Disney

CHICAGO – It’s been twenty years since “Beauty and the Beast” truly changed the animation landscape, bringing even more esteem to the Disney logo after the company’s comeback with “The Little Mermaid” by earning the first nomination for Best Picture for an animated film. The movie became a franchise, spawning toys, games, and even a hit musical. It also birthed a pair of straight-to-video quasi-sequels, both of which have been re-released just in time for families shopping on Black Friday. Add “Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas” and “Beauty and the Beast: Belle’s Magical World” to your shopping list.

CHICAGO – “Disney Universe” plays not unlike the legendary company’s attempt to replicate the customizable success and platforming simplicity of “Little Big Planet” (with a bit of “LEGO” smash-and-collect thrown in). Sony’s amazing franchise works not only because the platform/level design is amazing but because it allows inclined players to spend hours (and lots of cash) on ways to customize their sack boy.

CHICAGO – “Cars 2,” recently released on Blu-ray and DVD, is disappointing in 1,000 ways. It would be a lackluster family film no matter who made it but the fact that the most important movie studio of the last twenty years, Pixar, produced a film this boring, uninspired, offensive, and just plain horrendous is nearly soul-crushing. This critic counts “WALL-E,” “Finding Nemo,” and all three “Toy Story” movies among the best films ever made. It’s hard to believe “Cars 2” came from the same production company. It’s barely even the same genre.

CHICAGO – Disney has opened up its vault, once again, to bring two of its most classic films back to fans; this time in Blu-Ray Diamond Editions. “Lady and the Tramp” and “Cinderella” will both be released in 2012 for fans to enjoy re-mastered, high quality versions of the classic films.

CHICAGO – Disney’s theatrical version of the classic A.A. Milne creation, “Winnie the Pooh,” was decimated at the summer box office by bigger, louder, and far more annoying family fare. Hopefully those of you with young ones in your family or those of you just young at heart will catch up with it because it was, without question, the best family film of the Summer of 2011. It’s a charming, delightful return to the Hundred Acre Wood that playfully offers what has always worked about these timeless characters.

CHICAGO – When I heard that Johnny Depp had been sucked back into the cash cow that was the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise so shortly after everyone agreed that the series had run its course with the original trilogy, I was more than a little sad. Depp is still one of our most interesting actors and I’m not alone in wishing he would show a bit more of his range in recent years instead of taking easy roles (and, yes, Jack Sparrow is fun but this is not challenging work for the movie star). And the mediocre reviews caused a bit of dread when the Blu-ray showed up on my desk. So, consider it faint praise when I tell you that “On Stranger Tides” is, well, okay.

CHICAGO – “The Lion King” is one of the most important and influential films ever made. It is more than a box office hit, more than a Broadway phenomenon, more than a cultural icon. The film is one of those rare instances in which a cinema classic can be recognized in its own time as such. People don’t just love “The Lion King” like they love the new multiplex flavor of the week.

CHICAGO – Here is some news that shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone. With the success of the re-release of “The Lion King” to theaters, enhanced with 3D, Disney and Disney-Pixar have decided to bring back four more classics to the theaters. Of course, what would be a re-release in this day and age if it didn’t include a third dimension for your theater going experience?

CHICAGO – The recently-released Blu-ray edition of “Dumbo” not only contains one of the best digital restorations in the history of animation but it includes never-before-seen storyboards and “deleted scenes” from one of Disney’s most timeless and beloved classics. Most of all, this critic was struck by how well “Dumbo” has held up in its 70th anniversary edition. The film remains one of the most enjoyable and delightful pieces of animation ever produced. It is a must-own for not just all Disney fans but all Blu-ray owners, period.

CHICAGO – Disney’s “Phineas and Ferb” is one of the most clever cartoons on the air right now, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t completely dreading the newest video game tie-in, “Phineas and Ferb: Across the Second Dimension,” now available for PS3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii, and timed to tie-in with the hit movie that premiered this week on the Disney Channel.