2004 was a very positive year regarding Disney DVDs, even if we still didn't get some of our most awaited titles (Pocahontas, Lilo & Stitch, Dumbo). We had a good deal of quality releases (Aladdin, Mary Poppins), a few surprises (Mulan), an avalanche of catalogue titles and two waves of our beloved Walt Disney Treasures. While we look forward to the releases that are coming in 2005, I though everyone could give their opinion on what they though were the top 10 Disney DVDs of the past year.
Here is my list:
10. Walt Disney Treasures: Mickey Mouse In Black & White Volume 2
The highlight of the fourth wave of the Disney Treasures, with this title we have all of the Mickey Mouse cartoons available on DVD. Presented here are rare shorts that hadn’t seen the light of day since their original releases and others that had never been officially released on home video. All of the cartoons look and sound really good considering their age, and it’s even surprising that some of them survived all these years. Bonus features are a bit scant when compared to the first volume, but they are interesting and well-done nonetheless.
9. Walt: The Man Behind the Myth
A fascinating and touching docummentary on one of the greatest men the world has ever known. The bonus features extend the movie experience with lots of additional interviews and home footage. The only negative point is that the movie itself is not presented in anamorphic Widescreen.
8. Brother Bear: Special Edition
This film was received with mixed reactions upon its release, but I though it was a really nice effort from the talented animators of the late Florida studio. Color banding aside, the picture looks great for most of the time and the DTS track really puts you in the middle of the action. The menus are really classy and well done and even if it is not the collector’s edition we had hoped for, there are plenty of bonus features for everyone. The highlights are the hilarious Rutt & Tuke audio commentary and the lengthy and informative making of feature.
7. Walt Disney Treasures: Mickey Mouse In Living Color Volume 2
Continuing where volume one left off, this is another great collection of the world’s most famous animated character’s cartoons. Even though Mickey was losing popularity to Goofy, Donald and Pluto, his shorts still were hugely entertaining (even if not as funny as Goofy’s), some of them even better than his thirties entries (unfortunately, quality clearly dropped by the 1950’s). The restoration undertaken for these shorts is really amazing, as all of them look and sound great. Some of the bonus features repeat things seen on other DVDs, but a couple of new lengthy interviews and other rare material make this a winner.
6. Mulan: Special Edition
I would have given it the fifth spot hadn’t it been for one problem: picture quality. The movie looks great up to the 50-minute mark, but after that (I believe it is after the layer change) it is filled with edge enhancement and softness. It is not as aggressive as the problems in “Beauty and the Beast”, but some scenes do look rather ugly. At least the sound still is of great quality, with moments that literally bring the house down. The bonus features are all informative and entertaining and the fact that they are more adult-oriented than most of recent Disney DVDs is a positive point. If only they had included the theatrical trailers…
5. Alice In Wonderland: The Masterpiece Edition
First of all I have to say that this is one of my favorite Disney films and I’ve never completely understood why it has always been so underrated. As the first title of Disney’s Masterpiece Collection (and it seems it will be the only one), there was a lot of expectation surrounding this release, specially considering that a bonus features-filled laserdisc was released a few years ago. Unfortunately, a good bunch of the LD extras were left out of the DVD and, instead, we got some new unbearable silly children’s games. Still, there is a lot of good stuff on this DVD, mostly archival material, the highlights being Walt’s first television show “One Hour In Wonderland” and the first film of the “Alice” series, “Alice’s Wonderland”. The best of all is that the film is presented in a wonderfully restored version, looking and sounding better than ever (I can’t wait until more of Disney’s older titles receive this treatment).
4. Walt Disney Treasures: Walt’s Tomorrowland
I’m sure that this title took a lot of people by surprise. It really shows the genius of Walt Disney (the eternal optimistic) and his staff, always looking into the future and into the progress of the years ahead. Even if not the most accurate today, the shows are still entertaining to watch, thanks mostly to the great work done by Ward Kimball. The highlight of this set is “EPCOT”, Walt’s last film in which the man is really able to show why he has always been called a visionary. Two fascinating interviews and a few other bonus features round out the package, making this one of the best entries in the Treasures series.
3. Mary Poppins: 40th Anniversary Edition
Pratically perfect in every way, Walt Disney’s crowning achievement has finally gotten the treatment it long deserved. Restored by Lowry Digital, the film looks better than ever (if you get over the aspect ratio issue) and even if the new Disney Enhanced Home Theater Mix may not be for everyone’s tastes, you still have the option to listen to the original mix. The extras are bountiful and insightful, and you may be surprised by how little fluff there is.
2. Aladdin: Platinum Edition
For long we feared that we could get an enhanced and modified version of “Aladdin”, with picture marred by edge enhancement (like “Beauty and the Beast”) and fluffy bonus features. I’m sure Disney took us all by surprise when they released this last entry in their Platinum series, surely their best since the 2001 release of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”. The DVD hits all the notes right: the movie is presented with flawless picture and earth-shattering sound and the extras offer a personal and in-depth look on the production of the film, highlighted by two audio commentaries and a full-length making of feature. Heck, even the kid’s games are well done!
1. Walt Disney Treasures: Walt Disney On The Front Lines
I chose this the best release of 2004 not only because of its high quality, but also because of its historical importance. Certainly one of the most eagerly awaited releases of all time, it showed that Disney had the guts to release such controversial material that fans were afraid would never see the light of day again, besides opening the door for future releases of its kind (a certain “Song of the South” movie). And best of all is that all the films in this collection are presented as they should: uncensored, with spot-on video and audio transfers and accompanied by a great batch of interesting and educational extras. This is what the Disney Treasures are about, isn’t it?
Top Ten Disney DVDs of 2004
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Joe Carioca
- Collector's Edition
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goofystitch
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1. Aladdin: Platinum Edition
2. Mary Poppins: 40th Anniversary Edition
3. Mulan: Special Edition
4. Alice in Wonderland: Masterpiece Edition
5. Brother Bear: Special Edition
6. Home on the Range
7. The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
8. Freaky Friday
9. Mickey's Twice Upon A Christmas
10. ??
Sorry for the lack of a #10, but these are the only 2004 Disney DVD's I've viewed this year. Aladdin and Mary Poppins were definitely the highlights of the year. Hopefully this year we'll be receiving another live action catalogue title as a 2-disc set (I'd say Bedknobs and Broomsticks, but Disney's been so obsessed lately with anniversary, that if this ever gets released, next year seems likely for its 35th anniversary).
2. Mary Poppins: 40th Anniversary Edition
3. Mulan: Special Edition
4. Alice in Wonderland: Masterpiece Edition
5. Brother Bear: Special Edition
6. Home on the Range
7. The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
8. Freaky Friday
9. Mickey's Twice Upon A Christmas
10. ??
Sorry for the lack of a #10, but these are the only 2004 Disney DVD's I've viewed this year. Aladdin and Mary Poppins were definitely the highlights of the year. Hopefully this year we'll be receiving another live action catalogue title as a 2-disc set (I'd say Bedknobs and Broomsticks, but Disney's been so obsessed lately with anniversary, that if this ever gets released, next year seems likely for its 35th anniversary).
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ichabod
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1. Aladdin: Platinum Edition
2. WDT: On the Front Lines
3. WDT:Mickey Mouse in Black and White Volume 2
4. Brother Bear
5. Mulan: Special Edition
6. WDT: The Chronological Donald
7. Home on the Range
8. WDT: Mickey Mouse in Living Color Volume 2
9. Gargoyles Season 1
10. Darby O'Gill and the Little People
2. WDT: On the Front Lines
3. WDT:Mickey Mouse in Black and White Volume 2
4. Brother Bear
5. Mulan: Special Edition
6. WDT: The Chronological Donald
7. Home on the Range
8. WDT: Mickey Mouse in Living Color Volume 2
9. Gargoyles Season 1
10. Darby O'Gill and the Little People
10. Walt Disney Treasures: The Complete Pluto
Pluto's cartoons themselves offer some of Disney's most entertaining and least formulaic. With all the other characters, I tend to be only able to watch their cartoons in small doses, but its quite the opposite with Pluto. His pantamime acting, in variety of situtations in the shorts, is always fascinating to watch. I agree that they didn't need to split up his toons into seperate volumes, but the DVD is very good regardless. All the featurettes are very enjoyable, particularly the one with Andreas Deja.
9. Mulan: 2-Disc Special Edition
A solid release, but somewhat of a letdown. The transfer is very clear, but there are problems with color banding, yet again. The sound is stellar though. The extras are the most disapointing. While they aren't glossy and promotional, they are to short and static to really give an in-depth or enjoyable look at the making of the movie.
8. Alice in Wonderland: Masterpiece Edition
As 2099net once said, there are different types of DVD bonus features. Some offer a rather current look at the making of the movie (for recent films), others a retrospective making-of, and still others a sort of "time capsul" look at the film. This 3rd one is how I would describe Alice's DVD. A very good transfer in picture & sound aside, the DVD offers not a real look behind the scenes of the movie, but rather a display of things from its original release. The shows are great for nostalgia's sake, but I would've liked at least a 30-minute making-of documentary.
7. Walt Disney Treasures: Tomorrowland
I've always been very fond of these programs, and they are given high-class presentation on these discs. It's amazing to see how people viewed the future back in the 50s and 60s, and its enlightening to realize how ahead-of-his-time Walt Disney was. The interviews with John Hench and Ray Bradbury only enhance an already excellent package.
6. Walt Disney Treasures: Walt Disney on the Front Lines
Don't have much to add to what Joe said. It feels great to finally see all this controversial material. I'm not much of a war buff though, so this release finds itself in the middle of my list.
5. Walt Disney Treasures: Mickey Mouse Club, Week One
I've been waiting for this release forever. I'm a huge fan of any TV programming from the 50s, and its no different with MMC. I don't like the fact that they chose to only have episodes from the first week, but its a good DVD release regardless. I'm just extatic to finally have this program in my collection.
4. Brother Bear: 2-Disc Special Edition
Though it takes after Finding Nemo's set, I found BB to be a significant improvement. Once again, color banding rears its head in an otherwise pristine transfer, but the extras are better than I expected. I really enjoyed the 40+ minute documentary more than anything else. The annoying thing? Splitting it into "for families" and "for enthusiasts".
3. Walt Disney Treasures: Mickey Mouse in Living Color, Volume 2
This set features my all time favorite Mickey Mouse shorts - those from the 80s/90s. I grew up with them, and I simply adore them, even more so than the classic ones. Its great to finally have them on the digital format. In addition, this set boasts a suprisingly large batch of extras for a WDT release, all of which are enlightening and very entertaining.
2. Aladdin: Platinum Edition/2-Disc Special Edition
Thank you for turning yourselves around, Disney! After the crap-fest that was TLK's PE, Aladdin is an awesome release. The transfer and audio is stunning. The extras are abundant, educational, and entertaining. The 2-hour doc is so in-depth and fun to watch. The downside? The galleries, while rather large, aren't as extensive as I'd like.
1. Mary Poppins: 40th Anniversary Edition
While it doesn't contain as much as Aladdin did, I find Mary Poppins to be only slightly higher in quality. I really enjoy retrospective peices, and MP delivered that in spades. Hearing from all the cast and crew so many years after they made the movie is a wonderful treat. Heck, it even got me misty at a few points from hearing the participants' emotional retellings of their memories. The galleries are great too. The transfer (whether its truly OAR or not) is breathtaking.
Bring on 2005!
Pluto's cartoons themselves offer some of Disney's most entertaining and least formulaic. With all the other characters, I tend to be only able to watch their cartoons in small doses, but its quite the opposite with Pluto. His pantamime acting, in variety of situtations in the shorts, is always fascinating to watch. I agree that they didn't need to split up his toons into seperate volumes, but the DVD is very good regardless. All the featurettes are very enjoyable, particularly the one with Andreas Deja.
9. Mulan: 2-Disc Special Edition
A solid release, but somewhat of a letdown. The transfer is very clear, but there are problems with color banding, yet again. The sound is stellar though. The extras are the most disapointing. While they aren't glossy and promotional, they are to short and static to really give an in-depth or enjoyable look at the making of the movie.
8. Alice in Wonderland: Masterpiece Edition
As 2099net once said, there are different types of DVD bonus features. Some offer a rather current look at the making of the movie (for recent films), others a retrospective making-of, and still others a sort of "time capsul" look at the film. This 3rd one is how I would describe Alice's DVD. A very good transfer in picture & sound aside, the DVD offers not a real look behind the scenes of the movie, but rather a display of things from its original release. The shows are great for nostalgia's sake, but I would've liked at least a 30-minute making-of documentary.
7. Walt Disney Treasures: Tomorrowland
I've always been very fond of these programs, and they are given high-class presentation on these discs. It's amazing to see how people viewed the future back in the 50s and 60s, and its enlightening to realize how ahead-of-his-time Walt Disney was. The interviews with John Hench and Ray Bradbury only enhance an already excellent package.
6. Walt Disney Treasures: Walt Disney on the Front Lines
Don't have much to add to what Joe said. It feels great to finally see all this controversial material. I'm not much of a war buff though, so this release finds itself in the middle of my list.
5. Walt Disney Treasures: Mickey Mouse Club, Week One
I've been waiting for this release forever. I'm a huge fan of any TV programming from the 50s, and its no different with MMC. I don't like the fact that they chose to only have episodes from the first week, but its a good DVD release regardless. I'm just extatic to finally have this program in my collection.
4. Brother Bear: 2-Disc Special Edition
Though it takes after Finding Nemo's set, I found BB to be a significant improvement. Once again, color banding rears its head in an otherwise pristine transfer, but the extras are better than I expected. I really enjoyed the 40+ minute documentary more than anything else. The annoying thing? Splitting it into "for families" and "for enthusiasts".
3. Walt Disney Treasures: Mickey Mouse in Living Color, Volume 2
This set features my all time favorite Mickey Mouse shorts - those from the 80s/90s. I grew up with them, and I simply adore them, even more so than the classic ones. Its great to finally have them on the digital format. In addition, this set boasts a suprisingly large batch of extras for a WDT release, all of which are enlightening and very entertaining.
2. Aladdin: Platinum Edition/2-Disc Special Edition
Thank you for turning yourselves around, Disney! After the crap-fest that was TLK's PE, Aladdin is an awesome release. The transfer and audio is stunning. The extras are abundant, educational, and entertaining. The 2-hour doc is so in-depth and fun to watch. The downside? The galleries, while rather large, aren't as extensive as I'd like.
1. Mary Poppins: 40th Anniversary Edition
While it doesn't contain as much as Aladdin did, I find Mary Poppins to be only slightly higher in quality. I really enjoy retrospective peices, and MP delivered that in spades. Hearing from all the cast and crew so many years after they made the movie is a wonderful treat. Heck, it even got me misty at a few points from hearing the participants' emotional retellings of their memories. The galleries are great too. The transfer (whether its truly OAR or not) is breathtaking.
Bring on 2005!
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MickeyMousePal
- Signature Collection
- Posts: 6629
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- Contact:
1. Aladdin: Platinum Edition
2. Mulan: Special Edition
3. WDT: Mickey Mouse in Living Color Volume 2
4. WDT: The Chronological Donald
5. Gargoyles Season 1
6. Mary Poppins: 40th Anniversary Edition
7. WDT: The Complete Pluto
8. Brother Bear
9. Alice in Wonderland: Masterpiece Edition
10.WDT:Mickey Mouse in Black and White Volume 2
2. Mulan: Special Edition
3. WDT: Mickey Mouse in Living Color Volume 2
4. WDT: The Chronological Donald
5. Gargoyles Season 1
6. Mary Poppins: 40th Anniversary Edition
7. WDT: The Complete Pluto
8. Brother Bear
9. Alice in Wonderland: Masterpiece Edition
10.WDT:Mickey Mouse in Black and White Volume 2
The Simpsons Season 11 Buy it Now!
Fox Sunday lineup:
8:00 The Simpsons
8:30 King of the Hill
9:00 Family Guy
9:30 American Dad
Living in the 1980's:
Fox Sunday lineup:
8:00 The Simpsons
8:30 King of the Hill
9:00 Family Guy
9:30 American Dad
Living in the 1980's:
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Wonderlicious
- Diamond Edition
- Posts: 4661
- Joined: Wed Jun 23, 2004 9:47 am
- Location: UK
- Contact:
I can't really say make a top 10 for 2004's Disney DVDs. I've only started collecting Disney DVDs and have only been able to start to import DVDs, so I'll make a top 5 instead. Anyway, here's the (at the moment) small list of Wonderlicious:
4. Brother Bear
Although not quite as good as Aladdin or Alice in terms of DVD quality, it was still very good (like almost every 2 Disc Disney release has been). Yet it's not just about the DVD that got this movie onto this list. The film is wonderful wonderful wonderful!
3. Mulan: Special Edition
One of the best Disney films has a good release. The video isn't wonderful (as people mentioned) but looked better than it ever did. The extras were equally interesting (especially the Jackie Chan Music Video).
2. Aladdin: Platinum Edition
Another excellent release from Disney, Aladdin is a fairly flawless DVD release. With great picture quality and behind the scenes extras on a par with Snow White, kiss your video copy goodbye.
1. Alice in Wonderland: Masterpiece Edition
You've probably had a heart attack seeing this at number 1. I'll admit they should have included a making of thingy, even if it was a 10 minute one like on Peter Pan, but the extras are amazing none the less, taking you into the vaults back to 1951. And in my opinion, this transfer was as good as Snow White's if not better. Overall a good treatment for possibly the best Walt era film.
4. Brother Bear
Although not quite as good as Aladdin or Alice in terms of DVD quality, it was still very good (like almost every 2 Disc Disney release has been). Yet it's not just about the DVD that got this movie onto this list. The film is wonderful wonderful wonderful!
3. Mulan: Special Edition
One of the best Disney films has a good release. The video isn't wonderful (as people mentioned) but looked better than it ever did. The extras were equally interesting (especially the Jackie Chan Music Video
).2. Aladdin: Platinum Edition
Another excellent release from Disney, Aladdin is a fairly flawless DVD release. With great picture quality and behind the scenes extras on a par with Snow White, kiss your video copy goodbye.
1. Alice in Wonderland: Masterpiece Edition
You've probably had a heart attack seeing this at number 1. I'll admit they should have included a making of thingy, even if it was a 10 minute one like on Peter Pan, but the extras are amazing none the less, taking you into the vaults back to 1951. And in my opinion, this transfer was as good as Snow White's if not better. Overall a good treatment for possibly the best Walt era film.
Last edited by Wonderlicious on Sat Feb 12, 2005 3:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I've just posted the site's picks for the Top 10 DVDs of the year, along with other lists you might find of interest as part 3 of the Year in Review here:
http://www.ultimatedisney.com/2004inreview3.html
http://www.ultimatedisney.com/2004inreview3.html
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The Little Merman
- Anniversary Edition
- Posts: 1849
- Joined: Sat Aug 21, 2004 8:07 am
You are very luky!!!!! In italy there are only four Disney Treasures: The Chronological Donald, Mickey Mouse in Living Color Volume 1, Mickey Mousein Living Color Volume 2 and Silly Symphonies.
1- The Chronological Donald
2- Silly Symphonies
3- Mickey Mouse in Living Color Volume 1
4- Mickey Mouse in Living Color Volume 2
5- Mary Poppins 40th Anniversary Edition
6- Pomi d' ottone e manici di scopa (Bedknobs and Broomsticks)
7- Aladdin Special Edition
8- Mulan
9- Brother Bear
10- Alice in Wonderland Special Edition ( it's my favourite classic, but in italy special edition is only to one disc)
This year we attend others four Treasures!!!!
1- The Chronological Donald
2- Silly Symphonies
3- Mickey Mouse in Living Color Volume 1
4- Mickey Mouse in Living Color Volume 2
5- Mary Poppins 40th Anniversary Edition
6- Pomi d' ottone e manici di scopa (Bedknobs and Broomsticks)
7- Aladdin Special Edition
8- Mulan
9- Brother Bear
10- Alice in Wonderland Special Edition ( it's my favourite classic, but in italy special edition is only to one disc)
This year we attend others four Treasures!!!!
La fede è un uccellino blu che vedi distante
è vero e sicuro come un astro brillante
non puoi averlo comprarlo non si fa catturare
però c'è ed è proprio lui che fa tutto avverare...
(Le Avventure di B e B)
è vero e sicuro come un astro brillante
non puoi averlo comprarlo non si fa catturare
però c'è ed è proprio lui che fa tutto avverare...
(Le Avventure di B e B)
My TOP 10+ List
1. WD Treasures: Chronological Donald Vol. 1
2. WD Treasures: On the front lines
3. WD Treasures: Mickey Mouse Club Vol. 1
4. WD Treasures: Complete Pluto Vol. 1
5. WD Treasures: Mickey Mouse in Black and White Vol. 2
6. Mary Poppins 40th Anniversary Edition
7. Alice in Wonderland: The Masterpiece Edition
8. Brother Bear Special Edition
9. Home on the Range
10. Aladdin + The Piglets BIG Movie
2. WD Treasures: On the front lines
3. WD Treasures: Mickey Mouse Club Vol. 1
4. WD Treasures: Complete Pluto Vol. 1
5. WD Treasures: Mickey Mouse in Black and White Vol. 2
6. Mary Poppins 40th Anniversary Edition
7. Alice in Wonderland: The Masterpiece Edition
8. Brother Bear Special Edition
9. Home on the Range
10. Aladdin + The Piglets BIG Movie
Just my 5 top releases...
5. Mulan: Special Edition
Although the video didn't look as pristine as the one for Aladdin and that the extras on the second disc were either too short or puffy, there was enough good material to be seen, particularly the commentary and deleted sequences. The Mandarin 5.1 dub is a real treat as well.
4. Mary Poppins: Special Edition
Good audiovisual restoration, and a ton of substantial bonus material. Couldn't be more happier with this one.
3. Alice In Wonderland: Masterpiece Edition
Fantasic visual transfer and excellent bonus material.
2. Brother Bear
Nice audiovisual presentation and some real meaty bonus material.
1. Aladdin: Platinum Edition
Gorgeous video, fantastic audio, and almost each extra is worth looking at and revisiting. Despite there being only one trailer, this is one perfect little package.
5. Mulan: Special Edition
Although the video didn't look as pristine as the one for Aladdin and that the extras on the second disc were either too short or puffy, there was enough good material to be seen, particularly the commentary and deleted sequences. The Mandarin 5.1 dub is a real treat as well.
4. Mary Poppins: Special Edition
Good audiovisual restoration, and a ton of substantial bonus material. Couldn't be more happier with this one.
3. Alice In Wonderland: Masterpiece Edition
Fantasic visual transfer and excellent bonus material.
2. Brother Bear
Nice audiovisual presentation and some real meaty bonus material.
1. Aladdin: Platinum Edition
Gorgeous video, fantastic audio, and almost each extra is worth looking at and revisiting. Despite there being only one trailer, this is one perfect little package.
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DreamerQ18
- Anniversary Edition
- Posts: 1510
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- Contact:
Oh I love these are the best they are always fun......
1.Aladdin ( without a doubt my #1 for the year!)
2.Brother Bear
3.Princess Diairies 2:Royal Enagement
4.Lizzie Mcguire Season 1 disc set
5.Alice in Wonderland
6.Marry Poppins
7.Mulan
8.Home On the Range
9.The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride
10.Confessions of a teenage dramaqueen
there is my list all my favorites that came out this year
1.Aladdin ( without a doubt my #1 for the year!)
2.Brother Bear
3.Princess Diairies 2:Royal Enagement
4.Lizzie Mcguire Season 1 disc set
5.Alice in Wonderland
6.Marry Poppins
7.Mulan
8.Home On the Range
9.The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride
10.Confessions of a teenage dramaqueen
there is my list all my favorites that came out this year
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Wonderlicious
- Diamond Edition
- Posts: 4661
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