.93

Review The Aristocats Special Edition [1970] / Walt Disney:

Often forgotten about in the Disney back catalogue, The Aristocats is actually a fun, lively feline adventure, with plenty of zest and some terrific tunes too. Arriving in the wake of The Jungle Book, it's not vintage Disney, but it still sets itself a high standard. The Aristocats is set in France in 1910, and tells the tale of a high society cat and her trio of kittens who are dumped into the backstreets of Paris by an angry Butler when they inherit a fortune from their owner. Here, they're soon befriended by Thomas O'Malley (voiced by the unforgettable Phil Harris, who also lent his tones to Baloo in The Jungle Book) and a wild cast of characters, and it's as much a cue as is needed for some jazzy tunes, fast-paced animation and a fun family adventure. As the last film to have been supervised by Walt Disney before his death, The Aristocats inevitably has a significant place in the back catalogue at Disney HQ. Yet many still overlook it, and that's a real shame. There are well-realised Parisian locations, a good few chuckles, and a genuinely strong soundtrack that'll stick in your head long after the credits have rolled. It's good, too, to see Disney finally give the film the special edition it richly deserves. -Simon Brew.

Review Paramount Home Entertainment / The Spiderwick Chronicles [2008]
Actors & Directors
  • Seth Rogen
  • David Strathairn
  • Mark Waters
  • Freddie Highmore
  • Martin Short
Release date: 2008-07-14
Run time: 92 min.
RRP: £19.99
Price: £9.98

Review The Spiderwick Chronicles [2008] / Paramount Home Entertainment:

A very good adaptation of the popular series of books by Tony DiTerllizi and Holly Black, The Spiderwick Chronicles is one of the few family films in recent years to seamlessly integrate magical elements with a potent drama that will strike a chord with many kids. An exceptionally talented Freddie Highmore (Charlie & the Chocolate Factory) plays twin brothers Jared and Simon Grace, caught up in their parents' divorce and coping with a decision by their mother (Mary-Louise Parker) to uproot the boys and their sister, Mallory (Sarah Bolger) from New York City to a small town. There, the broken family moves into a spooky old mansion passed on to them by the kids' great-aunt, Lucinda (Joan Plowright), who is spending her twilight years in managed care and whose scientist father, Arthur Spiderwick (David Strathairn), disappeared some 80 years ago. Jared, angry, defiant, and determined to live with the father who seems to have abandoned him, investigates strange happenings and discovers Arthur's secret notations on fairies, ogres, and other mythical creatures that live both in and outside the house. Having no idea where his curiosity is leading, Jared soon finds that he and his family are under siege from goblins and a powerful ogre (Nick Nolte) who wants Arthur's notebook. Suddenly, the boy who is a lightning rod for a troubled family becomes a resourceful warrior intent on saving his loved ones from powerful forces. The Spiderwick Chronicles benefits enormously from a script (partially written by John Sayles) that treats, quite seriously, the emotional pain of its human characters and makes Jared's will to survive the very real engine of an otherwise fantastic story. It helps, too, that director Mark Waters, who brings a warm and knowing touch to outlandish material (Freaky Friday), has a way of making the spectacular elements of The Spiderwick Chronicles genuine enough to stir real excitement and suspense. This is one of the better film adaptations of best-selling fiction for kids in some years. -Tom Keogh.

Review Warner Home Video / Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix [HD DVD] [2007]
Actors & Directors
  • Ralph Fiennes
  • Daniel Radcliffe
  • Rupert Grint
  • Emma Watson
Release date: 2007-11-12
Run time: 132 min.
RRP: £27.99
Price: £2.99

Review Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix [HD DVD] [2007] / Warner Home Video:

While many movie franchises slide as they reach their later instalments, the Harry Potter films just keep getting better. The latest, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is easily the darkest of the series to date, and it's also one of the best. For while it could easily have been little more than a holding film to set up the big encounters to come in the last two instalments of the series, it's to the credit of British director David Yates that the end result is really very good. It finds Harry coming under suspicion from his wizarding colleagues, who don't believe his claims that the evil Lord Voldermort has returned. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix thus finds its title character on the backfoot for much of its running time, with a select band who firmly believe his story, and very powerful figures who don't. Where the movie of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix excels though is in its three trump cards. Number one is a far tighter script than we're used to with Potter films, which, combined with trump card number two-the aforementioned David Yates behind the camera-cuts much of the slavish loyalty to the text away in favour of a film with real momentum. The third, and best, card though is the casting of Imelda Staunton as Professor Dolores Umbridge, who simply flies away with every scene she's in. It's a superb performance, and the film is poorer whenever she's not on screen. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is not a film without a few problems, certainly: it's a fair criticism that not too much actually happens, and one or two bits feel superfluous. [+]
But it overrides its problems with ease, to emerge as a compelling, highly enjoyable family film, which will leave you salivating for the Christmas 2008 release of movie number six in the series. -Simon Brew.

Review Optimum Home Entertainment / Son Of Rambow [2007]
Actors & Directors
  • Jessica Stevenson
  • Garth Jennings
  • Will Poulter
  • Jules Sitruck
  • Bill Milner
  • Charlie Thrift
Release date: 2008-08-11
Run time: 91 min.
RRP: £19.99
Price: £10.78

Review Son Of Rambow [2007] / Optimum Home Entertainment:

The clue to what Son Of Rambow is about is all in the title, minus that W, of course (which presumably keeps the lawyers at bay). For it's the story of two young boys who, after watching Sylvester Stallone in action, decide that they can make a home movie addition to the Rambo saga, and ultimately set about to do just that. This proves to be an inspired platform for one of the best British comedies of recent years. Directed by Garth Jennings (who also helmed the big screen adaptation of The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy), Son Of Rambow is actually at heart the exploration of a friendship between two young boys in the 1980s, and the highs and lows that go along with it. Most, but not all, of the chuckles come from the reimagining of Rambo (replete with stunts and plenty of action), but Son Of Rambow also packs in some poignant, affecting drama without ever feeling like it's in any way overstaying its welcome. And with a musical backing that catches the flavour of the 80s pretty much perfectly, this is a treat of a movie, and a very British one at that. Don't miss it. -Jon Foster.

Review Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / Matilda - Special Edition [1996]
Actors & Directors
  • Pam Ferris
  • Danny De Vito
  • Danny De Vito
  • Mara Wilson
  • Jon Lovitz
  • Rhea Perlman
Release date: 2004-06-21
Run time: 94 min.
RRP: £15.99
Price: £3.85

Review Matilda - Special Edition [1996] / Sony Pictures Home Entertainment:

Danny DeVito's adaptation of the Roald Dahl book for children is mostly just fine, helped along quite a bit by the charming performance of Mara Wilson (Mrs Doubtfire) as the eponymous young Matilda, a brilliant girl neglected by her stupid, self-involved parents (DeVito and Rhea Perlman). Ignored at home, Matilda escapes into a world of reading, exercising her mind so much she develops telekinetic powers. Good thing, too: sent off to a school headed by a cruel principal, Matilda needs all the help she can get. DeVito takes a highly stylized approach that is sometimes reminiscent of Barry Sonnenfeld (director of Get Shorty, a DeVito production), and his judgement is not the best in some matters, such as letting the comic-scary sequences involving the principal go on too long. But much of the film is delightful and funny. -Tom Keogh.

Review 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment / Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (Limited Edition, Includes Theatrical Version) [1977]
Actors & Directors
  • Carrie Fisher
  • Harrison Ford
  • Peter Cushing
  • David Prowse
  • Mark Hamill
  • George Lucas
Release date: 2006-09-11
Run time: 120 min.
RRP: £22.99
Price: £5.98

Review Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (Limited Edition, Includes Theatrical Version) [1977] / 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment:


Review Dreamworks Home Entertainment / Shrek The Third (Shrek 3)
Actors & Directors
  • Justin Timberlake
  • Seth Rogen
  • Mike Myers
  • Eddie Murphy
  • Cameron Diaz
Release date: 2007-11-26
Run time: 89 min.
RRP: £19.99
Price: £3.99

Review Shrek The Third (Shrek 3) / Dreamworks Home Entertainment:

It's not easy being an ogre, but Shrek finds it doubly difficult for an ogre like himself to fill in for a king when his father-in-law King Harold of Far, Far Away falls ill in this third Shrek movie. Shrek's attempts to fulfill his kingly duties play like a blooper reel, with boat christenings and knighting ceremonies gone terribly wrong, and to say that Shrek (Mike Myers) is insecure about his new role is a gross understatement. When King Harold (John Cleese) passes away, Shrek sets out with Donkey (Eddie Murphy) and Puss-in-Boots (Antonio Banderas) to find Arthur (Justin Timberlake), the only heir in line for the throne besides himself. Just as Shrek sets sail to find Artie (as Arthur is more commonly known), Fiona (Cameron Diaz) shocks Shrek with the news that she's pregnant. Soon after, Prince Charming (Rupert Everett) sends Captain Hook (Ian McShane) in pursuit of Shrek and imprisons Fiona and her fellow Princesses as part of his plan to install himself as King of Far, Far Away. Shrek finds an awkward Artie jousting with his high school classmate Lancelot (John Krasinski) and, while Artie is certainly no picture of kingliness, Shrek is determined to drag him back to Far, Far Away to assume the throne. Mishaps and comedy abound, including a spell gone wrong that locks Donkey and Puss-in-Boots inside one another's bodies. While Fiona and the other Princesses prove they're anything but helpless women, Artie and Shrek battle their own fears of inadequacy in a struggle to discover their own self-worth. In the end, Shrek, Artie, and Fiona each learn a lot about their individual strengths and what truly makes each of them happy. Of course, it's the pervasive humour and wit that make Shrek 3 so side-splittingly appealing. [+]
-Tami Horiuchi.

Review Universal / E.T. - The Extra Terrestrial [Special Edition]
Actors & Directors
  • Peter Coyote
  • Henry Thomas
  • Drew Barrymore
  • Dee Wallace Stone
  • Steven Spielberg
Release date: 2005-07-04
Run time: 115 min.
RRP: £12.99
Price: £4.78

Review E.T. - The Extra Terrestrial [Special Edition] / Universal:

Steven Spielberg's 1982 hit about a stranded alien and his loving relationship with a fatherless boy (Henry Thomas) struck a chord with audiences everywhere, and it furthered Spielberg's reputation as a director of equally strong commercial sensibilities and classical leanings. Henry Thomas gives a strong, emotional performance as E. T. 's young friend, Robert MacNaughton and Drew Barrymore make a solid impression as his siblings, and Dee Wallace is lively as the kids' mother. The special effects almost look a bit quaint now with all the computer advancements that have occurred since, but they also have more heart behind them than a lot of what we see today. -Tom Keogh.

Review Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainm / Dumbo (Special Edition) [1941]
Actors & Directors
  • Ben Sharpsteen
Release date: 2007-05-07
Run time: 64 min.
RRP: £17.99
Price: £7.63

Review Dumbo (Special Edition) [1941] / Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainm:


Review Warner Home Video / Happy Feet [2006]
Actors & Directors
  • George Miller
Release date: 2007-03-26
Run time: 104 min.
RRP: £17.99
Price: £2.69

Review Happy Feet [2006] / Warner Home Video:

For anyone who thought the Oscar-winning documentary March of the Penguins was the most marvelous cinematic moment for these nomads of the south, you haven't seen nothing yet. Here's an animated wonder about a penguin named Mumble who can't sing, but can dance up a storm. George Miller, the driving force behind the Babe (and Mad Max) movies, takes another creative step in family entertainment with this big, beautiful, music-fueled film that will have kids and their parents dancing in the streets. From his first moment alive, Mumble (voiced by Elijah Woods) feels the beat and can't stop dancing. Unfortunatly, emperor penguins are all about finding their own heart song, and dancing youngster-as cute as he is-is a misfit. Luckily, he bumps into little blue penguins, a Spanish-infused group (led by Robin Williams) and begins a series of adventures. Miller has an exceptional variety of entertainment, Busby Berkley musical numbers, amusement park thrills, exciting chase sequences (seals and orca lovers might like think otherwise), and even an environmental message that doesn't weigh you down. Best of all, you don't know where the movie is going in the last act, a rare occurrence these days in family entertainment. A fusion of rock songs, mashed up and otherwise are featured; this movie is as much a musical as a comedy. Mumble's solo dance to a new version of Stevie Wonder's "I Wish" by Fantasia, Patti and Yolanda may be the most joyful moment on camera in 2006. [+]
-Doug Thomas.

Review Walt Disney Home Video / Winnie The Pooh - The Many Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh [1977]
Actors & Directors
  • Winnie The Pooh
Release date: 2002-08-12
Run time: 78 min.
RRP: £17.99
Price: £4.86

Review Winnie The Pooh - The Many Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh [1977] / Walt Disney Home Video:


Review Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainm / WALL-E (2 Disc Special Edition) [2008]
Actors & Directors
  • John Ratzenberger
  • Ben Burtt
  • Fred Willard
  • Jeff Garlin
  • Andrew Stanton
  • Elissa Knight
Release date: 2008-11-24
RRP: £20.99
Price: £12.98

Review WALL-E (2 Disc Special Edition) [2008] / Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainm:

Pixar genius reigns in this funny romantic comedy, which stars a robot who says absolutely nothing for a full 25 minutes yet somehow completely transfixes and endears himself to the audience within the first few minutes of the film. As the last robot left on earth, Wall-E (voiced by Ben Burtt) is one small robot-with a big, big heart-who holds the future of Earth and mankind squarely in the palm of his metal hand. He's outlasted all the "Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class" robots that were assigned some 700 years ago to clean up the environmental mess that man made of earth while man vacationed aboard the luxury spaceship Axiom. Wall-E has dutifully gone about his job compacting trash, the extreme solitude broken only by his pet cockroach, but he's developed some oddly human habits and ideas. When the Axiom sends its regularly scheduled robotic EVE probe (Elissa Knight) to earth, Wall-E is instantly smitten and proceeds to try to impress EVE with his collection of human memorabilia. EVE's directive compels her to bring Wall-E's newly collected plant sprout to the captain of the Axiom and Wall-E follows in hot pursuit. Suddenly, the human world is turned upside down and the Captain (Jeff Garlin) joins forces with Wall-E and a cast of other misfit robots to lead the now lethargic people back home to earth. Wall-E is a great family film with the most impressive aspect being the depth of emotion conveyed by a simple robot-a machine typically considered devoid of emotion, but made so absolutely touching by the magic of Pixar animation. Also well-worth admiring are the sweeping views from space, the creative yet disturbing vision of what strange luxuries a future space vacation might offer, and the innovative use of trash in a future cityscape. Underneath the slapstick comedy and touching love story is a poignant message about the folly of human greed and its potential effects on earth and the entire human race. [+]
-Tami Horiuchi, Amazon. com.

Review Walt Disney / Little Mermaid (2 Disc Special Edition) [1989]
Release date: 2006-11-06
Run time: 80 min.
RRP: £21.99
Price: £12.99

Review Little Mermaid (2 Disc Special Edition) [1989] / Walt Disney:


Review Walt Disney Home Video / Toy Story - 10th Anniversary Edition [1995]
Actors & Directors
  • John Lasseter
  • Tim Allen
  • John Ratzenberger
  • Annie Potts
  • Jim Varney
  • Tom Hanks
Release date: 2005-11-28
Run time: 77 min.
RRP: £19.99
Price: £7.98

Review Toy Story - 10th Anniversary Edition [1995] / Walt Disney Home Video:


Review Buena Vista Home Entertainment / Monsters Inc. [2002]
Actors & Directors
  • Lee Unkrich
  • Billy Crystal
  • Mary Gibbs
  • David Silverman
  • Steve Buscemi
  • Peter Docter
  • Jennifer Tilly
  • John Goodman
Release date: 2002-09-07
Run time: 88 min.
RRP: £17.99
Price: £7.20

Review Monsters Inc. [2002] / Buena Vista Home Entertainment:

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. [+]
-Mark Walker.

Review Contender Entertainment Group / Peppa Pig - New Shoes And Other Stories [2005]
Actors & Directors
  • Peppa Pig
Release date: 2008-03-03
Run time: 51 min.
RRP: £12.99
Price: £3.37

Review Peppa Pig - New Shoes And Other Stories [2005] / Contender Entertainment Group:


Review Thomas and Friends / Thomas The Tank Engine - The Great Discovery [2008]
Release date: 2008-10-06
Run time: 61 min.
RRP: £12.99
Price: £8.98

Review Thomas The Tank Engine - The Great Discovery [2008] / Thomas and Friends:


Review 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment / The Simpsons Movie [2007]
Actors & Directors
  • Julie Kavner
  • Yeardley Smith
  • Harry Shearer
  • Dan Castellaneta
  • David Silverman
  • Nancy Cartwright
Release date: 2007-12-10
Run time: 83 min.
RRP: £19.99
Price: £3.00

Review The Simpsons Movie [2007] / 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment:

Racking up impressive box office numbers right across the globe, the arrival of The Simpsons Movie onto the big screen proved, for many, to be more than worth the wait. But with its DVD release, there's a compelling argument that Springfield's finest have come back to their natural home. The film itself is primarily Homer-centred, with the head of The Simpsons family seemingly consigning Springfield to certain doom when he dumps his waste where he shouldn't. But, in the true spirit of the show, the plot takes a relative back seat to the antics of America's first family. And it's those antics that offer the film's gold. As you'd hope, it boasts several laugh-out-loud moments, from visual gags (the rock and hard place being a favourite) through to the by-now infamous Spider-pig. There's not quite enough material to keep the chuckle counter going for the full duration of The Simpsons Movie, and the criticism that it's effectively three episodes strung together has some truth to it. But you'd still be hard-pushed to complain for one key reason: The Simpsons Movie is grand entertainment, with plenty of rewatch potential. So while you can add us to the queue of people who wanted more Mr Burns, and while it doesn't quite measure up to some of the show's best episodes, The Simpsons Movie still delivers, and does it with some quality. And Spider-pig is a work of genius…-Jon Foster.

Review Disney / Camp Rock [2008]
Actors & Directors
  • Julie Brown
  • Daniel Fathers
  • Matthew Diamond
  • Demi Lovato
  • Jonas Brothers
  • Maria Canals
Release date: 2008-12-01
RRP: £15.99
Price: £11.98

Review Camp Rock [2008] / Disney:


Browse Children's DVD:

Models & Brands:
Robin Hood [1973], The Aristocats Special Edition [1970], The Spiderwick Chronicles [2008], Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix [HD DVD] [2007], Son Of Rambow [2007], Matilda - Special Edition [1996], Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (Limited Edition, Includes Theatrical Version) [1977], Shrek The Third (Shrek 3), E.T. - The Extra Terrestrial [Special Edition], Dumbo (Special Edition) [1941], Happy Feet [2006], Winnie The Pooh - The Many Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh [1977], WALL-E (2 Disc Special Edition) [2008], Little Mermaid (2 Disc Special Edition) [1989], Toy Story - 10th Anniversary Edition [1995], Monsters Inc. [2002], Peppa Pig - New Shoes And Other Stories [2005], Thomas The Tank Engine - The Great Discovery [2008], The Simpsons Movie [2007], Camp Rock [2008]

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