Keep track of our latest articles with our RSS Feed. Add to: Google, My Yahoo, My AOL

January 18, 2009 -

January 16, 2009 - In our newest DVD review, we take an early look at You're a Good Sport, Charlie Brown. Warner's seventh DVD of Peanuts animation, this one holds two 1970s specials -- one involving a motocross race, the other a decathlon. The bonus featurette includes comments from Charles Schulz's son Craig, whose interest in motocross inspired the title short. Full review.

Bolt, the latest film from Walt Disney Feature Animation, has been scheduled for three home video releases on March 24th. A single-disc DVD ($29.99 SRP) will include the all-new short Super Rhino. A 2-Disc Deluxe Edition DVD ($32.99 SRP) adds deleted scenes; the featurettes "Creating the World of Bolt", "Act, Speak! The Voices of Bolt", and "A New Breed of Director: A Filmmaker's Journey"; stars Miley Cyrus and John Travolta singing "I Thought I Lost You" in the studio; and a digital copy. Finally, for $39.99 SRP, you get the Blu-ray (with the exclusive Bolt's Be-Awesome Mission Game), the DVD, and the digital copy. Cover art, which aside from a border is the same for all three, has been posted here.

In other Disney animation DVD news, a Special Edition DVD reissue for 1985's The Black Cauldron is being promoted on upcoming releases. Extras touted: "an all-new game, deleted scenes, and more." Based on Disney's past release patterns, we can probably expect this disc in June.

January 15, 2009 - A new review by Kelvin Cedeno looks at the recent 2-Disc Special Edition DVD given Eagle Eye. Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan star in this high-energy suspense thriller about two strangers united by anonymous, threatening phone calls and an assortment of peril. The premium version of DreamWorks' $100 million-earning hit includes deleted scenes, an alternate ending, a gag reel, the trailer, a photo gallery and several featurettes. Read the full review.

January 14, 2009 - After going more than two years without issuing one of their low-priced compilations of vintage animated shorts, Disney will return to the format this April with the launch of a new DVD line simply titled Walt Disney Animation Collection: Classic Short Films. The hour-long discs will include a lithograph and a vibrant foil slipcover while carrying a $19.99 SRP. Due April 7th, the first three volumes are titled Mickey and the Beanstalk, The Three Little Pigs, and Prince & The Pauper. In addition to their famous namesake cartoons, the DVDs will also feature Brave Little Tailor, Thru the Mirror, Gulliver Mickey, Mr. Mouse Takes a Trip on Volume 1; Big Bad Wolf, Three Little Wolves, Chicken Little, Lambert the Sheepish Lion, Three Blind Mouseketeers on Volume 2; and Old King Cole, A Knight for a Day, Ye Olden Days on Volume 3.

Our latest DVD review looks at Brideshead Revisited, Miramax's new feature film adaptation of Evelyn Waugh's esteemed 1945 novel. Watchmen's Matthew Goode stars as a young man intrigued by aristocracy, the Catholic family that introduces him to it, and their stately palace. Julian Jarrold (Becoming Jane) directs a fine cast that includes Emma Thompson and Michael Gambon in supporting roles. The DVD-only release includes an audio commentary, deleted scenes, and a 20-minute featurette. Read on...

January 13, 2009 - The second Tuesday of 2009 is unusually packed with movie and TV releases. Check out the full list of new DVDs and Blu-rays here. Keep browsing ahead for the most recently announced release dates and details, including Twilight, Quantum of Solace, and Seven Pounds.

January 8, 2009 - Join us for a look at Swing Vote, the PG-13-rated Touchstone political dramedy which failed to find much of an audience in theaters last summer. Kevin Costner stars as a simple New Mexico man whose single vote will determine the next American president. His noteworthy co-stars include Kelsey Grammer and Dennis Hopper as the candidates, Stanley Tucci and Nathan Lane as their campaign managers, Paula Patton and George Lopez as journalists covering the story, and Madeline Carroll as the precocious daughter responsible for the predicament. Disney's DVD includes a commentary, deleted/extended scenes, a music video by Costner's band, and a making-of featurette. Read our full review.

January 7, 2009 - Our latest review covers Paramount's next compilation of the 1980s "Alvin and the Chipmunks" series. The Chipettes holds six 12-minute episodes from the first five seasons of the long-running cartoon, with all '80s pop covers intact (you can preview the originals on our review) and the Chipmunks' female musical triplet counterparts typically in focus. The disc hits stores next week. Read on...

Disney has announced a number of Blu-ray Disc releases planned for this year. Most exciting for animation fans are Pixar's Monsters, Inc. and A Bug's Life, which will arrive with digital copies at a date to be determined. The sport dramas Miracle and The Greatest Game Ever Played are also in the works. Previously-announced and anticipated debuts will include Space Buddies (2/3), High School Musical 3: Senior Year (2/17), Beverly Hills Chihuahua (3/3), Pinocchio: Platinum Edition (3/10), Morning Light (Summer), and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Platinum Edition (October)

Details have been posted on the scheduled Friday, February 6th DVD/Blu-ray debut of DreamWorks' hit sequel Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa. Click here for them.

January 5, 2009 - Our DVDizzy.com Schedules have been updated to provide you the fullest and most accurate look at the next three months' worth of DVD and Blu-ray releases. Among the newest additions are anticipated dates for Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, Bolt, Australia, Slumdog Millionaire, Role Models, and Rachel Getting Married. You'll also find details and preorder links when available. Check it out...

December 30, 2008 - Our latest DVD review, and quite possibly our last of 2008, looks at Ghost Town. British funnyman Ricky Gervais stars as a misanthropic dentist who starts seeing New York City's ghosts after a surgery renders him temporarily dead. Directed and co-written by David Koepp (Jurassic Park, Spider-Man) and co-starring Greg Kinnear and Téa Leoni, this PG-13 romantic comedy is now available from DreamWorks with audio commentary, a substantial making-of featurette, outtakes, and a short visual effects reel. Read on...

December 20, 2008 - It's taken over six years and many unfulfilled rumors, but Region 1 is finally getting a two-disc DVD of Lilo & Stitch. Disney's last hit 2D-animated theatrical release will resurface in a 2-Disc Big Wave Edition on March 24, 2009, the same day that another major new animated Disney film is set to debut (more on that in about a month). Extras will include deleted scenes, music videos by A*Teens and The Hawaiian Chorus, Lilo & Stitch Island Adventure Games, "DisneyPedia: Hawaii", "A Stitch in Time", and "much, much more!" That last component should include everything that's made it onto the film's internationally-available Special Editions. Amazon.com now has the DVD up for preorder with their price guarantee. UPDATE: We've posted cover art here.

Two weeks earlier, on March 10th, three popular yesteryear live-action Disney films are getting new releases. Escape to Witch Mountain, Return to Witch Mountain, and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea will launch a new silver & gold-colored line called "Walt Disney Family Classics." Carrying list prices of $19.99, the DVDs sound similar to the Special Editions released in 2003 (with the same disc counts retained), although each will contain new pop-up fun fact tracks and a ticket for the unpromising action-packed remake Race to Witch Mountain that hits theaters the same week.

Recent Disney DVD Reviews:
• "Hannah Montana": The Complete First Season - The hokey Disney Channel sitcom that launched a tween empire and made Miley Cyrus a household name shows us the life of an ordinary girl who secretly is a major pop star. The four-disc set holds 26 episodes, the first installment of this year's Disney Channel Games, and a featurette with Miley and father Billy Ray at their Nashville ranch.
• The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea Special Edition DVD. Kicking off a decade full of direct-to-video outings, this sequel tells of Ariel's headstrong human daughter, her interest in the ocean, and the musical adventure it leads her on. The new disc adds 16:9 enhancement, a deleted song, and a new 3-level game while retaining all extras from the original 2000 release.

Recent Non-Disney DVD and Blu-ray Reviews:
• The X-Files: I Want to Believe - This underperforming continuation of the popular sci-fi TV series reunites Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) for the case of a psychic, pedophilic priest (Billy Connolly) trying to locate a missing FBI agent. This Ultimate X-Phile Edition Blu-ray pulls out all the special features stops, with a comprehensive In-Movie Experience, a 90-minute documentary, deleted scenes, featurettes, an interactive timeline, trailers, a digital copy, and more.
• The Women - This new take on the 1939 movie and the play that inspired it features a talented all-female cast that includes Meg Ryan, Annette Bening, Eva Mendes, Debra Messing, and Jada Pinkett Smith. Warner's double-sided disc supplies widescreen and fullscreen formats plus 2 deleted scenes and 2 featurettes.

To subscribe to UltimateDisney.com's free newsletter and gain access to past issues, send an e-mail to [email protected] or visit here.

E-mail UltimateDisney.com: tsdvd at yahoo.com