Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the theatrically released feature that kicked off the Cartoon Network series, arrives on hone video today, along with the eagerly awaited Walt Disney Treasures Wave VIII. Other toon debuts include Storm Hawks: Showdown in the Skies, Pingu’s South Pole Adventures and a DVD game titled Scooby-Doo: Funland of Freak Frights.
Clone Wars chronicles the adventures of Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, Ahsoka Tano and other favorite characters as they struggle against the dark side during the divisive Clone Wars. Dwindling numbers of Jedi fight to maintain freedom and restore peace to the galaxy, pitting their army of genetically engineered clones against the vast droid army. Swept into the turmoil of war, our heroes must battle the evil Count Dooku, his assassin, Asajj Ventress, their master, Darth Sidious, the mechanical General Grievous and a rogue’s gallery of never-before-seen villains.
The movie is packaged as a two-disc special edition release featuring a host of bonus features. In addition to audio commentary, fans can enjoy The Clone Wars: The Untold Stories, a featurette offering a sneak peek into the first season of the television series. Other extras include a behind-the scenes look at recording sessions for both the movie and the series, a look at scoring the project with a 90-piece orchestra in Prague, deleted scenes, six behind-the-scenes webisodes, an image gallery and trailers. The Blu-ray version also features a digital copy on a separate disc and a memory game titled Hologram Memory Challenge, which unlocks three sneak peeks at the television show. The Warner Home Video release lists for $28.99 on DVD and $35.99 on Blu-ray.
Walt Disney Treasures Wave VIII consists of three two-disc, limited-edition sets hosted by film critic and historian Leonard Maltin. The Mickey Mouse Club Presents Annette offers classic episodes that aired during the 1957-1958 season and star the most popular Mousketeer ever. Dr Syn, Alias the Scarecrow first aired as three separate episodes on Disney’s weekly TV show under the title The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh and was later edited for theatrical releases in the U.K. and the U.S. The set includes all three of the original TV installments and the theatrical version starring Patrick McGoohan. Finally, Chronological Donald Volume 4 includes 31 classic, CinemaScope Donald Duck shorts created between 1951 and 1961. All of the cartoons are presented in their original widescreen aspect ratio for the first time on video. Listing at $32.99, each Each individually numbered volume is packaged in a collectible tin and includes a certificate of authenticity and an exclusive lithograph.
Storm Hawks: Showdown in the Skies is a two-disc set with 13 episodes of the Cartoon Network/Nerd Corps’ CG-animated series. The Sony disc carries a suggested retail price of $24.94 and also features ‘Storm Hawks Fleet,’ a 360-degree look at vehicle transformations.
Pingu’s South Pole Adventures offers eight animated adventures form the popular preschool series. The HIT Ent./Lionsgate release lists at $14.98 and includes the bonus feature ‘Pingu’s Family Album’ and in interactive game titled Snowball Roll and Bowl.
Scooby-Doo: Funland of Freak Frights is a game that can be played on a standard DVD player and includes six activities for up to four players. The game is set in the Funland theme park and asks players to help Scooby, Shaggy and the rest of the Mystery Inc. gang find clues as they investigate strange goings-on. The disc from Warner Home Video can be had for $19.98 or less.
