Pixar Short Films Collection - Volume 1 (2004) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a perfect DVD for kids and families alike. Pixar's theatrical shorts are some of the best -- if not THE best -- cartoons produced in the past two decades. This DVD has all 12 of them released to date, as well as an early short by John Lasseter from his days at the Lucasfilm Computer Graphics Project. Here's the list:
1. "THE ADVENTURES OF ANDRE AND WALLY B." (1984, Lucasfilm). After blue humanoid André is awakened in a forest by a pesky bee, he tries to escape. But the bee (named Wally B.) chases after him, and both characters run off screen. Finally, Wally reappears with a bent stinger. Interesting only for its historical value
2. "LUXO JR." (1986). When a large desklamp watches a smaller, younger desklamp play with a ball, he can't quite manage to do it himself.
3. "RED'S DREAM" (1987). Propped up in the corner of a bicycle store, Red the unicycle dreams about a better place.
4. "TIN TOY" (1988). When a wind-up one-man-band toy sees just how destructive a baby can be, he does everything he can to flee -- until the baby gets hurt.
5. "KNICK KNACK" (1989). A snowglobe snowman wants to join a party of other travel souvenirs in a hot party, but his glass dome gets in his way. (This is the well-known version with the less-endowed bathing beauty.)
6. "GERI'S GAME" (1997). A man plays a game of chess against himself, 'becoming' each player by moving to the other side of the chessboard and taking his glasses on and off.
7. "FOR THE BIRDS" (2001). A group of small birds perched together on a telephone wire reject a larger, awkward-looking bird, and pay the price for it.
8. "MIKE'S NEW CAR" (2002). When Mike (from "Monsters Inc.") shows Sulley his new six-wheel drive car, everything that can go wrong does.
9. "BOUNDIN'" (2003). A shearing leaves a dancing sheep humiliated until a jackalope passes by and demonstrates that it's what's inside that counts.
10. "JACK-JACK ATTACK" (2005). Baby Jack-Jack is thought not to possess the superpowers of his siblings or parents (Mr. and Mrs. Parr of "The Incredibles") until an outsider is hired to watch him.
11. "ONE MAN BAND" (2006). Two one-man bands vie to win the attention of a young peasant girl.
12. "MATER AND THE GHOSTLIGHT" (2006). A mysterious blue light haunts the "Cars" town of Radiator Springs and its residents.
13. "LIFTED" (2007). A bumbling young alien student tests the patience of his instructor as he attempts to abduct an innocent farmer.
Bonus features include a terrific documentary featurette on Pixar and some brief segments the company produced for "Sesame Street."

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Disney*Pixar invite you to discover these masterpieces of storytelling from the creative minds that brought you Toy Story, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo and many more. With revolutionary animation, unforgettable music and characters you love, these dazzling short films have changed the face of animation and entertainment and are sure to delight people of all ages for years to come.Experience them now – for the first time together in an amazing collection including never-before-seen footage.

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Treasure Planet (2002) Review

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(More customer reviews)Like the title says, Treasure Planet, Disney's newest cinema release, is what going to the movies is all about. I find it interesting that some adults complain about the sci-fi angle not being true to the original Stevenson story, while youths are saying that it inspired them to read the original story. Surely a movie that can inspire youngsters to read the classics in this day and age can't be all bad.
In fact, it's quite good. Treasure Planet fist offers a wonderful feast for the eyes. My wife and I always make it a point to see a Disney movie in theatres at least once, and Treasure Planet would have been a lost opportunity if we had passed on it. The animation is spectacular, with fluid motion and an organic feel to the characters. Disney is definitely getting a better handle on merging their hand-drawn and computer-generated animation.
Moviegoers that panned Lilo & Stitch will probably not care for Treasure Planet. It's not your standard Disney formula. Things don't start off rosy, get a little shady, then go right back to a blissful existence under the sea. The story stays mostly true to Stevenson's tale about a boy becoming a man, and discovering the strength inside himself to carve out his own destiny.
The sci-fi angle brings a fresh spin to the story, and Disney has managed to make cruising the stars resemble taking to the seas, but with a broader feel. The only downside is the idea of spacefaring vessels looking like tall ships is more proof that Disney steals a lot of ideas from anime. But, since anime grew out of the Japanese interpretation of the Disney style, it's only fair.
Thrills, action, adventure, a hint of romance, and a healthy dose of humor, coupled with some of the best animation Disney has done in a while make Treasure Planet worth seeing.
Although, I could have lived without the flatulent alien.

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From the directors of Disney's ALADDIN and THE LITTLE MERMAID comes a spectacular new motion picture for the entire family. Buckle up for thrills and excitement as a classic story of friendship, courage, and self-discovery gets an incredible futuristic twist for an all-new generation. It's "another jewel in the crown of Disney animated classics" (Clay Smith, Access Hollywood). A secret map inspires a thrilling treasure hunt across the universe as young Jim Hawkins and a hilarious cosmic crew headed by the daring Captain Amelia set off in search of their destiny. Aboard a glittering space galleon, Jim meets the ship's cyborg cook, John Silver, who teaches him the value of friendship and the power of dreams. Jim soon teams up with his crazy new robot pal, B.E.N., and the shape-shifting Morph to discover a treasure greater than he ever imagined. Featuring an all-star voice cast including Emma Thompson, Martin Short, David Hyde Pierce, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Brian Murray, and Michael Wincott -- TREASURE PLANET is "a magical, inventive, and utterly delightful movie" (Paul Clinton, CNN).

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