![Review 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment / Doctor Dolittle / Doctor Dolittle 2 [2001]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/5194BYFVH7L._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- Raven-Symoné
- Eddie Murphy
- Kyla Pratt
- Cedric the Entertainer
- Steve Carr
- Kristen Wilson
Run time: 169 min.
Creator: Larry Levin
RRP: £15.99
Price: £5.00
Review Doctor Dolittle / Doctor Dolittle 2 [2001] / 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment:Doctor Dolittle Betty Thomas directs and Eddie Murphy stars in Doctor Dolittle, the 1998 hit film which, while ostensibly aimed at children, has a high quotient of hip and even mildly gross humour. Murphy stars as John Dolittle, whom we see as a child talking to a neighbourhood dog who explains that the reason mutts sniff each others' butts is to assess their characters when first meeting them. Little John promptly tries this out on being introduced to his school principal. Warned off such social eccentricity, Dolittle stops talking to animals and as an adult becomes a respectable doctor running his own medical practice-until a bump on the head revives his capacity to understand animals, whereupon mayhem, mortification and a menagerie of needy and freeloading creatures are heaped upon his ordered existence. Murphy plays it relatively straight. It's the animals, some of them vividly enhanced by Jim Henson's animating team, who provide the real laughs here, and a thoroughly worldly, wisecracking bunch of characters they prove to be. There's a couple of hard-boiled, squabbling rats, a pigeon who complains of impotence, Rocky the guinea pig (voiced by Chris Rock) with a neat line in hip backchat, while Albert Brooks voices the gruff, melancholy tiger whose life Dolittle must try to save. A sweet but by no means saccharine comedy. -David Stubbs Dr Dolittle 2It's only a marginal improvement, but Dr Dolittle 2 defies the odds by rising above its popular 1998 predecessor (and once again, let's not confuse these movies with the earlier Rex Harrison musical). Eddie Murphy plays the title role with ease and with the confident professionalism of a comedian who knows when to share the spotlight-especially when he's being upstaged by a bunch of animals who steal all the punch lines. [+]And once again the film is aimed at a pre-teen audience: so many of those punch lines involve flatulence, bodily functions and frequent use of the word "butt". The difference this time is that Dr Dolittle has settled into his talk-to-the-animals routine; his 16-year-old daughter (Raven-Symone) is getting to be a feisty handful (it turns out she's coping with a hereditary gift); and his lawyer wife (Kristen Wilson) is representing him in a trial against corporate villains who want to clear-cut a local forest. Naturally, the local critter mafia (their Don is a beaver. fuggeddaboudit!) want Dolittle to fight for their cause, and this involves the successful mating of an endangered bear and a domesticated circus bear who's forgotten all the bear necessities of life in the wild. The bears are voiced by Lisa Kudrow and Steve Zahn and they almost steal the show, but the whole menagerie (with digitally animated "talking") is equally amusing. Adults might wish that the filmmakers had tried harder to make a truly memorable sequel, but this is a movie for kids, and they're going to love it without quibbling. -Jeff Shannon, Amazon. com.
![Review Warner Home Video / Yankee Doodle Dandy [1942] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/513TBJ6XZ7L._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- Mervyn LeRoy
- Billy Bletcher
- Carl H. Lindahl
- Joan Leslie
- Mel Blanc
- Walter Huston
- Friz Freleng
- James Cagney
- John Rust
- Lewis Seiler
Run time: 125 min.
Creator: Bob Waldman
Price: £14.48
Review Yankee Doodle Dandy [1942] (REGION 1) (NTSC) / Warner Home Video:James Cagney thrills in a rare (and limber) song-and-dance performance as composer-entertainer George M Cohan. This nostalgic biography is told in flashbacks, covering Cohan's formative years becoming Broadway's brightest star and touching upon his loves, musicals, and artistic triumphs. Director Michael Curtiz (The Adventures of Robin Hood) offers Cagney ample opportunities to invent an utterly charming performance in what is practically a one-man show. If you've never seen Cagney as a hoofer, you're in for a treat: his dancing is as dynamic as anything else he's ever done on screen. -Tom Keogh, Amazon. com.
Release date: 2005-09-29
Run time: 40 min.
RRP: £6.99
Price: £1.59
Review Barney - Happy Mad Silly Sad / Barney:
![Review ITV DVD / Cider With Rosie [1998]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ceoc3D91L._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- Freda Dowie
- Charles Beeson
- Margery Withers
- David Troughton
- Juliet Stevenson
Run time: 101 min.
RRP: £15.99
Price: £9.58
Review Cider With Rosie [1998] / ITV DVD:
Release date: 2004-05-10
Creator: Eric Charles
RRP: £5.99
Price: £4.33
Review Bertha / 4 Front Video:
Release date: 2006-09-11
Run time: 50 min.
RRP: £3.99
Price: £0.98
Review Storybook Classics - The Adventures Of Robin Hood / Storybook Classics:
Release date: 2005-09-05
Run time: 192 min.
RRP: £12.99
Price: £5.44
Review Yu Gi Oh Vol.4-6 / Yu-Gi-Oh!:
Release date: 2008-10-13
Run time: 30 min.
RRP: £13.99
Price: £12.44
Review The Mousehole Cat / Grasshopper:
![Review Walt Disney Home Video / Pinocchio : Special Edition [1940]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51075BM15EL._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- Don Brodie
- Mel Blanc
- Walter Catlett
- Christian Rub
- Dickie Jones
- Hamilton Luske
- Ben Sharpsteen
Run time: 84 min.
Creator: Otto Englander
RRP: £19.99
Price: £32.99
Review Pinocchio : Special Edition [1940] / Walt Disney Home Video: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.
Release date: 2007-04-16
Run time: 78 min.
RRP: £9.99
Price: £3.83
Review The Complete Ballet Dancer Collection / Contender Entertainment Group:
![Review Warner Home Video / Looney Tunes Back In Action [2004]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/5192W62GATL._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- Brendan Fraser
- Jenna Elfman
- Heather Locklear
- Joe Dante
- Timothy Dalton
- Steve Martin
Run time: 87 min.
RRP: £12.99
Price: £2.89
Review Looney Tunes Back In Action [2004] / Warner Home Video:
Release date: 2005-10-17
Run time: 84 min.
RRP: £18.99
Price: £4.37
Review Barbie - The Magic Of Pegasus / Universal Pictures UK:
Actors & Directors
- Dennis Erdman
- Lark Voorhies
- Elizabeth Berkley
- Mark-Paul Gosselaar
- Mario Lopez
- Dustin Diamond
Run time: 750 min.
Price: £10.33
Review Saved By the Bell: Seasons 1 and 2 (REGION 1) (NTSC) / Lions Gate:
Release date: 2003-11-03
RRP: £11.99
Price: £9.59
Review Baby Santa's Music Box / Buena Vista Home Entertainment:
Actors & Directors
- Adriana Caselotti
- David Hand
- Lucille La Verne
- Harry Stockwell
- Stuart Buchanan
- Roy Atwell
Run time: 80 min.
Creator: Richard Creedon
RRP: £15.99
Price: £1.00
Review Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs [1938] / Walt Disney Home Video:Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was nicknamed "Disney's Folly" by contemporary observers; they doubted that the short cartoons shown before the main film could ever successfully make the transition from filler to feature presentation. Surely, no one would sit still for over an hour to watch an animated film, their eyes smarting from the bright colours on screen? Fortunately, Walt Disney and his army of artists persisted and the world's first full-length animated feature was finally released in 1937 to widespread acclaim. Adapted from the Grimm fairytale, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is chillingly dark in places, reflecting its roots in European folklore, but the deft Disney touch ensures that the overall tone remains light and the story develops apace, swept along on the perfect musical score. Any lingering gloom is quickly dispelled by the superbly characterised dwarfs and by the humorous antics of the various irresistible fauna that threaten to steal the show in several scenes. The pioneering animation is breathtaking and songs such as "Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho" and "Whistle While You Work", now firmly embedded in popular culture, are seamlessly interwoven with the action. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs happens to be an interesting technological milestone in cinema history-it is also an enduring masterpiece of family entertainment. To the millions who have fallen under its spell over the years, this magical fairy tale remains one of Disney's most enchanting and best-loved films. Only Grumpy could resist. -Helen BakerVHS DescriptionVHS Special Features:All-new recording of "Some Day my Prince Will Come" performed by Barbra Streisand The making of Snow White featuretteDeleted scene: "Music in Your Soup""Heigh-Ho" Sing-A-Long.
Actors & Directors
- Sean Astin
- Corey Feldman
- Martha Plimpton
- Richard Donner
- Josh Brolin
- Steve Antin
Run time: 109 min.
RRP: £5.99
Price: £4.97
Review Goonies [UMD Mini for PSP] [1985] / Boulevard Entertainment:
Release date: 2008-06-09
Run time: 891 min.
RRP: £19.99
Price: £12.51
Review Sonic Underground - The Complete Series / Sonic Underground:
![Review 2 Entertain Video / Wallace And Gromit - A Grand Day Out [1993]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51PQAY8HKVL._SL160_.jpg)
Release date: 1993-11-01
Run time: 22 min.
Creator: Rob Copeland
RRP: £9.99
Price: £12.60
Review Wallace And Gromit - A Grand Day Out [1993] / 2 Entertain Video:Nominated for an Academy Award in 1990, the first short-film adventure of Wallace & Gromit was this 24-minute comedy, created by clay animator Nick Park over a six-year period at the National Film & Television School in London, and at the Aardman Animation studios that Park boosted to international acclaim. In their debut adventure, Wallace and his furry pal Gromit find themselves desperate for "a nice bit of Gorgonzola" but their refrigerator's empty and the local cheese shop is closed for a holiday! Undeterred, Wallace comes up with an extreme solution to the cheese shortage: since the moon is made of cheese (we all know that's true, right?), he decides to build a rocket ship and blast off for a cheesy lunar picnic! Gromit's only too happy to help, and before long the inventive duo is on the moon, where they encounter a clever appliance that's part oven, part robot, part lunar skiing enthusiast. well, you just have to see the movie to understand how any of this whimsical lunar-cy can make any sense! It's a grand tale of wonderful discoveries, fantastic inventions-and really great cheese! -Jeff Shannon.
Actors & Directors
- Clarence Nash
- Jack Hannah
- James MacDonald
Run time: 6 min.
Creator: David Detiege
Review The Walt Disney Treasures: The Chronological Donald, Vol. 4 - 1951-1961 (REGION 1) (NTSC) / Walt Disney Video:
Release date: 2008-02-18
Run time: 95 min.
RRP: £12.99
Price: £5.42
Review Avatar - The Legend Of Aang - Book 1 - Water Vol.4 / Avatar:
| Browse Children's DVD:
Models & Brands:
Doctor Dolittle / Doctor Dolittle 2 [2001], Yankee Doodle Dandy [1942] (REGION 1) (NTSC), Barney - Happy Mad Silly Sad, Cider With Rosie [1998], Bertha, Storybook Classics - The Adventures Of Robin Hood, Yu Gi Oh Vol.4-6, The Mousehole Cat, Pinocchio : Special Edition [1940], The Complete Ballet Dancer Collection, Looney Tunes Back In Action [2004], Barbie - The Magic Of Pegasus, Saved By the Bell: Seasons 1 and 2 (REGION 1) (NTSC), Baby Santa's Music Box, Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs [1938], Goonies [UMD Mini for PSP] [1985], Sonic Underground - The Complete Series, Wallace And Gromit - A Grand Day Out [1993], The Walt Disney Treasures: The Chronological Donald, Vol. 4 - 1951-1961 (REGION 1) (NTSC), Avatar - The Legend Of Aang - Book 1 - Water Vol.4 |
