![Review Fabulous Films Ltd. / The Water Babies [1978]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51RW1E9PV0L._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- Bernard Cribbins
- James Mason
- David Tomlinson
- Joan Greenwood
- Billie Whitelaw
- Lionel Jeffries
Run time: 95 min.
Creator: Michael Robson
RRP: £5.99
Price: £12.99
Review The Water Babies [1978] / Fabulous Films Ltd.:The Water Babies tells the story of Tom, a chimney sweep who gets framed for theft in 1850s England. Even though a young girl named Ellie knows the real thieves' identities and tries to clear Tom's name, Tom's desperate escape run lands him right in the middle of Dead Man's Pool. Assumed to have met certain death, Tom gets sucked into a magical underwater world. Tom befriends the creatures he meets beneath the sea, and they accompany him on a journey to the land of Water Babies, where he intends to ask the all-powerful Cracken to help him return to the world above the water. However, when Tom finally does manage to return to land, life is far from idyllic as he must set out clear his name and trap the real thieves. Many adults possess fond memories of seeing this 1978 movie as children. The land portions of this musical feature live-action footage, while the water sequence is fully animated. To a fresh, modern audience, the abrupt change from one format to the other is somewhat disconcerting, as is the choppy, older animation style. The story, based on the classic children's book of the same name by Charles Kingsley, is an intriguing look at both Victorian culture and the fantasy world. (Ages 4-8) -Tami Horiuchi, Amazon. [+]com.
Release date: 1992-06-15
Run time: 91 min.
RRP: £4.99
Price: £9.90
Review He-Man And She-Ra - Secret Of The Sword [1985] / Braveworld Ltd. (Defunct):
![Review Buena Vista / Seabiscuit [2003]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/516BD29FSGL._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- Jeff Bridges
- Gary Ross
- Tobey Maguire
- David McCullough
- Elizabeth Banks
- Chris Cooper
Run time: 135 min.
Creator: Laura Hillenbrand
RRP: £14.99
Price: £10.79
Review Seabiscuit [2003] / Buena Vista:Proving that truth is often greater than fiction, the handsome production of Seabiscuit offers a healthy alternative to Hollywood's staple diet of mayhem. With superior production values at his disposal, writer-director Gary Ross (Pleasantville) is a bit too reverent towards Laura Hillenbrand's captivating bestseller, unnecessarily using archival material-and David McCullough's narration-to pay Ken-Burns-like tribute to Hillenbrand's acclaimed history of the knobbly-kneed thoroughbred who "came from behind" in the late 1930s to win the hearts of Depression-weary Americans. That caveat aside, Ross's adaptation retains much of the horse-and-human heroism that Hillenbrand so effectively conveyed; this is a classically styled "legend" movie like The Natural, which was also heightened by a lushly sentimental Randy Newman score. Led by Tobey Maguire as Seabiscuit's hard-luck jockey, the film's first-rate cast is uniformly excellent, including William H Macy as a wacky trackside announcer who fills this earnest film with a much-needed spirit of fun. -Jeff Shannon.
Actors & Directors
- Harold D. Schuster
- Beulah Bondi
- Harry Carey
- Luana Patten
- Bobby Driscoll
- Burl Ives
- Hamilton Luske
Run time: 79 min.
Creator: Sterling North
RRP: £14.99
Price: £2.90
Review So Dear To My Heart (1948) (Disney) / Walt Disney Home Video:
Actors & Directors
- Peter Capaldi
- Isla Blair
- Dervla Kirwan
- Devon Anderson
- Tina Barrett
- Jane Prowse
Run time: 74 min.
Creator: Alex Shearer
Price: £9.99
Review The Greatest Store In The World [1999] / ITV DVD:
![Review Uca Catalogue / The Famous Five - Five Go Down To The Sea - Parts 1 and 2 [1978]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51SJ7NAAZPL._SL160_.jpg)
Release date: 2003-07-21
Run time: 50 min.
Creator: Richard Sparks
Price: £5.99
Review The Famous Five - Five Go Down To The Sea - Parts 1 and 2 [1978] / Uca Catalogue:
![Review Uca Catalogue / Stuart Little 2 [2002]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41NGGED3ZCL._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- Rob Minkoff
- Anna Hoelck
- Hugh Laurie
- Geena Davis
- Michael J. Fox
- Jonathan Lipnicki
Run time: 74 min.
RRP: £5.99
Price: £0.01
Review Stuart Little 2 [2002] / Uca Catalogue:Stuart Little 2 is that rarest of movie breeds, a sequel that surpasses its charming, popular predecessor to achieve near-classic status. While Mr and Mrs Little (Hugh Laurie, Geena Davis) are portrayed with good-natured, storybook purity, the rest of the movie follows suit, beginning when their lonely mouse "son" Stuart (perfectly voiced by Michael J Fox) befriends an orphaned canary (Melanie Griffith), who's reluctantly stealing from the Littles for the villainous Falcon (James Woods). The con game turns into a search-and-rescue thriller, with family cat Snowbell (Nathan Lane) quipping like a borscht-belt comedian, but the real fun of Stuart Little 2 comes from Bruce Joel Rubin's marvellously inventive screenplay and returning director Rob Minkoff's visually dazzling combination of live action and lavish computer animation. Matching the Babe movies as a wondrous marvel of family entertainment, Stuart Little 2 is an all-ages romp that's smart, sweet, and completely irresistible. -Jeff Shannon, Amazon. com.
![Review 2 Entertain Video / Teletubbies - Animals Big And Small [1997]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/518RNH02PYL._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- Toni Barry
- Alex Pascall
- Penelope Keith
- David Hiller
- Rolf Saxon
- Sandra Dickinson
Run time: 50 min.
Creator: Sue James
RRP: £9.99
Price: £6.93
Review Teletubbies - Animals Big And Small [1997] / 2 Entertain Video:
![Review Castle Home Video / Gran [1982]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41RAFBPJ0TL._SL160_.jpg)
Release date: 1999-06-01
Run time: 60 min.
Creator: Michael Cole
RRP: £2.99
Price: £4.47
Review Gran [1982] / Castle Home Video:
Release date: 1995-09-04
Run time: 86 min.
Price: £9.99
Review The Greatest BBC Children's Video Ever / 2 Entertain Video:
Actors & Directors
- Johnny Morris
- Dave Ellison
- Peggy Miller
Run time: 40 min.
Creator: Charles Fullman
Price: £2.99
Review Tales of the Riverbank / Channel 5:
![Review Cinema Club / Short Circuit [1986]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41ZYRE8CQGL._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- Steve Guttenberg
- Fisher Stevens
- John Badham
- Austin Pendleton
- G.W. Bailey
- Ally Sheedy
Run time: 94 min.
Creator: S.S. Wilson
Price: £5.99
Review Short Circuit [1986] / Cinema Club:John Badham's family-orientated adventure comedy Short Circuit, though obviously hatched in the wake of E. T. and Star Wars, manages to create its own identity through a sweet tone and an affectionate sense of fun. Military robot Number 5, a well-armed killing machine, is zapped by lightning during a test and emerges with a wacky sense of humour and a new peace-loving philosophy. Ally Sheedy (who debuted in Badham's hit WarGames) is the animal-lover whose home is sanctuary for a zoo-full of strays and who adopts the adolescent robot. Steve Guttenberg is the goofy but reclusive robotics designer who goes off in search of his creation to save him from the gun-happy army. The mix of gentle slapstick and innocent romance makes for a harmless family comedy. It veers toward the terminally cute, what with Number 5's hyperactive antics and E. T. -ish voice, and the mangled grammar of Guttenberg's East Indian sidekick (Fisher Stevens) threatens to become offensive, but Badham's breezy direction keeps the film on track. [+]Sheedy and Guttenberg deliver spirited and engaging performances, but most importantly the robot emerges as a real person. Give credit to designer Syd Mead, an army of puppeteers and robotics operators, and the cartoony voice of Tim Blaney: Number 5 is alive. -Sean Axmaker.
![Review Walt Disney Home Video / 102 Dalmatians (Live Action) [2000]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41T7N3AS9TL._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- Gérard Depardieu
- Kevin Lima
- Glenn Close
- Alice Evans
- Tim McInnerny
- Ioan Gruffudd
Run time: 96 min.
Creator: Noni White
RRP: £15.99
Price: £0.99
Review 102 Dalmatians (Live Action) [2000] / Walt Disney Home Video:It is rare to find a sequel which outdoes the original concept, particularly in the world of Disney movies, but 102 Dalmatians is an exception to the rule. The high jinks and action is back, with an additional puppy-the lovable Oddball, who has no spots-and of course the cruellest of villains, Cruella DeVil. After two years of rehabilitation Cruella is released into London's community once more-but this time insists on being called Ella, "Cruella just sounds so cruel"-but has the evil one really changed her ways to become not only a pillar of society, but also a dog-loving activist? Her probation officer Chloe is not convinced and added to that her dalmatians have just had puppies. Glenn Close is back in fine form as Cruella-this may be the defining role of her career-and with a great range of costumes and hair-dos she adds fantastic menace to the character. Added to this is the joy of having two British actors in the role of dog-loving humans (Ioan Gruffudd as Kevin and Alice Evans as Chloe)-instead of having to listen to the cod Dick Van Dyke English accent that Disney seems to love. The film also offers an extrovert turn by Gerard Depardieu as the flamboyant French Fashion designer Monsieur Le Pelt. Through Le Pelt this film does make some important references to the fur trade and the "No Logo-esque" fashion production methods-adding political humour for adults. However as always the true stars of the films are the animal actors themselves, with the talking parrot Waddlesworth who thinks he is a rottweiler (voiced by Eric Idle) and of course the true star Oddball-the cutest puppy since the promotion of a certain toilet roll! -Nikki Disney.
Release date: 1999-03-08
Run time: 55 min.
Creator: Lindsey Dillion-Massey
Price: £9.99
Review Thomas The Tank Engine And Friends - Happy Holidays / 2 Entertain Video:
Release date: 2001-02-05
Run time: 30 min.
RRP: £6.99
Price: £9.89
Review Richard Scarry's Best ABC Video Ever! / Ilc Prime:
Run time: 29 min.
Price: £8.99
Review Sing Along Songs - Disneyland Fun / Walt Disney Home Video:
![Review Paramount Home Entertainment / ET - The Extra-Terrestrial [1982]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41VS1PC1EJL._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- Steven Spielberg
- Peter Coyote
- Henry Thomas
- Dee Wallace (II)
- Drew Barrymore
- Robert MacNaughton
Run time: 110 min.
RRP: £10.99
Price: £14.75
Review ET - The Extra-Terrestrial [1982] / Paramount Home Entertainment:This 20th Anniversary edition of E. T. introduces the warmth and sense of magic of Steven Spielberg's much-loved movie to a whole new generation. And it is the youngsters at whom this new version has been aimed, with the film being given a Star Wars-style make-over in the hope that it will appeal to a generation weaned on digital effects. Thus, ET now has a souped-up space ship and the pursuing FBI agents are more politically correct, carrying walkie-talkies in place of guns. They've even given ET himself a CGI face-lift, digitally replacing the beloved puppet in certain scenes. But this is no Apocalypse Now Redux. The re-edited scenes are small and insignificant to the plot: the only additional footage of any note is ET taking a bath and demonstrating that he can breathe underwater, which is amusing but irrelevant. The surprise is that the deleted scene with Harrison Ford playing Elliot's school Principal has still not made it to the new version. Despite such grumbles, E. [+]T. is still the joyful experience it was 20 years ago, only this time grown-ups can follow the story through an added glow of nostalgia, as they fondly remember just how great BMXs were! -Nikki Disney On the DVD: E. T. -20th Anniversary Edition has the revised version of the movie (but not the original cut) on Disc One, presented in 1. 85:1 anamorphic widescreen and with a choice of gloriously remastered Dolby 5. 1 or DTS sound options. The major beneficiary of this new presentation is John Williams' outstanding music score, which uniquely can also be played along with the film in the live version from the LA Shrine Auditorium 2002 premiere. A documentary about Williams conducting this extraordinary performance and a feature on his original scoring sessions are the best extra features on Disc Two. Other documentaries cover the "Evolution and Creation of ET"; a "Reunion" of the principal cast and crew with some fun behind-the-scenes footage; a piece on the planets of the Solar System narrated by ET himself (!); a photo gallery; trailers, and DVD-ROM extras. There's no director's commentary, but Spielberg does briefly introduce the movie on Disc One. -Mark Walker.
![Review Warner Home Video / Pokemon TV Series - Vol. 1 - I Choose You! Pikachu! [1997]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/5176T567RTL._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- Jim Malone
- Michael Haigney
- Pokemon
Run time: 68 min.
Price: £9.99
Review Pokemon TV Series - Vol. 1 - I Choose You! Pikachu! [1997] / Warner Home Video:
![Review Thames Video / Sooty-Start to Read [1989]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Y778N3Z3L._SL160_.jpg)
Release date: 1994-09-05
Run time: 51 min.
RRP: £9.99
Price: £4.98
Review Sooty-Start to Read [1989] / Thames Video:
![Review Warner Home Video / The Railway Children [1970]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/5140N48XW1L._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- Jenny Agutter
- Iain Cuthbertson
- Lionel Jeffries
- William Mervyn
- Bernard Cribbins
- Dinah Sheridan
Run time: 104 min.
Creator: E. Nesbit
RRP: £9.99
Price: £4.68
Review The Railway Children [1970] / Warner Home Video:The Railway Children (1970) and Swallows and Amazons (1974) are perfect bedfellows: two classic children's novels, simply and faithfully adapted for the big screen. Together they evoke a poignant nostalgia for the periods in which they are set-Edwardian and 1920s England, respectively-and for the childhood of anyone who has grown up watching them. Sentimentality reigns, of course, but it's never cloying. The truthfulness of the juvenile performances, balanced with restrained sympathy from the adults, sees to that. Flourishing under Lionel Jeffries' delicate direction, Jenny Agutter dominates The Railway Children as the oldest daughter of a family thrown on hard times when their father is wrongly sent to prison. They avert a train disaster, save an imperilled steeple chaser and reunite an exiled Russian with his wife, all with equal enterprise. Happy endings prevail after every crisis. And no number of repeat viewings can ever diminish the impact of father's return. One of the most expert tear-duct work-outs in film history, it hits the spot every time. Perhaps the lack of such a pivotal scene has kept Swallows and Amazons in the relative shade. [+]But its gentle appeal survives with equal charm, not least in the resourcefulness of the eponymous children and the period detail. Together this pairing makes a double bill to treasure, and a piquant reminder that Disney doesn't have a complete monopoly on the rich heritage of children's cinema. On the DVD: The Railway Children and Swallows and Amazons is presented in standard 4:3 picture format, from so-so prints, and with acceptable mono soundtracks. Both films envelope the viewer in a comforting Sunday-afternoon haze. There are no extras, apart from scene indexes. -Piers Ford.
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The Water Babies [1978], He-Man And She-Ra - Secret Of The Sword [1985], Seabiscuit [2003], So Dear To My Heart (1948) (Disney), The Greatest Store In The World [1999], The Famous Five - Five Go Down To The Sea - Parts 1 and 2 [1978], Stuart Little 2 [2002], Teletubbies - Animals Big And Small [1997], Gran [1982], The Greatest BBC Children's Video Ever, Tales of the Riverbank, Short Circuit [1986], 102 Dalmatians (Live Action) [2000], Thomas The Tank Engine And Friends - Happy Holidays, Richard Scarry's Best ABC Video Ever!, Sing Along Songs - Disneyland Fun, ET - The Extra-Terrestrial [1982], Pokemon TV Series - Vol. 1 - I Choose You! Pikachu! [1997], Sooty-Start to Read [1989], The Railway Children [1970] |
