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For ages 3 to 7 Sharks, Flipper & Lopaka Disney; G; 194 minutes $15 Available Sept. 20 The tropical Disney animated TV series comes to DVD, and with it the fantastic world of Lopaka and his best friend Flipper. I’m telling you, that dolphin has had more reincarnations than Shirley MacLaine. Instead of the boy teaching Flipper new tricks, it’s the other way around. Lopaka learns how to live underwater, and together they explore a sunken city that is ruled by an evil giant octopus. No, not Ursula the sea witch that’s another Disney fish tale. The two friends battle sinister sea life and an ancient volcano as they protect a village from sawtooths. Child-pleasing adventure is brought down a degree by so-so animation quality typical of TV fare. Grade: B Hugo the Movie Star Disney; G; 68 minutes $15 Available Sept. 20 By no means a must-have for your Disney DVD collection, this new animated movie is still worthy of a few repeated spins on the player. Hugo is a furry little animal who is kidnapped by humans from his jungle home and forced to perform in a Hollywood movie. A fox named Rita helps him escape, leading to even more adventures. Countless other Disney cartoons have walked this path, but they don’t have a cute, cuddly critter in Hugo. Grade: B- Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie Disney; G; 66 minutes $20 Available Sept. 13 Few enjoyed the “Heffalump” animated feature released earlier this year, so the buzz around this direct-to-video sequel is quieter than Pooh in hibernation. Roo’s best pal, an elephantile Heffalump named Lumpy, is excited to trick-or-treat for the first thing. But when Pooh eats all the Halloween candy, it’s up to Lumpy and Roo to catch the Gabloon and wish for more candy before Halloween’s over. Cheaply made, but I’ve got a soft spot for Halloween specials. Grade: B For ages 7 to 13 Oliver Twist Warner Bros.; G; 333 minutes $14 Available Sept. 6 This pleasing BBC production of Charles Dickens’ masterwork originally aired in 1985 as a television mini-series. Gee, could the DVD’s timing have something to do with the Tri-Star feature release earlier this month? Ben Rodska plays the orphaned title character who gets tangled in the illicit web of professional pickpocket Fagin (Eric Porter) and the hideous Bill Sikes (Michael Attwell). The no-frills, sincere storytelling and modest production are welcome, and bring wholesomeness to Dickens’ work. Grade: B Robots 20th Century Fox; PG; 90 minutes $30 Available Sept. 27 Twentieth Century Fox takes a step backward with this nuts and bolts yarn about a young robot who dreams of being a big-time inventor and repairman in Robot City. Lacking in the charm and quality of the studio’s best CGI-animation work to date “Ice Age” “Robots” is a store-brand battery when compared to Pixar’s Duracell and DreamWorks’ Energizer. Less cynical children, however, will be captivated. Voice cast includes Ewan McGregor, Halle Berry, Robin Williams, Mel Brooks and Greg Kinnear. Grade: C The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D Dimension; PG; 94 minutes $30 Available Sept. 20 Not a big hit when released in theaters back in June, and with good reason, this sci-fi flick from “Spy Kids” filmmaker Robert Rodriguez is an energetic throwaway. Max is an outcast little boy who tries to escape reality by becoming lost in his fantasy world. When his made-up world becomes real, Max goes to Planet Drool to hook up with his superhero friends Sharkboy and Lavagirl in an effort to rid the evil Mr. Electric. The action on screen is anything but electric. David Arquette leads a virtually unknown cast. Grade: C- |
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