Category: Home Entertainment

Last week we announced that the THE IRON GIANT laser disc release will havea 1.85:1 aspect ratio, whereas the film was released with a 2.35:1. Inaddition, when we announced the DVD and VHS releases three weeks ago, weneglected 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 2.35:1because Brad Bird designed THE IRON GIANT partly in homage to theCinemaScope films of the 1950s, and he even wanted to include "CinemaScope"

Image Entertainment is releasing Warner Bros.' THE IRON GIANT, thecritically acclaimed film directed by Brad Bird, on laser disc on December7, 1999. The laser disc will be letterboxed at 1.85:1 (the film was about2.35:1), and retail for US$29.98. There will not be any extras. Laser discssell out quickly these days, and are less likely than ever to bere-pressed, so you may want to pre-order this one. THE IRON GIANT, based ona children's book by Ted Hughes, is about a boy who befriends an alienrobot in 1950s America.

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

DISC ONE: THE MOVIE

Columbia-Tri Star Home Video is releasing a collector's edition DVD ofHEAVY METAL which was supervised by Gerald Potterton and released in 1981.Those who bought the laser rot-prone laserdisc that was released threeyears ago will want to purchase this new release even if their LD remainsin 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

A.D.V. Films is releasing the following anime titles in the US. On November9: MARTIAN SUCCESSOR NADESICO VOLUME 1 - INVASION! - An unorthodox crewfights to save Earth from annihilation by Martians; COMPILER 2 - It'sCompiler versus Compiler in deadly showdown!; and ORIGINAL DIRTY PAIRVOLUME 4 - Kei and Yuri stumble upon a child who is the sole survivor of amass murder committed over twenty years ago. November 23: BUBBLEGUM CRISISVOLUME 2 - TRIAL BY FIRE - Sylia's brother Mackey joins the team as the

Los Angeles-based WinStar, which has recently released a number of publicdomain titles under the CARTOON CRAZYS heading, is releasing a "fullyrestored" version of the Fleischer Bros. 1939 feature, GULLIVER'S TRAVELS,on DVD and VHS on September 28, 1999 in the US. Transferred from a newlystruck print taken from an original negative, this version featuresenhanced audio remixed in Dolby Digital and Dolby Surround sound. Themusical score also has been remastered with additional scoring and

Universal Studios Home Video is releasing ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS MEET FRANKENSTEIN. Produced anddirected by Kathi Castillo and animated at Universal Cartoon Studios inUniversal City, California, the direct-to-video shows what happens when thehavoc wrecking chipmunks encounter Dr. Frankenstein and his creation at aUniversal Studios-type amusement park. The chipmunks were created by RossBagadasarian (aka David Seville) in 1958 for the hit novelty record, "TheChipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)." Seville's earlier hit, "Witch

New York-based Kino on Video is releasingtwo Brothers Quay videos. THE BROTHERS QUAY COLLECTION: TEN ASTONISHINGSHORT FILMS 1984-1993 includes THE CABINET OF JAN SVANKMAJER, THE EPIC OFGILGAMESH OR THIS UNNAMEABLE LITTLE BROOM, STREET OF CROCODILES, REHEARSALSFOR EXTINCT ANATOMIES, DRAMOLET (STILLE NACHT I), THE COMB (FROM THEMUSEUMS OF SLEEP), DE ARTIFICALI PERSPECTIVA OR ANAMORPHOSIS, ARE WE STILLMARRIED? (STILLE NACHT II), TALES FROM THE VIENNA WOODS (STILLE NACHT III),

Columbia Records will celebrate the 20th anniversary ofthe release of PINK FLOYD's album THE WALL with the release of the film onDVD in October. The film includes animation designed and directed by Gerald Scarfe, who went onto design Disney's HERCULES. The DVD features a new transfer of theoriginal widescreen film, as well as unreleased footage, a remastered 5.1Dolby Digital soundtrack, the 25-minute "making of" documentary THE OTHERSIDE OF THE WALL, and the new 45-minute documentary RETROSPECTIVE, with

Warner Bros. Home Video is re-releasing the feature length THE LOONEY,LOONEY, LOONEY BUGS BUNNY MOVIE, a collection of Looney Tunes by FrizFreleng. It includes the following Bugs Bunny shorts: KNIGHTY KNIGHT BUGS,SAHARA HARE, ROMAN LEGION HARE, HIGH DIVING HARE, HARE TRIMMED, SHOW BIZBUGS, WILD AND WOOLY HARE, and THE UNMENTIONABLES, as well as CATTYCORNERED (Tweety & Sylvester), GOLDEN YEGGS (Daffy Duck), and THE THREELITTLE BOPS. (Note: Some films may not be complete.) Also from Warner Bros.

This list of upcoming home entertainment releases includes some new titles,but most of them are new only to DVD. Disney has just re-released ROBINHOOD and ALICE IN WONDERLAND; their live-action RETURN TO OZ, whichincludes some stop-motion by Will Vinton Studios, will be released on DVDand VHS on August 10. Touchstone's WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT? will bereleased on DVD on September 28. Warner Bros. has just released 1999'sanimated THE KING AND I on both VHS and DVD; WALLACE AND GROMIT: THE

Torrance, California-based Expanded Entertainment, which produced theTournee of Animation and Animation Celebration in recent years, andcompiled and distributed tapes of award-winning animated shorts, has soldits inventory to Chicago-based Facets Video, which also handles The WholeToon Catalog. The titles include four Animation Celebration volumes,British Animation Invasion, six International Tournee of Animation volumes,The World's Greatest Animation, and several other titles. Once Facets'