This Disney masterpiece from 1940 will hold up forever precisely because it doesn't restrain or temper the most elemental emotions and themes germane to its story. Based on the Collodi tale about a wooden puppet who wants to become a real boy, Pinocchio is among the most magical, mythical, and frightening films to come from the studio in its long history. A number of scenes make permanent impressions on young minds (just ask Steven Spielberg, who quoted the film more than once in Close Encounters of the Third Kind), and the songs ("When You Wish upon a Star") can't be beat. -Tom Keogh.

Mamoo, Boomer and Kimo are three eighteen year-old, thousand-pound sumo wrestlers, dressed according to custom in super-hefty-size sumo thongs. In addition to their bulk, they pack ancient sumo powers, which makes the modern world a bit confusing for them. Regardless, when evil threatens, the three flex themselves into a dramatic physical transformation, doubling their size and strength. (If only their heads grew, too!) Super Duper Sumos is a string of butt jokes masquerading as a children's TV series. Three outsized guys-Pooma, Kimo, and Mamoo-fight evil as "Defenders of the Phat. " Ms. Mister and her henchmen Dr. Stinger and Geghis Fangus at Bad Inc. are out to destroy the world. (Where they'll go when it's destroyed is never explained. [+]

Includes animated shows The Twelve Months The Happy Prince Snow White The three wishes The Emperor's New Clothes

Both films are available in widescreen versions for the first time. The Nightmare Before Christmas (Special Edition) contains a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film; theatrical trailers; and two Tim Burton shorts, Vincent (his debut) and Frankenweenie (a typical Burton mixture of genres, this time putting a cute pooch in the shoes of Frankenstein). James and the Giant Peach (Special Edition) contains a making-of documentary, theatrical trailers, and a music video of Randy Newman's "Good News. " The Nightmare Before Christmas For those who never thought Disney would release a film in which Santa Claus is kidnapped and tortured, well, here it is! The full title is Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, which should give you an idea of the tone of this stop-action animated musical-fantasy-horror-comedy. It is based on characters created by Burton, the former Disney animator best known as the director of Pee-wee's Big Adventure, Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, and the first two Batman movies. His benignly scary-funny sensibility dominates the story of Halloweentown resident Jack Skellington (voiced by Danny Elfman, who also wrote the songs), who stumbles on a bizarre and fascinating alternate universe called Christmastown! Directed by Henry Selick, this PG-rated picture has a reassuringly light touch. As Roger Ebert noted in his review, "some of the Halloween creatures might be a tad scary for smaller children, but this is the kind of movie older kids will eat up; it has the kind of offbeat, subversive energy that tells them wonderful things are likely to happen. " -Jim Emerson James and the Giant PeachRoald Dahl's modern classic for children becomes a delightful combination of live-action footage and stop-motion animation by the team that made The Nightmare Before Christmas-director Henry Selick and producers Tim Burton (Batman) and Denise Di Novi. The story concerns young James (played for real and through voiceovers by Paul Terry), who is orphaned and left in the charge of two cruel aunts (Miriam Margolyes and Joanna Lumley). Rescued by a mysterious fellow (Pete Postlethwaite), James ends up inside a giant peach, drifting over the Atlantic Ocean in the company of a gentleman grasshopper (voiced by Simon Callow), a fast-talking centipede (Richard Dreyfuss), an anxious earthworm (David Thewlis), a matronly ladybug (Jane Leeves), and a sexy spider (Susan Sarandon). [+]

A carton of Soun and Genma's coveted takoyaki or "octopus puffs" goes missing, and the entire household is suspect. It's Rashomon, Tendo Dojo style! AND THEN: Who better to train against than yourself? But is the time Ranma's spending with this "shadow self" really good for him?.

This excellent theatrical feature is loosely based on the Swan Lake story. Princess Odette, having been turned into a swan by a sorcerer's spell, is held captive at the enchanted lake with friends Jean-Bob the frog, Speed the turtle, and Puffin the bird. Along comes Prince Derek, who becomes involved in liberating her by taking on the villain. The movie has been criticized for being too similar to Sleeping Beauty, but once you're watching it-with its strong characters, entertaining vocal performances (John Cleese and Steven Wright are particularly funny), fine artwork, and action-such complaints are negligible. -Tom Keogh.

The classic Mark Twain book The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is presented here as an animated video featuring the voices and music of country music stars Mark Wills, Lee Ann Womack, Rhett Akins, and Hank Williams Jr. Other famous voices include Betty White and Don Knotts. Twain's general plot is reproduced fairly faithfully: Tom falls in love with Becky, Tom and Huckleberry Finn witness a murder and later risk their lives to save the falsely accused Potter, and Tom and Huck eventually find Red Beard's buried treasure. Subtle elements have been changed for either political correctness or plot convenience: for instance, the name "Injun Joe" has been changed to "Injurin' Joe" and Becky has gained an antagonist father. A not so subtle change is the presentation of the characters as animals: Tom and Becky are cats, Huck is a fox, and Joe is a bear. The video is skillfully animated (much more so than the cover suggests) and the voice talent is excellent. Pop-country music lovers will love featured songs such as "You Can't Keep a Country Boy Down" and "There's a Light at the End of the Tunnel," although they seem more appropriate for adult audiences than the 5- to 12-year-olds this video is aimed at. All in all, this is an entertaining, accessible presentation of a classic story that kids will enjoy. -Tami Horiuchi.