Apologies (again!) for my site updates being so sporadic - some of the other things I’ve been working on have been taking up more and more of my time, but I’ll be able to reveal a bit more soon. In the meantime, we’re doing our best to keep some unique stuff coming your way and first up today is Christian’s account of the special Roy Disney Presents event at the Newport Beach Film Festival, which was held last week.

With producer Don Hahn and expert Dave Bossert in attendance, Roy screened several of the Disney Studios’ most recent short subjects: many of them never before seen on the big screen. Most exciting was the inclusion of the four shorts that would have made up a fourth Fantasia, planned for 2006 but never completed. We’ve seen these films turn up in various places but, as Christian says, this was the only place to see them in as close a presentation as intended.

Elsewhere today, we have posted the winners for our two recent contests, for Sabrina, The Teenage Witch and Disney’s Classic Cabelleros Collection. Reviews for both titles are “in the works”, so look out for them soon, and congratulations to our bunch of winning names!

Stay tooned! - Ben.

Well, we’re all pretty excited around here with the news that Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas is coming to Blu-ray Disc - this looks like it might be the one title, perhaps surprisingly, that will really spur me on to finally get that player! Why not come and join the discussion on it, at the Animated News & Views Forum?

This’ll have to be another quick update today, while I continue on some other bits and pieces, but there’s time for a quick reminder of our two giveaways that run until tomorrow, for Sabrina The Teenage Witch and Disney’s Saludos Amigos and The Three Cabelleros, back on DVD in the guise of a Classic Cabelleros Collection. Both titles are in stores tomorrow!

Lastly today, watch out for that tree as Randall swings in with a welcome look at the recent release of George Of The Jungle: The Complete Original Series, a two-disc set of Jay Ward’s 1960s Tarzan spoof, with a few other ingredients thrown in for good measure. As usual, Rand’s review is stuffed with a generous background on the show and its characters, so apart from finding out if the set will entice, you’re sure to learn a thing or two, too! Remarking that the set “should please fans”, Rand notes the adequate audio and video and the attractive book-type package, saying that “the inclusion of the two original George and Super Chicken pilots is the icing on the cake - without them, this package would not have seemed complete. While many DVD cartoon releases get by on nostalgia, this is really a show of strong quality”. George Of The Jungle is available on DVD from Classic Media now.

Back soon, so stay tooned! - Ben.

We’ve been dealing with a combination of real life and site issues this week, hence the no-show from me on this here front page, but hopefully you’ll agree that we’re at least ending the week with a bang, with a new review and a couple of groovy contests!

First up is my belated take on DreamWorks’ latest, Bee Movie, the much trumpeted return of comedian Jerry Seinfeld to screens, and his debut as an animated character. While an often heard criticism of the movie in many reviews didn’t exactly praise the episodic nature (many claimed the film felt like three or four episodes of a TV show strung together), I didn’t feel that way at all and, if anything, it was the film’s shouty dialogue - epitomised by the now increasingly tired Patrick Warburton act - that was my biggest gripe. If you did enjoy the movie, then the “Very Jerry” 2-disc set is the one to go for, with oodles of extras not found in the single disc edition, though DreamWorks do expect you to pay over the odds for the privilege.

Next, we’re launching a couple of new contests, for the next in Genus Products’ Archie series, the original Sabrina The Teenage Witch: The Complete Series, and the coming together of two of Disney’s most unique of his Package Features of the 1940s, Saludos Amigos (1943) and The Three Cabelleros (1944), in the brand new Classic Cabelleros Collection. We’ll have a review up for this soon, but in the meantime check out the Classic Cabelleros contest for some fun clips from both films. For those with the earlier LaserDisc release of these films, hold on to those for a bunch of extras that have not been ported over here, but this does look to be a neat collection for those yet to add these important features to their classic Disney libraries.

Have a great weekend, and stay tooned! - Ben.

Just a quick update before we see the week out, to point you in the direction of our latest review: my take on the recent release of the South Park: Imaginationland trilogy. This gathering of three episodes from the always outrageous program has been stitched together in a single movie form, presenting about as close as we’re likely to get, so far, to a movie sequel. It’s not as accomplished as Bigger, Longer And Uncut, of course, but there are some major mouth droppers in here - not least the merciless pokes at the many childhood icons that reside in Imaginationland. The trilogy will of course find its way to disc as a three-parter in a season eleven boxed set, but a clutch of half decent extras might tempt those who wish to see this alternate version sooner.

Also today, we have the winner of that Tom & Jerry Tales giveaway. Apologies for the wait, but the lucky name grabbing a copy of Volume 4 is Jeff Cook of Auckland, New Zealand. Happy cat and mousing, Jeff!

Have a great weekend, and stay tooned! - Ben.

I was going to get all excited and shout about today’s debut of The Woody Woodpecker Collection Volume 2, but the news just spreading about the web about the death of animator Ollie Johnston has kind of left me a little lost for words.

Therefore, the plug for Woody is little more than a hushed whisper, with little more to say than we’ll have a review up soon-ish, while I’ll direct you over to our Animated News page for more on Ollie, the last of Walt’s original Nine Old Men and the other half of the Frank And Ollie team, to leave us.

Incidentally, although I didn’t include the link in our news story, the Cartoon Brew site has an exceptional listing of updates and tributes to the great man - be sure to check them out.

- Ben.

Bit of a short one, I’m afraid, today as I continue to work on other projects, though no doubt Rand may well drop in during the week to say a few things! He’s just posted his review of The Pebbles And Bamm-Bamm Show, the 1970s take on the grown-up offspring of Fred, Wilma, Barney and Betty as they take on teenager-hood and attend Bedrock High. The closest continuation of the original series as we got, as Rand says, “If you love the world of The Flintstones, you can rest assured that Pebbles And Bamm-Bamm is a worthy follow-up”.

James has been enjoying himself in Walt Disney World for the weekend, but as soon as he gets back we’ll give you the name of our Tom & Jerry Tales 4 contest winner, so stay tooned! - Ben.