Animation To Go: New Home Video Releases
Annabelle's Wish
Distribution Hallmark Home Entertainment
This direct-to-video Christmas story takes the cake for the number of cross-promotional tie-ins, but loses points with low quality animation and a cloyingly sweet story that is more tedious than heartwarming. But, as any good marketer will tell you, Annabelle's Wish is likely to sell plenty of units.
An association with the charitable Make-A-Wish Foundation, and a bevy of promotional tie-ins make Annabelle's Wish the consumer-friendliest title of the season. Based on a short story by Dan Henderson, the film tells the story of a mute, orphaned little farm boy, whose wish is to speak, and a baby cow named Annabelle, whose wish is to be one of Santa's Reindeer. The boy's wicked aunt (vaguely reminiscent of Cruella DeVil) and a handful of local bullies challenge the magic of the Christmas season, but in the end, their wishes do come true.
This is the first animated film from independent producer Ralph Edwards Films, the newly formed division of Ralph Edwards Productions, producer of television shows such as This is Your Life and The People's Court. The film was animated by Studio City, California-based Baer Animation, a contract studio which does both feature (Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, The Lion King) and commercial work.
Available 10/20/93
Price $12.95
Run Time 54 min
Rating not rated
Tie-InsMrs. Fields Cookies, Golden Books, Novus Credit Cards, Previews at 144 shopping mall Santa Claus booths, Elementary school activity sheets, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Float in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Rising Tide/Blue Eye Records, Point of purchase promotional plush toy
Scooby Doo Goes to Hollywood
Scooby Doo Goes to Hollywood is an older Hanna-Barbera television production from the studio's doldrum days. Since acquiring the rights from the Turner library, the film is being released on video for the first time through Warner Bros. Home Video division. In the film, Shaggy serves as Scooby's agent, shopping the clumsy dog around Hollywood, with some great parodies such as The Sound of Scooby and Scooby's Angels. Zoinks! If only poor Scooby really did have an agent, maybe Warner Bros. would have kept this film in the vault, where it belongs.
Distribution Warner Bros. Home Video
Available 10/20/93
Price $14.95
Run Time 51 min.
Rating G
Tie-InsComic Book included with video
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