Ben Simon Author Archive
Reviews | Interviews | Features | Blogs | News

Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides: Limited 3D Edition

Fourth time around the sails look pretty worn on the franchise. The supplements show off the detail gone into its making, but sneaky of Disney to hold them back just for this otherwise redundant 3D edition.

Tom & Jerry: Golden Collection Vol 1

At last! Tom & Jerry finally get the really deluxe treatment they deserve in the first of Warners’ high-definition shorts compilations. If they’re all as good looking and awarded with supplements as this, we’re going to be collecting a long time!

The Lion King: Diamond Edition

The most crushingly disappointing Blu-ray since Fantasia, it’s disturbing that such little attention has been paid to Disney’s biggest film. Two new documentaries are very good, but that’s pretty much all you get: there’s much more to do than has been done here…

Beauty And The Beast: Diamond Edition (3D)

With newly included Digital Copy and 3D that adds a surprisingly immersive aspect to Disney’s 20-year-old classic, this Diamond Edition reissue remains an excellent package that is certainly more Beauty than Beast!

Dumbo: 70th Anniversary Edition

Although one important supplement from previous disc releases hasn’t made the Blu-ray cut, one of Walt’s true classics flies high again in this 70th anniversary edition. With stunning image and new extras, Dumbo is an instant recommendation!

Phineas And Ferb: The Movie – Across The 2nd Dimension

While not classic Disney, or even classic Disney television animation, I’m sure long-time fans will get a huge buzz from Disney Channel’s Phineas And Ferb’s first big movie and this packed disc presentation.

Mad: Season One, Part One

The original satirical magazine makes a truly genuine translation from page to screen in a Warner Bros. Animation animated program that feels close in freewheeling spirit to the unit’s classic 1990s animated comedies.

Hoodwinked Too! Hood Vs. Evil

Though not the worst animated film you’re ever likely to see, don’t get hoodwinked into seeing this lower than average sequel to a surprisingly fun original. The extras try, but there are no happy endings here.

Bambi II: Special Edition

Disney’s surprisingly good direct-to-video midquel gets its own Blu-ray special edition upgrade, and while the film looks great – too perfect at times – the extras don’t really offer anything new of worth.

The Fox And The Hound: 30th Anniversary 2-Movie Edition

Unexpectedly vibrant in a new restoration, Disney’s overlooked 1981 feature makes it to Blu-ray, though the film’s mid-quel follow up and lack of vintage documentaries don’t enhance the package much.

The Nightmare Before Christmas in 3D

Tim Burton’s holiday tale returns to hi-def disc, now with an added third dimension that spookily looks like it’s being watched through a ViewMaster. And it works…kind of…

Mars Needs Moms

A misfire from Disney and ImageMovers, Mars Needs Moms fails in almost every regard to bring a fun kids book to the screen with any sense of fantasy about it, with the 3D adding very little.

Kung Fu Panda lawsuit thrown out

Somewhat incredibly, it seems that an LA jury has agreed with DreamWorks Animation that they did not use ideas from a pitch by Terence Dunn in the development of their film Kung Fu Panda. Dunn’s alleged pitch was about a kung-fu fighting panda bear who was “adopted by five animal friends in the forest (a […]

Have A Laugh! Volumes 3 and 4

The use of Hawaiian Holiday’s wrong master aside, the treasure here is the pristine restorations of some classic Disney animated shorts, even if the selection isn’t always great and the remixing and “Blamming” of footage is redundant.

Kevin Lima heading back to animation

After helming Disney’s Tarzan and the studio’s live-action fantasies 102 Dalmatians and Enchanted, director Kevin Lima is returning to the animated musical, though this time he’ll be overseeing a movie for rival DreamWorks instead. The previously announced film, now titled Monkeys Of Mumbai has already caused some controversy for being based loosely on the epic […]

Hanks: Pixar working on Toy Story 4

The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that actor Tom Hanks, talking to the BBC in promoting his new movie, thinks Pixar is secretly working on a Toy Story 4. While not a total surprise given the critical and commercial success of the previous Toy Story films, in particular last summer’s Oscar-winning threequel, it was thought the […]

Superman: The Motion Picture Anthology

Lack of hi-def supplements aside, this really is a super-powered boxed set collection of Superman on screen from 1942-2006 and especially presents the Christopher Reeve films as never before. Essential!

Dripped drips online

Director Léo Verrier’s new animated short homage to Jackson Pollack, Dripped, produced by French animation studio ChezEddy, is now available to view online at Vimeo ahead of its upcoming submission to various festivals, where it is sure to gain notice. Good luck, Léo!

Gnomeo & Juliet

Elton John teams again with Disney Studios for a jolly romp based on Shakespeare’s classic, featuring some cutting-hedge animation and big family fun for all. Touchstone’s disc isn’t blooming, but does sprout some welcome, if potted, extras!

The Art Of Kung Fu Panda 2

Although it will certainly please fans of DreamWorks’ Kung Fu Panda and its upcoming sequel, this Art Of… suffers from over familiarity, even if the image choices are refreshingly from the genuine concept stages as opposed to final frame filler.

Dumbo finally on Blu-ray for 70th Anniversary!

After much teasing on Disney home video releases in the last 18 months, and an HD release in many other countries around the world already, Walt Disney’s Dumbo has finally been announced for release in the US, in time for its 70th Anniversary. Often treated as a secondary title on home video, the Blu-ray release […]

The Incredibles

Disney/Pixar’s super-family return in a great high definition version of the original DVD, with practically all of that set’s extras carried over plus the addition of some new ones. The image isn’t quite as super-sharp as expected, but it’s a worthy upgrade.

Tron: Legacy and The Original Classic 2-Movie Collection

Disney’s high-tech 1982 blockbuster gets a deserved lick of digital paint in a terrific new restoration and, while the 2010 sequel isn’t as ambitious, it’s a satisfactory enough continuation of the franchise.

Tangled

From a big-screen worthy 3D experience, to high-definition, regular DVD or even portable digital file, Disney’s Tangled Combo Pack offers multiple ways to enjoy this wonderful film. It’s just a shame that any decent in-depth extras got brushed out…

The Ballad Of Rango

Insight’s latest Art Of book is an engrossing trawl through the developmental work created by director Gore Verbinski and ILM for their collaboration Rango, and a fine companion to that unique film.

Superman flies to deluxe Blu-ray set

Following on the crime-fighting heels of Batman, it’s the turn of the big blue boy scout to come to Blu-ray with the release of The Superman Motion Picture Anthology: 1978-2006, which collects the Christopher Reeve movies alongside the – it has to be said – less well received recent theatrical outing. In fact, the set […]

Mars torpedos Yellow Submarine

In not entirely unexpected news, The Hollywood Reporter states that The Walt Disney Studios has shut down production on director Robert Zemeckis’ proposed motion-capture remake of The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine, following the disastrous box-office figures for Mars Needs Moms, which he produced. The “creepy” look of mo-cap has also been cited, although HR suggests Zemeckis […]

Bambi: Diamond Edition

If Love Is A Song that never ends, then Bambi’s Blu-ray melodies will have you falling for Walt Disney’s enthralling classic all over again, even if the supplements are essentially pulled over from what we have seen before.

Hanks, Allen back together for Cruise

Hollywood Reporter has announced that Toy Story double-act Tom Hanks and Tim Allen will re-team for Jungle Cruise, an action-adventure based on Disneyland’s famous park ride.

Elton John: “Disney not behind Gnomeo

Shedding a little more light than was previously rumored on the relationship between singer-songwriter Elton John and the Walt Disney Studios in the making of their co-production Gnomeo And Juliet, John has made his feelings clear on the lack of support on the title from its distributing studio, as per The Hollywood Reporter. Gnomeo, which […]