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Toy Story (DVD)
by Clarey112
As I was only two years old when Toy Story was first released in 1995 I didn't get the chance to see it in the cinema, but now being 19 and an avid Disney fan I own all three Toy Story's on DVD and can watch it whenever I want.
Toy Story, like most Disney films will never get old, after the third film the Toy Story hype was ... back as big and bold as ever with posters everywhere you looked, all of the toys in supermarkets and a new release of video games. Toy Story is also one of those Disney films which suit all ages, for the younger ones there's the loveable characters, the Disney Pixar charm and tons of action to capture them. For the older generation there are the nostalgic memories of the toys and the witty, small snippets of humour. Toy story may seem to be a boy's film as it's about cowboys and space rangers but this is completely untrue, for the girly girls there's Bo Peep and her flock of sheep.
Toy Story follows the story of if you hadn't guessed already, a bunch of toys that belong to a kid named Andy. Woody, who is a cowboy and one of the main characters starts feeling threatened when Buzz, a Space Ranger who doesn't know he's a toy, becomes Andy's new favourite. After a misadventure to Pizza Planet, ending up in the hands of Sid, Andy's evil next door neighbour who destroys toys, they find that they need to escape and Woody masterminds a plot to get back to Andy's room.
The Toys really come to life in this Pixar animation and I remember as a kid slowly easing my bedroom door open to see if my own toys were walking and talking. The way the characters interact with each other is exactly how you would imagine them to, the soldiers acting like hardy men and Bo-Peep being all sweet and innocent.
The best voicing in the film has to come from Tom Hanks who plays Woody, he gets the tone right in every single line and makes it magical for the viewers.
Overall a timeless, wonderful classic.
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Room On The Broom (DVD)
by littleme96
I love Christmas, I mean that I really, really LOVE it and in recent years one of the things that I look forward to is watching the latest BBC adaptation of one of Julia Donaldson's book with my family on Christmas Day. It has become a new tradition that we all sit down after the mayhem of the day and watch it together, marvelling at ... how our favourite children's stories have been brought to life with the most visually-stunning animation and emotionally charged pieces of music helping to set the scene along the way. One of my favourite Julia Donaldson books was brought to life on Christmas Day 2012, the fantastic Room on the Broom. This has since been released on DVD to the delight of my children and I.
If you are not familiar with the story, Room on the Broom follows a (very neat and tidy looking) witch who goes on a journey with her pet cat. Throughout the story the witch manages to lose various belongings one by one, first her hat, then her bow from her plait and then her wand and she has to land her broomstick to try and find each missing item. During each search, a different animal manages to find the missing item and asks to join the witch and her cat on the broomstick, much to the dismay of the cat who is rather possessive of his witch! However when each of the animals has joined her, the poor broom is unable to cope with the weight and finally snaps in two when the frog jumps with joy leading them to all fall to the ground, where they meet a dragon who is determined that the witch would be a tasty meal to eat for his tea! Together the animals work together to scare the dragon away and all ends well with a particularly heartwarming ending!
The TV adaptation stays refreshingly true to the book with the only narrative being the words from the original book and no additions or deletions to the text. The story has not been messed about with at all and so any children who have managed to memorise the story from the book will be able to say the lines along with the narrator (Simon Pegg).
What this version manages to do above and beyond the book is to tell more of the story visually, with small segments showing the background to each of the characters that join the witch on her journey. This adds so much more to your understanding of the story and really does enhance the story. There is a fantastic level of humour to the story too, which is absent from the book - we particularly like it when the cat is helping to search for the bow and puts his paw into a haystack, only to pull out a needle! My kids spend most of the 26 minutes running time laughing and even for the adult viewer, there is always something to spot that you didn't notice the previous time you saw it!
This adaptation as visually stunning as previously commented on. For a cartoon it really has been done to an excellent standard with the picture really drawing the viewer into the witch's world. It is colourful and eye-catching at every point in the story, and each of the characters are clearly based on the book's original illustrations by the talented Axel Scheffler.
Of course one of the most important things in a cartoon like this one is the actors and actresses who have to work so hard to get the right tone and expression to their voices and to make the voices just right for the parts that they are playing. Unable to use visual expressions, then have to portray this instead just using their voices and I feel that this all-star cast do that particularly well. Gillian Anderson does an excellent job of making the witch truely likeable and not at all scary, David Walliams is an inspired choice for the frog's voice and Timothy Spall makes a fantastic dragon! Rob Brydon, Martin Clunes and Sally Hawkins also feature.
I have lost count of the amount of times that my children and I have watched this. It is a particular favourite of my 2 year old Son and he literally will watch it over and over again if I let him. Luckily for him I don't mind, as it really is a magical adaptation and I enjoy it as much as he does! I would thoroughly recommend this DVD to anyone who likes Julia Donaldson's books or who likes to watch short films as a family. It is rated U so is suitable for the whole family and it only lasts 26 minutes so it's perfect for short attention spans!
The DVD contains the following extras: Artwork Gallery, Julia Donaldson Live Performance, Behind the Scenes Documentary.
At the time of writing, this is priced at £8.49 on Amazon.co.uk
I cannot wait to see this year's adaptation!
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You Can Be a Ballet Dancer (DVD)
by xmum2threex
My little girl has been going to dance lessons for over two years now and it is safe to say she adores it. She loves anything to do with ballet so when I came across this DVD for just £4 I knew it would be perfect stocking filler for her. She was delighted when she opened this on Christmas day and begged her Dad to set up the DVD player ... right away. It has a story played by two main dancers, and then you are shown how to perform that particular dance.
They show the story of 'The girl who thought she could not dance' and then visit ballet schools to show you the steps to make up this play. You are shown both the steps of the little girl, and then those of the fairy god mother so your child can choose who they would like to be. This also makes it perfect for use when my little girl has friends round. They both can take a part and then rein act the story which is very exciting for them, and very sweet to watch.
Next they show simple step by step guides of how to perform the routine, and begin with the most basic of steps. All the steps relate to the story, but the main staples of beginner dancers are there. This means even if your child does not attend ballet lessons they really can learn how to be a ballet dancer as promised in the title. Despite my little girl already taking lessons I have noticed she has picked up some moves from this DVD. It has taught her to point her toes which they do not yet do at her preschool class, and she has mastered a number of the routines.
What I like is they use a range of dancers from different ages. While the main storyline focuses on children between 2-5 years old, they include other dances from a three right up to adults they can see how dancing develops. I also think it is a great idea they go into an actual ballet school as it would be great at preparing any little girl about to take lessons. It shows the real environment of a ballet dancer rather than just the fairy tale they imagine. There is a narrator that encourages children to get up and dance. Also they make sure they include lots of praise and encouragement in the classes to keep little one motivated. They also show what goes into the making of a ballet show, so again you child learns the progression possible and that it does not just happen by magic.
My little girl adores this DVD and I cannot count the amount of times she has watched it. She never ever becomes bored with it, and would happily sit and watch it over and over. At parts she sits to watch, and at others she gets up and copies what is happening. They have made sure they have included a story so it can appeal to younger viewers and hold their attention. The poor little orphan girl dreams about dancing but believes she will never be able to. Along comes a fairy god mother and shows the girl how to dance and soon she is the best dancer and she lives happily ever after.
As the steps are very simple I do think it is limited to a younger audience. While an older child may watch it I just think they would become bored quickly. For an adult it is very dull, but it seems to have a magic that captures young girls attention. Again if they are a little more advanced at ballet they would find the moves too simple, but I would say it could be watched by those up to around seven. They swap between the story and then move on to a ballet class so it can be learnt in small stages. This is again great for a younger audience as it breaks it up rather than forcing all the information in one go. It also helps hold their attention a lot better as it breaks up the separate parts making it more interesting.
I would definitely recommend this DVD to anyone with children of preschool age. I do think it is aimed at younger children, and anyone older may become a little bored. My little girl who is 4 and my little boy who is 2 both really enjoy this. My little girl would be happy to watch it over and over again but my little boy just likes to join in the tutorials. It is perfect for her to practise at home in between lessons, but I also believe it would be perfect for introducing children to ballet before attending. At just over £2 with free delivery on Amazon at the moment I think it is a steal at this price as it is both educational and entertaining. Run time is around 40 minutes so not too long, but great for getting children up and moving on rainy days.
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