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 First Easter Rabbit: Deluxe Edition
Rankin/Bass move away from the stop-motion that made their name for this sometimes strange hand-animated origin of the Easter Bunny, but the results are rather crude and Warners’ disc is missing the “deluxe” element of the cover’s banner. |
Bugs Bunny’s Easter Funnies
Friz Freleng’s 1977 television special pulls together some classic Looney Tunes cartoons with new animated sequences and, though the splicing is easily seen, it’s an entertaining enough hour. |
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. |
My Neighbor Totoro
Miyazaki’s family classic gets its best DVD treatment yet. The reissue has no serious drawbacks, and packs in some nice new extras. |
Castle In The Sky
Studio Ghibli’s first film is an imaginative adventure movie, but the new DVD has some problems. Video, dubbing, and a lost subtitle track are all concerns. |
Kiki’s Delivery Service
The 2010 DVD edition of this fine Studio Ghibli film easily bests the 2003 version, with better video, changes that bring it closer to the original Japanese film, and a plethora of new bonus features. Miyazaki fans should be very pleased. |
You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown: Remastered Deluxe Edition
The animated adaptation of the musical that came from an album inspired by the comic strip. Despite the fourth-generation status, it still feels delightfuly like Peanuts. |
Tom and Jerry’s Greatest Chases: Volume 4
Animation’s most famous cat and mouse duo return with the fourth volume of their Greatest Chases. After two releases last year, Warner continues to repackage classic shorts in these family-friendly discs. |
Winnie the Pooh: A Valentine For You
Winnie the Pooh: A Valentine For You is back on DVD along with two other episodes from The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. |
Super Friends: Season One, Volume One
Finally, Warner releases the very first incarnation of Super Friends. The two-disc set is no-frills, but it’s nice to finally meet Wendy and Marvin. |
Iron Man: Armored Adventures: Volume 2
Iron Man: Armored Adventures takes the well-known story of Marvel superhero Iron Man reinvented as a prodigious high school student. |
Thunderbean Roundup: Van Beuren Studio Cartoons and Other Strange and Commercial Rarities
Ben Simon and Randall Cyrenne review Uncensored Animation, Tom And Jerry, Strangest Cartoons, Toddle Tales & Rainbow Parades and Cartoon Commercials! |
Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas
Curious George returns for the holidays in a delightful little animated special that should appeal to his many young fans and put a warm smile on the faces of some adults too! |
A Miser Brothers’ Christmas
Two classic Rankin/Bass characters, Heat and Snow Miser, are back for their own holiday special. In it the two brothers must put aside their differences and save Christmas from the jealous North Wind. |
Shorts
Robert Rodriguez adds another children’s film to his resume. This one is mostly for kids, but with fun for adults if you don’t mind some gross-out stuff. Fun special effects and decent bonus features make the Blu-ray worth a look. |
Yogi’s First Christmas
Yogi awakens early from hibernation, and finds himself the star of Warner Archive’s first cartoon release. |
Superman: The Complete Animated Series
Resonant stories, excellent vocal performances and tons of well crafted action and pre-digital effects sequences mark Superman: Animated out as a very well realized slice of modern DC animation. |
I Want A Dog For Christmas, Charlie Brown: Remastered Deluxe Edition
Rerun pines for a puppy in this latter-day Peanuts classic. This new release bests the old Paramount one in the video department, and adds a second holiday special and featurette that makes for a nice disc. |
Walt Disney Treasures: Zorro – The Complete First Season
Walt Disney’s television take on the original caped crusader is a fantastic series that breaks through the nostalgia to remain terrific entertainment! |
Walt Disney Treasures: Zorro – The Complete Second Season
Walt’s perfect TV series gets another Treasures set. |
Plastic Man: The Complete Collection
Ruby-Spears (and not Hanna-Barbera as the packaging insists) animated superhero comedy adventure is fun if inconsistent, but even though the limited extra are fanplastic, the transfers here have been stretched to the limit. |
Ruby-Spears’ Superman: DC Comics Classic Collection
The Man Of Steel’s 1988 animated series is a surprisingly epic, mature and quality made show that bridges the gap between the Christopher Reeve movies and later animated versions. |
Inside The Box: Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs DVD and Blu-ray Disc Comparisons
Still not sure which version of Snow White is right for you? With the DVD now available, we delve into all the options including a peek inside the deluxe big red box! |
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! |
Saturday Morning Cartoons – 1960s: Volume 2
A couple of new-to-DVD shows are here, but otherwise this set gets bogged down in Looney Tunes and more of what we’ve seen before. Jetsons again?! |
Justice League: The Complete Series
Justice League finally gets released in a complete series set containing all 91 episodes from the show’s five year run on the Cartoon Network across 14 discs. |