Review, buy Animation: Columbus - Adventures To The Edge Of The World, The Hill Billy Goats [1995], Count Duckula - Vampire Vacation [1987], Avenger Penguins 3 - The Revenge Of Doom / Big City Little City / Computer Chaos [1993], Casper And Friends - Kings Of Toyland [1954], Casper's Cartoon Fest, My Little Pony - 3 Full Length Videos On 1, Little Engine That Could [1991], The Dream Stone - Voice Of Zordrak / Invisible Blob, Snow White / Golden Feather [1993], The Secret of Nimh 2 [1998], Skeleton Warriors - Bones Of Contention, Shazzan - Master Of The Thieves, Scooby Doo [1995], Rupert - 3 Full Length Videos On 1, Casper And Friends - Not Ghoulty [1954], Casper And Friends - The Enchanted Prince [1954], Casper And Friends - The Greedy Giants [1954], Care Bears - 3 Full Length Videos On 1, Skeleton Warriors

The straight-to-video sequel The Secret of NIMH 2 was a huge letdown after the grandeur of Don Bluth's 1982 adaptation of Robert C O'Brien's book, offering far poorer art and thinner characterisations. The story finds Timmy (voiced by Ralph Macchio), son of the Jonathan Brisby character from The Secret of NIMH, leaving the family farm and heading to Thorn Valley, where the rats of NIMH live. There, Timmy seeks a path in his father's footprints to become a hero, and meets a girl mouse who tells him her parents are among some NIMH mice wrongly presumed dead for years. A rescue ensues, of course, in which Timmy and the refugee rats risk getting caught themselves. At about an hour in length, genuine entertainment is at a premium in this production, making it even harder to ignore point-by-point comparisons between this film and its predecessor-especially when those comparisons, time and again, find the sequel wanting. The very best element here is the vocal and singing performance by Eric Idle as the villain, Martin, who resorts to electric shock to "improve" his intelligence and whose song, "Just Say Yes", is a real highlight. -Tom Keogh, Amazon. com.

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Skeleton Warriors - Bones Of Contention (Abbey Home Media)

Actors & Directors

Jeannie Elias
Paul Eiding
Earl Boen
Linda Gary
Jim Cummings

Release date: 1995-10-23
Run time: 67 min.
Creator: Steve Cuden
RRP: ~~£9.99~~
Price: £12.99

Review Skeleton Warriors - Bones Of Contention / Abbey Home Media:

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Review First Independent Video / Shazzan - Master Of The Thieves

Shazzan - Master Of The Thieves (First Independent Video)

Actors & Directors

Barney Phillips
Don Messick
Paul Frees
Janet Waldo
Joseph Barbera
Jerry Dexter
William Hanna

Release date: 1996-02-17
Run time: 59 min.
Creator: Walter Black
Price: £5.99

Review Shazzan - Master Of The Thieves / First Independent Video:

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Review First Independent Video / Scooby Doo [1995]

Scooby Doo [1995] (First Independent Video)

Actors & Directors

Don Messick
Patricia Stevens
Heather North
Casey Kasem
Frank Welker

Release date: 1996-02-19
Run time: 160 min.
RRP: ~~£9.99~~
Price: £9.99

Review Scooby Doo [1995] / First Independent Video:

A lot has changed since the original 70s-era gang of Scooby-Doo fans gave way to today's followers of the hipster mystery cartoon series. Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders contains all the familiar elements; even the groovy green Mystery Machine makes a comeback, but it isn't as reliable as it used to be. At the outset of Alien Invaders, it breaks down, leaving the crime-solving crew stranded in a creepy desert town overrun by aliens. From there, the plot unwinds faster than Scooby can down a box of his namesake snacks. A band of swollen-headed purple and green space guys-Zoinks-send the terrified teens scrambling for cover, but it's not long before the quick-witted gang figures out that there's a team of bad guys behind the bug-eyed masks. That's not to say, though, that real-life aliens aren't also roaming the streets, as Shag and Scoob (who hook up in an unprecedented Scooby-Doo romance with a peace sign-wearing babe and her equally hip dog) discover in the course of clearing out of the phoney aliens' hair-raising path. To longtime viewers, the love angle seems unsettling; it steals from the tightness of the mystery team. Still, with so much creepy fun to get caught up in, it's a minor complaint. Scott Innes, the modern-day voice of both Shaggy and Scooby, nails both parts, and Jennifer Love Hewitt fans also will want to tune in-she sings the Scooby theme song. -Tammy La Gorce, Amazon. [+]

com.

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