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Movies on DVD for kids
Movie Entertainment December 2008
L.L. Bream
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| Prince Caspian-The Chronicles of Narnia |
With Christmas on the horizon, your kids may be dreaming of reindeer on the roof. But DVD marketers have a bigger menagerie in mind.
Straight from the Jungle of Nool comes the hugely successful CGI version of Dr. Seuss’s Horton Hears a Who, featuring Jim Carrey as the voice of the caring elephant and Steve Carell as the mayor of Whoville. It’s available in a variety of DVD and Blu- Ray formats, including a gift set with plush toy. Goodies include a digital version for mobile media, deleted scenes, featurettes and a game.
From the Kingdom of Kippernium comes a fire-breathing dragon, the best friend of feisty Jane, who at 12 has decided she wants to be a knight. Jane and the Dragon: Dragon Rules offers four episodes from the YTV show. For younger children, The Land Before Time: Friends Forever presents four dino-mite episodes of the animated TV series based on the films. Extras include a dinosaur sing-along and games. Also from the TV vaults is Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog: Volume 2. The four-disc box set contains 22 episodes of the animated series of Sonic and his foxy friend Tails.
This month also brings the second in The Chronicles of Narnia series. In PrinceCaspian, the four Pevensie children return to Narnia after a year’s absence. This sequel is darker than The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and its intense scenes make it more suitable for tweens and up. It’s available in multiple DVD and Blu-Ray formats with extras including audio commentary, documentaries and more.
Then there’s the Oscar-winning short Peter and the Wolf — 29 minutes of terrific stop-motion animation set to Prokofiev’s music — and Mèche Blanche, Les Aventures du Petit Castor, a winning tale about the struggles for survival of a little beaver, his friends and family. Ninety minutes, in French.
Rounding out the critter collection is the rambunctious Saint Bernard of Beethoven’s Big Break, the straight-to-DVD sixth feature film in the successful doggy franchise. It’s also available as part of a box — Beethoven’s Dog-Gone Best Movie Pack contains all six full-length feature films in the series. But I can’t help wondering: Will there be a ninth?
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