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Disney

Ghosts of the Abyss

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on April 26th, 2004

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Synopsis

Bill Paxton accompanies James Cameron on another expedition to the Titanic, and narratesthis documentary about their exploration of the ship. Though the narration is hobbled by anendless stream of pseudo-profundities, the underwater photography is simply stunning. Thanks totwo remote-controlled robots, we get to see the interior of the ship. Computer animation andsuperimposed extras (the ghosts of the title) both re-create the ship as it once was, and help usvisualize where…
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Haunted Mansion, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on April 23rd, 2004

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Synopsis

Type A real estate salesman Eddie Murphy can’t ever stop selling, even when this meansneglecting his family. His drive lands them all into trouble when he insists they take a detourfrom their vacation to follow up on a mysterious offer concerning the mansion of the title. Soonenough, He and his family are trapped in the massively haunted building, running hither andthither from ghosts, while his wife (Marsha Thomason), believed to be the reincarnation of themaster’s long-lo…
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Lizzie McGuire – Totally Crushed (Volume 4)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on April 3rd, 2004

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Ahh, little Lizzie McGuire. The last time we saw our teen queen on DVD, she was surrounded by an assortment of special guest stars. This time around, the topic is one of the most popular among teen girls… the crush. Specifically, we’re talking about such dreamboats as the paperboy, a substitute teacher, Larry the geek, and of course, Ethan.

For me, some of the best scenes in this show feature my favorite Nerd, Robert Carradine. Many sitcoms paint the character of the father as either disinterested in…
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Brother Bear

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 22nd, 2004

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Brother Bear is the story of a boy who becomes a man by becoming a bear. Kenai (Joaquin Phoenix) is a young man set on revenge against a bear he feels is responsible for his brother’s death. Going up against the beast and winning the battle, the great Spirits who guide Kenai transform him into a bear himself. As Kenai tries to undo the spell placed on him by the spirits, he meets Koda (Jeremy Suarez) a young cub who was separated from his mother. As the story unfolds Kenai becomes more find of Koda and “adopts…
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Lizzie McGuire – Star Struck (Volume 3)

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 20th, 2004

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A couple of years ago, my wife and I found ourselves watching an episode of The Lizzie McGuire Show on a lazy Saturday morning, when nothing else was on. While we are certainly not the target market, we were both pleased to find that the half-hour was genuinely entertaining. Saturday mornings are a perfect time to watch this show, as it is mildly humorous, yet still benign enough that you don’t really have to get your brain working to enjoy it. It has since become a fairly-regular part of our weekend routine.< ...
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Baby Einstein – Baby MacDonald

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on March 17th, 2004

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Let’s get one thing straight right off the bat… this is a title intended for viewing by small children. Very small children. As a result, all of my usual judging criteria (picture quality, sound quality, character development) are pretty much unimportant. The target audience for this title has trouble forming words, so I am willing to bet that the more subtle nuances of the narrative will be lost on them. Nevertheless, I will continue on as best as I can.

If you are still reading this, you are most likely a…
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Freaky Friday

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 21st, 2003

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Synopsis

Jamie Lee Curtis is the harried big-name therapist with the bestselling book. Lindsay Lohanis her teenage daughter going through the meat-grinder of high school. They are at each otherhammer and tongs, neither understanding the stresses of the other’s life. Then, of course, theywake up one Friday in each other’s bodies, and the fun begins. Not only must each survive inthe other’s environment, but two major events loom: Curtis’ marriage and Lohan’s band’saudition. Pos…
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Pirates of the Caribbean – The Curse of the Black Pearl

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 11th, 2003

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Based on a ride at Disneyland, you probably would not have expected much except for the fact that you have Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush cast as the leads. The Black Pearl is a mysterious pirate ship half old-wives-tale half ghost story. Geoffery Rush plays Captain Barbossa the captain of the Black Pearl he sails the seas in search of every last piece of cursed Aztec gold to try and free himself and his mates. Johnny Depp plays the roguish Captain Jack Sparrow (the acting for this part was based on Keith Richards) on…
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Santa Clause 2 – The Mrs. Clause

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 25th, 2003

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Tim Allan is back as Santa Clause, and this time he is on a mission… to find a wife. The Santa Clause 2 is a good family Christmas tale, and though it is not as effective as its predecessor, it still has Christmas charm and a number of cute scenes. The story is a little flawed, and many scenes rely on childish antics to survive, but those elements add to the family-friendly nature of the film.

George of the Jungle 2

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 22nd, 2003

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Synopsis

George and all his pals return for this second installment in the George of the Jungle Series…

The Lion King

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 9th, 2003

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For a long time The Lion King was the highest grossing animated film in history. For my money it is still miles ahead of any other animated feature. Using more frames per second in animation than the modern cost-cutting standard, this animation simply flows. Elton John and Tim Rice combined for some spectacular songs that somehow appeal to adults and the pop crowd while still maintaining that charm and sing-along ability necessary to attract children. The story is far richer in content than the typical animated fare.
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Kim Possible – The Secret Files

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on October 9th, 2003

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Follow along with Kim Possible, Ron Stoppable and Rufus the naked mole rat as they foil the plans of some seriously wacko bad guys and still make it home for dinner. We have three episodes as well as the very first episode from this popular Disney kid’s series.

Video

The transfer of this 1.66:1 anamorphic widescreen format video is pretty good, it is not plagued with edge enhancements or noise. The story is a traditional cell animated cartoon and the video quality varies somewhat, at times…
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Holes

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 30th, 2003

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Disney has done a very good job bringing the children’s novel Hoels to the big screen (or little screen for this DVD release). This film contains a good story with some solid moral values being taught to the young viewers. The story and acting are both quite good, creating a film that can be enjoyed by both children and adults.

Sleeping Beauty

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 14th, 2003

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In the tradition of DVD releases of other classic Disney films, Sleeping Beauty as been given an all-star DVD treatment. Everyone has grown up watching Disney animated classic films, and everyone knows the story. No matter how many time you see these films, they never go out of style… and so is the case with Sleeping Beauty.

Escape to Witch Mountain

Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on September 9th, 2003

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Synopsis

Tony and Tia Malone are different from the other kids at the orphanage. They can makethings move just by thinking about it. Tony can levitate. Tia can talk to animals. They come tothe attention of evil millionaire Aristotle Bolt (Ray Milland, doing his patented Mean Rich Guyroutine), who dispatches Donald Pleasance to bring the children to his isolated mansion.Realizing what Bolt wants to exploit them, Tony and Tia escape, and, with the help of crusty-but-good-hearte…
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Stitch! The Movie

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 3rd, 2003

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Synopsis

Stitch the lovable alien of mass destruction is back with 625 of his closest relatives ready to wreak havoc on the Hawaiian Islands. Captain Gantu has kidnapped Dr. Jumba and brought him to his evil partner Dr. Hamsterviel, they want the other 625 experimental aliens of mass destruction that Dr. Jumbo created. Lilo and Stitch find them and decide that they don’t want to give them up as they are part of the family, so in order to keep them they must rescue Dr. Jumba.

Video

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Piglet’s Big Movie

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 1st, 2003

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Piglet has finally moved from supporting cast of the Winnie the Pooh crew to lead in Piglet’s Big Movie. In the fashion that made the Winnie the Pooh stories so popular, Disney has created another Pooh adventure that is sure to entertain children all around the world. This film is not at the same level as Disney’s blockbuster animated features such as A Bug’s Life or Finding Nemo, but it will hold it’s own in the children’s DVD market.

”It’s Piglet’s first m…
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Jungle Book 2, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on June 10th, 2003

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Synopsis

An all new adventure for all of your favourite characters form Disney’s Jungle Book. Back for more fun we have Mowgli, Baloo, Bagheera and Shere Khan of course, Mowgli has moved out of the jungle and into the village but, he misses his old friends. He soon finds an excuse to wander back into the jungle and quickly finds himself hunted by his old enemy Shere Khan. With all new songs and a couple of new characters the fun continues in The Jungle Book 2.

Video

The t…
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Atlantis II: Milo’s Return

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 26th, 2003

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Milo and company return in the follow-up to Disney’s Atlantis. In the original film Milo and company find the lost city of Atlantis and Milo stays behind to help rebuild it. Here he returns to the surface world to help with ancient creatures that are threatening that world. Follow along as they battle an ancient see monster, a coyote windstorm and an ancient Norse god and along the way discover the true power of the Heart of Atlantis.

Video

As is the case with most of the new Disney animate…
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Rescuers, The

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 26th, 2003

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Originally released in 1977 this is the first time that the original The Rescuers has been released on DVD. Follow the adventures Bernard and Miss Bianca of the mouse based Rescue Aid Society as they try and rescue orphan Penny. Penny has been kidnapped by the evil Madame Medusa and taken to the swamp of Devil’s Bayou to find a long lost pirate diamond.

Video

Disney has done a wonderful job of restoring the film for this disc. There is very little film grit visible and it is free of any ar…
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Treasure Island

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 4th, 2003

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Synopsis

The story opens in 18th-Century England. Jim Hawkins (played by the very American BobbyDriscoll) helps his mother run a tavern. One of their guests is William Bones, a old seaman whois being hunted by a group of former comrades. He dies of a heart attack, but not before givingJim a map of Treasure Island. The local squire, excited by the map, organizes an expedition tofind the treasure. Unfortunately, as ship’s cook he unknowingly hires notorious pirate Long JohnSilver. Fal…
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Spirited Away

Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 3rd, 2003

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Synopsis

Chihiro is a ten-year-old girl moving to a new home. On the way there, her father takes awrong turn, and they find themselves in an abandoned amusement park. I really don’t want tosay too much, as this is a film whose wonders should be discovered without too muchforeknowledge. Suffice to say that Chihiro soon finds herself in a magical world of spirits,striving to free herself, her parents, and a new friend. Spirited Away is a stunning film, worthyof comparison to Alice in Wonderla…
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20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 3rd, 2003

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Synopsis

In 1868, ships are being sunk by what appears to be a monster. Investigating scientists PaulLukas and Peter Lorre discover that it is, in fact, a submarine, when their ship is struck. They arepicked up, along with sailor Kirk Douglas, by Captain Nemo (James Mason) of the Nautilus. IsNemo a genius or megalomaniac? Villain or hero? Both? Our heroes wrestle with these questionsover the course of their adventures. The special effects, almost 50 years old, still stand up well(wi…
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Disney’s Sing Along Songs – The Lion King Circle of Life

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 8th, 2003

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Synopsis

Nothing really to summarize here: 13 clips of musical numbers from everything from TheLion King to Pinocchio to Aladdin. Captions encourage viewers to sing along. There are severalnew songs from recent direct-to-video movies too.

Audio

This isn’t a sound effects disc, so what is of interest is the music, and the 5.1 mix is verysolid: distortion free but not too deafening.

Video

Strong and sharp, with the colours generally vi…
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Disney’s Sing Along Songs – Sing a Song With Pooh Bear and Piglet Too

Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 8th, 2003

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Synopsis

A synopsis is beside the point here. The main feature is song clips from various Winnie ThePooh cartoons with animated captions encouraging the kids to sing along. I do wonder about theaudience for such bits as the Tigger song: this piece moves so fast that you need to be a speedreader to keep up, and so probably too old for the DVD.

Audio

No sound effects to speak of, naturally, since music is the whole point of the DVD. Themusic sounds fine. It is…
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