August 14, 2009 - Yet another Disney animated Christmas title will be revisited when Disney reissues Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse on November 3rd. The non-branded new version ($26.99 SRP) will carry the same bonus features from the out-of-print original release: the premiere "House of Mouse" episode, the featurette "The Sounds of Christmas", and sing-along songs of "Deck the Halls" and "Sleigh Ride." The 2001 video debut makes use of classics Pluto's Christmas Tree and Mickey's Christmas Carol plus 1999 "Mickey Mouse Works" shorts Donald on Ice and The Nutcracker. In "House of Mouse" fashion, the four cartoons are screened, via bridging original animation, at a theater full of Disney characters from all time, including the princesses claiming cover space.

We've got a review of the DVDs and Blu-ray of Hannah Montana: The Movie, releasing next week. The Miley Cyrus cable juggernaut takes on yet another new shape in this feature film adapted from Disney Channel's top-rated sitcom. Taking a two-week break from her pop star life, Miley returns to the Tennessee farm town she's from. There, both her and Dad (Billy Ray Cyrus) have no trouble getting new love interests while trying to sort out their priorities. The deluxe DVD holds deleted scenes, bloopers, two entertaining featurettes, a director's audio commentary, and Miley's "The Climb" music video. Exclusive to the Blu-ray combo are six additional music videos and a "Hoedown Throwdown" making-of/tutorial. Read the full review.

On the heels of this summer's 1960's Collection, Warner has announced the release of Peanuts: 1970's Collection Vol. 1 on October 20th. The 2-disc set ($29.98 SRP) will hold the seventh through twelfth animated specials: Play It Again, Charlie Brown, You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown, There's No Time for Love, Charlie Brown, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, It's a Mystery, Charlie Brown, and It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown. Play and Mystery are new to DVD. Bonus features will include the all-new featurette "Woodstock: Creating Snoopy's Sidekick" and a digital download of two songs. Click here to preorder 1970's Collection: Volume 1.

Disney has set an October 13th DVD and Blu-ray debut for The Proposal, Touchstone Pictures' blockbuster romantic comedy. It will be treated to a single-disc DVD, a deluxe DVD with a digital copy disc, and a Blu-ray with digital copy. See our schedule for full details. Click here to pre-order.

August 12, 2009 - We've just posted the press release for Disney's re-announced Monsters, Inc. Blu-ray, which will now include a standard DVD.

In related news, Disney announced today that all Disney-branded Blu-rays will include a standard DVD of the feature through December of 2010. The announcement cited a company study of 1,642 randomly-selected households intending to adopt Blu-ray technology in the next 3-6 months. Of those polled, over 77% agree that Combo Packs are a better value that purchasing a DVD or Blu-ray alone. Disney introduced the Blu-ray/DVD combo on last fall's Sleeping Beauty hi-def debut. Other studios have followed suit on select titles. Currently, Disney combos comprised of a Blu-ray, a DVD, and a digital copy DVD-ROM carry a list price $15 higher than standard DVDs alone and $5 higher than the "deluxe" DVD/digital duo.

August 11, 2009 - Get the 411 on all of today's new DVD and Blu-ray releases right here on our DVDizzy.com Schedule.

See what 2009's version of the body swap comedy looks like with Kelvin Cedeno's review of 17 Again. Matthew Perry plays an unhappy former high school basketball star who is physically transformed back to his teenage self (Zac Efron). Maybe he'll use the opportunity to get closer to his kids and save his divorce-bound marriage. You never know. Leslie Mann, Thomas Lennon, Michelle Trachtenberg, Melora Hardin and a bunch of underused comedians co-star in this PG-13 flick. Warner's Blu-ray release includes a DVD, but just like the standalone release, it is unsupplemented. Maybe not as "Packed with Zac" as advertised, the Blu-ray extras include deleted scenes, a trivia track, supporting cast improvs, and some BD-Live exclusives. Read the full street date report.

August 10, 2009 - With three months until street date, Disney has issued a full press release for the DVD/Blu-ray debut of Pixar's Up. The announcement details the bonus features, most of which are exclusive to the Blu-ray combo. Read on...

Our newest DVD review looks covers Pete's Dragon: High-Flying Edition. This 1977 musical was one of Disney's most ambitious projects to date, uniting a lavish turn-of-the-century New England town with an animated dragon. The best friend of a runaway boy (Sean Marshall), the dragon becomes of interest to sham traveling Doc Terminus (Jim Dale) while Pete finds a new home with a pleasant lighthouse keeper (Helen Reddy). Shelley Winters, Red Buttons, and Mickey Rooney co-star in this production, which earned two Oscar nominations for its music. In stores next week, Disney's new version adds the 25-minute documentary/retrospective "Brazzle Dazzle Effects", a deleted storyboard sequence, and nearly 20 minutes of audio extras to bonuses carried over from the film's solid 2001 Gold Collection disc including art galleries, a game, trailers, and TV show excerpts. There's just one disappointing exclusion to be uncovered in our full review.

August 7, 2009 - Disney has informed retailers of the four home video releases in which they'll make Pixar's Up available on November 10th. A single-disc standard DVD ($29.99 SRP) will contain the film plus theatrical short Partly Cloudy and all-new Dug's Special Mission. A 2-Disc Deluxe DVD ($39.99 SRP) will add an audio commentary by director Pete Docter, the documentary "Adventure is Out There" on the filmmakers' research journey to South America, "The Many Endings of Muntz" (an alternate ending of sorts), and a digital copy. Blu-ray fans get double the disc count with a 4-Disc Combo Pack ($45.99 SRP) that adds Cine-Explore with BonusView, Global Guardian Badge and Geography games, 8 documentaries, and BD-Live to the Deluxe DVD and digital copy platters. Finally, those with income to spare might be interested in the Luxo Jr. Premium Pack ($199.99 SRP) which includes a collectible lamp modeled after Pixar's bouncy short star that is designed to hold a complete Pixar Blu-ray collection. Artwork for all four versions has been posted here.

Coinciding with that news, Disney has re-announced the Monsters, Inc. Blu-ray for release alongside Up on November 10th. Besides the two Blu-ray discs and digital copy DVD-ROM already expected, the set ($45.99 SRP) will add a DVD as well. New bonus features include a Filmmakers' Round Table, Roz's 100-Door Challenge game, and a feature on building Monstropolis for Tokyo Disney's "Ride and Go Seek." Pre-order Monsters, Inc. Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy combo.

August 5, 2009 - Our newest review covers I Love You, Man, the second Apatovian comedy made without Judd Apatow's involvement. Paul Rudd plays an engaged man looking for male worthy of being his best man. He thinks he finds on in a laid-back investor (Jason Segel). This foul-mouthed flick was directed and co-written by John Hamburg (Along Came Polly, Meet the Parents). Extras on DreamWorks' DVD, available next week, include an audio commentary by Rudd, Segel, and Hamburg; deleted scenes, extended scenes, alternate improvs, a making-of featurette, a gag reel, and Easter eggs. Read on...

August 4, 2009 - Kelvin Cedeno brings us a look at another of today's new DVDs with his review of The Soloist. Robert Downey Jr. plays a Los Angeles columnist who discovers a homeless man (Jamie Foxx) with a gift for playing classical music. Based on a true story, this PG-13-rated drama from director Joe Wright (Atonement) comes to disc with deleted scenes, an audio commentary, a making-of featurette, and some homelessness awareness supplements. Read the full review.

Amazon.com is now selling three dozen Disney/ABC DVD season sets at more than 50% off. Reflecting price reductions and the sale, you can pick up sets of "The Golden Girls" and "Home Improvement" for just over $10 apiece. Other box sets, including Seasons 1-2 of "The Muppet Show" and the two-season collections of "Dinosaurs", are selling for $16.49. Click here to browse the entire discounted bunch and if you're looking for opinions, our reviews of 25 of the featured DVDs can be found here (or search for specific titles).

August 2, 2009 - A new month is upon us. Just as you've turned your calendar to reflect that, we've moved our DVD and Blu-ray release calendars ahead to now bring you detailed week-by-week overviews of August, September, and October/Beyond. Check them out and wow your friends with your advance knowledge.

August 1, 2009 - Our Upcoming Disney Movies page has been given a full update. Among the latest additions are write-ups on Diane Lane underdog drama Secretariat, 2011's Untitled Winnie the Pooh Movie, Jerry Bruckheimer and Johnny Depp's The Lone Ranger and Pirates of the Caribbean 4, McG's Captain Nemo: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Andrew Stanton's John Carter of Mars, and the long-rumored Monsters, Inc. 2.

July 31, 2009 - Looking to make a professional comeback after a few rough years, Lindsay Lohan stars in Labor Pains, an independent comedy intended for theaters that instead made its debut last week on ABC Family. Lohan plays a young working woman who pretends she's pregnant to avoid firing. Luke Kirby, Chris Parnell, and Cheryl Hines co-star in this PG-13 film. We review the DVD, out Tuesday from First Look Studios, which includes a making-of featurette. More...

Recent Disney DVD Reviews:
• Race to Witch Mountain - This sci-fi/action flick is a very loose remake of 1975's Escape to Witch Mountain. Dwayne Johnson is a Las Vegas cabbie who allies with two out-of-this-world youngsters (AnnaSophia Robb, Alexander Ludwig) on the run from government agents and an intergalactic assassin. The film boasts a number of cameos of interest to Disney fans. Extras include over 20 minutes of deleted scenes, a bloopers reel, and the Blu-ray exclusive "Which Mountain?."
• The Tigger Movie: 2-Disc 10th Anniversary Edition - Coming a year early and with only a digital copy on its second disc, this re-release doesn't really live up to the fanfare of its moniker. But the movie, Winnie the Pooh and company's first all-new theatrical feature film, remains a triumph true to the style of Disney's original Pooh featurettes. The DVD also adds two episodes of award-winning late-'80s/early-'90s cartoon "The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh" to its adequate slate of recycled extras.

Recent Non-Disney DVD Reviews:
• Dragonball: Evolution - Adapted from the global phenomenon that began with a manga and an anime series, this PG-rated fantasy centers on a teenager (Justin Chatwin) looking to find seven magical orbs before the evil Lord Piccolo (James Marsters) does. Fox's "Z Edition" disc includes extended scenes, two Fox Movie Channel specials, a gag reel, a music video, and "Goku's Workout."
• "The Spectacular Spider-Man": The Complete First Season - This latest animated take on the iconic superhero looks at Peter Parker's life shortly after acquiring his powers, as he protects New York City from an assortment of supervillains while attending high school on the side. Developed by Victor Cook and Greg Weisman ("Gargoyles"), this series stays true to the characters and stories of Marvel Comics in an exciting contemporary setting. The 2-disc, 13-episode set includes two all-new featurettes.
• Coraline - Stop motion fantasy adapted and directed by Henry Selick (The Nightmare Before Christmas) from Neil Gaiman's book tells of a girl (voiced by Dakota Fanning) who discovers a pleasant alternate reality through a door in the Victorian home to which her inattentive parents have moved. Universal's 2-Disc Collector's Edition serves up 2-D and 3-D versions of the film with four pairs of glasses. Bonus features include an audio commentary, deleted scenes, making-of and voice cast featurettes, and a digital copy.
• Eat My Dust: Supercharged Edition - The film that enabled accomplished young actor Ron Howard to become a director, this low-budget, Roger Corman-produced 1976 comedy stars Howard and Christopher Norris as two kids on the run from the law in a stolen racecar. The disc includes the trailer, an introduction by producer Corman, and a new retrospective.

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

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