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Review Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / The Prince And The Pauper [2007]
Actors & Directors
  • Dylan Sprouse
  • Kay Panabaker
  • Dedee Pfeiffer
  • James Quattrochi
  • Vincent Spano
  • Cole Sprouse
Release date: 2008-05-26
Run time: 92 min.
RRP: £12.99
Price: £5.97

Review The Prince And The Pauper [2007] / Sony Pictures Home Entertainment:

Self-confidence is a healthy virtue, but "Teen Spy" star Eddie Tudor (Cole Sprouse) is so full of himself that he's becoming impossible to work with and is verging on being fired from the movie he's staring in. Enter devoted fan Tom Canty (Dylan Sprouse) who sneaks onto the movie lot in hopes of meeting his favorite star. Turns out that Tom just happens to look exactly like Eddie, so Eddie takes advantage of the moment and switches clothes and identities with the young fan in hopes of gaining a free afternoon. What Eddie gets is an eye-opening look at how a "normal" kid lives and the special challenges of Tom's life with his grandfather. Tom, on the other hand, gets a chance to fulfill his life-long dream of acting in a movie-thing is, it's a lot more work than he ever imagined. Of course, almost no one involved in either young man's life believes that the two boys have switched places, which makes things especially complicated when the filming location changes unexpectedly from Palm Beach to Miami and Tom is whisked away from his hometown leaving Eddie behind. Through interacting with one another's families, friends, and co-workers, both boys learn important lessons about humility, appreciating what they have, and valuing the people closest to them. This contemporary version of the Mark Twain classic will appeal to kids aged 5 and older and stars Kay Panabaker, Vincent Spano, Dedee Pfeiffer, Ed Lauter, and Sally Kellerman. -Tami Horiuchi.

Review Warner Home Video / The Polar Express [Blu-ray] [2004]
Actors & Directors
  • Robert Zemeckis
Release date: 2007-11-26
RRP: £24.99
Price: £15.50

Review The Polar Express [Blu-ray] [2004] / Warner Home Video:

Tom Hanks, Leslie Zemeckis, Nona Gaye, Eddie Deezen

Review 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment / Dunston Checks In [1996]
Actors & Directors
  • Jason Alexander
  • Eric Lloyd
  • Ken Kwapis
  • Graham Sack
  • Rupert Everett
  • Faye Dunaway
Release date: 2004-06-21
Run time: 84 min.
RRP: £12.99
Price: £4.97

Review Dunston Checks In [1996] / 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment:


Review Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / The Complete Stuart Little (3 Disc Box Set) [1999]
Actors & Directors
  • Hugh Laurie
  • Chazz Palminteri
  • Nathan Lane
  • Michael J. Fox
  • Geena Davis
  • Rob Minkoff
Release date: 2006-02-27
Run time: 227 min.
RRP: £24.99
Price: £8.24

Review The Complete Stuart Little (3 Disc Box Set) [1999] / Sony Pictures Home Entertainment:


Review Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / Jumanji [1996]
Actors & Directors
  • Robin Williams
  • Bonnie Hunt
  • Kirsten Dunst
  • Joe Johnston
  • Bradley Pierce
  • Jonathan Hyde
Release date: 2002-02-18
Run time: 100 min.
RRP: £19.99
Price: £3.75

Review Jumanji [1996] / Sony Pictures Home Entertainment:

After the success of Jurassic Park in 1993, the floodgates opened for digital special effects, and Jumanji is nothing if not a showcase for computer-generated creepiness guaranteed to give young children a nightmare or two. Whether that was the filmmakers' intention is up for debate, since this is a PG-rated adventure revolving around a mysterious board game that unleashes a terrifying jungle world upon its players, including gigantic spiders, huge mosquitoes, a stampede of rhinos, elephants, and every other jungle beast you can imagine. Robin Williams plays a man-child who's been trapped in the world of "Jumanji" for 26 years until he's freed by two kids who've discovered the game and released its parade of dangerous horrors. A chaotic and misguided attempt at family entertainment, the movie does offer a few good laughs, and the effects are frequently impressive, if not entirely convincing to the eye. -Jeff Shannon.

Review Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainm / The Santa Clause Movie Collection [2007] [1994]
Actors & Directors
  • Tim Allen
  • Michael Lembeck
  • Martin Short
  • Judge Reinhold
  • Ann-Margret
Release date: 2007-11-12
Run time: 281 min.
RRP: £26.99
Price: £21.80

Review The Santa Clause Movie Collection [2007] [1994] / Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainm:


Review Paramount Home Entertainment (UK) / Over The Hedge (2 Disc - Special Edition) [2006]
Actors & Directors
  • Karey Kirkpatrick
  • Tim Johnson
Release date: 2006-12-04
Run time: 80 min.
RRP: £24.99
Price: £5.92

Review Over The Hedge (2 Disc - Special Edition) [2006] / Paramount Home Entertainment (UK):

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 Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / The Next Karate Kid [1994]
Actors & Directors
  • Michael Ironside
  • Christopher Cain
  • Noriyuki 'Pat' Morita
  • Hilary Swank
  • Chris Conrad
Release date: 2005-10-31
Run time: 103 min.
RRP: £12.99
Price: £5.97

Review The Next Karate Kid [1994] / Sony Pictures Home Entertainment:


Review Walt Disney Home Video / Babes In Toyland [1961]
Actors & Directors
  • Tommy Sands
  • Tommy Kirk
  • Ed Wynn
  • Jack Donohue
  • Ray Bolger
  • Annette Funicello
Release date: 2006-05-01
Run time: 71 min.
RRP: £14.99
Price: £4.98

Review Babes In Toyland [1961] / Walt Disney Home Video:


Review Buena Vista Home Entertainment / Flubber [1998]
Actors & Directors
  • Clancy Brown
  • Christopher McDonald
  • Raymond J. Barry
  • Robin Williams
  • Les Mayfield
  • Marcia Gay Harden
Release date: 2001-02-05
RRP: £19.99
Price: £2.07

Review Flubber [1998] / Buena Vista Home Entertainment:

Disney couldn't resist the temptation to remake 1961's popular comedy The Absent Minded Professor, so they cast Robin Williams as Professor Philip Brainard (a role vaguely related to the character originated by Fred MacMurray), and the result is a comedy that, frankly, doesn't fully deserve its modest success. It's admittedly clever to a point, and certainly the digitally flubberised special effects provide the kind of movie magic that's entertaining for children and adults alike. The professor can't even remember his own wedding day (much to the chagrin of his fiancée, played by Marcia Gay Harden), and now his academic rival (Christopher McDonald) is trying to steal his latest and purely accidental invention-flying rubber, or. flubber. The green goo magnifies energy and can be used as an amazing source of power, but in the hands of screenwriter John Hughes it becomes just another excuse to recycle a lot of Home Alone-style slapstick humour involving a pair of bumbling would-be flubber thieves. There's also a floating robot named Weebo and some catchy music by Danny Elfman to accompany dancing globs of flubber, but the story's too thin to add up to anything special. Lightweight fun, but, given the title, it lacks a certain bounce. Of course, that didn't stop Disney's marketing wizards from turning it into a home video hit. [+]
-Jeff Shannon Disney couldn't resist the temptation to remake 1961's popular comedy The Absent Minded Professor, so they cast Robin Williams as Professor Philip Brainard (a role vaguely related to the character originated by Fred MacMurray), and the result is a comedy that, frankly, doesn't fully deserve its modest success. It's admittedly clever to a point, and certainly the digitally "flubberized" special effects provide the kind of movie magic that's entertaining for kids and parents alike. The professor can't even remember his own wedding day (much to the chagrin of his fiancée, played by Marcia Gay Harden), and now his academic rival (Christopher McDonald) is trying to steal his latest and purely accidental invention-flying rubber, or. Flubber. The green goo magnifies energy and can be used as an amazing source of power, but in the hands of screenwriter John Hughes it becomes just another excuse to recycle a lot of Home Alone-style slapstick humor involving a pair of bumbling would-be flubber thieves. There's also a floating robot named Weebo and some catchy music by Danny Elfman to accompany dancing globs of flubber, but the story's too thin to add up to anything special. Lightweight fun, but, given the title, it lacks a certain bounce. Of course, that didn't stop Disney's marketing wizards from turning it into a home-video hit.

Review Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainm / In Search Of The Castaways [1961]
Actors & Directors
  • George Sanders
  • Maurice Chevalier
  • Robert Stevenson
  • Michael Anderson Jr.
  • Hayley Mills
  • Wilfrid Hyde-White
Release date: 2004-04-19
Run time: 94 min.
RRP: £14.99
Price: £4.97

Review In Search Of The Castaways [1961] / Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainm:


Review Warner Home Video / The Magic Sword - Quest For Camelot [1998]
Actors & Directors
  • Jessalyn Gilsig
  • Bryan White
  • Frederik Du Chau
  • Andrea Corr
  • Cary Elwes
  • Gary Oldman
Release date: 1999-09-27
Run time: 82 min.
RRP: £13.99
Price: £5.92

Review The Magic Sword - Quest For Camelot [1998] / Warner Home Video:

Following their animated/live action hit Space Jam, Warner Bros. jumped into the fully animated feature competition by playing it safe, giving the Arthurian legend a conspicuously Disneyesque facelift. Ingredients from Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid and Pocahontas are evident in the tale of a girl named Kayley (Jessalyn Gilsig) whose father, a Knight of the Round Table, is killed by Sir Ruber (Gary Oldman), a maniacal brute who steals Excalibur and threatens to seize King Arthur's Camelot. Kayley enlists the blind, reclusive knight-aspirant Garrett (Cary Elwes) to brave the Enchanted Forest and retrieve the magic sword, and their adventure is (of course) fraught with danger. Adding extra punch to the movie's commercial appeal, the soundtrack songs are performed by big names like LeeAnn Rimes and Celine Dion. And if that's not enough to hold a kid's attention, there's a two-headed dragon ("we're the reason cousins shouldn't marry") voiced by Eric Idle and Don Rickles. With so much talent involved, it's entertaining but uninspired, although cleverly harmless riffs from Dirty Harry, Taxi Driver and other movies spice up the adventure with enjoyable pop-culture references. -Jeff Shannon.

Review Warner Home Video / The Railway Children [1970]/Swallows and Amazons [1974]
Actors & Directors
  • Virginia McKenna
  • Sophie Neville
  • Claude Whatham
  • Suzanna Hamilton
  • Lionel Jeffries
  • Ronald Fraser
  • Simon West (III)
Release date: 2003-04-14
Run time: 192 min.
RRP: £16.99
Price: £3.95

Review The Railway Children [1970]/Swallows and Amazons [1974] / Warner Home Video:

The Railway Children (1970) and Swallows and Amazons (1974) are perfect bedfellows: two classic children's novels, simply and faithfully adapted for the big screen. Together they evoke a poignant nostalgia for the periods in which they are set-Edwardian and 1920s England, respectively-and for the childhood of anyone who has grown up watching them. Sentimentality reigns, of course, but it's never cloying. The truthfulness of the juvenile performances, balanced with restrained sympathy from the adults, sees to that. Flourishing under Lionel Jeffries' delicate direction, Jenny Agutter dominates The Railway Children as the oldest daughter of a family thrown on hard times when their father is wrongly sent to prison. They avert a train disaster, save an imperilled steeple chaser and reunite an exiled Russian with his wife, all with equal enterprise. Happy endings prevail after every crisis. And no number of repeat viewings can ever diminish the impact of father's return. One of the most expert tear-duct work-outs in film history, it hits the spot every time. Perhaps the lack of such a pivotal scene has kept Swallows and Amazons in the relative shade. [+]
But its gentle appeal survives with equal charm, not least in the resourcefulness of the eponymous children and the period detail. Together this pairing makes a double bill to treasure, and a piquant reminder that Disney doesn't have a complete monopoly on the rich heritage of children's cinema. On the DVD: The Railway Children and Swallows and Amazons is presented in standard 4:3 picture format, from so-so prints, and with acceptable mono soundtracks. Both films envelope the viewer in a comforting Sunday-afternoon haze. There are no extras, apart from scene indexes. -Piers Ford.

Review Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainm / Air Bud - Spike's Back
Actors & Directors
  • Kevin Zegars
  • Mike Southon
  • Tim Conway
Release date: 2004-09-20
Run time: 84 min.
RRP: £14.99
Price: £4.27

Review Air Bud - Spike's Back / Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainm:


Review Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainm / Spy Kids [2001]
Actors & Directors
  • Carla Gugino
  • Daryl Sabara
  • Antonio Banderas
  • Alexa Vega
  • Alan Cumming
  • Robert Rodriguez
Release date: 2001-10-22
Run time: 84 min.
RRP: £17.99
Price: £2.82

Review Spy Kids [2001] / Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainm:

Spy Kids is a James Bond adventure for wee ones, with all the trimmings. This affable fantasy begins with Carmen and Juni Cortez soon to find out that their favourite bedtime story, "The Spies Who Fell in Love", is really the story of their parents. When Dad and Mom (Antonio Banderas and Carla Gugino) mess up their first mission after coming out of retirement, their kids must come to the rescue, equipped with some cool gadgets. The Cortez family gets involved in a bizarre plot hatched by a Pee-wee Herman-type entertainer named Fegan Floop (a wonderfully hammy Alan Cumming) that's as giddy as it is ridiculous. Needless to say there is plenty of derring-do concerning long-lost uncles, goofy monsters, double agents, evil robots, look-alikes, and energised chases. Did we mention the gadgets? Although Banderas and Gugino make terrific impressions, the movie is carried (as it should be) by the younger Cortezes, winningly played by Alexa Vega and Daryl Sabara. Who would have thought an action/horror studio (Dimension) and writer-director Robert Rodriquez had this pleasing family film u p their sleeves? Rodriquez (who produced with his wife Elizabeth Avellán) seemed to be mired in cheesy horror films but here breaks out by capitalising on the talent that gave him instant status with his debut, El Mariachi (1992). Spy Kids has plenty of verve but never swerves into potty humour (OK, there is one good potty joke) or wicked gunplay. All 7-year-olds should have a film as fun as this in their film-going lives. -Doug Thomas, Amazon. [+]
com.

Review Universal Pictures Video / Small Soldiers [1998]
Actors & Directors
  • Joe Dante
  • David Cross (II)
  • Denis Leary
  • Alexandra Wilson
  • Gregory Smith
  • Jay Mohr
Release date: 2003-07-21
Run time: 106 min.
RRP: £9.99
Price: £2.42

Review Small Soldiers [1998] / Universal Pictures Video:

Here's the pitch for Small Soldiers: "It's like Toy Story but these toys that come to life really kick butt!" That's essentially it for this breezy popcorn flick. In a very smart first 10 minutes, new toy-company owner Denis Leary tells his crew he wants toys "that play back". Hence the small soldiers land in Anytown, USA and the loner kid Alan (Gregory Smith) opens them up before they are supposed to be on the shelves. Those military-grade chips sure make them smart and give the toys plenty of pithy retorts to boot. There's plenty of violence and action, most of it fun enough. The vocal talents, including Tommy Lee Jones, Frank Langella and cast members of The Dirty Dozen are inspired characters, the humans less so. With Gremlins director Joe Dante at the helm, it plays like a sequel to that 80s fantasy. Amazing visual effects, of course. -Doug Thomas, Amazon. com.

Review Transformers Takara / Transformers - Takara - The Complete Collection
Release date: 2007-09-03
Run time: 2505 min.
RRP: £59.99
Price: £17.99

Review Transformers - Takara - The Complete Collection / Transformers Takara:


Review 20th Century Fox / Alvin & The Chipmunks (2007) (Ws Dub Sub Ac3) [Blu-ray] [US Import]
Actors & Directors
  • Tim Hill (III)
  • Jane Lynch
  • Cameron Richardson (II)
  • Jason Lee
  • David Cross (II)
  • Justin Long
Release date: 2008-04-01
Price: £14.62

Review Alvin & The Chipmunks (2007) (Ws Dub Sub Ac3) [Blu-ray] [US Import] / 20th Century Fox:


Release date: 2008-07-07
Run time: 135 min.
RRP: £12.99
Price: £6.79

Review Bear Behaving Badly - Bunfight At The Ice Cream Corral [2007] / Bear Behaving Badly:


Review Disney / Wish Gone Amiss [2007]
Actors & Directors
  • Dylan Sprouse
  • Kyle Massey
  • Lisa Arch
  • Cole Sprouse
  • Ashley Tisdale
Release date: 2008-09-01
Run time: 67 min.
RRP: £14.99
Price: £9.50

Review Wish Gone Amiss [2007] / Disney:

It's common knowledge that wishing on a shooting star guarantees a wish come true, but Miley Stewart (Hannah Montana), Cory (Cory in the House), and Zack and Cody (The Suite Life of Zack and Cody) are about to find out that impulsive wishes often result in unintended consequences in Wish Gone Amiss. The ever-scheming Cory wishes himself into the presidency in "Gone Wishin'" only to discover that the responsibilities of the Presidency are enormous, especially when robotic aliens threaten to replace all of his cabinet members and take over the world. Miley Stewart's wish that she could leave her secret identity behind and be Hannah Montana all the time lands Hannah in the lap of luxury, but the cost to her family's individual and collective happiness is huge. Zack and Cody wish themselves into superheroes, but soon find out that with super powers come evil villains like Moseby the "Meanager" and super responsibilities. Each of these three fantastical episodes relies on a heavy dose of the comically ridiculous for maximum entertainment, while offering an important message about responsibility and an appreciation of one's own circumstances. -Tami Horiuchi.

Browse Family Favourites:

Models & Brands:
The Prince And The Pauper [2007], The Polar Express [Blu-ray] [2004], Dunston Checks In [1996], The Complete Stuart Little (3 Disc Box Set) [1999], Jumanji [1996], The Santa Clause Movie Collection [2007] [1994], Over The Hedge (2 Disc - Special Edition) [2006], The Next Karate Kid [1994], Babes In Toyland [1961], Flubber [1998], In Search Of The Castaways [1961], The Magic Sword - Quest For Camelot [1998], The Railway Children [1970]/Swallows and Amazons [1974], Air Bud - Spike's Back, Spy Kids [2001], Small Soldiers [1998], Transformers - Takara - The Complete Collection, Alvin & The Chipmunks (2007) (Ws Dub Sub Ac3) [Blu-ray] [US Import], Bear Behaving Badly - Bunfight At The Ice Cream Corral [2007], Wish Gone Amiss [2007]

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