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Review Universal Pictures UK / Heidi - Series 2
Actors & Directors
  • Katia Polletin
  • Nicholas Barnes
  • Brigitte Horney
  • Sonja Sutter
  • Katharina Böhm
Release date: 2005-03-07
Run time: 286 min.
Creator: Uta Geiger-Berlet
RRP: £14.99
Price: £4.98

Review Heidi - Series 2 / Universal Pictures UK:


Review Eureka Entertainment / The Buster Keaton Collection [1926]
Actors & Directors
  • Buster Keaton
  • Jim Farley
  • Glen Cavender
  • James W. Horne
  • Buster Keaton
  • Clyde Bruckman
  • Frederick Vroom
  • Charles Reisner
  • Marion Mack
Release date: 2001-10-08
Run time: 321 min.
Creator: Carl Harbaugh
RRP: £39.99
Price: £10.17

Review The Buster Keaton Collection [1926] / Eureka Entertainment:

Buster Keaton's 1926 masterpiece The General shows the great stone-faced comedian at the height of his powers. Buster is a train driver from the South who's caught up in the American Civil War. The film is basically an extended chase, with trains pursuing each other up the track. The level of stuntwork (including a huge train wreck) has to be seen to be believed, but it's the deftness and elegance of Keaton's comedy that is ultimately most memorable. For many, Buster Keaton is the greatest comedian of the silent era rated even above Chaplin, and College (1927) is one of his finest films. A poor student who has to work his way through college, Buster is desperate to win the attention of a pretty girl so takes up sports. Through every disaster, the great "stone face" as he was nicknamed betrays not a flicker of emotion, enduring all humiliations with aplomb. College shows Keaton at the top of his form. Steamboat Bill Jr dates from 1928 and is the last great film Buster Keaton made before he gave up his independence. Buster is the rather fey son of an elderly steamboat owner who is being driven out of business by a wealthy competitor. [+]
More by accident than intention Buster turns things around and gets the girl as well. The last 15 minutes are truly astonishing: a storm sequence in which a whole town is blown apart, with Buster experiencing a series of amazing escapes as buildings fall down around his ears. Tragically, the following year he lost his independence when he signed for MGM. His career collapsed, his marriage broke up and he became an alcoholic, never to regain former glories. On the DVD: The organ music accompanying this silent feature is pleasantly unobtrusive, and apart from a short section in the middle where it deteriorates, the print quality is a reasonable 4. 3. In addition there are five excellent Keaton shorts, One Week (1920), The Boat (1921) Cops (1922), The Blacksmith (1922) and The Balloonatic (1923). -Ed Buscombe.

Review Universal Pictures UK / Barbie As Rapunzel [2002]
Actors & Directors
  • Cree Summer
  • Anjelica Huston
  • Ian James Corlett
  • Kelly Sheridan
  • Mark Hildreth
  • Owen Hurley
Release date: 2002-09-30
Run time: 84 min.
Creator: Elana Lesser
RRP: £17.99
Price: £6.86

Review Barbie As Rapunzel [2002] / Universal Pictures UK:

Barbie as Rapunzel is an 80-minute video that will thrill children aged three to eight, following on from the success of Barbie in the Nutcracker. Barbie may have started life as a doll in the 1950s, but these days she's also making her name as a computer-animated film star. In a modern twist on the classic fairy tale, Barbie stars as Rapunzel-a courageous and imaginative princess who is locked away in a tower by the evil witch Gothel. With help from her friends (Penelope the cute purple dragon and Hobie the rabbit) and through the power of her own creative energies, she paints her way out of the tower to find freedom, truth and love. The video is visually impressive with dark and light colours used effectively to emphasise good and evil, allowing Barbie to be surrounded by her favourite soft pinks and purples. The well-known actress Angelica Huston is memorable as the vocal talent behind the unbalanced and scary Gothel. Excellent sound effects greatly enhance the film and Dvorak's New World Symphony played by the London Symphony Orchestra makes a pleasant change from films' current dependence on pop hits. Hugo the mighty dragon, Otto the nasty ferret and the sword fight between the feuding kings will hold the attention of those brothers of Barbie fans who are less than enthusiastic about watching this film, but essentially this is a little girl's film and the outrageously pink castle, the magical fashion show before the masked ball and the fairytale wedding will make it a firm favourite for its intended audience. -Tracey Hogan.

Review Warner Home Video / Tom And Jerry - Classic Collection - Vol. 6
Actors & Directors
  • Tom And Jerry
Release date: 2004-09-20
RRP: £12.99
Price: £4.92

Review Tom And Jerry - Classic Collection - Vol. 6 / Warner Home Video:


Review Avatar Last Airbender / Avatar - The Last Airbender: The Complete Book 3 Collection (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Release date: 2008-09-16
Run time: 519 min.
Price: £30.91

Review Avatar - The Last Airbender: The Complete Book 3 Collection (REGION 1) (NTSC) / Avatar Last Airbender:


Review Mr Bump Presents / The Mr Men Show - Mr. Bump Presents: Trains, Planes and Dillymobiles! [2008]
Actors & Directors
  • Simon Callow
  • Mark Risley
Release date: 2008-10-06
Run time: 56 min.
RRP: £12.99
Price: £7.82

Review The Mr Men Show - Mr. Bump Presents: Trains, Planes and Dillymobiles! [2008] / Mr Bump Presents:


Review 2 Entertain Video / Carry Me - Brum - Runaway Statue
Release date: 2007-06-11
Run time: 50 min.
RRP: £4.99
Price: £3.94

Review Carry Me - Brum - Runaway Statue / 2 Entertain Video:


Review Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainm / Chip N Dale - Rescue Rangers - First Collection - 3 Disc Set [1989]
Actors & Directors
  • Bob Zamboni
Release date: 2007-02-12
RRP: £11.99
Price: £5.57

Review Chip N Dale - Rescue Rangers - First Collection - 3 Disc Set [1989] / Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainm:

Chip 'n' Dale Rescue Rangers (1989) was the Disney Studio's second weekday afternoon syndicated-cartoon show. Like its predecessor, Ducktales (1987), the series began with a two-hour movie. Chip 'n' Dale Rescue Rangers to the Rescue was recut into the first episodes, which are not included in this set. Chip and Dale were originally pantomime characters who bedeviled Donald Duck and Pluto in two dozen short cartoons. Rescue Rangers recasts them as adventurers who solve mysteries and right wrongs. In addition to a voice, Chip gets a leather jacket and Indiana Jones-style fedora; Dale talks and sports a Hawaiian shirt. They're joined in their escapades by Monterey Jack, a large mouse with a prognathous jaw and a bad Crocodile Dundee accent; Gadget Hackwrench, the inevitable spunky girl/mouse; and Zipper, a housefly. The Rangers' adventures play like a mixture of Disney's The Rescuers and The Great Mouse Detective, with elements of Hanna-Barbera's Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? stirred in. Chip, Dale, and the other Rangers outwit criminal cats, mad scientists, and crooked mice. All of the far-fetched stories seem to feature the same slapstick chases, Rube Goldberg contraptions, and villains getting their rear ends chomped. [+]
Disney purists objected to turning the classic characters of Chip 'n' Dale into something they'd never been, but Gen-Y kids liked Rescue Rangers, which ran for 65 episodes. -Charles Solomon.

Review Spongebob Squarepants / Spongebob Squarepants - Series 3
Release date: 2007-12-03
Run time: 477 min.
RRP: £19.99
Price: £10.10

Review Spongebob Squarepants - Series 3 / Spongebob Squarepants:


Review Universal Pictures UK / Animal Farm [1955]
Actors & Directors
  • John Halas
  • Joy Batchelor
  • Gordon Heath
Release date: 2003-08-18
Run time: 70 min.
RRP: £15.99
Price: £4.30

Review Animal Farm [1955] / Universal Pictures UK:

A rare example of mainstream animation being used to tell a highly political story, Animal Farm retains its value as a vivid adaptation of George Orwell's classic novel. Characters were eliminated, certain elements of plot were simplified, and the book's gloomy ending was softened to offer a glimmer of hope, but Orwell's parable of the Russian revolution-retold as a revolt among not-so-equal barnyard animals-remains potently intact. As produced by the famous British animation studio run by John Halas and Joy Batchelor, this still-important 1954 film is anything but kiddie fare; it steadfastly avoids sentiment, and despite its slightly more upbeat ending this is still a story that involves exploitation, death, betrayal, and an inevitable uprising that goes a step beyond Orwell's pessimistic conclusion. With British actor Maurice Denham supplying all the voices and Gordon Heath providing newsreel-like narration, this economical, documentary-like telling of Orwell's tale was criticised for its "Disneyfied" style, but the animation is actually quite striking in its European influence and bold use of symbolism. It has aged, and some of its impact has been lost to the course of history, but it's an essential addition to any serious animation collection. Excellent commentary and a 30-minute "making of" featurette place this extraordinary milestone of British animation in proper historical context. -Jeff Shannon.

Review 4dvd / Merlin's Apprentice (Merlin 2)
Actors & Directors
  • Miranda Richardson
  • Sam Neill
Release date: 2006-04-17
Run time: 177 min.
RRP: £19.99
Price: £6.76

Review Merlin's Apprentice (Merlin 2) / 4dvd:


Review Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainm / The Young Black Stallion [2003]
Actors & Directors
  • Richard Romanus
  • Patrick Elyas
  • Simon Wincer
  • Gerard Rudolph
  • Biana Tamimi
Release date: 2005-03-28
Run time: 48 min.
RRP: £14.99
Price: £3.13

Review The Young Black Stallion [2003] / Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainm:


Review Mr. Men and Little Miss / Mr Men & Little Miss - 35th Anniversary Collectors Edition [2006]
Release date: 2006-08-21
Run time: 305 min.
RRP: £9.99
Price: £5.82

Review Mr Men & Little Miss - 35th Anniversary Collectors Edition [2006] / Mr. Men and Little Miss:


Review Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / Surf's Up [Blu-ray] [2007]
Actors & Directors
  • Shia LaBeouf
  • Ash Brannon
  • Jon Heder
  • Jeff Bridges
  • Chris Buck
Release date: 2007-12-10
Run time: 82 min.
RRP: £24.99
Price: £8.20

Review Surf's Up [Blu-ray] [2007] / Sony Pictures Home Entertainment:

Jeff Bridges, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Heder Surf's Up is a computer-animated sports mockumentary about penguin surfing contests, which makes it stand out from the crowd of penguin movies. The story unfolds as it would on any sports-channel on TV, with interviews (with penguins) overlapping footage of (penguin) surfing action, gradually unveiling the tale of Cody Maverick (voiced by Shia LaBeouf, Transformers), a young penguin from Antarctica with dreams of winning a surfing competition-a competition named after his idol, the missing Big Z (Jeff Bridges, The Big Lebowski). But when he joins the competition, Cody finds his zeal for winning may not be enough to defeat the cruel reigning champ, Tank Evans (Diedrich Bader, Grim & Evil). The story of Surf's Up is typical stuff: Youngster learns to value friendship over material success. But the documentary style gives the film a different rhythm from the usual feature-length cartoon; it stutters and skips around, dithers on side topics, and backtracks to catch up with supporting characters. Some viewers may be annoyed, but others-perhaps the more media-savvy-will find it a refreshing change of pace. (Kids who don't watch much sports, however, may just find it confusing. ) Surf's Up also features the voices of James Woods (Hercules), Zooey Deschanel (Elf), and Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite). -Bret Fetzer.

Review Sullivan Entertainment Europe Ltd / Anne Of Green Gables - The Continuing Story
Actors & Directors
  • Megan Follows
  • Stefan Scaini
  • Greg Spottiswood
  • Jonathan Crombie
  • Nigel Bennett
  • Cameron Daddo
Release date: 2004-08-02
Run time: 185 min.
RRP: £19.99
Price: £8.98

Review Anne Of Green Gables - The Continuing Story / Sullivan Entertainment Europe Ltd:


Review Count Duckula / Count Duckula - The Complete Collection
Release date: 2008-10-27
Run time: 1478 min.
RRP: £34.99
Price: £25.98

Review Count Duckula - The Complete Collection / Count Duckula:


Review Universal Pictures UK / Prancer Returns [2001]
Actors & Directors
  • Michael O'Keefe
  • Stacy Edwards
  • John Corbett
  • Joshua Butler
  • Gavin Fink
  • Jack Palance
Release date: 2002-12-02
Run time: 86 min.
Creator: Raffaella De Laurentiis
RRP: £9.99
Price: £2.78

Review Prancer Returns [2001] / Universal Pictures UK:

Sleigh bells may not ring briskly for this often-somber sequel to the 1989 hit Prancer, but there is plenty to like about its sympathetic characters and wistful storyline. Ten years after the little heroine of Prancer saved a wounded reindeer that might have been a magical member of Santa's flying herd, a friendless boy named Charlie Hooper (Gavin Fink) clandestinely adopts an orphaned buck in the same Michigan town. Convinced that he also has St. Nick's (apparently ever-wandering) Prancer on his hands, Charlie grows determined to lead the deer back to the North Pole. A finely balanced supporting cast (Jack Palance, John Corbett, Michael O'Keefe) brings some interesting textures to this simple tale of redemption and, hey, kids are bound to love the sight of a baby reindeer making himself comfortable in Charlie's bed. Prancer Returns may prove to be a minor holiday classic, worth revisiting every year when the trees grow bare and Christmas is around the corner. -Tom Keogh.

Review Warner Home Video / Captains Courageous [1937]
Actors & Directors
  • Lionel Barrymore
  • Victor Fleming
  • Freddie Bartholomew
  • Spencer Tracy
  • Melvyn Douglas
  • Mickey Rooney
Release date: 2006-02-13
Run time: 117 min.
RRP: £15.99
Price: £4.69

Review Captains Courageous [1937] / Warner Home Video:


Review Lazytown / Lazytown - The Snow Monster And Other Stories
Release date: 2008-11-03
Run time: 120 min.
RRP: £12.99
Price: £7.42

Review Lazytown - The Snow Monster And Other Stories / Lazytown:


Review 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment / Nicholas Nickleby [2003]
Actors & Directors
  • Jim Broadbent
  • Christopher Plummer
  • Anne Hathaway
  • Douglas McGrath
  • Jamie Bell
  • Charlie Hunnam
Release date: 2003-11-10
Run time: 132 min.
Creator: Charles Dickens
RRP: £15.99
Price: £3.99

Review Nicholas Nickleby [2003] / 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment:

One of Charles Dickens' most popular novels, Nicholas Nickleby returns to the big screen for the first time since the excellent 1947 Ealing version in a visually breathtaking, lavishly produced new Hollywood interpretation. Following the honest and decent young Nicholas through a darkly oppressive Victorian England, the story moves from a grim boarding school to colourful adventures in the theatre and beyond, interweaving as many of Dickens' subplots and rich characters as possible into two hours. The little known Charlie Hunnam makes a spirited hero and is surrounded by such fine actors as Tom Courtenay, Christopher Plummer, Jim Broadbent (wonderful as the grotesque Wackford Squeers), Edward Fox, Juliet Stevenson and Jamie Bell. This fast-paced film is never less than entertaining and is certainly by far the most handsome screen version of the story, sharing a life-enhancing energy with director Doug McGrath's previous Brit-lit adaptation, Jane Austen's Emma (1996). Inevitably much of the complexity and detail of the very long source novel has been sacrificed, and in this regard the 2000 TV version starring James D'Arcy has the advantage. Purists might be happier still with the acclaimed nine-hour 1982 RSC stage adaptation. On the DVD: Nicholas Nickleby's first disc offers a superb anamorphically enhanced, 2. 35:1 transfer. The Dolby Digital 5. 1 soundtrack is involving and atmospheric and makes the most of Rachel Portman's score. [+]
Also included is a very thoughtful and engaging commentary by McGrath, which adds a whole new level of appreciation to the film. Disc 2's most substantial extra is a solid 29-minute "making of" documentary featuring all the main cast and production personnel. The Life of Charles Dickens: "A Mirror to his Work" relates the book to Dickens' life with comments from the cast in an all-too-brief 12 minutes. The Cast on the Cast (16 minutes) features them chatting amiably on the afternoon of the New York premiere. Views on the Set simply produces five key shots from two different angles. The set is completed by a gimmicky trailer and a three-part photo gallery-a fair set of extras but not enough to call this edition truly special. -Gary S Dalkin.

Browse Children's DVD:

Models & Brands:
Heidi - Series 2, The Buster Keaton Collection [1926], Barbie As Rapunzel [2002], Tom And Jerry - Classic Collection - Vol. 6, Avatar - The Last Airbender: The Complete Book 3 Collection (REGION 1) (NTSC), The Mr Men Show - Mr. Bump Presents: Trains, Planes and Dillymobiles! [2008], Carry Me - Brum - Runaway Statue, Chip N Dale - Rescue Rangers - First Collection - 3 Disc Set [1989], Spongebob Squarepants - Series 3, Animal Farm [1955], Merlin's Apprentice (Merlin 2), The Young Black Stallion [2003], Mr Men & Little Miss - 35th Anniversary Collectors Edition [2006], Surf's Up [Blu-ray] [2007], Anne Of Green Gables - The Continuing Story, Count Duckula - The Complete Collection, Prancer Returns [2001], Captains Courageous [1937], Lazytown - The Snow Monster And Other Stories, Nicholas Nickleby [2003]

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