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Shaun The Sheep: Sheep On The Loose $14.98, Lionsgate/HIT Entertainment
Shaun The Sheep is a series of hilarious five-minute shorts that regularly show up on the Disney Channel. It can be hard to track them down on TV, so this DVD is a handy way to catch some sheep. Created by Aardman Animation (responsible for the award-winning Wallace & Gromit), Shaun the Sheep revolves around the barnyard antics of Shaun, his fellow sheep, Bitzer the antagonistic sheepdog, the neighboring pigs and the dimwitted Farmer. It is basically dialogue-free, so it’s an sheep-y salute to silent comedies. |
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Scooby Doo! And the Samurai Sword $19.98, Warner Home Video
Scooby Doo has been around for 40 years, with many incarnations, sequels and even live-action films. In this latest DVD, Scooby and his human pals (Shaggy, Freddy, Daphne and Velma) travel to Japan, where they battle the Black Samurai. This animated film retains classic Scooby elements (from crime-fighting to comedy) that older generations grew up on. It might not be as stylish as Kung Fu Panda, but it’s still a fun time.
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The Adventures of Black Beauty, Season One $24.98, Image Entertainment
Inspired by the Anna Sewell book, this series was made for British TV and later ran on Nickelodeon. Despite its '70s origins, it holds up well enough and its period charms keep it entertaining. The TV drama, which focuses on young Vicky, her brother Kevin and their physician dad – owners of the horse Black Beauty – makes for warm-hearted family viewing. This three-disc set contains 26 episodes, nearly 10 hours of equine enjoyment.
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Dragon Hunters $14.99, Peace Arch Home Entertainment
Not your typical animated kids adventure film, Dragon Hunters falls somewhere between the jocular Kung Fu Panda and darker Japanese anime. Produced by a French company, the film follows a valiant young girl who enlists two dragon hunters, the calculating Qwisdo and the gentle giant Lian-Chu (voiced by Forest Whitaker), to help conquer a powerful dragon. This PG-rated film’s action sequences probably are too intense for the young ones, but this wildly imagined tale should appeal to fantasy/adventure-lovers 8 and older.
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Dr. Doolittle: Million Dollar Mutts $22.98, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Million Dollar Mutts is the latest installment in the Dr. Doolittle series. Eddie Murphy is long gone, but Kyla Pratt (who was better served in Hotel For Dogs) returns as his daughter Maya. Maya's "animal whispering" talents attract the attentions of Hollywood celebrity teen Tiffany Monaco (think Paris Hilton), who woos Maya away from college to co-star with her in a TV reality show. The direct-to-DVD feature offers some amusement for the elementary school age but its wan Hollywood satire doesn’t have much for adults.
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Scholastic Storybook Treasures: Fairytales, Magic … And More $29.95, Scholastic
The Scholastic Storybook Treasures holds a wealth of children's books adapted for the small screen. This 4-DVD Fairytale collection contains an entire disc of Hans Christian Anderson stories as well as another one with James Marshall's unique takes on classic tales like Cinderella and Goldilocks. Scholastic also has just put out another 4-DVD set entitled Dinosaurs, Trucks, Monsters and More with another 25 stories on it. Both sets offer hours of top-notch entertainment.
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