May 30, 2007 - As expected, six Disney's hour-long Touchstone/ABC Studio series have now been given official release dates for DVD box sets arriving over the final five months of the year. Each multi-disc set will carry a $59.99 SRP; high-res artwork for all five has been added to Upcoming Cover Art. "Ugly Betty": The Complete First Season - The Bettyfied Edition will reach stores first, as the fashion magazine dramedy hits stores on August 21st. Two weeks later, "Desperate Housewives": The Complete Third Season - The Dirty Laundry Edition serves up more Wisteria Lane mystery on September 4th. Ratings behemoth "Grey's Anatomy": The Complete Third Season - Seriously Extended checks in the following Tuesday, September 11th. "Brothers & Sisters": The Complete First Season will turn up next, arriving on September 18th. September 25th will bring "What About Brian": The Complete Series, housing all 24 episodes of the two seasons this recently-cancelled drama received. Finally, "Lost": The Complete Third Season - The Unexplored Experience will surface on December 11th, narrowly preceding the island drama's mid-season return.

As we move closer to launching our all-DVD sister site to UD, we've created a general Upcoming DVD Schedule, which currently provides information on all studios' high-profile releases for the month of June. Bonus feature information, production data, select cover art, and preorder links are offered for 10-25 of the biggest DVDs scheduled for each of the next four Tuesdays. Keep an eye out as we expand the schedule to cover the rest of the summer in the days and weeks ahead. Click here to check it out now.

Disney has issued a press release for Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey's Treat, August's animated Halloween-ready DVD featuring Playhouse Disney's top-rated series. The announcement provides the titles of the 3 included episodes of the preschool-friendly computer-animated series and elaborates on the "Little Einsteins" bonus. More...

May 29, 2007 - Our 570th DVD review looks at Venus, Miramax's R-rated drama about an aging English actor (Peter O'Toole) who develops an unlikely relationship with an unmannered young woman in her early 20s (Jodie Whittaker). Most of the praise this Roger Michell-directed film received went directly to septuagenarian O'Toole, who compels in the leading role. Though there are merits beyond O'Toole's Oscar-nominated turn, the film and its standard-issue DVD both land at "adequate." More...

Disney has issued a press release for Roving Mars, the 2006 IMAX documentary that will come to DVD this summer. Click here to read it.

May 26, 2007 - Our first look at artwork for Return to Halloweentown: Ultimate Secret Edition, coming to DVD on August 28th, has been added to Upcoming Cover Art. Complete Disney Channel Original Movies List

May 25, 2007 - The much-anticipated Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End is now playing in over 4,000 theaters and we've got a review. Bloated, confusing, and generally disappointing, this third installment in Disney's blockbuster series practically demands repeat trips to theaters. It goes wrong in many ways, from nonsensical turns to an overwrought story that doesn't give sufficient treatment to any character or idea, even with a nearly 3-hour runtime. Read the full review here, in which Pirates fans can also enjoy more than a dozen pictures from the movie and links to relevant tie-ins.

May 24, 2007 - Mel Gibson's Apocalypto is the subject of our latest DVD review. The Touchstone-distributed, R-rated drama takes viewers back to a foreign, forgotten world with all dialogue spoken in Yucatec Maya and a largely Latin American cast. For its unconventional setting, the film tells a rather standard (but involving) action tale about a young man, on the run from savage warriors, hoping to reunite with his wife and children. Though competently crafted and technically sound, this is one of the most graphic, grisly movies ever made and the shocking violence does hurt the film. The DVD includes a commentary by writer/director/producer Gibson and his co-writer/co-producer, plus a 25-minute documentary, and one short deleted scene. Read the full review.

May 22, 2007 - In our newest DVD review, Aaron Wallace takes a look at That Thing You Do!: Tom Hanks' Extended Cut, Fox's recent 2-disc re-release of Hanks' esteemed directorial debut. The film -- about a small town Beatles-esque rock band's one-hit rise to success in the mid-1960s -- holds up well, thanks to its decidely quirky tone, infectious title tune, solid (and subsequently superstar) cast, clever writing, and Wonder-ful soundtrack. In addition to providing both the tauter theatrical cut and epic extended version (which adds 39 minutes of footage), the DVD offers remastered picture, a cast reunion, three featurettes (two new), a piece on the band in Japan, a music video, and a number of trailers. Read the full review.

Disney's newly-issued press release for "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody": Sweet Suite Victory reveals that the August 7th DVD release will contain only three episodes of the Disney Channel comedy series that's set at an upscale Boston hotel. Read on...

Reflecting this week's commencement of summertime's temporary price reductions for Pixar Animation Studio's first seven films, Amazon.com is selling the two-disc sets of Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc., and Finding Nemo for just $14.99, and The Incredibles for just a buck-fifty more. Click here to buy.

Disney's 2007 Halloween DVDs are now up for preorder, each $14.99, at Amazon.com: Return to Halloweentown and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey's Treat.

One of this week's many new Buena Vista DVDs gets covered in our latest review: "Kyle XY": The Complete First Season - Declassified. ABC Family's popular hour-long drama tells of a suburban Seattle family, focusing on the teenaged-looking boy they take in who has no belly button and no idea who he is. Part teen drama, part mystery/sci-fi, this series succeeds at involving viewers in both domains, while taking its time to unwind the central mystery. The 3-disc DVD serves up ten episodes in 16x9 and 5.1, plus alternate cuts of two, commentaries on two, and an underwhelming recapping/promotional featurette. Read the full review.

May 21, 2007 - Ever since the 2004-05 television season dealt Disney's network ABC a ratings resurgance thanks to hit Disney-produced dramas, the months of August through October have been marked with Buena Vista Home Entertainment issuing big season sets of its most popular series. The practice began in September 2005, expanded last year, and will expand even more in 2007 as no less than six hour-long ABC/Touchstone series are treated to DVD boxes of their 2006-07 seasons. Currently slated for DVD releases timed to precede next fall's new season are "Lost": The Complete Third Season - The Unexplored Experience, "Grey's Anatomy": The Complete Third Season - Seriously Extended, "Desperate Housewives": The Complete Third Season - The Dirty Laundry Edition, "Ugly Betty": The Complete First Season - The Bettified Edition, "Brothers and Sisters": The Complete First Season, and "What About Brian": The Complete First and Second Seasons. We'll have more information on all of the above as the studio makes it available in the weeks ahead.

May 19, 2007 - According to an e-mail from a Disney Store cast member, Meet the Robinsons will come to DVD on September 18th. Despite its spring opening, next week's much-anticipated sequel Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End will assume the early-December timing of its predecessors with a December 4th release. Likewise, Pixar's June opening Ratatouille will reach stores on November 6th, mirroring the bows of Finding Nemo and Cars with a shorter theater-to-DVD window. As with any dates not yet announced, these are subject to change, but that's less likely to happen with tentpole titles like these.

Meanwhile, a number of members on our forum have reported from the U.S. and overseas that Sleeping Beauty will be Disney's Fall 2008 Platinum Edition DVD. Less firm is news pertaining the studio's 2009 Platinum releases, with Walt Disney's first three animated features (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, and Fantasia) being the three titles most suspected of resurfacing then.

Our latest DVD review covers Fox's Epic Movie: Unrated. This, the latest parody film from two of Scary Movie's six writers, lampoons The Chronicles of Narnia, Pirates of the Caribbean, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Harry Potter, Nacho Libre, Superman Returns, Snakes on a Plane, and X-Men, among other recent blockbusters and pop culture entities. Sadly, it opts for base bodily humor over cleverness, rendering its tale of four orphans beckoned to magical worlds higher on gross-outs than on laughs. The unrated DVD serves up a number of extras, very few of which are at all worthwhile. Read the full review.

May 18, 2007 - A press release has been issued for "Cory in the House": All-Star Edition, which reveals further information about the August 7th DVD debut of the Disney Channel's "That's So Raven" spin-off. In addition to the aforementioned guest star-centered extras, the DVD will include a High School Musical 2 addition inside the case. Read on...

More August Disney DVD releases are now available for preorder: "Home Improvement": The Complete Seventh Season, "8 Simple Rules": The Complete First Season, and Touchstone's blockbuster comedy Wild Hogs (also available on Blu-ray Disc).

Disney has scheduled two Halloween-ready DVDs for release on August 28th. Return to Halloweentown, fourth in the Disney Channel's original movie series, will arrive in an Ultimate Secret Edition (SRP: $19.99) which presents the film in fullscreen and Dolby 5.1 and will include a behind-the-scenes cast interview featurette. For younger viewers comes Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey's Treat (also $19.99 SRP), a 66-minute disc (in 1.33:1 and Dolby Surround) that promises Halloween fun while serving up the bonus episode "A Little Einsteins Halloween" plus DVD-ROM extras Creepy Clubhouse character stencils and Spooky Clubhouse Cookbook.

Meanwhile, on the week of very packed August 7th release date, Buena Vista is lowering the list prices of The Complete First and Second Seasons of "The Golden Girls". Each 3-disc box set will henceforth carry a $23.99 SRP, less than half of its current $49.99 tag. More planned price drops...

May 17, 2007 - Our newest DVD review tackles "Scrubs": The Complete Fifth Season, which aired on NBC early last year. Though delayed, compacted, and programmed against fierce competition, the medical comedy maintained its modest ratings and critical favor. It raises the silliness levels with randomly funny material expanding beyond the show's trademark fantasy sequences. Season 5 checks in just a step below the show at its best, with a near-constant flow of hilarity making it easy to overlook a few shortcomings. Buena Vista's three-disc DVD serves up an extended version of the terrific, Zach Braff-directed 100th episode plus 35 minutes of alternate lines, 8 minutes of deleted scenes, three episode commentaries, and an encompassing featurette. Read the full review.

May 15, 2007 - Hot off the presses comes the announcement for "Darkwing Duck" Volume 2, which lists the 27 episodes the August 7th box set will contain. With this second release, the early '90s crime-fighter cartoon (a product of both The Disney Afternoon and ABC's Saturday morning lineup) will have 54 of its 91 episodes available on DVD. More...

Like last summer's "vs. Season 1" release, this August's "The Tick" vs. Season 2 will provide only 92%, i.e. 12 out of 13 episodes, of its billed season. Disney's newly-issued press release reveals which of the 1995-96 season's shows will be missing (though not "why") and announces that the dozen featured episodes will be accompanied only by new original box art and a collectible lithograph from "Tick" creator Ben Edlund.

Disney has issued a press release for the June 19th home video debut of Bridge to Terabithia. The falsely-marketed, $81-million grossing family drama will arrive on DVD and Blu-ray bolstered by two cast and crew audio commentaries, an AnnaSophia Robb music video, and two featurettes.

April 20, 2007 - UltimateDisney.com is developing a spin-off DVD news/reviews website to provide coverage of high-profile releases from other major studios. While UD will continue to cover all things Disney, the expansion will bring the type of comprehensive critiques and schedules you've come to expect to other significant movies and TV shows from outside the Walt Disney Company. Once this general DVD site launches, it will co-exist with UD.

Recent Disney DVD and Movie Reviews:
• "Home Improvement": The Complete Sixth Season - The long-running family sitcom gets treated to another 3-disc box set that's light on extras but still heavy on fun. Season 6 delivers some classic episodes along with some forgettable ones, as the Taylor boys grow up and get more plotlines, Jill does more than keep everyone grounded, and Tim even shows some depth and sensibility.
• Dinosaurs: The Complete Third and Fourth Seasons - Four-disc set holds the early-'90s Disney comedy's final 36 episodes, totaling just under 14 hours of content, plus two episode commentaries, two featurettes, and five Easter Eggs. The set offers some solid episodes of the family sitcom, which is at its best when its not using its prehistoric cast to make social or political commentary.

Recent Non-Disney DVD Reviews:
• Dreamgirls: 2-Disc Showstopper Edition - Adapted from the Tony winner, DreamWorks' musical won raves and awards while reviving its floundering genre. This tale of a 1960s girl group's rise and betrayals boasts terrific acting, music, and production values. The DVD offers a standout two-hour chronological production documentary, extended/alternate scenes, a Beyoncé Knowles music video, auditions, art galleries, and pre-visualization sequences.
• Big: Extended Edition - Tom Hanks' superstar-making performance is only part of this classic 1988 comedy's overflowing appeal. Laughs are a-plenty and so is heart in this spirited Oscar-nominated script that mixes fantasy with reality and is brought to life with steady direction and a fine supporting cast. The two-disc set offers long-overdue 16x9 enhancement to the theatrical cut and a new version seamlessly running 26 minutes longer. Extras include a unique audio commentary, five featurettes, an assortment of trailers, select deleted scenes, and an Easter Egg.

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