Release date: 2002-05-27
Run time: 76 min.
RRP: £10.99
Price: £3.45
Review Spider-Man - The Ultimate Villain Showdown / Spider-Man:The action comes thick and fast in Spider-Man-The Ultimate Villain Showdown as the web-slinging hero faces a host of fearsome foes, not least of which is his own torturous self-doubt. Kingpin, Dr Octopus and the Green Goblin all put in spirited performances in these animated tales from the 1990s, while a flashback to Spider-Man's origins ties the action together neatly. The writing is somewhat heavy-handed in places and the animation cranky, but the four featured episodes are pacy, the villains suitably evil and a hint of darkness lends a pleasing frisson to the drama. On the DVD: there's limited bonus material on the DVD but what's there is generally worthwhile and entertaining. In addition to an extra episode, "Return of the Green Goblin", a "Rogues Dossier" gives an interactive guide to Spider-Man's foes with statistics, trivia and video interviews with our hero's creator Stan Lee. Lee crops up again in the highlight of the bonus material, "Stan Lee's Soapbox", an engaging 20-minute insight into all things Spidey from a man who obviously loves his job. -Helen Baker.
![Review Paramount Home Entertainment / The Rugrats Movie [1999]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51NEDDYA6WL._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- Elizabeth Daily
- David Spade
- Kath Soucie
- Whoopi Goldberg
- Norton Virgien
- Christine Cavanaugh
- Igor Kovalyov
Run time: 77 min.
RRP: £9.99
Price: £1.09
Review The Rugrats Movie [1999] / Paramount Home Entertainment:The first theatrical film from the popular Nickelodeon TV series became the surprise hit of the 1998 holiday box-office crunch, trouncing the highly competitive kids market. The key ingredient to Rugrats' success is the writing. Venturing into their first theatrical movie, the pals-including the intrepid diaper-wearing Tommy Pickles, the nervous Chuckie, the twins Lil and Phil, and the wonderfully prissy Angelica-garble English into funny prose ("I want those fugitives back in custard-y!") and use movie references in their fantasy life. The opening here is a dead-on spoof of Raiders of the Lost Ark. The big news for the movie is that Tommy gets a new baby brother, named Dylan (or Dil for short). The rest of the film has no real plot but is a series of adventures as the clan gets lost in the forest riding an inventive Reptar wagon that is the 90s equivalent of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Parents search for the kids, the kids learn new lessons, everyone goes home happy. The Rugrats Movie is not as wildly appealing as A Bug's Life but is far goofier and wackier with its animation. There's also a tremendous sense of joy that is often missing from cartoons these days, and the songs used in the film-from such diverse musicians as Busta Rhymes, Iggy Pop, Lisa Loeb, Lou Rawls, Beck, and Devo-add to the fun. It's an acquired taste, but the creators' first efforts to take the 10-minute TV sketches into an 80-minute feature pay off. [+]-Doug Thomas The first theatrical film from the popular television series became the surprise hit of the 1998 holiday box-office crunch, trouncing the highly competitive kids market. The key ingredient to the Rugrats' success is the writing. Venturing into their first theatrical movie, the pals-including the intrepid nappie-wearing Tommy Pickles, the nervous Chuckie, the twins Lil and Phil, and the wonderfully prissy Angelica-garble English into funny prose ("I want those fugitives back in custard-y!") and use movie references in their fantasy life. The opening here is a dead-on spoof of Raiders of the Lost Ark. The big news for the movie is that Tommy gets a new baby brother, named Dylan (or Dil for short). The rest of the film has no real plot but is a series of adventures, as the clan gets lost in the forest riding an inventive Reptar wagon that is the 1990s equivalent of the car in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Parents search for the kids, the kids learn new lessons and everyone goes home happy. The Rugrats Movie is not as wildly appealing as A Bug's Life but is far goofier and wackier with its animation. There's also a tremendous sense of joy that is often missing from cartoons these days and the songs used in the film-from such diverse musicians as Busta Rhymes, Iggy Pop, Lisa Loeb, Lou Rawls, Beck and Devo-add to the fun. It's an acquired taste, but the creators' first efforts to take the 10-minute TV sketches into an 80-minute feature pay off. -Doug Thomas.
![Review 2 Entertain Video / The Animals Of Farthing Wood - Part 9 - The Wanderers' Return [1996]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51A2JZFT1YL._SL160_.jpg)
Release date: 1996-09-02
Run time: 87 min.
RRP: £9.99
Price: £120.00
Review The Animals Of Farthing Wood - Part 9 - The Wanderers' Return [1996] / 2 Entertain Video:
Actors & Directors
- Grey DeLisle
- Frank Welker
- Scooby Doo
- Casey Kasem
- Mindy Cohn
Run time: 71 min.
RRP: £13.99
Price: £4.99
Review Scooby Doo - Aloha / Warner Home Video:
Release date: 1998-06-01
Run time: 92 min.
Price: £9.99
Review My Little Pony - A Full Length Feature - Super Video / Abbey Home Media:
![Review Warner Home Video / Animaniacs - Vol. 2 [1994]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51BWNN5ZTXL._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- Arte Johnson
- Kenichi Ogata
- Jon McClenahan
- Greg Reyna
- Barry Caldwell
- Bob Kline
- Hiroyuki Shibamoto
- Julie Brown
- Nancy Cartwright
- Michael Gerard
Run time: 44 min.
RRP: £5.99
Price: £9.48
Review Animaniacs - Vol. 2 [1994] / Warner Home Video:
Actors & Directors
- David Mitton|Ringo Starr|Michael Angelis|George Carlin
Run time: 45 min.
Price: £9.99
Review Thomas The Tank Engine And Friends - Percy And The Signal And Other Stories / 2 Entertain Video:
![Review ITV DVD / Thunderbirds [1965]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/717AAE7FC4L._SL160_.gif)
Release date: 2000-11-13
Price: £99.99
Review Thunderbirds [1965] / ITV DVD:"Filmed in Videcolor [explosions, drum roll, music builds to a climax] and Supermarionation"! The opening sequence of Thunderbirds is itself a masterclass in Gerry Anderson's marionette hyperbole: who else would dare to make a virtue out of the fact that (a) the show is in colour and (b) it's got puppets in it? But everything about this series really is epic: Thunderbirds is action on the grandest scale, pre-dating such high-concept Hollywood vehicles as Armaggedon by 30 years and more (the acting is better, too), and fetishising gadgets in a way that even the most excessive Bond movies could never hope to rival. Unsurprisingly, it transpires that the visual effects are by Derek Meddings, whose later contributions to Bond movies such as The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker echo his pioneering model work here. As to the characters, the clean-cut Tracey boys take second place in the audiences' affections to their cool machines-the real stars of the show-while comic relief is to be found in the charming company of Lady Penelope and her pink Rolls (number plate FAB1), driven by lugubrious chauffeur Parker, whose "Yes, milady" catchphrase resonated around school playgrounds for decades. (Spare a thought for poor old John Tracey, stuck up in space on Thunderbird 5 with only the radio for company. ) The puppet stunt-work is breathtakingly audacious, and every week's death-defying escapade is choreographed in the very best tradition of disaster movies. First shown in 1964 and now digitally remastered, Thunderbirds is children's TV that still looks and sounds like big-budget Hollywood. In this box set: All 32 episodes on nine videos, plus "The Brains Behind Thunderbirds", an exclusive-to-video introduction to the series narrated by Brains himself. -Mark Walker.
Actors & Directors
- Noddy Holder
- Neil Morrissey
- Sarah Ball
- Alison Steadman
- Bob The Builder
- Stephen Tompkinson
RRP: £12.99
Price: £7.50
Review Bob The Builder - Bob's White Christmas / A Christmas To Remember / Hit Entertainment:
![Review Jimbo & the Jet Set / Jimbo And The Jet Set - The Royal Visitors [1987]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51S24SYFH4L._SL160_.jpg)
Release date: 2000-06-14
Run time: 40 min.
Price: £2.99
Review Jimbo And The Jet Set - The Royal Visitors [1987] / Jimbo & the Jet Set:
Actors & Directors
- David Markus
- Josh Rodine
- Marilyn Schreffler
- Allan Melvin
- Maurice LaMarche
Run time: 93 min.
Price: £4.99
Review Popeye And Son - A New Generation - Attack Of The Sea Hag [1987] / 4 Front Video:
Actors & Directors
- Charles A. Nichols
- William Hanna
- Joseph Barbera
Run time: 60 min.
RRP: £7.99
Price: £6.95
Review Wacky Races [1968] / Hanna Barbera (Defunct):
![Review Colin Jeavons / Joe - Joe Moves House / Joe And The Big Family / Joe And The Pram [1970]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41W2QSA92JL._SL160_.jpg)
Release date: 2000-06-19
Run time: 42 min.
Price: £4.99
Review Joe - Joe Moves House / Joe And The Big Family / Joe And The Pram [1970] / Colin Jeavons:
![Review Warner Home Video / Animaniacs - Vol. 3 [1994]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Z63CSGNYL._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- Kenichi Ogata
- Michael Gerard
- Julie Brown
- Nancy Cartwright
- Hiroyuki Shibamoto
- Arte Johnson
- Bob Kline
- Jon McClenahan
- Greg Reyna
- Barry Caldwell
Run time: 43 min.
Price: £5.99
Review Animaniacs - Vol. 3 [1994] / Warner Home Video:
Actors & Directors
- Marc Donato
- Ellen Meske
- Christopher Marren
RRP: £9.99
Price: £1.00
Review Animal Shelf - Music In The Woods / Walt Disney Home Video:
Release date: 1993-01-18
Run time: 27 min.
Price: £8.99
Review Sing Along Songs - You Can Fly / Walt Disney Home Video:
Run time: 40 min.
RRP: £8.99
Price: £7.95
Review Huxley Pig - The Adventures Of Huxley Pig / Abbey Home Media:
Release date: 1996-10-07
Run time: 60 min.
RRP: £9.99
Price: £9.99
Review William's Wish Wellingtons - William Hood / 2 Entertain Video:
![Review Castle Home Video / Jimbo And The Jet Set - The Little Big Problem [1987]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/514QXC32YZL._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- Peter Hawkins
- Susan Sheridan
Run time: 60 min.
RRP: £2.99
Price: £1.99
Review Jimbo And The Jet Set - The Little Big Problem [1987] / Castle Home Video:
Actors & Directors
- Kelly Lange
- Gerry Chiniquy
- Bob Holt
- Tom Smothers
- Barbara Feldon
- Hawley Pratt
- Arte Johnson
Run time: 45 min.
RRP: £2.99
Price: £4.99
Review The Bear Who Slept Through Christmas / Channel 5:
| Browse Animation:
Models & Brands:
Spider-Man - The Ultimate Villain Showdown, The Rugrats Movie [1999], The Animals Of Farthing Wood - Part 9 - The Wanderers' Return [1996], Scooby Doo - Aloha, My Little Pony - A Full Length Feature - Super Video, Animaniacs - Vol. 2 [1994], Thomas The Tank Engine And Friends - Percy And The Signal And Other Stories, Thunderbirds [1965], Bob The Builder - Bob's White Christmas / A Christmas To Remember, Jimbo And The Jet Set - The Royal Visitors [1987], Popeye And Son - A New Generation - Attack Of The Sea Hag [1987], Wacky Races [1968], Joe - Joe Moves House / Joe And The Big Family / Joe And The Pram [1970], Animaniacs - Vol. 3 [1994], Animal Shelf - Music In The Woods, Sing Along Songs - You Can Fly, Huxley Pig - The Adventures Of Huxley Pig, William's Wish Wellingtons - William Hood, Jimbo And The Jet Set - The Little Big Problem [1987], The Bear Who Slept Through Christmas |
