Two direct-to-video CG-animated feature films make their retail debuts today, one far more heavily promoted than the other. Disney Home Entertainment gives Peter Pan’s pixie pal her very own movie with Tinker Bell, while Genius Products and The Weinstein Co. prematurely get into the holiday spirit with the flying reindeer adventure The Flight Before Christmas. In addition, Warner Bros. has just the thing for the classic cartoon fan on your holiday gift list. The Flintstones: The Complete Series, a 24-disc set containing 166 episodes, is now available for $129.72.
Anchoring the new ‘Disney Fairies’ series of animated movies, Tinker Bell marks the first time fans get to hear the iconic character actually speak. Tink is voiced by Mae Whitman, who replaced Brittany Murphy (King of the Hill), one of many changes that came about when John Lasseter assumed oversight of the pic. The star-studded voice cast also includes America Ferrara, Raven-Symone, Kristin Chenoweth, Lucy Liu and Anjelica Huston.
Tinker Bell explores the fairy’s early life in the fantastic world of Pixie Hollow and her friendships with other multicultural and magical creatures. The movie is directed by Bradley Raymond (The Lion King 1 ‘, Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas and Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World). The disc lists for $29.99 on DVD and $34.99 on Blu-ray. You can watch John Lasseter’s intro to the movie at: CLICK HERE. The film’s trailer is at: CLICK HERE.
Featuring the voices of Emma Roberts (Nancy Drew, Aquamarine) and comedian Norm MacDonald (The Norm Show, Saturday Night Live), The Flight Before Christmas tells the story of a young reindeer with ambitions of becoming an expert flyer like his father. When Niko sneaks out beyond the safety of Home Valley to practice his flying, he unwittingly endangers the herd as the notoriously mean Black Wolf follows him home. Before it’s too late, Niko must join forces with his forest animal friends to save Santa and the reindeer from the Black Wolf and become a Christmas hero. The heartwarming yuletide tale is rated G and carries a suggested retail price of $19.97.
