As of December 21, 1999, both young and old fans of the lovable elephant

Babar can take home his new direct-to-video feature BABAR: KING OF THE

ELEPHANTS. The new film follows the adventures of Babar's life from birth

to his kingship. The video was co-produced by Nelvana Limited and HBO Home

Video and features computer replications of original Babar illustrations.

BABAR: KING OF THE ELEPHANTS bounces into stores at a suggested retail

price of US$19.96.

The Dark Knight descends into video stores December 21, 1999 with three new

BATMAN BEYOND videos and two new DVDs -- BATMAN BEYOND: THE MOVIE and

BATMAN: MASK OF THE PHANTASM. Each of the three BATMAN BEYOND VHS tapes

(DISAPPEARING INQUE, SCHOOL DAYZ, TECH WARS) all feature three episodes of

the Warner Bros. cartoon series. The BATMAN BEYOND DVD features the movie

and four bonus episodes of the series. BATMAN: MASK OF THE PHANTASM is the

first feature animated movie and has sold millions of copies on VHS

Urban Vision will soon re-release Vampire Hunter D and Wicked City. The

classic horror anime D will hit streets January 18, 2000 and Yoshiaki

Kawajiri's hit Wicked City debuted December 7, 1999. Both flicks will be

available in an English Dubbed version for US$19.95 and a Japanese with

English subtitles version for $29.95. Other anime titles coming soon to DVD

are Slayers: The Motion Picture, street date February 8, 2000 for $29.98

and Legend Of Crystania: The Motion Picture, street date February 8, 2000

Sony Wonder and Golden Books Family Entertainment Home Video will bring the
beloved children's holiday film, RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER, to DVD for
the first time. The adventures of the shunned reindeer will be available for
US$19.98. For the holidays, Sony Wonder will also re-release ELMO SAVES
CHRISTMAS on DVD and more favorite Sesame Street titles for $19.98.

Six films from Czech puppet master, Jiri Trnka, will be available on a new
compilation DVD available February 29, 2000. Included on the release will
be the feature-length classic THE EMPEROR'S NIGHTINGALE based on the Hans
Christian Anderson fairy tale and narrated by legendary-Hollywood actor
Boris Karloff. The five featured shorts will include Trnka's world famous
THE HAND, along with STORY OF THE BASS CELLO, A MERRY CIRCUS, A DROP TOO
MUCH, and THE SONG OF THE PRAIRIE. Not to sound too much like a late-night

In a far distant future, a
would-be master race seeks to dominate the galaxy. Against these merciless
Afressians, mankind has just one hope: the mysterious female warrior known
as Emeraldas. This is the story behind the Houston, Texas-based ADV Films
November 23, 1999 release of QUEEN EMERALDAS on DVD. The US$29.98 QUEEN
EMERALDAS DVD will be in English and Japanese with English subtitles. Also
from ADV the following VHS tapes will all be released on January 25, 2000:
The war against Genom escalates as the Knight Sabers find themselves forced

Previously, we reported that Warner Bros. Home Video had announced that THE
IRON GIANT DVD would be letterboxed at 1.85:1, which would have been
unfortunate because the film has a 2.35:1 aspect ratio and Brad Bird
designed THE IRON GIANT partly in homage to the very wide CinemaScope films
of the 1950s. But Warners has changed their mind and the DVD will be
letterboxed at 2.35:1. THE IRON GIANT DVD will include letterboxed (2.35:1)
and pan & scan versions of the movie, be 16X9, have AC3 and 5.1 surround

Image Entertainment is releasing Art Clokey's DAVEY AND GOLIATH on DVD and
VHS. DAVEY AND GOLIATH was a stop-motion television series that was made by
GUMBY creator Art Clokey for the Lutheran Church in America from 1962 to
1977. It was usually shown on Sunday morning. In the series, Davey, a boy,
and his dog, Goliath, would usually get into some sort of trouble, but
learn a moral lesson by the end of the story. The DAVEY AND GOLIATH DVD
will include eight 14 minute episodes. It is not region coded. Image is

Buena Vista Home Video is releasing new videos featuring Goofy, Winnie the
Pooh, Belle, and Inspector Gadget early next year. WINNIE THE POOH, A
VALENTINE FOR YOU! is due January 11, 2000 on VHS for US$14.99. In the
video, which premiered last year as a television special, Pooh and his
friends are afraid that Christopher Robin has been bitten by a Smitten when
he becomes interested in a girl. They search the Hundred Acre Wood for the
love bug, hoping it will bite him again and cure his lovesickness. BELLE'S

Disney's TARZAN premiers on video and DVD on February 1, 2000, and a TARZAN
COLLECTOR'S EDITION DVD will be released on March 21, 2000. TARZAN will
feature the "Strangers Like Me" music video by Phil Collins, and the DVD
will be DVD-ROM-enabled (with internet links) and loaded with exciting
extras for all the family, including a never-before-seen recording session
by Phil Collins and guests, a Read-Along, a Trivia Game, various sneak
peeks and many other features. Spanish and French versions of the video

On December 21, 1999 Warner Home Video will debut the first feature-length,
fully animated Animaniacs movie, STEVEN SPIELBERG PRESENTS ANIMANIACS:
WAKKO'S WISH. WAKKO'S WISH will be the flagship offering in the first wave
of the Warner Bros. Family Entertainment "Century 2000 Collection," which
will bring audiences 11 Family Movie Favorites. WAKKO'S WISH will feature
10 original songs created specifically for the movie. The film begins in
the little village of Acme Falls -- where the once-cheerful and prosperous

AtomFilms, which distributes short films both online and offline, has released two
compilations of short films: DEFINITELY NOT HOLLYWOOD: THE DARK COMEDY
EDITION and DEFINITELY NOT HOLLYWOOD: THE EXTREME COMEDY EDITION. The
former is exclusively live-action, but the latter is a collection of both
live-action and animated shorts. The animated films, which are in the sick
and twisted tradition, are LOUIE THE FLY and DOG FISHING by Joe Byrnes,
LIVING WITH RIDALYN by Ron Noble, THE HANGNAIL by Shane Acker, and several

The Hubley Studio has created some of
the most innovative and challenging animation in the history of the art
form. Beginning with the partnership of John and Faith Hubley, and
continuing with Faith and Emily Hubley, they have received countless awards
and international acclaim. Earlier this year, Image Entertainment released
their first Hubley DVD, ART AND JAZZ IN ANIMATION. Now, they offer three
more. HUBLEY COLLECTION #1 includes ENTER LIFE (1981), UPSIDE DOWN (1991),
WHO AM I (1989), BLAKE BALL (1988), TIME OF THE ANGELS (1987), PEOPLE,

Last week we announced that the THE IRON GIANT laser disc release will have
a 1.85:1 aspect ratio, whereas the film was released with a 2.35:1. In
addition, when we announced the DVD and VHS releases three weeks ago, we
neglected to mention that the DVD, as well as the widescreen VHS release,
will also be 1.85:1. It's unfortunate that none of these will be 2.35:1
because Brad Bird designed THE IRON GIANT partly in homage to the
CinemaScope films of the 1950s, and he even wanted to include "CinemaScope"

Columbia TriStar Home Video is releasing Ray Harryhausen's first color and
independently produced feature, 1958's THE 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD, on DVD in
the US on November 30, 1999. Extras include a documentary called THE RAY
HARRYHAUSEN CHRONICLES; THIS IS DYNAMATION, a documentary about Ray
Harryhausen's animation techniques; A LOOK BEHIND THE VOYAGE and JASON AND
THE ARGONAUTS, two interviews; and textual supplements on the cast and
crew, including Harryhausen, director Nathan Juran, Kerwin Matthews

On December 7, 1999, Disney is releasing MICKEY'S ONCE UPON A CHRISTMAS on
DVD. This all-new, full-length video features three tales starring Mickey,
Donald and Goofy, each one about Christmas. In the first story, Mickey and
Minnie recall the year they both gave up what was most important to them
for the sake of the other, making for one unforgettable Christmas. In the
second story, Goofy and Max remember when they experienced a series of
hilarious, but faith-shaking events - and a visit from the real Santa made

Image Entertainment is releasing Warner Bros.' THE IRON GIANT, the
critically acclaimed film directed by Brad Bird, on laser disc on December
7, 1999. The laser disc will be letterboxed at 1.85:1 (the film was about
2.35:1), and retail for US$29.98. There will not be any extras. Laser discs
sell out quickly these days, and are less likely than ever to be
re-pressed, so you may want to pre-order this one. THE IRON GIANT, based on
a children's book by Ted Hughes, is about a boy who befriends an alien
robot in 1950s America.

Paramount Home Video will release BEAVIS & BUTT-HEAD DO AMERICA on DVD in the US on
November 23, 1999. In this animated feature, directed by Mike Judge, and
based on his MTV show, Beavis and Butt-Head tour America. The DVD is
letterboxed at 1.85:1 and includes two trailers. The retail price is
US$29.99. The animated feature SOUTH PARK: BIGGER, LONGER AND UNCUT,
directed by Matt Stone and based on his and Trey Parker's Comedy Central
series, shows what happens to the South Park gang after they sneak into an

Disney will release A BUG'S LIFE - COLLECTOR'S EDITION DVD on November 23, 1999. The Disney/Pixar
film, which crosses the Western THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (a remake of Akira
Kurosawa's SEVEN SAMURAI) with Aesop's THE ANT AND THE GRASSHOPPER, is
about an inventive ant named Flik who hires what he believes are "warrior
bugs" to defend his colony from a horde of freeloading grasshoppers. As
with the TOY STORY laserdisc box set, the supplemental features are
plentiful:


DISC ONE: THE MOVIE

Columbia-Tri Star Home Video is releasing a collector's edition DVD of
HEAVY METAL which was supervised by Gerald Potterton and released in 1981.
Those who bought the laser rot-prone laserdisc that was released three
years ago will want to purchase this new release even if their LD remains
in pristine condition. The movie is digitally remastered and in widescreen,
with anamorphic video. Hopefully, that means it has a new transfer that,
unlike the previous widescreen release, does not cut off the top and bottom