Category: Home Entertainment

Despite fan quibbling about the packaging and lack of significant extras, STAR TREK VOYAGER - THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON (Paramount Home Ent., $129.99) nonetheless arrives on DVD with all 15 original episodes from '95 looking and sounding better than ever. For some, the series is better than NEXT GENERATION with its emphasis on the science, intrigue and fun of time travel, wormholes and four-dimensional creatures.

Not content with his theatrical 3D experiment, Robert Rodriguez has fine-tuned SPY KIDS 3-D - GAME OVER for DVD (Walt Disney Home Video, $29.99), which streets on Feb. 24, 2004, making it even more dynamic in the home theater. Thanks to James Cameron's revolutionary 3D camera that he developed for GHOSTS OF THE ABYSS and his upcoming feature, Rodriguez was able to utilize more 3D effects than he originally intended.

In a mutiny of color and music, master animator Bruno Bozzetto offers his irreverent tribute to FANTASIA with ALLEGRO NON TROPPO (Home Vision Ent., $29.95). Transcending parody, this delirious animated feature from 1976 represents Bozzetto's vision of the world. In six distinct episodes, fantastic cartoon creatures march, slither and bounce to the classical rhythms of Debussy, Dvorak, Ravel, Sibelius, Vivaldi and Stravinsky. Perhaps most entrancing is the visualization of Ravel's "Bolero," in which the dregs of a Coke bottle set forth a frenzied animal evolution across a surreal landscape.

All original 14 episodes of NATIONAL LAMPOON PRESENTS MR.WONG bows Feb. 17 on DVD (Maverick Ent., $19.98), along with a never-before-seen bonus episode and lots of extras, including guest stars Robert Evans and Troy Hurtubise, audio commentary, outtakes, recipes and more.

THE LION KING legacy continues with THE LION KING 1 1/2, a DVD premiere sequel produced by DisneyToon Studios released Feb. 10, 2004 (Walt Disney Home Video, $29.99). Directed by Bradley Raymond (THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME II), the story puts a fresh spin on THE LION KING by going back and retelling the original story (admittedly with some humorous revisionism) through the eyes of Timon (Nathan Lane) and Pumbaa (Ernie Sabella). But since LION KING was an animated riff on HAMLET anyway, the Rosencrantz and Guildenstern-like shtick seems very appropriate.

It only took a week for AMERICAN SPLENDOR to arrive on DVD (HBO Video, $27.95) after snagging a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar nomination, but now you can own one of the indie faves of 2003. AMERICAN SPLENDOR intersperses fact and fiction in telling the story of Cleveland comic book artist Harvey Pekar (portrayed by Paul Giamatti) as the ultimate everyman. Directed by Shari Stringer Berman and Robert Pulcini, the movie is acclaimed for its Flash-animated forays by Gary Leib and John Kuramoto of New York's Twinkle studio.

Walt Disney's ALICE IN WONDERLAND (1951) may not be to everyone's liking, but it at least deserves careful consideration, since it really shines on the new two-disc Masterpiece Edition (Buena Vista Home Ent., $29.99) that hits stores Jan. 27, 2004. The feature has been cleaned up and remastered and shows off more vividly the work of the many talented animators (including Mary Blair, Bob Carlson, Marc Davis, John Hench, Ub Iwerks, Ollie Johnston, Milt Kahl, Ward Kimball, Eric Larson, Fred Moore and Frank Thomas).

DILBERT - THE COMPLETE SERIES from '99 comes to DVD (Columbia TriStar, $49.95) Jan. 27, 2004. Check out all 30 episodes on this four-disc set from the first and second seasons and discover why the most popular comic strip of the decade made a smooth transition to animated series, thanks to irreverent writer/producer Larry Charles (SEINFELD and MAD ABOUT YOU).

Following its very successful BIONICLE: MASK OF LIGHT release ($25M), Miramax Home Ent. has acquired the North American distribution rights to IN SEARCH OF SANTA, a new 3D-animated feature co-produced by Tundra Prods. and Colorland Animation Prods.