The last couple of months have
been relatively quiet in terms of Disney DVD releases and
announcements, so there has not been much to report. Recently, there
have been a few official press releases about upcoming titles, so I
thought I would pass them along.
After the official announcements, let me fill you in on some of the
latest and then other Disney DVD titles being released later this
year.
On August 6th, Buena Vista is
releasing a direct-to-video title called The Adventures of
Tom Thumb & Thumbelina.
Click to Buy
The Adventures of Tom Thumb &
Thumbelina
BURBANK, Calif. - [PRESS RELEASE] - Enter the
magical world of Tom Thumb and Thumbelina, together for the first time
ever, in the all-new animated movie, The Adventures of Tom Thumb
& Thumbelina, available on DVD and VHS on August 6 from
Buena Vista Home Entertainment. A new take on the classic characters
of Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm, this charming film
stars Jennifer Love Hewitt (The Hunchback of Notre Dame II) and
Elijah Wood (The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring)
in the title roles. Bursting with delightful songs and humor, this
heartwarming story of courage and friendship is perfect entertainment
for the entire family, available on DVD for $24.99 and on VHS for
$19.99.
The Adventures of Tom Thumb & Thumbelina
includes such wonderful songs as Thumbelina's solo "I Am All
Alone" (sung by Jennifer Love Hewitt) and the villainous Mole
King's hilarious song "Welcome To My Hole" (performed by
Peter Gallagher ("American Beauty"). This superb film's
all-star cast includes Bebe Neuwirth (TV's Frasier), Rachel
Griffiths (Disney's The Rookie), Robert Guillaume (Disney's The
Lion King II: Simba's Pride), Esai Morales (TV's American
Family), Jane Leeves (TV's Frasier), and Jon Stewart (TV's The
Daily Show), among others.
From the creators of the award-winning Brave
Little Toaster series, The Adventures of Tom Thumb &
Thumbelina features terrific animation and a rousing,
family-friendly story. Once upon a time there were two tiny, beloved
fairy tale characters, Tom Thumb (Elijah Wood) and Thumbelina
(Jennifer Love Hewitt), who longed for acceptance but whose paths had
never crossed. That is until the day fate brought them together.
Thumbelina is a young teenage girl, but somewhat out of the ordinary:
she's only six inches tall. She meets Tom Thumb, a teenager of similar
height, and soon the two embark on a fantastic quest together, which
leads them to the comically villainous Mole King (Peter Gallagher). The
Adventures of Tom Thumb & Thumbelina has a running time of
approximately 75 minutes. On DVD, The Adventures of Tom Thumb
& Thumbelina is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33: 1.
Then on August 18th, all of you
Playhouse Disney fans may be pleased to see Rolie Polie Olie
make is DVD debut. Sounds like a typical but longer RPO episode, but I
know my 4-year-old is already looking forward to it.
Click
to Buy
Rolie Polie Olie: The Great Defender of Fun
BURBANK, Calif., May 8, 2002 - [PRESS RELEASE] -
Rolie Polie Olie delivers more out-of-this-world fun with the debut of
his very first, all-new movie, Rolie Polie Olie: The Great
Defender of Fun This charming, entertaining film premieres
only on Disney DVD and video on August 13, 2002, from Walt Disney Home
Entertainment and Playhouse Disney - marking the first time Rolie
Polie Olie has ever been available on DVD. Based on the acclaimed
books by children's author and illustrator William Joyce, the movie is
priced to own at $24.99 (S.R.P.) for Disney DVD and $19.99 for VHS (S.R.P.).
In Rolie Polie Olie: The Great Defender of Fun,
it's Olie's sister Zowie's birthday party, and everyone is preparing
for the big event - until the evil, Gloomius Maximus arrives. The new
villain, voiced by James Woods, threatens to bring doom and gloom to
the planet — will Olie be able to protect the party from being
"un-funerated?" This full-length movie takes viewers on a
zany ride through the galaxy as Olie, the Great Defender of Fun, along
with his sister and the rest of the gang, gear up to save Zowie's
birthday and defend Polieville against the perils of gloom.
The character of Rolie Polie Olie premiered on the
Disney Channel's The Rolie Polie Olie television series and was
named the winner of the 2000 Daytime Emmy Award for "Outstanding
Special Class Animated Program." Rolie Polie Olie is also
a Parent's Choice "Silver Honor" award winner.
Rolie Polie Olie: The Great Defender of Fun
is rated G by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), has a
running time of approximately 75 minutes and is closed captioned for
the hearing impaired.
Later in August, the 20th to be
specific, Disney releases the sequel to Peter Pan — Return
to Never Land. I did not see this one in the theaters, and I
have heard several different opinions about it. Based on the release,
the DVD does not look to be a knockout, but at least it has features
like anamorphic widescreen, Dolby Digital and DTS soundtracks, and some
deleted scenes.
Click
to Buy
Return to Never Land
BURBANK, Calif., April 9, 2002 - [PRESS RELEASE] -
On August 20 the magic takes flight in the continuation of the
timeless tale of Peter Pan in Return to Never Land,
coming to Disney DVD and video. A magical story, full of all the fun,
adventure and fantasy of the original, Return to Never Land
features favorite returning characters Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, Wendy,
and Peter's arch rival Captain Hook, and introduces a new character,
Wendy's daughter Jane, a young girl who doesn't believe in
"faith, trust and pixie dust." The exciting, animated
adventure features five new songs and will be released on DVD with
bonus treasures including deleted scenes, games, a storybook and more.
Return to Never Land will be available on DVD for $29.99
(S.R.P.) and on VHS for $24.99 (S.R.P.).
The Return to Never Land DVD includes
bonus materials featuring: Lost Treasures: Deleted Scenes with
commentary by producer Chris Chase and executive in charge of
production Sharon Morrill; music video of the new song "I'll
Try" performed by pop singing sensation Jonatha Brooke; a Rescue
The Lost Boys Adventure Game; Disney StoryTime: Never Land's New Hero;
a DVD-ROM Sampler of "You Can Fly;" DVD-ROM Web links and
more. It is formatted for widescreen (1.66:1) and enhanced for 16 x 9
televisions and includes both Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 Surround
Sound. The THX-certified release comes with English and French
language tracks.
Return to Never Land takes you back to
the enchanted place where kids never grow up and where Peter Pan,
Tinker Bell, and the Lost Boys still taunt the villainous Captain
Hook. It has been years since Wendy left Never Land, and although that
wonderful world is unchanged, she now has children of her own in war
torn London. Wendy tries to comfort her young ones with stories of
Peter Pan and Captain Hook but her practical 12-year-old Jane has no
time for make-believe, until she's kidnapped by Captain Hook himself
and whisked off to Never Land.
Hook, mistaking her for Wendy, plans to use Jane as
bait to finally capture his nemesis Peter Pan. But Peter, Tink and the
Lost Boys rescue Jane from the villain's clutches and once again
defeat the old pirate. Now in order to return home, Jane must fly, and
in order to fly, she needs to believe. It's up to Peter Pan to show
her that with a little "faith, trust and pixie dust,"
anything is possible.
Return to Never Land is rated "G" with a
running time of approximately 73 minutes. Bonus materials are not
rated and subject to change.
Other recently released
live-action Disney catalog DVDs include:
What else is on the horizon, you
ask?
These following title are still on track for their previously
announced release dates:
If those are not enough,
looking towards the Holiday season, there is even more!
On November 12, Beauty and the Beast - The Enchanted Christmas
Special Edition and Winnie the Pooh - A Very Merry Pooh Year will hit
store shelves. The first title is supposedly a special edition release
of the 1997 direct-to-video follow-up to Beauty and the Beast, but
details have yet to be released.
The Pooh disc is an animated direct-to-video release, but no further
details are available.
Also on tap for release before the
end of the year: Wave 2 of the Walt Disney Treasures
collection is slated for release on December 3rd. Although, rather than
the four originally speculated titles, Disney appears to have dropped
the "Wartime Animation" set and will only be releasing the
following discs:
|
Mickey Mouse in Black & White |
Behind the Scenes of the Walt Disney Studios |
The Complete Goofy |
The Mickey set includes 34 classic black-and-white animated shorts,
and the Goofy set has all 46 of the Goofy animated shorts. Finally, the
Studio set includes behind-the-scenes films and telecasts, and included
in that vague description is supposed to be The Reluctant Dragon
movie, in its entirety.
All sets will be limited to 150,000 copies, have a collectible
postcard-sized lithograph, and are packaged in embossed numbered tins,
just like Wave 1. More details to come soon, and hopefully we will see
that wartime animation set some time soon.
Promotional art © Disney
Finally (and somewhat
speculative — but not outside of Disney's typical DVD release
pattern), Lilo & Stitch should be making its home
video debut in both a two disc collector's and a single disc standard
edition in January 2003.
The current tentative date is January 28, but until Disney officially
announces the details, the date is subject to change. An official
announcement is not expected for several weeks.
That's it for now! Stay tuned for more.
You can e-mail Kevin at:
dockrock@mouseplanet.com
|
