Just one week after THE MUMMY RETURNS broke records as the fastest selling DVD of all time, here comes STAR WARS: EPISODE ONE THE PHANTOM MENACE. Selling a record 2.2 million copies in one week (besting MUMMY’S 2 million sold), and setting a new first-week sales record, EPISODE ONE racked up approximately $45 million in sales. Fox Home Entertainment VP of marketing said that EPISODE ONE is on track to out-sell the biggest selling DVD of all time, GLADIATOR. However, THE PHANTOM MENACE is about to face two big green characters that may derail its plans for DVD sales domination.

On October 9, 2001 Universal Studios Home Video reported that their release of THE MUMMY RETURNS registered the biggest first week in the history of DVD with consumers purchasing over two million units of the initial shipments of 4.5 million DVDs. Consumers spent an estimated $90 million on purchase and rental of THE MUMMY RETURNS DVD and VHS, which went on sale October 2, 2001. These figures break the first week sales and rental record previously held by the film GLADIATOR.

Here is a viewers guide to the notable animation and special effects releases on DVD and VHS for the month of October, 2001:



October 2:

Prolific animation music composer Denis M. Hannigan is currently scoring RECESS CHRISTMAS: MIRACLE ON THIRD STREET, an OAV to be released on VHS/DVD November 6, 2001. This feature follows the adventures of the RECESS fourth graders as they attract fun and trouble during the holiday season. Along with scoring RECESS CHRISTMAS, Hannigan is also arranging parodies of classic Christmas songs that will be featured in the film. Hannigan has written music for animated features and many of today's most popular children's TV series including RECESS, CATDOG and RUGRATS.

Twentieth Century Fox's THE SIMPSONS SEASON ONE COLLECTOR'S EDITION DVD BOX SET will be available in stores on September 25, 2001, and features all thirteen episodes from the show's first season and outtakes from an un-aired version of the first 22-minute episode. Bonus features include original scripts, audio commentaries by Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, writers, producers and animation directors, the original skit from the TRACEY ULLMAN SHOW, early sketches, foreign language clips (mais oui! Homer speaks French!), magazine covers and stills, Easter Eggs and outtakes.

In an attempt to keep the MATRIX franchise hot, Warner Bros. has green-lit anime adventures based on the original flick. The film's directors Andy and Larry Wachowski, who were originally inspired by anime to make the MATRIX, are currently looking for anime directors to create episodes for the video. MATRIX ANIME is being planned for a late 2002 or early 2003 release. The live-action sequel, MATRIX RELOADED, is scheduled to hit theaters in May 2003.

In response to the success of the DVD short-film collection "Best of the Web," Multimedia 2000 (M-2K) has announced the release of a follow-up DVD, "Best of the Web, Volume 2." The new installment will highlight the work of CampChaos.com. The 75-minute DVD will feature episodes of NAPSTER BAD and SAFARI KINGDOM as well as the U.S. election parody FLORI-DUH. "Most of these cartoon shorts were originally developed specifically for the Web, using Macromedia's animation software, Flash," said CampChaos' Bob Cesca.

In celebration of Halloween, Walt Disney Home Video will be releasing two holiday themed WINNIE THE POOH videos and one ROLIE POLIE OLIE title. In ROLIE POLIE OLIE: A SPOOKIE OOKIE HALLOWEEN, Olie and Billie decide to make Zowie's first Spookie Ookie Day one full of frights. In BOO TO YOU TOO!, Pooh and friends get their costumes ready, but Piglet is just too scared to join in. In FRANKENPOOH, the Hundred Acre Woods crew has a howling good time in three scary tales. A SPOOKIE OOKIE HALLOWEEN will sell for US$12.99, while the two POOH videos will retail for US$14.99.

Warner Home Video and PBS KIDS Home Video are about to release the first two CAILLOU titles in the U.S. In CAILLOU'S FURRY FRIENDS, Caillou takes his cat Gilbert to the vet, receives some help from the fire department to get Gilbert out of a tree, brings home a stray puppy and befriends a seeing-eye dog. In CAILLOU THE EXPLORER, Caillou heads out to sea with Grandpa, rides the train, visits the farm and learns to use chopsticks with his friend Sarah. The Cinar-produced series has already sold more than 1.2 million videos in Canada since its launch in 1998.

According to Sound Scan, a video industry analyst group, Pioneer Entertainment's newly released AKIRA was the number-one selling DVD for the week of July 29, 2001. The classic anime film was first released in 1989, but was recently restored by Pioneer Entertainment at a cost of $1 million. The DVD beat the debut of live-action films FAMILY MAN, starring Nicolas Cage, and SWEET NOVEMBER, starring Keanu Reeves. The film is set is Neo-Tokyo after World War III and follows childhood friends Tetsuo and Kaneda as they encounter a military operation to retrieve an escaped experimental subject.