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Amazon.comA vibrant look at the magical world of fairies and the wonder of the changing seasons, Tinker Bell is the captivating story of one of Disney's most beloved fairies. Pixie Hollow is a land where fairies constantly create and improve upon the beauty of the four seasons and prepare to bring the changing seasons to the mainland. When Tinker Bell is born, she discovers she is destined to be a Tinker fairy; one who invents gadgets to help fairies do their jobs more efficiently, but she is disappointed with her supporting role and yearns for a more impressive job. While her fellow fairies assure her that she plays a vital role in thearrival of spring, Tinker Bell shuns her calling and attempts to become something she's not. In the end, Tinker Bell's efforts cause a disaster that threatens to delay or even cancel the coming of spring and only inspiration and a firm belief in her own strengths can lead Tinker Bell to fulfill her destiny and save spring. This CGI product ion features truly breathtaking vividness and clarity, does a great job of portraying the world of nature from a fairy's perspective, and creates a nice sense of consistency between its final frames and the opening of the original Peter Pan film. Notable voice talent includes Mae Whitman, Kristin Chenoweth, Jane Horrocks, Anjelica Huston, Jesse McCartney, and Raven-Symone. Other DVD bonus features include the interactive "Tinker Trainer" game, tour of the realms of Pixie Hollow, a look at how fairies put the wonder in the world around us, Selena Gomez's music video "Fly To Your Heart," and deleted scenes. (Ages 3 and older) --Tami Horiuchi

Beyond Tinker Bell on DVD

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Stills from Tinker Bell (click for larger image)

Amazon.comDisney's 1959 animated effort was the studio's most ambitious to date, a widescreen spectacle boasting a gorgeous waltz-filled score adapting Tchaikovsky. In the 14th century, the malevolent Maleficent (not dissimilar to the wicked Queen in Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs taunts a king that his infant Aurora will fatally prick her finger on a spinning wheel before sundown on her 16th birthday. This, of course, would deny her a happily-ever-after with her true love. Things almost but not quite turn out that way, thanks to the assistance of some bubbly, bumbling fairies named Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather. It's not really all that much about the title character--how interesting can someone in the middle of a long nap be, anyway? Instead, those fairies carry the day, as well as, of course, good Prince Phillip, whose battle with the malevolent Maleficent in the guise of a dragon has been co-opted by any number of animated films since. See it in its original glory here. And Malificent's castle, filled with warthogs and demonic imps in a macabre dance celebrating their evil ways, manages a certain creepy grandeur. --David Kronke

On the DVD
Sleeping Beauty was the last and most lavish of Walt Disney's animated fairy tales. He told the artists not to hurry and to give him "a moving illustration": The film required almost four and one-half years and one million finished drawings. Instead of the 19th century storybook illustrations that had influenced the look of Snow White and Pinocchio, the artists adapted the flattened perspective and jewel-like colors of 15th century French illuminatedmanuscripts. The results remain unmatched for sheer visual opulence. However, Sleeping Beauty suffers from a weak story: the vision of an ageless princess slumbering in a vine-shrouded tower was replaced with elements of Snow White and a boy-meets-girl musical. The evil Maleficent and the three Good Fairies (Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather) dominate the film, rather than Princess Aurora and Prince Philip. Sleeping Beauty was originally released in 70mm, and the Blu-ray edition restores the film to its original splendor. (Many earlier releases trimmed the wide-screen images and/or muted the glowing palatte.) The Bonus DVD looks good on a flat screen monitor, but it pales in comparison to the richness of the Blu-ray. In addition to the commentaries and a making-of documentary, the set includes myriad extras that vary widely in quality. Nostalgia buffs will enjoy the recreation of the old Sleeping Beauty's Castle attraction in Disneyland, and the TV program "Four Artists Paint One Tree" provides a welcome showcase for key talents from the film. But the CG animation of the dragon and the voice imitations of the Good Fairies fail to capture the magic of the originals in the "Dragon Encounter"; the "Maleficent's Challenge Game"--a hi-tech Twenty Questions--sounds only vaguely like the redoubtable sorceress. (Rated G: violence) --Charles Solomon




Stills from Sleeping Beauty (Click for larger image)

Amazon.comThe Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds live concert was a sold-out sensation everywhere it played, and this concert video is the next best thing to being there for all the fans that couldn't get tickets to attend the concert in person. The movie opens with Miley Cyrus backstage in make-up and hair, warming up with vocal exercises, then cuts to Hannah Montana (her alter ego)'s performance of "Rock Star," and then back in time to four weeks before her performance when concert rehearsals were just beginning. It runs like a backstage specialfeature for a while, following Hannah Montana through coaching, choreography scenes with Kenny Ortega, and rehearsal sessions. Then it's back to concert footage from opening night in St. Louis and all along the tour, seasoned here and there with some fun looks at the concerts' special effects, quick costume changes, other logistical challenges (Hannah gets dropped during a routine early in the tour), and lots of shots of the enthusiastic, mostly female 'tween audiences. The 3D format gives the audience a nice sense of being there and includes some effective, if somewhat overused shots of thecrowd waving, Hannah/Miley reaching out to the audience, and fun stunts like the drummer's twirling stick thrown high in the air and the guitar player's pick being tossed out into the audience. The sound is adequate, but fails to replicate the live concert experience (the plus side is that the audience's ears won't be ringing for hours after the performance). Hannah Montana's performance includes "Rock Star," "Life's What You Make It," "Just Like You," "Nobody's Perfect," and "We Got the Party." The Jonas Brothers perform "When You Look Me In the Eyes" and "Year 3000," and then Miley hits the stage with "Start All Over," "I Got Nerve," "I Miss You" (which Miley wrote in honor of her Granddad's passing), "Going Away," "GNO: Girl's Night Out," and "The Best of Both Worlds." This 3D concert presentation truly is the "best of both worlds," a 3D concert experience with easy availability and minimal expense. Better yet is the message that girls can do anything they want if they put their minds and hearts to it. (Ages 7 and older) --Tami Horiuchi

Amazon.comCamp Rock is a Disney Channel original movie about a rockin' teen summer camp that's highly appealing to tweens and young teens despite the movie's failure to favorably compare with truly great Disney Channel movies like High School Musical. Joe Jonas (of the Jonas Brothers stars as Shane Gray, a member of the rock band Connect 3, who is compelled to serve as an instructor at Camp Rock in order to counteract his increasingly negative public image. Tess Tyler (Meaghan Jette Martin) is the camp diva whose self-absorption defies description, Caitlyn (Alyson Stoner) is a past Tess groupie who's now ostracized from the popular kids at camp, and Mitchie(Demi Lovato) is a camp newcomer whose mother is the camp cook. Caitlyn initially befriends Mitchie, but the friendship wanes when Mitchie makes up an elaborate story about her family to get accepted into Tess's exclusive clique. As Mitchie struggles to maintain her façade around camp, Shane begins to reform his bad-boy ways and find his own personal voice and he and Mitchie become friends--unfortunately, their new relationship is based partially on Mitchie's lies. In the end, Mitchie's deception is exposed as is Tess' true villainy and the perfect summer camp experience threatens to turn into the worst summer ever for everyone involved. Camp Rock is infused with lots of energy, fun choreography, and a ton of good, if not particularly memorable, music. Add in the cast of generally unlikable characters with extreme characteristics whose changes of heart at the end of the film are not particularly believable, and Disney's got an entertaining film for tweens and teens that adults might just as well skip. --Tami Horiuchi

Amazon.comA prequel to The Little Mermaid, The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning is good family entertainment that deserves a spot in every Disney collection--even if the film isn't quite as striking as the original. It's hard to imagine the underwater world of Atlantica without music, but following the death of Ariel's mother Queen Athena, King Triton (Jim Cummings) outlaws music because of the painful memories it evokes. Ariel (Jodi Benson) and her six sisters are unhappy with their boring daily routine, unfeeling governess Marina DelRay (Sally Field), and superficial relationship with their father; but only Ariel has the courage to confront their father with a desire for a more fulfilling life. A chance meeting with Flounder (Parker Goris) leads Ariel to the underground Catfish music club where the Caribbean jazz is hot and the starred soloist is none other the King's Chief of Staff Sebastian (Samuel Wright). Suddenly, a whole new world full of promise and excitement opens up for Ariel and her sisters, but things get ugly when Marina tells King Triton about the club and his fury erupts. Can the power of music, combined with Ariel's heartfelt pleas, convince King Triton to pardon all the underground music lovers and reconsider his ban on music? Ariel's Beginning is a wholesome story about love, family, and the power of music that's nicely animated and features a host of good music--the only things missing from the first movie are Ariel's innocent sense of wonder and the extreme catchiness of the original songs. Bonus features include two deleted scenes, four sing-along songs with on-screen lyrics; a mermaid discovery game in which viewers learn about Ariel and her six sisters; a quiz that matches viewers with the character most like themselves; an interview with director Peggy Holmes, and a look at the Broadway production of The Little Mermaid Under the Sea. (Ages 3 and older) --Tami Horiuchi