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Peanuts Deluxe Holiday Collection

Charlie Brown finds the true meaning of Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Halloween— all in hi-def! Does Warner make the most of the upgrade opportunity, or do they put a rock in our treat bag?

Fantasia / Fantasia 2000

Perhaps the most anticipated release of the year, a variety of poor choices easily make this the most disappointing too, even if it’s nice to finally own Destino and see the documentary that we’ve been teased for years among some technical quality issues.

Scooby-Doo / Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed Double Feature

Scooby swaps limited television animation for full-blown CG, in a pair of fun live-action films that stay true to the original cartoons, particularly in the inspired casting.

Disneynature: Oceans / The Crimson Wing: Mystery Of The Flamingos

While I don’t think Pierce Brosnan’s narration for Oceans could get any more waterlogged or mundane, The Crimson Wing gets back to what made the Disney nature films of old so enjoyable.

Superman/Shazam!: The Return Of Black Adam

It’s a spectacular slugfest when Superman helps Captain Marvel against his mortal enemy. The other shorts and TV episodes on the disc are even better, though it is recycled material.

A Christmas Carol

Charles Dickens’ century-plus classic gets rebooted into the digital age, by way of motion-capture that, in parts, breaks away from the restrictions of before. This disc does away with the 3D aspects, but offers a fascinating look into the process.

Toy Story 3

This closing chapter of the Story may well be perfect family entertainment, but an over-familiarity and a lack of genuinely awesome originality has set in third time around, even if the disc package still manages to fill the toybox.

It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

The classic special is as great as ever, but can Blu-ray make it better?

Superman/Batman: Apocalypse

A bad comic becomes a mediocre movie, but there’s lots of action and some decent bonus features, including a fun Green Arrow short.

The Secret Of Kells: Special Edition

I’m afraid despite the widespread acclaim, Oscar nomination and beautifully stunning visuals, I struggled to engage with The Secret Of Kells’ story and characters, but the disc treatment is first class and many may find the film worth a look.

Beauty And The Beast: Diamond Edition

Although we still don’t get the original version of the film, Disney’s almost 20 year-old classic gets the top-drawer treatment in an excellent package that is certainly more Beauty than Beast!

Rudolph / Frosty / Santa Claus: The Original Christmas Classics

Christmas arrives early with this Blu-ray collection of Rankin/Bass’ classic holiday specials, almost vanilla discs but for a surprise CD extra and unexpectedly very good HD transfers.

Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time

Unfortunately living up to its box-office reputation, Disney and Bruckheimer’s visual effects blockbuster dud is ultimately a waste of time, even if it looks perfectly fine in both HD format and on the included DVD.

Tinker Bell And The Great Fairy Rescue

Tinker Bell’s third movie may be the weakest, but it’s still got plenty of Disney magic in it. Overall, this movie series has been surprisingly impressive.

James And The Giant Peach: Special Edition

Henry Selick’s delicious film of Roald Dahl’s delightful book is given a painful disc treatment in Disney’s HD reissue, with both Blu-ray and DVD discs serving up murky images and zero new bonuses of worth.

Batman: Under The Red Hood

In the tradition of The Dark Knight, this animated film provides an edgy story with mature writing that goes beyond good vs. evil.

Alice In Wonderland

Tim Burton’s visually striking take on Lewis Carroll’s Alice books mixes in a bit of the previous 1951 and 1972 features to come up with a compelling continuation of sorts. The disc includes a number of interesting extras, none of which are quite in-depth enough.

The Lord Of The Rings: Remastered Deluxe Edition

Ralph Bakshi’s ambitious but wildly uneven animated take on the first half of Tolkien’s trilogy remains a frustrating work, but Warners’ new Blu-ray and DVD combo at least offers the opportunity of a fresh look.

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Wes Anderson’s fantastic film of Roald Dahl’s children’s crime caper will enchant most, and even if Fox’s disc isn’t exactly packed with extras, there are still some well-rounded supplements and exemplary technical aspects to be enjoyed.

Toy Story / Toy Story 2: Special Editions

Although the lack of HD on the classic DVD extras is a shame, the first two films in Pixar’s signature series get the premium treatment on Blu-ray just in time for this summer’s third installment.

The Princess And The Frog

Disney’s nostalgic return to the old-school provides a fine time for all ages, even if the magic feels like it’s repeating itself a little. The BD serves up a terrific image, though the extras feel recycled too.

Ponyo

Miyazaki’s latest film is a fantasy spectacular. The simple story and quiet ending do little to detract from what is an animation tour de force.

Up

Disney/Pixar’s latest triumph isn’t quite the all-out masterpiece it has been hailed as, its soggy central act lifted by an outstanding opening and exciting climax, but it looks and sounds beautiful and is serviced well enough on its Blu-ray debut.

Monsters, Inc.

Pixar’s fourth film makes it to Blu-ray in an absolutely stunning hi-def experience, but despite an abundance of discs (a second BD, DVD and Digital Copy), there’s little new here and even some missing ingredients.

The Prisoner: The Complete Series

Online discounts bring Patrick McGoohan’s classic groundbreaking thriller adventure down to a more reasonable saving, but the restored HD image and supplements, including a comprehensive new documentary is well worth the price anyway!

Tinker Bell And The Lost Treasure

The second Tinker Bell movie improves on the first, with an adventurous tale that teaches lessons of responsibility and friendship.

Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs

Though still pretty cool, the Ice Age franchise needs to come up with some new directions if it’s going to remain fresh, and although fair value, this Blu-ray and DVD combo features an odd mix of old and new material.

Cars: Ultimate Gift Pack

Pixar’s gleaming fender took an albeit minor dent with Cars, here driven around the block one more time with both original DVD and Blu-ray releases accompanied by McQueen and Mater model cars and gift set packaging.

Wallace And Gromit: The Complete Collection

The charming British inventor-and-dog team get their best disc yet, including their newest effort, A Matter Of Loaf And Death. With only a couple of minor caveats, this is the best way to collect their adventures.

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies

This is a wild ride, though far from the best story to adapt from the comics. There are some nice extras on the disc, however.