Reviews Archive for Ben Simon

Lady And The Tramp: 50th Anniversary Platinum Edition

Walt Disney’s first widescreen picture is better than you remember it and this disc shines…too bad about the lack of the original “flat” version, though…

Bambi II

Does the final result reflect the good word of mouth this project picked up in production? We take a look at Bambi’s return to the screen…

Kronk’s New Groove

The breakout character from The Emperor’s New Groove, Kronk returns for another knockabout slice of Disney fun.

Tarzan II

Another Disney hero gets the “mid-quel” treatment as we find out most undramatically just what Tarzan got up to between finding family with the apes and discovering Jane.

Starchaser: The Legend Of Orin

Space-opera animation style, in a hugely enjoyable slice of derivative sci-fi hokum.

Father Of The Pride: The Complete Series

DreamWorks’ debut television satire is three-parts very good fun to one part filthy that leaves somewhat of a bad taste.

Team America: World Police – Unrated

South Park‘s Trey Parker and Matt Stone let rip on everything from bad Hollywood movies to the threat of global terrorism in possibly the most hysterical movie ever made. With puppets.

Pocahontas: 10th Anniversary Edition

Disney’s underrated musical drama returns on DVD with a healthy upgrade in bonuses and an extremely warranted “extra” inserted into the main feature itself!

The Plague Dogs: (1983 US Edited Edition)

Martin Rosen’s haunting adaptation of Richard Adams’ chilling book, here unfortunately shown in the truncated, illogical US edition which loses 20 minutes of material.

Shark Tale

Perhaps the least essential big studio CGI feature released so far, DreamWorks’ hyperactive comedy is brash and loud, more surface gloss than wanting to explore deeper waters.

The Incredibles: Collector’s Edition

Disney/Pixar’s exceptionally entertaining dysfunctional superhero family spoof comes smashing onto DVD in the usual customary packed set.

Bambi: Platinum Edition

Walt Disney’s original Circle Of Life is an epic masterpiece that has shaped generations. This new Platinum Edition shows the film has lost nothing of its charm or ability to strike emotionally.

Mulan II

Disney’s Chinese heroine returns in a half-hearted follow up that fails to engage the emotions or get the heart pounding with its lack of action and rudimentary romantics.

Mary Poppins: 40th Anniversary Edition

Walt Disney’s exuberant musical masterpiece comes to special edition DVD in a wonderful package that does the film justice, explores every avenue of production and bundles in a new short too!

Walt Disney Treasures: The Complete Pluto, Volume One

Walt’s original pup gets his first solo outing in the Disney Treasures line, with part one of a “complete” collection of his works. Grrrreat!

Walt Disney Treasures: Mickey Mouse In Black And White, Volume Two

The Mouse returns to complete his filmography on DVD with this fantastic second helping of black-and-white cartoons that rounds out the full four-tin set of Mickey’s films in the Disney Treasures collection.

Shrek 2

DreamWorks’ box-office smashing ogre returns with all the usual suspects and some new friends for another round of very funny fractured fairytale frolics!

Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume Two

The Looneys are back in another stellar collection of their finest animated cartoon works!

Mulan: Special Edition

The Chinese legend of Fa Mulan gets the Disney treatment in one of the Studio’s best post-1990s renaissance features, and this 2-disc set is a collectors’ gem.

Home On The Range

Disney’s final foray into traditional animation plains is a fun and frantic, Warner Brothers-styled Looney Tune western, playfully messing with conventions. The disc ain’t bad, neither!

Lion King II: Simba’s Pride – Special Edition

A less than worthy follow-up to the then-biggest animated film of all time, Lion King 2 nonetheless tries hard with good intentions and this new DVD package shines thanks to the inclusion of an original short, One By One.

Rex Steele – Nazi Smasher: Limited Edition

Director Alex Woo’s independent student project is so slick it puts some big studio shorts to shame, and the packed disc (a two-disc set no less) is impressive too.

Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers

Get ready to buckle your swash as Mickey and the gang return to the screen in a new feature that harks back to golden age Disney animation for high adventure in the classic mould!

Wizards

Bad-boy animation director Ralph Bakshi attempts another epic but has trouble finding a strong tonal balance and a lack of technique to mask his low budget.

Teacher’s Pet (The Movie)

The first Disney franchise to transfer from the small screen to the big in quite a while, Teacher’s Pet is unexpectedly hilarious and a terrific return to form for the TV division.

The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe (Animated Movie)

Bill Melendez’ television animation take on the CS Lewis classic is a faithful stab at re-creating an epic on a low-budget and once seen will remain long remembered.

Walt Disney Treasures: Mickey Mouse In Living Color, Volume Two

Mickey’s color filmography is completed on DVD with a stunning collection of shorts plus his most recent theatrical featurettes looking better than ever. Essential!

The Triplets Of Belleville (Sony US Edition)

Sylvain Chomet’s debut feature is truly like nothing you’ve seen before: a wonderful “silent” movie that uses the animation medium in an innovative and cinematic way.

The Last Unicorn (pan-and-scan)

The Rankin/Bass fan favorite gets the poorest of the poor treatment here, with scan extras and framing that crops the image without regard to composition. Bad, bad, bad!

Paul McCartney: The Music And Animation Collection

A fantastic collection of rare ex-Beatle produced animation, with the standouts being Rupert And The Frog Song and Tuesday – both warm animation treats!