Batman The Animated Series Volume One DVD

Batman-The Animated Series, Volume One.......
By blackaciddevil (in the USA somewhere.....)

Inspired by the old Fleischer Superman cartoons and Tim Burton's 1989 Batman film, Batman-The Animated Series won two Emmy Awards during the length of its' run on TV. Much more adult-oriented in it's content and whatnot, it appealed to both kids and adults & is widely considered the 'best' and closest adaptation of the original Batman series published by DC Comics. This series alone spawned many other series for DC such as Superman-the Animated series, The Batman-Superman Adventures, Batman Beyond, Static Shock, The Batman, Justice League, Justice League Unlimited and the flash animated Internet only Gotham Girls. In this collection; Batman faces off against The Joker, The Penguin, Mr. Freeze, Catwoman, and other assorted baddies. In it's extras, Bruce Timm & Eric Radomski tell how they created the series & show their pilot for the show(which isn't all that long). The pilot's content is alot more violent. I agree, if the series had took this route- the series would have been much more exciting. Still, BTAS is a great series. These first episodes are outstanding & stand the test of time.

Pick up this as well as the rest of the series, which includes Batgirl, Robin, Nightwing, and the NEW Robin. You'll be glad you did.

101 Dalmatians Two-Disc Platinum Edition DVD

101 Dalmations
Review by Joe Guerra (Beaverton, OR USA)

As I grew up hearing about 101 Dalmations, my overall experience of this most distinguishable polka dot breed of dog almost always comes back to the influence of this very video. The animation standards and technology used to create cartoons have evolved since the 1950s, the era 101 Dalmations was created. That part is clear when viewing this Disney classic. However, it's also clear how much of a cutting edge work of art 101 Dalmations was for its time. 101 Dalmations is and always will be a classic because it has underlying timeless themes of hope, humour, and suspense. While cutting edge has its place, it is equally valuable to go back to the starting days and roots when modern animation began. There's only one adequate way to summarize this video: It's a Disney.

Beauty and the Beast Disney Special Platinum Edition DVD

A beloved Story of love and tradegy
Review by Golden Lion (North Ogden, Ut United States)

Master of the castle, enchanted to find love or die to the curse, negotiation for love, a beast and then a gentleman, a hero to ward off the wolves, two finding each other and coming together on their own, a villainous Geston, and Belle confessing her love to a dying prince. Time is short, man must find love whether he wants to or not, too survive. Without love man's escape is death; he is desperate to find a woman who brings love, caring, and warmeth to his castle. A warrior well proven in battle, a slayer of his enemies, a builder of fortress strong, a man who confides weakness in none other, a bringer of fear and terror; he must find love or die; he must champion and win the heart of his woman. Death and lack of love combine into the awful monster.

Pride and Prejudice shares a central theme, a powerful Lord, devoid of love, must find love or perish in despair; "if not Belle then who will he find to love him"; a prisoner of love, harsh terms, and brutal commands of control; a disclosure of vulnerable secret revealing hidden secret; a champion against evil rescuing the dame in distress; a soften of heart, a dinner, and a delightful dance; escape from reality through tales of excalibers swords, a Camelot story. The prince thought to possess love but instead discover that he had to win love. Love could not be commanded or possessed, it had to be freely given. The prince fell helplessly in love with the independent mind of Belle.

Phantom of the Opera, a transformation from peasant girl to princess; to love is to be human; all are confined to roles more robotic, slaves within their domain to an ungrateful master; song and dance of the cups, forks, and saucers.

Cinderella, the beast dies but the prince lives again happily ever after. The love of a father siding with Belle, believing in her, an eccentric fellow of no following, a genius before his time, a lost fellow in the woods, a man to be rescued by his daughter. The Romeo and Juliet scenario did not materialize, but the story has a strong potential for tradegy.

Lancelot and Quinivere, the forbidden love between a Queen and her servant; the noble house falling for the love of a peasant; both forbidden by code and culture.

Aladdin Disney Special Platinum Edition DVD

The Best
Review by Howard P. Klopp (Chicago, IL United States)

Aladdin is probably the best cartoon movie ever made. It is the story of a young man who tries to win the hand of an Arabian princess with the help of a genie. There are conflicts with an evil vizier who tries to gain the genie's power and destroy Aladdin. Action packed, fast paced, many twists and turns in the plot, fantastic animation (the old fashion kind), great music, romance, and humor. Great characters. Even like the villains. In short, this movie has it all. And strangely, this movie has more heart than the vast majority of so-called Romanic movies. As an adult, I hate to admit it, but this is among my favorite movies. It also makes a great gift for children.

The Water Horse Legend of the Deep Two-Disc Special Edition DVD

A Heartwarming and imaginitive Tale for the whole Family
Review by J. Larsen

As a big fan of the legend of the Loch Ness Monster, the new film "Water horse" brings the spirit as well as the excitement of the time honored legend to life like never before. Set in the era of World War II, the story takes place in the highlands of Scotland where a lonely young boy named Angus discovers a mysterious egg that turns out to hatch into a spunky and mischievous waterborne dinosaur known as the ancient Water horse named Crusoe. With his beloved father gone at sea fighting the German U-Boats and his mother and older sister not paying any particular attention to him Angus takes the orphaned Crusoe in and raising him as his pet. But Angus quickly realizes very early on that doing so and trying his best to keep the little creature a secret brings with it some rather unusual problems as well as, some comically outrageous misadventures along the way. For example, when baby Crusoe escapes from his water filled bathtub and encounters an aggressive Royal Army bulldog named, "Churchill" who chases him around the house and then eventually ends up wrecking a lavish evening dinner party hosted by the lady of the house and some promptly dressed British soldiers. However, the film is not without its tender moments and adventurous scenes of peril as the cold realities of a bitter war come to prey on the people and the isolated beauty of such a spectacular place.

Inspired by the children's book by Author Dick King Smith, the film's director Jay Russell whose past credits include such films as, "Ladder 49 and Tuck Everlasting" goes to great lengths to bring this wonderfully imaginative story to life. The DVD comes with some impressive behind the scenes documentaries and one of the things that I found most interesting was that Russell actually visited Loch Ness in order to get an idea of where to shoot the film. At first glance he didn't think too much about the famous legend but as he got closer to the water's edge he found himself looking at the pristine water with an opened mind that just maybe there could be something big and mysterious swimming the depths of the Scottish lake. The film and DVD features are definitely worth checking out. If you're a fan of fantasy films or just like a story that let's you're imagination run wild, this movie is for you.

The Little Mermaid Ariel's Beginning DVD

Sounds great to me!
Review by D. Mulman (NoHo, CA, USA)

"The Little Mermaid" was a classic and got me (at the age of 28) hooked on Disney anew. The sequel, "The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea" has been bashed time and time again, and I simply don't understand why! It was very good and Tara Charendoff (now known as Tara Strong) was wonderful as Melody, Ariel's daughter. Jodi Benson (Ariel) and Tara harmonized beautifully on "For A Moment." Tara returns as some of Ariel's sisters in "The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning" and that makes me hope for a new song performed by all the mermaid sisters! It is also nice to finally see Ariel's mother and to find out why King Triton has such a soft spot for his youngest daughter. I do think the villainess has a corny name (Marina Del Ray), but since she is being voiced by Sally Field (TV's Gidget and The Flying Nun), I am hopeful she will be well-performed. This DVD will be something new for the kiddies and something nostalgic for us older folks who still sing along with Disney movies. I hope everyone will at least give it a chance before bashing it unseen.

Ratatouille DVD

3D Rats in 1080p glory!!
Review by R. Park (Arlington, MA)

This movie - made by the same guy who created The Incredibles - truly raises bar for state-of-the-art computer generated animation feature. Never mind the story; yes a rat (later rats!) cooking in the kitchen is not that appetizing. But the character animations, combined with great voice acting, great rendering of Paris, makes this move a Disney classic. The quality of imagery is just outstanding!! Our two year old toddler son enjoys it so much, when he gets up in the morning he asks for "Rata! Rata!"

Highly recommended!