Home Media Magazine - January 27, 2008 - (Page 18) BUYING GUIDE KIDVID Edited by Kyra Kudick I ALLUMINATION FILMWORKS Due Feb. 5 are The Ugly Duckling and Me Vol. 3: Love Is in the Air (DVD $14.98), the third animated film in the series about the untold chapters of Hans Christian Andersen’s classic story; and Hip Hop Harry: Move Those Feet (DVD $14.98), the second installment in the dance and rhyme series. (L-R): Voice actress Lisa Davis, Disney animator Eric Goldberg and film critic Leonard Maltin during a panel in Hollywood, Calif. COUNTED PLATINUM Extras-packed release of legendary Disney film includes Walt Disney’s correspondence with the author and details about the creation of famed villainess Cruella De Vil By Chris Tribbey t was probably the hardest thing Lisa Davis has ever done. She was a young actress asked to read for the part of Cruella De Vil in Disney’s latest animation feature, 101 Dalmatians. Across from her was Walt Disney, reading the part of Anita, Cruella’s employee. And Davis knew it was wrong. “How do I tell the great Walt Disney he’s brought me in for the wrong part?” the 71-year-old actress said before a panel discussing the film Jan. 18. “How do I tell him I should be Anita? It was scary.” But she did, he agreed, and 47 years later the part remains Davis’ favorite of her career. Yes, even over the likes of 1953’s Queen of Outer Space. (“It’s so bad it’s become good,” Davis joked.) “Oh, some of us like Queen of Outer Space,” film critic Leonard Maltin said before a screening of 101 Dalmatians at the El Capitan theater in Hollywood, Calif. 101 Dalmatians will show at the theater through the end of the ‘101 Dalmations’ I ANCHOR BAY ENTERTAINMENT Streeting March 4 (prebook Jan. 31) are Thomas & Friends: Trackside Tunes, a sing-along (DVD $14.98); and Thomas & Friends: Percy Takes the Plunge (DVD $14.98). I GENIUS PRODUCTS The Weinstein Co. March 4 presents 3 Pigs and a Baby (DVD $19.97), the first film in the “Unstable Fables” animated series retelling classic tales with a twist. From Sesame Workshop March 11 (prebook Jan. 29) come two new editions to the “Play With Me Sesame” series: Let’s Play Games and Imagine With Me (DVD $14.93 each.) I month, in anticipation of the two-disc Platinum Edition DVD release of the film March 4 at $29.99. The DVD is stuffed with hours of bonus features, including Davis reading the actual correspondence between Walt Disney and author Dodie Smith. “None of the other special features come close,” Davis said. Disney’s most outrageous villain ever gets her due in this DVD set, with an all new Cruella De Vil music video and a “Drawn to Be Bad” featurette that looks into the inspiration behind Cruella. “Cruella is of course one of the great characters in Disney history,” Maltin said. “Certainly [among] the great villains.” “He was delighted to draw her,” said Alice Davis, widow of the late Marc Davis, who was the directing animator for the film and the only animator who touched Cruella. “He was so used to doing princesses, and this was his chance to do something mean. … He was the only one who animated her the entire film, and he was proud of that.” Perhaps the most impressive thing on the DVD is the film itself: digitally restored with enhanced picture and sound. The Disney crew worked on more than 343,000 frames to get the best picture possible for the new DVD. In 1961, the film was the first to use Disney’s new “xerography” animation technique, which did away with the need to ink the outlines on every cel by hand. “It was a very unique look. And it’s held up well after all this time,” said 101 Dalmatians “imagineer” and Disney legend Blaine Gibson of the new technology used for the film. I LIONSGATE Arriving Feb. 26 (prebook Jan. 30) is Bratz Kidz Fairy Tales (DVD $19.98), the latest addition to the animated franchise based on the popular line of dolls. I NOTEABILITIES Launching April 1 (prebook March 4) is Kibbles Rockin’ Clubhouse Vol. 1: Expressing Yourself (DVD $24.95), the first video in a new learning series designed for autistic children ages 2-7. I PARAMOUNT HOME ENTERTAINMENT/ NICKELODEON HOME ENTERTAINMENT Coming Feb. 26 from Nick Jr. is the medieval musical tale The Backyardigans: Tales of the Mighty Knights (DVD $16.99). Out March 18 (prebook Feb. 5) is Nick Jr.’s Go, Diego, Go! — Moonlight Rescue (DVD $16.99). See COMING UP, Page 20 Go, Diego, Go! — Moonlight Rescue 18 Home Media Magazine January 27–February 2, 2008
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