BEST OF ROCKY & BULLWINKLE: VOLUME 1

literally the best of ROCKY and BULLWINKLE
kinda upsetting when i watched this. i thought i would be getting the best episodes that originally aired on TV, with the fractured fairy tales and mr peabody and all. unfortunately, when they say "the best of rocky and bullwinkle" they MEAN Rocky and Bullwinkle, which i mistook for Rocky and Bulllwinkle and Friends. mr peabody and all are not featured on this dvd. still funny, still entertaining, but somewhat of a let down.

3 stars because of the reruns from previous releases.
**UPDATED 6/7/10**

If you have the seasonal sets 1, 2, 3 & 4, there is no reason to buy this. This only gets 3 stars because the segmewnts are fun to watch,

For the record this DVD contains:

THE LAST ANGRY MOOSE - 4 chapters from season 2, already on DVD.
Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends - The Complete Second Season

THE THREE MOOSKETEERS - 8 chapters from season 3, already on DVD.
Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends - The Complete Third Season

THE GUNS OF ABALONE - 4 chapters from season 4. already on DVD.
Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends: Season 4 (2pc)

Reruns!
The Plot Summary above says this DVD includes "Fractured Fairy Tales", "Peabody's Improbable History", the "Adventures of Dudley Doright", and "Aesop and Son". It doesn't. It does contain 16 Rocky and Bullwinkle chapters, which would be well worth the price, except that 12 of the 16 chapters are already available on the Complete Season DVDs. So, the only new material you get is the four chapters of "The Guns of Abalone". For die hard fans only.

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CASPER'S HAUNTED CHRISTMAS

HORRIBLE!!!!!!!!
I started watching this for about 5 minutes and it has weird animation and is not good at all! DO NOT WATCH THIS!!! (It is a waste of your life.)

Fun
My grandson loves to hear stories from when I was young, and I recently told him about Casper the friendly ghost cartoon I use to watch. He found this and loves it.

It was a good movie
I am eight years old and enjoyed this movie very much. It was fun to watch. Very entertaining and a little funny in parts.

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The Legend of Frosty the Snowman

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
When I was little my favorite thing about the holidays was the TV specials -- Rudolph, Charlie Brown and Frosty the Snowman.

This new movie is a sweet and funny follow-up to the original Frosty.

"Legend of Frosty" is great because it's a tribute to the classic holiday stories, but it also has fun with the genre.

Just like the old specials, it's hosted by a celebrity narrator. But instead of Jimmy Durante or Burle Ives, we get Burt Reynolds -- ha! Perfect choice.

The town of Evergreen is a picture-perfect place. Fans of "The Iron Giant" will love the story of a 1950s town that needs to be shaken up by a larger-than-life character. (Adding to that retro-look, the villain is a dead-ringer for Adelai Stevenson and Sgt. Bilko!) Frosty challenges the rules and conformity of the adults simply by teaching kids to play. That might sound corny or over-simple, but it's true.

The plot/characters relate back to the original Frosty. I...

The Legend of Frosty
My family and I enjoyed this movie, especially our 8 year old son. It portrays Frosty and his magic in the background of a surburban fiefdom. The voice of Burt Reynolds navigates us into the lives of several children yearning for some magic and fun amoungst the rigidness of societal norms. By the end we remember the fun of snowball fights, sledding, ice skating and appropriately breaking the rules. I recommend this movie to young families.

An instant classic!
Legend of Frosty is a warm, endearing movie that is true to the original while being original in its own right. The story, characters, and animation were on par with my favorite holiday specials, and Burt Reynolds was perfect as the narrator. More importantly, the toughest critics of all, my kids, loved it more than I did. It's a great movie to watch with the whole family.

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Santa Claus is Comin' to Town

The best of the Christmas movies
First, let's clear up one fact, this is NOT Claymation.It is STOP MOTION animation. Claymation has figures made of clay that are filmed one frame at a time. Stop motion has 3 dimentional puppets that are animated one frame at a time like the Ray Harryhousen figures in King Kong, Jason and the Argonaughts etc. There is a vast differance in the techniques.

This fact aside, "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" is the very best of the wonderful Rankin/Bass specials. The designer for the series of holiday specials, Paul Coker, has done an exceptional job with these delightful wooden and plastic creations. We see Kris Kringle develope from a foundling baby to the Santa figure so well known today. Each stage of his development is wonderful. But then, each of the characters is designed and executed perfectly. Watch the delightful changes of the Winter Worlock from mean and evil to mellow and fun.

All the animation is smooth and precise giving the excellent illusion that these...

A CLASSIC!
"Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" (Rankin/Bass Productions, 1970) is a true Christmas classic. A quintessential "animagic" or "clay-mation" production, it features the talents of Fred Astaire (who narrates the story as postman Special Delivery Kluger), Mickey Rooney (Kris Kringle), Keenan Wynn (Winter Warlock), and Paul Frees (Burgermeister Meisterburger). Frees is absolutely brilliant as the voice of the Burgermeister of the village of Sombertown, which presumably is in Scandinavia. In brief, the film explains the origins of various aspects of the legend of Santa Claus through an original story. People of all ages will enjoy "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town." Children will love the animation and the story. The rest of us appreciate that as well as the hilarious moments when Kris Kringle expresses surprise (watch his eyes swell to giant coal-black circles!). For anyone who grew up in the 1970s or 1980s, this is a gem of the pop...

Santa Claus comes to Blu-ray
Santa Claus is Comin' to Town came to ABC first in 1970, when Rankin/Bass was firing on all cylinders. The visual difference between this production and that of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is considerable, especially with regard to the immense, detailed sets and more intricate characters, designed by Paul Coker, Jr. Yes, there is the same animation "on two's and three's" as well as a few modest effects, but everything clicks within the brisk 51 minutes, none of which seem padded.

When I asked him to name a favorite special (in The Cartoon Music Book) Musical director/composer Maury Laws called this his favorite, because he thought every element was perfect, from the cast to the script to the overall feel. Fred Astaire proved added another dimension to his legendary career as one of the best narrators in any special. Mickey Rooney's bravado was ideal for the young Kris Kringle. Keenan Wynn's Winter Warlock was memorable (especially when he gets the choo-choo). And our...

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The Best of Rocky & Bullwinkle - Vol. 2

Stories form Seasons 4 & 5 DVD sets!
**Updated 2/2/11**

If you have been collecting the seasonal sets 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 like me, then you can pass on this.

First a quick word about these later seasons:
SEASON 4 - only 19 new half hour shows were produced. The rest of the season was filled out with re-runs.
SEASON 5 - NO new half hour shows were produced. BUT 66 new 3.5 minute Rocky & Bullwinkle segments were produced to be inserted into older shows, replacing the older Rocky & Bullwinkle segments. Thus 33 half hour shows were created for the 5th season re-using the secondary cartoons from previous seasons.

The box art shown by Amazon must be a preliminary version. It states "16 Fumbled Plays", when actually there are 28 episodes. My box cover states "28 Fumbled Plays".

Each of the three stories starts out with one opening title section from seasons 1 or 2 as indicated, a brief Rocky & Bullwinkle intro. And then the story chapters, uncut but with out the individual...

I really didn't want to buy this.
When is Classic Media just going to release a proper season four DVD set? That is what I would like, instead I have to buy this. The episodes are great, and none of them are one the first three season sets, but I like the interludes of Fractured Fairy Tales, Aesop and Son, and Peabody and Sherman. Also, the 'exploding lightbulbs' end credits would be nice too. It has a much jazzier tone to it.

Content Brilliant but presentation is not the original cut.
Rocky and Bullwinkle are great, but the original format has been changed for these DVD's. Instead of the chapter interludes (Fractured Fairy-tales, etc.), the story goes from beginning to end without "interruption". Anyone raised on Rocky and Bullwinkle will be a little disappointed that the style has been changed.

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Peter Cottontail - The Movie

my kids love this movie
My first-grader AND my fifth-grader both love this movie. They tend to wake up at the crack of dawn, and this has been on the 6am rotation for some time now. They laugh and laugh, and they espeically love the music sequences (the music on here is first-rate, and the visuals are colorful and engaging). My son's favorite music scene is the opening credits! This is a great DVD--something grownups can also enjoy while the kids laugh it up.

Great sequel to the Rankin/Bass Easter Classic
As a Rankin/Bass fan, I always go into these new remake/computer animated/sequel things expecting to hate them. But I loved this one! There are a lot of nice little touches that tie it into not only the original "Here Come Peter Cottontail", but also several other R/B classics. Many of the characters from the original return including Peter, Antoine, Irontail, Elroy and others. The scenery is stunning and the animation is top-notch, but the songs really steal the show. Everytime there is a song, they present in in a trippy music-video style which is just really fun. The whole thing is just very well done, especially for a direct-to-DVD movie - much better than most of the garbage that's shoveled onto us at the theaters. It's very rare that I add a new film into my roster of holiday specials but this one is definately here to stay! Oh yeah, did I mention that the kids liked it too?

Bring On Spring!
This movie rocks...My little nephew is easy to babysit for now I have this movie. It is my secret weapon. The music is awesome, and the animation is so lively, I find myself watching it too. Can't wait for the sequel!

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PAT THE BUNNY PLAYDATES

great fun around easter especially
My 3 year old has loved this since she was 1. It is a video not to be watched but danced and played to. We dance along with the children on the video and the bunnies in the video give it an Easter feel if you are looking for something age appropriate for that holiday. The songs, however, are not holiday songs, but about things like eating a good super etc... I suggest this for ages 1-3 (but who knows, my oldest may be liking it until she is 6). Enjoy.

Good Times for the Kids
This is a good video for young children, and it is generally very affordable. My wife and I originally bought it a few years ago for our first daughter. We purchased it again for our second daughter (original DVD got damaged). It was nice to see it again. The episodes are short. They begin and end the same way. It gets the kids into a routine and works great for naps. It gets the kids to burn a little extra energy and then lay down.

Pat the Bunny
This was a gift along with the book. I know it was a favorite for a little girls birthday and Easter!

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Original Christmas Classics Sing Along

I'm glad I found this DVD
This 30 minute DVD is a little gem, filled with Christmas songs from many of the classic Christmas specials, all with the words on the bottom of the screen. I enjoy it, and my 3 1/2 year old does too. Plus, I love these types of shows playing in the background when we have company over during the holiday season (like the Disney Christmas Sing Along and the like) since the children enjoy them and adults to too.

This DVD contains the following songs (included with footage from the shows):

Holly Jolly Christmas

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

First Toy Maker to the King

Jingle Jingle Jingle

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Put One Foot in Front of the Other

Frosty the Snowman

We are Santa's Elves

Give A Little Love

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

The Little Drummer Boy

All sung by classics like Fred Astaire, Burl Ives, Mickey Rooney, and Jimmy...

Cute video for the kids
Well worth it. It has the actual scenes from the movies, with the words in all caps along the bottom of the screen.

Would have liked it to have a little more, even an introduction for each song - but it's good the way it is.

Christmas fun for singing kids
Wonderful footage directly out of the TV specials. However, would love to have more (this is a fairly short video)

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