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The Little Mermaid - Ariel's Beginning
Release Date: 2008-08-26
Sales rank: 18
Every story has a beginning but only one begins under the sea now for the first time ever discover the story you never knew in The Little Mermaid: Ariel s Beginning an all-new motion picture only on Disney DVD. Long ago in a kingdom where music is outlawed King Triton s youngest daughter Ariel discovers her love for music in a secret underground music club. Torn with the choice of whether to hide her passion or share it with her father and risk losing everything Ariel sets off on a daring adventure to restore music to Atlantica.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: CHILDREN/FAMILY UPC: 786936689334 Manufacturer No: 04917900A prequel to The Little Mermaid, The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning is good family entertainment that deserves a spot in every Disney collection--even if the film isn't quite as striking as the original. It's hard to imagine the underwater world of Atlantica without music, but following the death of Ariel's mother Queen Athena, King Triton (Jim Cummings) outlaws music because of the painful memories it evokes. Ariel (Jodi Benson) and her six sisters are unhappy with their boring daily routine, unfeeling governess Marina Del Ray (Sally Field), and superficial relationship with their father; but only Ariel has the courage to confront their father with a desire for a more fulfilling life. A chance meeting with Flounder (Parker Goris) leads Ariel to the underground Catfish music club where the Caribbean jazz is hot and the starred soloist is none other the King's Chief of Staff Sebastian (Samuel Wright). Suddenly, a whole new world full of promise and excitement opens up for Ariel and her sisters, but things get ugly when Marina tells King Triton about the club and his fury erupts. Can the power of music, combined with Ariel's heartfelt pleas, convince King Triton to pardon all the underground music lovers and reconsider his ban on music? Ariel's Beginning is a wholesome story about love, family, and the power of music that's nicely animated and features a host of good music--the only things missing from the first movie are Ariel's innocent sense of wonder and the extreme catchiness of the original songs. Bonus features include two deleted scenes, four sing-along songs with on-screen lyrics; a mermaid discovery game in which viewers learn about Ariel and her six sisters; a quiz that matches viewers with the character most like themselves; an interview with director Peggy Holmes, and a look at the Broadway production of The Little Mermaid Under the Sea. (Ages 3 and older) --Tami Horiuchi |
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The Nightmare Before Christmas (2-Disc Collector's Edition) + Digital Copy
Release Date: 2008-08-26
Sales rank: 24
Now digitally restored and remastered with state-of-the-art technology, THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS is deeper, darker and more brilliant than ever just as Tim Burton originally envisioned it. Can Christmas be saved? Bored with the same old scare-and-scream routine, Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, longs to spread the joy of Christmas. But his merry mission puts Santa in jeopardy and creates a nightmare for good little boys and girls everywhere! Bonus Features THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS is the first full-length stop-motion animated film ever created. The movie contains more than 227 animated characters. Santa Claus' head has more than 50 different working parts, and Jack has more than 400 separate interchangeable heads, each handcrafted with a different facial expression. The smallest working puppet in the movie is a doll from the "real world" Jack visits that is only one inch long. Sally is wearing a real miniature dress laid on top of foam latex so that the fabric doesn't move too much on screen. At the height of production, the animators produced only 70 seconds of finished film per week. To create Halloweentown's twisted look, the design artists often made their sketches using their nondrawing hand. What's This? Jack's Haunted Mansion Holiday Tour Original Theatrical Trailers And Posters FRANKENWEENIE (Uncut Version) With New Introduction By Tim Burton VINCENT -- Short Film Tim Burton's Original Poem Narrated By Christopher Lee All-New Audio Commentary By Tim Burton, Director Henry Selick And Musical Designer Danny Elfman Behind-The-Scenes Making Of Tim Burton's THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS The Worlds Of Tim Burton's THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS Halloween Town; Christmas Town; The Real World Deleted Scenes Storyboard To Film ComparisonFor those who never thought Disney would release a film in which Santa Claus is kidnapped and tortured, well, here it is! The full title is Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, which should give you an idea of the tone of this stop-action animated musical/fantasy/horror/comedy. It is based on characters created by Burton, the former Disney animator best known as the director of Pee-wee's Big Adventure, Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, and the first two Batman movies. His benignly scary-funny sensibility dominates the story of Halloweentown resident Jack Skellington (voice by Danny Elfman, who also wrote the songs), who stumbles on a bizarre and fascinating alternative universe called ... Christmastown! Directed by Henry Selick (who later made the delightful James and the Giant Peach), this PG-rated picture has a reassuringly light touch. As Roger Ebert noted in his review, "some of the Halloween creatures might be a tad scary for smaller children, but this is the kind of movie older kids will eat up; it has the kind of offbeat, subversive energy that tells them wonderful things are likely to happen." --Jim Emerson |
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Help! (Deluxe Edition)
Release Date: 2007-11-06
Sales rank: 10
Disc 1 (96 minutes)-HELP! Theatrical MovieDigitally restored and newly created 5.1 soundtrack.Disc 2 (57 minutes)- The Beatles in Help! 30 minute documentary about the making of the film with Richard Lester the cast and crew. Includes exclusive behind the scenes footage of The Beatles on set.- A Missing Scene Featuring Wendy Richard- The Restoration of Help! An in depth look at the restoration process- Memories of Help! The cast and crew reminisce- Theatrical Trailers 2 US trailers and 1 Spanish trailer- 1965 US Radio Spots - Hidden in disc menusDeluxe Package also includes:- a reproduction of Richard Lester s original annotated script- 8 lobby cards- poster- 60-page book with rarely seen photographs and production notes from the movieSystem Requirements:Run Time: 149 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY/SHOWBIZ Rating: G UPC: 5099950951994 Manufacturer No: C9BH-09519After the worldwide success of A Hard Day's Night, the Beatles and director Richard Lester reunited for a follow-up film, Eight Arms to Hold You. Well, that wasn't the final title; a pleading Lennon-McCartney tune provided the catchier handle: Help! A loose semispoof of the globe-trotting James Bond pictures, Help! has always been considered a somewhat disorganized comedown from its predecessor; but it presents "the famous Beatles" even more clearly as the English cousins of the Marx Brothers. The plot has an Eastern religious cult declaring that the new ring on Ringo's finger is the key element in a human sacrifice; they will stop at nothing to obtain it. Meanwhile, a mad scientist (crazed Victor Spinetti, who also appeared in A Hard Day's Night and Magical Mystery Tour) believes that if he has the ring, he could--dare we say it?--rule the world. The songs, including "Ticket to Ride" and "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away," are filmed with gleeful ingenuity, in locations such as the Bahamas, an Austrian ski resort, and the Salisbury Plain. The relentless nonsense becomes nearly the equivalent of a swinging-'60s Alice in Wonderland: for instance, Paul shrinks to the size of a gum wrapper, John fishes a season ticket out of his soup, George wears a top hat on the ski slopes, the lads sing the "Ode to Joy" to a lion. Oh, and the film is dedicated to Elias Howe, "who in 1846 invented the sewing machine." Brilliant. --Robert Horton |
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The Nightmare Before Christmas [Blu-ray] + Digital Copy
Release Date: 2008-08-26
Sales rank: 59
Now digitally restored and remastered with state-of-the-art technology, THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS is deeper, darker and more brilliant than ever just as Tim Burton originally envisioned it on Blu-ray Disc Bored with the same old scare-and-scream routine, Pumpkin King Jack Skellington longs to spread the joy of Christmas. But his merry mission puts Santa in jeopardy and creates a nightmare for good little boys and girls everywhere! Hear the genius of Danny Elfman's sensational music in 7.1 Surround Sound as the fantastic talents and imaginations of Tim Burton and Henry Selick come to life in stunning Hi-Def. THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS now even more eerie and extraordinary on Blu-ray High Definition! Bonus Features THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS is the first full-length stop-motion animated film ever created. The movie contains more than 227 animated characters. Santa Claus' head has more than 50 different working parts, and Jack has more than 400 separate interchangeable heads, each handcrafted with a different facial expression. The smallest working puppet in the movie is a doll from the "real world" Jack visits that is only one inch long. Sally is wearing a real miniature dress laid on top of foam latex so that the fabric doesn't move too much on screen. At the height of production, the animators produced only 70 seconds of finished film per week. To create Halloweentown's twisted look, the design artists often made their sketches using their nondrawing hand. All-New Blu-ray Exclusive Tim Burton Movie Introduction Storyboard To Film Comparison Original Theatrical Trailers And Posters What's This? Jack's Haunted Mansion Holiday Tour FRANKENWEENIE (Uncut Version) With New Introduction By Tim Burton VINCENT Short Film Tim Burton's Original Poem Narrated By Christopher Lee All-New Audio Commentary By Tim Burton, Director Henry Selick And Musical Designer Danny Elfman Behind The Scenes Making Of Tim Burton's THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS The Worlds Of Tim Burton's THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS Halloween Town; Christmas Town, The Real World Deleted ScenesFor those who never thought Disney would release a film in which Santa Claus is kidnapped and tortured, well, here it is! The full title is Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, which should give you an idea of the tone of this stop-action animated musical/fantasy/horror/comedy. It is based on characters created by Burton, the former Disney animator best known as the director of Pee-wee's Big Adventure, Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, and the first two Batman movies. His benignly scary-funny sensibility dominates the story of Halloweentown resident Jack Skellington (voice by Danny Elfman, who also wrote the songs), who stumbles on a bizarre and fascinating alternative universe called ... Christmastown! Directed by Henry Selick (who later made the delightful James and the Giant Peach), this PG-rated picture has a reassuringly light touch. As Roger Ebert noted in his review, "some of the Halloween creatures might be a tad scary for smaller children, but this is the kind of movie older kids will eat up; it has the kind of offbeat, subversive energy that tells them wonderful things are likely to happen." --Jim Emerson |
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Camp Rock (Extended Rock Star Edition)
Release Date: 2008-08-19
Sales rank: 39
This summer is gonna ROCK! Get ready to sing and dance like never before with the electrifying Disney Channel Original Movie CAMP ROCK! Disney's exclusive DVD and Blu-ray disc explode with "Too Cool" bonus features including an extended never-before-seen ending and "How To Be A Rock Star" a sensational series full of tips and secrets from the CAMP ROCK cast to help make your real-life rock star dream come true! When Mitchie scores a job as a cook at Camp Rock her life takes an unpredictable twist and she learns just how important it is to be true to yourself. Join the platinum-selling Jonas Brothers and the hottest cast of performers at the coolest summer camp anywhere! Experience CAMP ROCK in a whole new way in this Extended Rock Star Edition packed with hit music hip dance moves and bonus features that will have your family singing dancing and rocking over and over again.System Requirements:Running Time: 90 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: CHILDREN/FAMILY Rating: TV-G UPC: 786936750812 Manufacturer No: 05603000Camp Rock is a Disney Channel original movie about a rockin' teen summer camp that's highly appealing to tweens and young teens despite the movie's failure to favorably compare with truly great Disney Channel movies like High School Musical. Joe Jonas (of the Jonas Brothers stars as Shane Gray, a member of the rock band Connect 3, who is compelled to serve as an instructor at Camp Rock in order to counteract his increasingly negative public image. Tess Tyler (Meaghan Jette Martin) is the camp diva whose self-absorption defies description, Caitlyn (Alyson Stoner) is a past Tess groupie who's now ostracized from the popular kids at camp, and Mitchie (Demi Lovato) is a camp newcomer whose mother is the camp cook. Caitlyn initially befriends Mitchie, but the friendship wanes when Mitchie makes up an elaborate story about her family to get accepted into Tess's exclusive clique. As Mitchie struggles to maintain her façade around camp, Shane begins to reform his bad-boy ways and find his own personal voice and he and Mitchie become friends--unfortunately, their new relationship is based partially on Mitchie's lies. In the end, Mitchie's deception is exposed as is Tess' true villainy and the perfect summer camp experience threatens to turn into the worst summer ever for everyone involved. Camp Rock is infused with lots of energy, fun choreography, and a ton of good, if not particularly memorable, music. Add in the cast of generally unlikable characters with extreme characteristics whose changes of heart at the end of the film are not particularly believable, and Disney's got an entertaining film for tweens and teens that adults might just as well skip. --Tami Horiuchi |
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Best of Both Worlds Concert: The 3-D Movie: Extended Edition
Release Date: 2008-08-19
Sales rank: 71
The sold-out concert event that rocked the nation is bursting onto Disney DVD for a limited time only in a two-disc extended edition with a 3-D concert experience so real it's like having a backstage pass! "Make Some Noise" and get ready for the year's most eye-popping dance-in-your-seat music experience with HANNAH MONTANA & MILEY CYRUS BEST OF BOTH WORLDS CONCERT MOVIE! For the first time ever Miley performs as herself and Hannah in the same epic show! With a special appearance by the Jonas Brothers and exclusive bonus features including a sing-along mode additional songs and a rare inside look into the rock star lives of Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers this movie sensation is "as close as you'll come to achieving the best of both worlds" (Elizabeth Weitzman New York Daily News).System Requirements:Running Time: 90 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: CHILDREN/FAMILY UPC: 786936767179 Manufacturer No: 05763200The Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds live concert was a sold-out sensation everywhere it played, and this concert video is the next best thing to being there for all the fans that couldn't get tickets to attend the concert in person. The movie opens with Miley Cyrus backstage in make-up and hair, warming up with vocal exercises, then cuts to Hannah Montana (her alter ego)'s performance of "Rock Star," and then back in time to four weeks before her performance when concert rehearsals were just beginning. It runs like a backstage special feature for a while, following Hannah Montana through coaching, choreography scenes with Kenny Ortega, and rehearsal sessions. Then it's back to concert footage from opening night in St. Louis and all along the tour, seasoned here and there with some fun looks at the concerts' special effects, quick costume changes, other logistical challenges (Hannah gets dropped during a routine early in the tour), and lots of shots of the enthusiastic, mostly female 'tween audiences. The 3D format gives the audience a nice sense of being there and includes some effective, if somewhat overused shots of the crowd waving, Hannah/Miley reaching out to the audience, and fun stunts like the drummer's twirling stick thrown high in the air and the guitar player's pick being tossed out into the audience. The sound is adequate, but fails to replicate the live concert experience (the plus side is that the audience's ears won't be ringing for hours after the performance). Hannah Montana's performance includes "Rock Star," "Life's What You Make It," "Just Like You," "Nobody's Perfect," and "We Got the Party." The Jonas Brothers perform "When You Look Me In the Eyes" and "Year 3000," and then Miley hits the stage with "Start All Over," "I Got Nerve," "I Miss You" (which Miley wrote in honor of her Granddad's passing), "Going Away," "GNO: Girl's Night Out," and "The Best of Both Worlds." This 3D concert presentation truly is the "best of both worlds," a 3D concert experience with easy availability and minimal expense. Better yet is the message that girls can do anything they want if they put their minds and hearts to it. (Ages 7 and older) --Tami Horiuchi |
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Sleeping Beauty (Two-Disc Platinum Edition)
Release Date: 2008-10-07
Sales rank: 63
Awaken your senses to the majesty of SLEEPING BEAUTY, Walt Disney's classic fairy tale. See more than you've ever seen before through the magic of state-of-the-art technology, and experience this groundbreaking film restored beyond its original brilliance, in the way Walt envisioned it pristine, beautiful, utterly breathtaking. SLEEPING BEAUTY will transform your home into a fantastic world your family will want to experience again and again.
In the original story, Princess Aurora sleeps for 100 years before being awakened by a prince's kiss. In the Disney version, Prince Philip comes to her rescue much sooner. George Brun's orchestral score, which was nominated for an Academy Award, expertly blended famous themes from Tchaikovsky's ballet. With a budget that exceeded $6 million in 1959, this was Walt Disney's most lavish and expensive animated feature to date. Determined to make the characters as realistic as possible, Disney had a live action film shot with actors posing as Sleeping Beauty, the Prince, and Maleficent, for the animators to use. New York Times critic Bosley Crowther called the fight between Prince Philip and Maleficent the noisiest and scariest go-round he (Disney) has ever put into one of his films. All-New Digital Restoration With Enhanced Picture And Sound All-New 5.1 Disney Enhanced Home Theater Surround Sound All-New Once Upon A Dream Music Video, Performed By HANNAH MONTANA'S Emily Osment Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough A Fully Immersive Virtual Tour All-New Enhanced Dance Game With Help From Briar Rose's Forest Friends, You Can Learn How To Dance Never-Before-Seen Alternate Opening Deleted Songs All-New Making Of SLEEPING BEAUTY Featurette And Much, Much MoreDisney's 1959 animated effort was the studio's most ambitious to date, a widescreen spectacle boasting a gorgeous waltz-filled score adapting Tchaikovsky. In the 14th century, the malevolent Maleficent (not dissimilar to the wicked Queen in Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) taunts a king that his infant Aurora will fatally prick her finger on a spinning wheel before sundown on her 16th birthday. This, of course, would deny her a happily-ever-after with her true love. Things almost but not quite turn out that way, thanks to the assistance of some bubbly, bumbling fairies named Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather. It's not really all that much about the title character--how interesting can someone in the middle of a long nap be, anyway? Instead, those fairies carry the day, as well as, of course, good Prince Phillip, whose battle with the malevolent Maleficent in the guise of a dragon has been co-opted by any number of animated films since. See it in its original glory here. And Malificent's castle, filled with warthogs and demonic imps in a macabre dance celebrating their evil ways, manages a certain creepy grandeur. --David Kronke |
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The Pink Panther Classic Cartoon Collection
Release Date: 2006-01-31
Sales rank: 723
The Pink Panther is paws down the world's grooviest cartoon star. In 1964 this pink-inked feline slinked onto the opening credits of Blake Edwards' caper film by the same name and threatened to steal the entire show. Sleek sophisticated and witty the animation produced by Friz Freleng and David H. DePatie was a stylish departure from its contemporaries and an instant hit. A subsequent short film The Pink Phink would go on to win* an Oscar® and spawn a celebrated series of six-minute cartoons featuring the sly cat. Now for the first time 124 cartoons produced by Freleng and DePatie between 1964 and 1980 are collected here in a swingin' 5-disc set. With over 14 hours of "pink comedy" you can't help but lick your whiskers!*1964: Animated Short Subject The Pink PhinkSystem Requirements:Run Time: 782Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/CLASSICS UPC: 027616924674 Manufacturer No: 1008437One of the unforeseen (and hugely profitable) benefits of the first Pink Panther movie was the popularity of the cartoon cat from that film's classic credits sequence. Added on a hunch by director Blake Edwards and concocted by the DePatie-Freleng animation team, the slinky pink feline immediately spawned his own series of cartoons, first for theatrical release and later for television. The saga is gathered in The Pink Panther Classic Cartoon Collection, five discs of 124 cartoons, plus extras. This would have to be considered the ultimate such collection, and more than the average fan could handle in a few sittings (or a few dozen). But they're all here. When United Artists commissioned David DePatie and Friz Freleng (whose new company was born from the eclipse of the old Warner Bros. cartoon unit) to make freestanding Pink Panther cartoons, their first effort struck gold. Literally: The Pink Phink won the Oscar for best animated short subject, and is still a prime example of circa-1964 line drawing and visual humor. Most of the early shorts display a sure sense of timing and a cheeky feel for the era; they were directed by Freleng and Hawley Pratt (Pratt's design for the Pink Panther had been selected by Blake Edwards from dozens of offerings at the time of the first feature). In two of the first handful, Sink Pink and Pink Ice, the Pink Panther himself speaks stray lines of dialogue, a mistake that would not be repeated later. One unwelcome aural intrusion: some of the cartoons here have a laugh track from the TV series, even on the Oscar-nominated Pink Blueprint. Animation voiceover veterans of the era chimed in with narration or voices for other characters; for instance, the indefatigable Paul Frees does the narration on Phinkfinger, a funny spoof of 007-style spy movies. But most of the cartoons are wordless, which is one reason they remained popular internationally for so many years. The main reason is the slinky character of the Panther, a mischievous hipster who could be either the instrument of chaos or the victim, depending on the cartoon. The plots tend toward the cartoon verities: the necessity of catching a mouse or silencing an alarm clock, for instance. A documentary, Behind the Feline, gives a fine account of the history of the character; it is also bundled on a previous boxed set, The Pink Panther Film Collection. Useful new extras include a portrait of Friz Freleng by his daughters, an illuminating interview with animator-director Art Leonardi, and a delightful vignette with Leonardi instructing us on how to quickly draw the Pink Panther. The opening-title sequences from five Pink Panther movies are included. Throughout the cartoons and the extras, you will be reminded of one incalculable boost to the series: Henry Mancini's lithe, foxy theme music, which surely had much to do with the character's enduring fame. Mancini gets an onscreen shout-out in Pink, Plunk, Plink, in which the Panther tries to inject his theme into an orchestral performance of Beethoven's Fifth. --Robert Horton |
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Barbie and the Diamond Castle
Release Date: 2008-09-09
Sales rank: 40
Barbie™ and Teresa™ tell us the fairy tale story of Liana™ and Alexa™, best friends who shared everything including their love of music. One day their simple lives change when they are given an enchanted mirror and befriend the girl trapped inside! To save their new friend, Liana™ and Alexa™ embark on a dangerous journey to the hidden Diamond Castle that will put their friendship to the test. But through the power of song and with the companionship of two adorable puppies, the girls face their challenges together and learn that friendship is the true treasure.A musical story about the power of friendship and believing in oneself, Barbie and the Diamond Castle opens with Barbie and her friend Teresa singing, playing guitar, and relating a story about friendship to Stacy who's just had a disagreement with her best friend Courtney. In the story, friends Alexa and Liana loose everything but each other in a terrible storm. A chance meeting with an old woman brings them a new friend Melody, who shares their love of music, but is locked inside an enchanted mirror. It turns out that Melody is an apprentice muse who holds the secret key to the diamond castle and embodies the last chance to defeat the selfish muse Lydia and preserve music for the entire world. Alexa and Liana help Melody journey to the diamond castle, overcoming enormous obstacles conjured by Lydia and her serpent Slider as well as rising above a disagreement between themselves. This CGI animated program is colorful and bright, if not particularly realistic, and the pop music is appealing, but oddly out of sink with the renaissance style costuming. While the Barbie versions of classic stories like Barbie of Swan Lake or Barbie Prince and the Pauper generally offer better storylines, young Barbie fans will nonetheless enjoy this quest to save music while getting a sense of the importance of friendship and believing in oneself. (Ages 3 to 9) --Tami Horiuchi
Beyond Barbie and the Diamond Castle on DVD  More Barbie on DVD |  Barbie and the Diamond Castle in Spanish |  The Barbie Store | Stills from Barbie and the Diamond Castle (click for larger image) |
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