UltimateDisney.com: The Ultimate Guide to Disney DVD
SEPTEMBER 1-15, 2006: NEWS ARCHIVES
Click here for Tuesday's New Release and Bargain Chart
September 15, 2006 - In our 475th DVD review, Sing Along Songs: Happy Haunting - Party at Disneyland spins into the spotlight. Released to video in 1998, this 31-minute compilation offers animated excerpts as well as kids-and-costumed-characters in its ten Halloween-themed musical numbers. The park in the title hardly features, the songs are a mixed bag, and no effort has been taken to amplify the program's value, which leaves this lightweight disc lacking. Still, there is mild fun and a pre-fame young actor in one of the three leading roles. More...
September 14, 2006 - With the much-anticipated sixth wave of Walt Disney Treasures just a little over three months away, we've updated our Guide to Treasures to reflect new details about December's four sets, straight from Disney. You'll find several exciting news items there, such as the fact that More Silly Symphonies will include audio commentaries by, and a discussion with, experts in animation and film music. Click here for more...
Disney has issued some new information about High School Musical: Remix, the upcoming 2-disc Special Edition re-release of the best-selling Disney Channel Original Movie. Among the "hours of all-new bonus features" to be included: new cast interviews, 3 new music videos, a dance-along as seen on TV, 2 exclusive remixed songs, and behind-the-scenes looks at the movie's Hollywood and London premiere events. In addition, this December 5th double-dip will feature a sweepstakes giving upgraders (and non-purchasers) a chance to win a walk-on role in soon-to-film sequel High School Musical 2.
Buena Vista has scheduled a third wave of Blu-ray Disc titles for release on November 21st. That Thanksgiving week Tuesday will deliver six new discs, including two from Walt Disney Pictures: recently-DVD-debuted The Wild and last year's superhero comedy Sky High. The other four titles offer Touchstone fare released to theaters in the past year: Flightplan, Annapolis, Goal! The Dream Begins, and Casanova. As previously announced, the studio's first four "next-generation" discs are supposed to reach stores on Tuesday and will include Eight Below and Dinosaur.
September 10, 2006 - Amazon.com has made all four installments in the sixth wave of Walt Disney Treasures available for pre-order at 30% off the list price: More Silly Symphonies: 1929-1938 (Volume 2), The Complete Pluto: Volume Two, Your Host Walt Disney, and The Hardy Boys - The Mickey Mouse Club. For more information about these 2-Disc sets, see UD's Walt Disney Treasures page.
The upcoming Robin Hood: Most Wanted Edition and The Cheetah Girls 2: Cheetah-licious Edition are also now available for pre-order on Amazon.com at a 30% discount.
| August's Top Sellers on UltimateDisney.com |
September 5, 2006 - BVHE has issued a press release for "Home Improvement" The Complete Fifth Season, the November release which some creative math has marked the 10th anniversary of Tim Allen's widely-watched family sitcom. While the set's lone supplement (an exclusive all-new bloopers reel) is defined in vague terms, the announcement recalls assorted highlights of the 1995-96 season. More...
This Week's Bargains
• Heavy discounts on upcoming Disney DVDs at Amazon.com: Cars: Widescreen Edition (47% off!, Nov. 7); September 12: The Wild (37% off), "Grey's Anatomy" Season 2 Uncut (35% off); The Little Mermaid: Platinum Edition (39% off, Oct. 3), The Fox and the Hound: 25th Anniversary Ed. (34% off, Oct. 10), "The Gummi Bears": Volume 1 (Seasons 1-3) (34% off, Nov. 14), The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe: Gift Set (4-Disc Extended Edition plus Bookends) ($24 off, Dec. 12)
Big savings on in-stock items: The Shaggy Dog (2006) ($16.27, 46% off), Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl - 3-Disc Gift Set ($17.99, 40% off)
• Amazon.com: The Hot List (Amazon's most popular DVD deals)
BestBuy.com Bargains (Support Ultimate Disney: buy online, free in-store pickup.)
@  Get an exclusive bonus 8th DVD when you buy "Lost" Season 2 from BestBuy.com
•  Preorder Grey's Anatomy and save $10 on Season 1 drama
•  Select Disney/Pixar DVDs are 50% off ($14.99 each) /  Get 3 Disney DVDs for $30
•  Catch up on past Walt Disney Treasures from Waves 3-5 ($24.99-$29.99 each)
•  "Home Improvement" Seasons 1-3 are just $24.99 (38-50% off SRP)
More Bargains Elsewhere
• Get 3 movies for $1.99 and free shipping when you join the Disney Movie Club!
• Overstock.com: Save big on Disney DVDs (up to 53% off SRP!) at Overstock.com : Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl ($10.96), The Parent Trap & The Parent Trap II: 2-Movie Collection ($7.01), Flight of the Navigator ($7.01), and many more...
September 4, 2006 - High-res artwork for both the 2-Disc Special Edition and single-disc versions of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest have been added to Upcoming Cover Art.
Our Disney Channel Original Movies page has been updated to include Molly: An American Girl on the Home Front, the third in a series of TV movies adapted from the premium doll line. While its two predecessors debuted on the WB, this one will premiere on the Disney Channel on November 17th, in light of the WB's merger with UPN. Nevertheless, Warner will distribute the DVD, which will arrive just eleven days later and is now up for preorder.
In UD's latest review, Albert Gutierrez spins "Commander in Chief" Part 2, which provides the final eight episodes of ABC/Touchstone's promising but swiftly-cancelled presidential drama. Aside from the unnecessary decision to split up the series, this two-disc set fares well by including some bonus features, namely an interview, deleted scenes, bloopers, and two audio commentaries (one unannounced, on the resurfacing pilot). In this collection, the Geena Davis-headlined series changed gears again, from a second to third showrunner, but the move from tense action to emotion and character-driven drama offers a welcome return to the show's original vision. Read the full review.
September 3, 2006 - Amazon.com has posted a look at the cover art for High School Musical: Remix - 2-Disc Special Edition, BVHE's second-serving of the Disney Channel's biggest hit ever. The DVD will street on December 5th, but specs remain to be announced.
September 2, 2006 - High-res cover art has just been added for Robin Hood: Most Wanted Edition and The Cheetah Girls 2: Cheetah-licious Edition. Click here to view each.
   
September 1, 2006 - It's time for another review! The subject of our newest critique is "The Tick" vs. Season One, a 12-episode, 2-disc set which made its way to stores earlier this week. This article answers any question you could formulate with regards to the 1994 cartoon series, from where it began to where it aired, from how Disney got ahold of it to how it holds up. In addition to more than 20 screencaps from the DVD, our review sports a unique background which pays homage to the show's comic book roots. Click here to read it all.
Disney has scheduled Robin Hood: Most Wanted Edition for release on November 28th. This slipcovered reissue (which we told you to expect earlier in the year) of the 1973 animated animals flick will include a new digital transfer (in 1.33:1 fullscreen, which the studio is emphasizing is the Original Theatrical Aspect Ratio, and Dolby Digital 5.1), a deleted scene which offers an alternate ending, two new games ("Archery Trivia Challenge" and "Rescue Maid Marian"), Disney Song Selection, and the bonus Mickey/Minnie short "Ye Olden Days."
Arriving the same day is the recently-debuted Disney Channel Original Movie The Cheetah Girls 2, which will continue the stupid name edition trend in a "Cheetah-licious Edition". The disc will deliver a fullscreen/Dolby 5.1 presentation of the movie, with your choice of an extended cut and a sing-along version. Bonus features will include music videos and "Cheetah Tips."
Fear not, Treasures fans! Wave 6 is coming this December, only two weeks later than expected. The complete official titles have just been announced and they confirm what has long been expected. Arriving December 19th: The Complete Pluto: Volume 2, 1947-1951, More Silly Symphonies: Volume 2, 1929-1938, Your Host Walt Disney: TV Memories, 1956-1965, and The Hardy Boys: The Mickey Mouse Club, 1956-1957. As usual, each 2-disc set will be individually numbered, available in limited quantities, and contain introductions by Leonard Maltin and an exclusive lithograph. Click here for high-resolution views of all four covers.
August 31, 2006 - Disney's subsidiary The Baby Einstein Company has officially announced the 22nd DVD title in its award-winning series for babies and toddlers. Baby Einstein: Baby's First Moves, due October 24th, aims to get "parents and little ones clapping, waving and dancing to upbeat classical tunes from Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart." The disc purports to introduce 17 moves, from rolling to stomping, to children at various different levels of development. Bonus features will include a 5-minute workout for moms and babies hosted by fitness instructor Michelle Dozois, an imitation-instilling montage called "Let's Pretend", plus franchise staples Discovery Cards and Puppet Shows. Check out the full press release for more information and six pictures of the menus and program of this fall release.
August 30, 2006 - In UD's 472nd and latest DVD review, Ed South provides a parent's perspective on "Little Einsteins" Mission Celebration!, the recently-released compilation of the Playhouse Disney hit. This one follows the show's previous disc in format, providing three episodes including one which has not yet aired. While the critique sings the series' praises, it also points out that a full recommendation is not in order for most fans, based on its design and the show's rampant airplay. Read on...
An e-mail from Ken reveals that the Disney Movie Club has just made three more Club-exclusives discs of "Zorro" (Season 1: Volume 3, Season 1: Volume 4, and Season 1: Volume 5) available to current members. That puts the complete first season (1957-58) of the adventure series on disc in Region 1, with the 39 half-hour episodes distributed among five separate discs. Prospective members are now able to join the DMC with Volumes 1 and 2. Reportedly, the show is one of the Club's most popular Premiere DVDs, though to date, no general retail release has been scheduled for North America.
Aaron Wallace serves up a two-page review of "Darkwing Duck" Volume 1, the brand new 3-disc DVD debut of the popular early-'90s animated series. Fifteen years since first airing, the show holds up with unique and semi-plausible adventures centering on a semi-competent crime-fighter who squares off against an assortment of villains to keep the town of St. Canard safe. The show (which debuted new episodes both on Saturday morning network television and the syndicated Disney Afternoon lineup) receives the same kind of DVD treatment that those which came before it have. Poor video quality, an incomplete cut of the pilot, no bonus features, and a questionable episode order all serve to dampen the proceedings. Still, revisiting the inventive, entertaining show finds plenty of pay-off, especially if the lack of a deadline allows you to space out the more than ten hours of content. Let's get dangerous with our complete and thorough DVD review.
8/29/06: Tuesday's New Releases and Deals - click price to buy online and support UD
This Week's Bargains• Amazon.com: The Hot List (Amazon's most popular DVD deals)
BestBuy.com Bargains (Support Ultimate Disney: buy online, free in-store pickup.)
*  Buy Volume 1s of "Darkwing Duck" and "TaleSpin" together for just $40
@  Buy Brother Bear 2 and save $5 on any Disney DVD
•  Get 2 DVDs for $20 - includes Pirates: Curse...Black Pearl and other hot titles
•  Preorder Lost or Grey's Anatomy, save $10 on Season 1 drama
• Select Disney/Pixar DVDs are 50% off ($14.99 each) / Get 3 Disney DVDs for $30
• Catch up on past Walt Disney Treasures from Waves 3-5 ($24.99-$29.99 each)
"Home Improvement" Seasons 1-3 are just $24.99 (38-50% off SRP)
More Bargains Elsewhere
• Get 3 movies for $1.99 and free shipping when you join the Disney Movie Club!
+ Wal-Mart.com: Buy Brother Bear 2 get an exclusive bonus DVD for $1.09
• J&R: Hundreds of Disney DVDs are on sale for $5.99 (60% off) at JR.com
• Overstock.com: Save big on Disney DVDs (up to 53% off SRP!) at Overstock.com: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl ($10.96), The Parent Trap & The Parent Trap II: 2-Movie Collection ($7.01), Flight of the Navigator ($7.01), and many more...
August 26, 2006 - The UD Shop has a new look! Of course, it still has the same old features that make scouring the globe for Disney books, music, toys, and DVDs so easy and so fun. Visit the updated UD Shop.
We've snagged a first look at concept artwork for the slick packaging of the True-Life Adventures sets which will be introducing the world (well, the US, Canada, and importers) to Walt Disney's Legacy Collection on December 5. Click here or on the thumbnail above for a larger view of the first four volume's designs. They appear to be just what the doctor ordered for collectors of vintage Disney fare who have been dealt eight months of very little since last year's Treasures.
August 21, 2006 - Retailers have been told to expect four volumes of Walt Disney's True-Life Adventures on December 5th, as the debut wave of a new line called Walt Disney's Legacy Collection. With featured content ranging from just under to well over 300 minutes, each volume will be a two-disc set carrying a $32.99 suggested retail price, much like the annual Walt Disney Treasures. UPDATE: UD has learned the contents of these sets. Read on...
Volume 1: Wonders of the World will hold the Oscar-winning 1958 feature White Wilderness; the Oscar-winning two-reel (roughly 30 minute) shorts Seal Island (1948), Beaver Valley (1950), Nature's Half Acre (1951), and Water Birds (1952); plus Nature's Strangest Creatures (1959) and more.
Volume 2: Lands of Exploration will contain a pair of Best Documentary Oscar winners in The Living Desert (1953) and The Vanishing Prairie (1954), in addition to Prowlers of the Everglades (1953), Islands of the Sea (1960), and the anthology episodes "Behind the True-Life Cameras" (1955), "The Crisler Story" (1957) and "Yellowstone Story" (1957).
Volume 3: Creatures of the Wild boasts feature-length flicks The African Lion (1955) and Jungle Cat (1960), as well as 1952's Olympic Elk, 1953's Bear Country, 1955's Emperor Penguins, and the "Disneyland" installment "Cameras in Africa" (1954) and more.
Finally, Volume 4: Nature's Mysteries will serve up 1956's feature-length Secrets of Life and the lone True-Life Fantasy Perri (1957), as well as Mysteries of the Deep (1959) and the anthology episodes "Searching for Nature's Mysteries" (1956) and "Adventure in Wildwood Heart" (1957).
Each set will include collectible packaging, an exclusive in-package keepsake, and introductions by Roy Disney. Like the Treasures, these will be available in limited quantities. It is not yet clear if this scheduling means the four titles expected to comprise Wave 6 of the Walt Disney Treasures are being delayed or if Buena Vista Home Entertainment is planning one mammoth release date for the first Tuesday of December, which is already supposed to bring the year's top-grossing film Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and two virtual board game DVDs, and may now prove especially costly for fans of Walt-era fare.
Recent Disney DVD and CD Reviews:
• "TaleSpin" Volume 1 - Disney's then-established TV Animation department took classic character reinvention to new heights when it cast The Jungle Book's Baloo as a bush pilot in the vague coastal setting of Cape Suzette. Nevertheless, entertaining adventures unfolded in this half-hour cartoon, which was part of the initial Disney Afternoon lineup. The complete lack of extras and a syndicated version of the 4-part pilot knock off points, but the fun featured series, largely satisfying picture/sound, and low price garner this one a solid recommendation.
• Brother Bear 2 - DisneyToon Studios' latest direct-to-video sequel has the honor of following up Feature Animation's last 2-D production to qualify as a success. With its predecessor both recent and imperfect enough to do justice to, this mediocre successor does not disappoint. Like the film it houses, the disc does not exceed ordinary expectations, with a satisfactory presentation and two little bonuses.
• Gus - Star-studded 1976 comedy clearly adheres to the formulas Disney regularly employed for live action fare 30 years ago, but it offers one of the studio's more entertaining works. Unfortunately, its DVD is mostly a dud, with a reformatted fullscreen transfer and nary an extra.
• Disney Learning Adventures: Winnie the Pooh - Shapes and Sizes - Like its concurrent counterpart, this disc offers a brand new half-hour of animation featuring Pooh and friends. The program informs preschoolers of certain concepts while also entertaining and imparting less concrete values.
• Baby Einstein: Baby's Favorite Places: First Words - Around Town - This 21st volume in the series takes toddlers around their neighborhood, introducing them to concepts like "mailbox" and "picnic" with the usual blend of puppets, animation, and live action. Oscar winner Marlee Matlin returns with more sign language.
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