A Childrens Classic

I loved this film almost as much as my children.
It is without doubt the best kids film ever made.
I loved Shrek and Small Soldiers , but and my kids say TOPY STORY is Number One.

cherished childhood memories

I remember my fifth birthday more vividly than any other from my youth. It was on that birthday my godmother bought me peter pan and snow white on VHS. To watch this movie again is like revisiting so many happy memories of wishing peter would come and take me away. It is true Disney magic. It has all of disney's trademarks from the time, beautiful hand drawn animation (that has been colour graded to make it look even better) and catchy songs that have become part of everyday cultural knowledge. I would advise anyone to get this for their child or teen or better yet buy it for yourself and relive days gone by like i did.

Brilliant learning for toddlers and children

My daughter is 2 and had all the baby einsteins from birth, this is even better, she loves it, i love that the cartoon characters walk and fly around real video sceans around the world, visit famous landmarks, learn about listening to music, really worth the money, then they learn loads instead of just watching baby like storys

My daughter loves it!!

My daughter was eight months old when we first introduced her to the baby einstein dvds. Baby Mozart was the first we tried and she absolutely loves it. She gets really excited when the catapillar comes onto the screen and blinks at the beginning. The puppets make her laugh and the music seems to relax her. It is great to put on to entertain your baby while you get on with some housework, but also good fun to sit and watch with them as you can talk them through the images and bounce them up and down in time with the music.

A charming, if rather simple, classic

"The Rescuers" is a sweet little film, slightly shorter than some other Disney films. The overall plot is quite charming, if a little simple (and, at times, flimsy: it is never made entirely clear why Penny the orphan girl was chosen above all other children on the planet to help find the Devil's Eye diamond). While children will love it, adults may find themselves becoming bored after a while due to the lack of high action scenes and songs. However, it succeeds in being sweet without becoming too saccharine, which is impressive for a film starring an orphan and a pair of talking mice. While the heroes don't really stand out as all-time classics, they are quite inoffensive and, I suppose, it is relaxing to see a Disney film where the characters are all heart without any internal conflict. The minor characters were mildly entertaining: I thought the best one was Evinrude, the dragonfly who keeps a boat, and it was a clever move on the part of the writers to give his buzzer the same sound as a motorboat.

The villain, Madame Medusa, is a particular highlight. She's in a similar vein to other Disney villainesses of this time - take Cruella deVille and Ursula, for example - but she's still extremely enjoyable. Even better, her goal throughout the film is to steal the Devil's Eye diamond and make her fortune from it; this is something which is believable, solid (contrast this with the schemes of other Disney villains, involving vague, wishy-washy things such as"revenge" and"power"), and manages to be memorable. With her red hair, pet crocodiles, and love of jewellery and make-up, she's a little bit fabulous! She is one of the more striking Disney villains and, like a pantomime dame, the viewer loves to hate her.

The visuals are only so-so, although I have to admit that I'm not overly-fond of the artistic style of many Disney films of the '70s and '80s anyway. It does have its moments though: the scenes inside the Rescue Aid Society are wonderful, with all the details of the scavenged human belongings making up the mouse furniture. One item I remembered from watching this film as a child, and made sure to look out for again, was the wristwatch which became a wall clock. Another great scene was the one set down in the cave, which had a suitably spooky atmosphere. The music was only average as well, unfortunately, with the"Rescue Aid Society" song being the only one which sticks to memory.

The DVD extras are so-so: there's a classic Merrie Melodies cartoon on there which is very nice, but other than that there's only a documentary on sea-birds which only bird-enthusiasts will love (although it does have a decent soundtrack and attractive cinematography) and a music video. Overall, three out of five stars.

Ye Olde Entertainment.

Not having seen this film since I was 7, and missing most of it when it was last on TV earlier this year, I jumped at the chance to buy this on DVD and I wasn't disappointed.

The film itself, while the sketchy-type, with incomplete backgrounds and reused animation doesn't have the look of something from a completed studio film, but it's the charm of the character of Robin, as a fox as well as lots of other animals taking on the roles associated with the tale that captures your attention. It's quite funny as well, and one of my fave lines is: 'seize the fat one!' and the chase that follows it, :D.

Songs in this, especially 'Love' is quite good and memorable while the others are amusing more than anything. The plot is good and all in all, it's an entertaining film 7/10.

Extras, which include an alternate ending which is a little frightening at first when our hero appears to be in trouble is interesting to see, as is the Micky shorts(Ye Olden Days) and one of the games, Rescue Maid Marian(which may seem a bit confusing until you get the hang of it) and a picture gallery of conceptual art among other stuff. I'd also give these a 7/10 too.

Overall, a satisfying SE DVD.

One of Disney's best

Dumbo was probably the first Disney film I ever saw. I remember popping my old video tape into the player, sitting through all the previews and copyright warnings, and then smile with joy as the opening credits came up. I loved Dumbo because it was colourful and fun, despite the intense cruelty that our little protagonist and his mother go through.

Of course, there were some things I noticed that I'd been blind to at the age of three. For example, there are a few WWII refernces - I'll leave you to figure them out. Another example is the crows. They sound a lot like the stereotype of black people in America at the time. This might seem a little insensitive, but trust me, there's worse things out there. Dumbo is not racist. Remember that those crows, aside from Timothy Mouse, are the only characters who feel sympathy for Dumbo. I feel that the crows all share a close bond and that they are somewhat outcasts too. And oh yes, they have the most catchy and irresistable song!

Dumbo is such an adorable little elephant. Like similar characters such as Pinocchio and Bambi, he has that round 'pudding like' charm. This gives him the appeal of a human baby. He has adorable little blue eyes which give away all his emotion. He does not speak a single word and yet he moves you to tears. It's the way he acts and his innocent expressions that really talk to you. As well as not being much of a talker, Dumbo isn't much of a thinker either. He just naively follows Timothy mouse, all in his own little world.
The other characters are interesting too. Timothy is a fiesty little rodent with a kind heart. The other elephants remind me of the girls at my school who like nothing more than to gossip. I might also mention the train - Casey Junior. He seems to be alive but he isn't creepy. (Thomas the Tank Engine scared the heck out of me!) He has his own catchy rhythm which is just pure fun to listen to. The Ringmaster has the most funny expressions too!

The soundtrack is a real treat. If you do not tear up during 'Baby Mine,' then please see your doctor for your heart has turned into coal. 'Pink Elephants on Parade' is a funny but slightly disturbing sequence that gets stuck in your head with it's clever lyrics and artistic animation.

Dumbo is a very colourful film, but there are times when life in the circus can be very bleak. In an attempt to protect a her youngster from some harassing boys, Mrs Jumbo is cruelly seperated from her baby and poor Dumbo is ignored by the other elephants. The film expertly conbines the romantic view of the circus - bright lights and colours, animals and clowns with the realities - greed, hard work and animal cruelty. Anyone who thinks that some circuses can be 'humane,' then they'd better see Dumbo as it will change their mind.

Bambi may be at the top for me, but Dumbo is just too good to put down. For a film that's only sixty minutes long, it's a real emotional feast upon the eyes and the mind.
However, I'm only giving four stars because Dumbo really needs restoring and remastering. Hope there's a Platinum Edition coming soon.

Good but no cigar

I liked the film on it`s own, as it is quite well made except for some of the crew appesring in some shots, and reverse sceens. It`s good on it`s own, but after reading holes I had mixed feelings. Indeed it is very very similar in storyline, which is one of the things I gnjoyed most about it, But the charecters contrast like black and white: In the book, for example, the main charectar [Stanley] is said to be fat. In the movie he is lanky, and so on! Still, a very enjoyable one for the kiddies!

Not for a Disney Collecter!!!

This review is for the DVD and not the movie. The movie is delightful and wonderfully animated with some of the best Disney songs and characters.

This DVD is superior in every possible way to the first issue, which had bad audio/video and lacked in bonus materials. This edition ’ s picture quality and audio presentation are simply stunning, as if it was drawn in the age of the Little Mermaid and Aladdin. The extras are quite entertaining too but I felt that it lacked the comprehensive ‘ behind the scenes ’ that other recent ‘ Special Editions ’ of classics such as Sleeping Beauty and Bambi had.

I am a Disney DVD collector, and bought the US versions of the Platinum edition Lion King, Aladdin and the recent Cinderella as they all came in superb gift boxes with film cells and character sketches. I was delighted to replace my old Alice in Wonderland DVD with this special edition, only to discover that the US (again) got a better version of this release. Titled ‘ the Masterpiece Edition ’ it comes in 2 Disks and features 2 hours worth of extras including vintage 1950 ‘ One Hour in Wonderland ’ making-of feature hosted by Walt Disney.

I find it quite irritating that as a Disney fan I need to buy copies of the same edition of a movie from both continents just to enjoy the extras- why release Special Editions if they aren ’ t as special as ones released in other countries? Does this mean that in a few years we will get yet another ‘ Special ’ Alice in Wonderland DVD in the UK?

And this is the only reason I am giving this DVD a 3 star rating to direct fellow Disney fans and collectors attention to the existence of a superior edition of this film [even though it is in Region 1]. The movie itself gets 5 bright and shiny stars.

A exciting watch

My mum had the book the swiss family robinson, and she gave it to me to read. I found it very exciting and interesting. I was soo happy when i found the video of Swiss family Robinson.
The family consists of Mum, Dad and three brothers.
They get ship-wrecked, and they get on a lovely Island, but there are pirates and wild animals. will they survive? its a really good watch for kids and big kids too!!

Lovely, one of their finest live action films!

Disney's Bedknobs and Broomsticks is probably one of the greatest films to ever come out of the studio. It is often compared to Mary Poppins and criticized for their similarities, but I however feel that Bedknobs and Broomsticks is an improvement over Mary Poppins, even when Mary Poppins had little to improve. The main reason for Bedknobs and Broomsticks' criticism is due to having been made in the period after Walt Disney's death, in which all of their films were criticized, even when they were superior to many Walt Disney era films such as the weak 101 Dalmatians (1961), The Sword in the Stone (1963) or The Jungle Book (1967). Bedknobs and Broomsticks is yet another Disney '70s jewel in the lights of The Rescuers (1977) or Pete's Dragon (1977).

World War II is haunting England and children are being evacuated from the city of London into the safer countryside. All children have found a nice home with a stranger family, except for the last three, Carey, Charles and Paul Rawlings who are then sent with Miss Eglantine Price into her large home. The children aren't happy about being with Miss Price at first, they wish to go back to London, even though they have practically nowhere to go there. This all changes when they discover Miss Price's secret, she is in fact a witch, an apprentice witch studying through correspondence and taught by Professor Emilius Browne, who is in fact nothing but a fake who takes his spells out of an old book. However, Mr. Browne is a nice person and he is amazed to find that his senseless words work for Miss Price and they soon start working together. With the aid of Mr. Browne's Traveling Spell, Miss Prince, Mr. Browne and the three children are able to travel around England by means of a bed and its magic bed-knob to search for only one thing, the missing spell of Substitutiary Locomotion, a spell fit for bringing the help needed to end the terrible war.

As corny and out of place as the plot may seem, Bedknobs and Broomsticks is a rather deep and serious film. Comparing it to Mary Poppins is silly, for Mary Poppins was a light-hearted comedy with no real plot, where Bedknobs and Broomsticks features a fantastic plot and clever dialog. Another similarity may include two new live-action/animation scenes,"The Beautiful Briny", an underwater animated musical festival and a wild soccer match with King Leonidas. The acting is fabulous, Angela Lansbury and David Tomlinson play Miss Eglantine Price and Emilius Browne. Special effects in this film are top-notch and help to fully capture some scenes, the flying bed parts are some of my favorites. The music and songs are gorgeous! The Sherman brothers once again made a memorable and excellent soundtrack, songs include"The Old Home Guard", the Academy Award® Nominated"The Age of Not Believing","Portobello Road","The Beautiful Briny","Substitutiary Locomotion" and the newly added"With a Flair" and"Nobody's Problem's for Me". Indeed, a lot of new scenes and previously cut segments were re-added to the movie, and the entire film has been remastered for better picture and audio performance.

Bedknobs and Broomsticks is a wonderful film and I'll recommend it to anyone who enjoyed Mary Poppins or Pete's Dragon or to anyone who wants a new and magical way to travel back in history to the era of War World II. This one is a classic!! 10/10.

Witty and likeable

There's a lot to complain about with"Hercules". It mishandles Greek legends to a scandalous degree. The hero is something of a lug. Even the songs aren't much to write home about, with the exception of"Won't Say I'm In Love".

And yet, the film manages to be likeable - good, even. It's very much typical of the"wacky" comedies Disney began making in the '90s and onwards -"Aladdin","The Emperor's New Groove", and"Lilo and Stitch" are other examples of this - and, like the others, is genuinely funny. The story is interesting, the hero has a goal (and a moral dilemma), and the secondary characters (Phil, Pegadus, Panic, and Pain) are in fact a step up from run-of-the-mill sidekicks. The artwork is very interesting as well - like"Sleeping Beauty", it is subject-appropriate. Every frame (and character) looks as though it could have stepped off the side of a Greek vase, so great job there. There are also a lot of visual gags and several real historical places, which are both entertaining and interesting to anyone who's ever studied ancient Greek temples!

Meg, Hercules' love-interest, is probably the most fascinating character in the film - and probably one of the most interesting Disney heroines created. She's cynical and sassy - a real break from the Cinderellas and Ariels who have stretched across the years. Hercules is far from being her first love (which far from making her imperfect actually serves as a plot point early on to prove her loyalty to the audience), and she's even on the"wrong" side to begin with. This is great stuff, and I'm really impressed that Disney wasn't afraid to create a flawed heroine, and managed to do it successfully as well.

"Hercules" is a good film, although probably not Disney's best. Like"Aladdin" and"Pocahontas", it's very much of the '90s, which makes it entertaining as a cultural artefact if nothing else. Don't watch it if you want the true facts about the Greek legends, obviously, but anyone with a sense of humour should find it easy to like!

Gotta love them bugs

Those Pixar folk are amazing. Not only do they make an excellent movie, but they complement it with a first rate package of extras, especially the outtakes and the movie short"Geri's Game". The two-disc Collector's Editions are worth waiting for, and you will find yourself playing the second disc as often as the first.

This innovative take on the old fable"The Ant and the Grasshopper" teaches us a few important lessons:

1. There's a clumsy nerd who wants to be a hero in every colony
2. Phyllis Diller is an old queen
3. David Hyde Pierce is stiff
4. Julia Louis-Dreyfus is neurotic and can't dance
5. Grasshoppers live it up in Mexican joints during the Summer
6. German caterpillars are funny, and so are pill-bugs.
7. Ladybirds may not be ladies
8. Birds can be flammable
9. An ant may look at a queen
10. Don't stir up an ants nest

To maintain good family relations, you should allow your kids to watch this movie too.

Amanda Richards July 13, 2004

Technically very good but ....

The Disney version is technically very good. The animation is excellent and the music is catchy and singable. The voiceovers too are excellent. Having said that I must comment on the adaptation of the story line. I don't beleive that turning stories like these into 'happy fairy tales' is being true to the memory of the person who wrote the book. Victor Hugo had a specific message to tell in Hunchback. It does not end happily. It was never intended to end happily, that is what makes this story so powerful. Disney should have retained the original ending and not sugared it up for children. Not only does it make a mockery of Hugo's original story but it also makes the assumption that children cannot cope with unhappy endings. This trend of making endless streams of 'happy' movies for children gives children a false sense of life. If they had wanted to make a story like this with a happy ending, they should have written one and not drawn upon Hugo's literary masterpiece.

Timeless

Most Amazon reviews label this film as being for the under 10's only and I have to disagree. My 64 year old father regularly sites this as one of his favourite films and it was also amongst my Grandfathers' too as he adored Helen Reddy.

It's completely feel-good and is a film with a great heart. Your teenage children may outwardly brand this corny but I guarantee that inside they are dancing and sneekily wiping away a tear with the rest of the family by the end.

Very good value.

I ordered this item expecting it to arrive as 2 discs in a single box. Well it's not: it's the normal 2 Blu-Ray releases in a slipcase and that saves quite a bit of money on buying each separately. The films are superb. Ratatouille is all it's hyped to be and the Pixar shorts are equally marvellous. It's a joy to see the latter in HD after so many years of poor quality video and then mediocre DVD. This is a VERY good release.

k

*ckhead is the greatest song ever made, i go jamming to it every night in my room by my lonesome.

the words are great,"ur a d*ckhead, and i hate u and i wish u were dead, u can GO and suck ur mamas...", oops the rest is too explicit to mention.

but this amazing album, the greatest album ever made apart from paris hiltons.

buy this and paris hiltons album.

fantastic albums.

which everybody should love.