New on Disney DVD

Looking for some holiday gifts for your children? Or perhaps a video or two to share while you enjoy time together in the coming month? Here are a few new DVD's from Disney.

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Choo-Choo Express

I know I've told you over and over how Thomas-obsessed my son is. "Mommy, turn on the TV. Mommy, Thomas and Friends. Mommy, Hero de Rails." But now when he points to the remote he has a new request: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Choo-Choo Express

This double length train-themed episode aired (and continues to air) on Playhouse Disney. We DVR'ed it and have watched it at least a dozen times. But my big fear is that the DVR will get wiped out and we won't be able to put it on for him. So when I saw it was coming out on DVD, I knew we needed to add it to our library.

My two-year-old loves to help Mickey and gang find the shapes when they are looking for the train cars and he shouts out the next color when they lay the patterned track.

(From the DVD:) Join Mickey, Toodles and the Gang for this magical full-length adventure you ll enjoy year-round! Ride the amazing Clubhouse Train to the top of the mountain, and help load the cars full of incredible, never-melting, Easy-Freezey snow! Share in the excitement when you arrive back at the Clubhouse to ski and make snow angels ...in summer! Hop back on board and race to each station to pick up guests in time for the coolest snow party ever! It s always the season for fun when you ride on Mickey's Choo-Choo Express!

Handy Manny's Motorcycle Adventure
Rated G

Handy Manny's Motorcycle Adventure offers a great bilingual adventure for your preschoolers. You love Manny and the tools when they are in the shop and you'll love them even more when they hit the road...on a motorcycle, no less!

(From the DVD:) Chart a course for nonstop fun with Handy Manny s first full-length adventure! Feel the wind in your hair, and join Manny as he packs up his Tools for an exciting road trip. They re heading out to a fiesta grande Manny s family reunion! But when Pat veers off in search of his own family, Manny s plans take a detour. Can he race to the rescue in time to make it to the party? Filled with new songs, old friends, and an inspiring message, Manny s Motorcycle Adventure shows that when it comes to family, there s always something to celebrate!

G-Force
Rated PG

My daughter and I saw G-Force in the theater earlier this year. I used to have a guinea pig named Herbert, so I appreciated the little squeakers in this film. I always said that Herbert was smart, he would turn up his nose at me if I offered a variety of lettuce other than his favorite and he would squee noisily when he heard the fridge door open.

In G-Force, we are introduced to a troop of highly trained, highly intelligent guinea pigs. When their program is shut down, they try to make their way back to headquarters and uncover and stop whoever is trying to take over the world. You'd be surprised who your friends are!

G-Force is available beginning December 15, 2009 in a variety of combinations including the DVD, Blu-ray, and Digital Copy.

(From the DVD:) Buckle up for thrilling edge-of-your-seat action and laugh-out-loud fun in Disney’s family comedy adventure G-Force. Just as the G-Force — an elite team of highly trained guinea pigs — is about to save the world, the F.B.I. shuts the secret unit down. But these next-generation action heroes — Darwin, loyal team leader; Blaster, weapons expert with attitude to spare; Juarez, drop-dead gorgeous martial arts diva; and tag-along Hurley — won’t be stopped. Armed with the latest in high-tech spy equipment, and with the F.B.I. on their tails, the fur flies as they race against the clock to save the world. From the producer of the Pirates Of The Caribbean trilogy and National Treasure, and filled with high-octane action, daredevil stunts, cutting-edge special effects and outrageous comedy, G-Force is fantastic fun for the whole family.

Up
Rated PG

If it's a PIXAR movie, you know it's going to look good.

In Up we meet an adventurous boy who meets a girl, falls in love, gets married, and (circle of life) loses her in old age. Russel, a young boy seeking his final scouting badge, knocks at Carl's door and is carried away on adventure.

The movie presents several timeless themes. There is a young boy who needs the attention of an adult (his parents are divorced and his dad largely absent). Illusions are shattered as Carl discovers his life-long idol isn't what he seems to be. And we think of conservation of species as Carl and Russel try to protect a rare bird.

While I did enjoy this movie overall, there was a scene at the beginning that I wish had been presented differently. Important to the movie is that Carl and his wife Ellie wanted to have children and could not. I wish that the film makers had found a more subtle way to present this rather than show that she had a miscarriage, a topic that may be too near the heart for some viewers or not a topic that parents want to explain to younger children. When my own daughter asked what happened, my husband just explained that they could not have a baby. I guess in defense, the movie is rated PG and not G.

You can purchase the movie UP as a single widescreen DVD or as a combo pack that includes a digital copy.

(From the DVD:) Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios take moviegoers up, up and away on one of the funniest adventures of all time with their latest comedy-fantasy. Up follows the uplifting tale of 78-year-old balloon salesman Carl Fredricksen, who finally fulfills his lifelong dream of a great adventure when he ties thousands of balloons to his house and flies away to the wilds of South America. But he discovers all too late that his biggest nightmare has stowed away on the trip an overly optimistic 8-year-old Wilderness Explorer named Russell. Their journey to a lost world, where they encounter some strange, exotic and surprising characters, is filled with hilarity, emotion and wildly imaginative adventure.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Rated G

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is released in this restored, high def version that looks better than when we were kids. You know what they say: everything old is new again!

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is available in combination sets including the DVD, Blu-ray, and bonus features.

(From the DVD:) No film in history has captured the worlds imagination like Walt Disney's first full-length animated masterpiece. Through astonishing Blu-ray high definition technology, experience this timeless classic in its most spectacular presentation ever! With an all-new, state-of-the-art digital restoration and Disney Enhanced High Definition sound, the breathtaking animation and unforgettable music of the most revered Disney film of all time will enthrall you like never before! Join the beautiful princess Snow White as she escapes her jealous stepmother, the queen, and befriends a lovable group of dwarfs. But when she falls under the queens wicked spell, only true loves kiss can save her.

Disney Nature Earth
Rated G

Disney Nature Earth is such a beautiful film to watch. In day to day life it is so easy to forget about the glory that is our planet, a planet situated just far enough from the sun to support the life of plants and animals.

Not only does the film look wonderful, but the narration by James Earl Jones is fantastic. I mean really, who else could have been better for the job?

I love the time-lapse sequences when we see snow melting and plants sprouting and eventually flowering. Or when we see clouds being formed and rolling in over the mountains. The film really does provide breath-taking aerial views of far off lands which we could only hope to venture to in our lifetimes.

As I watched, I found myself on a roller coaster ride of emotions. Laughing at times, tensing as I watched chase scenes, and in awe of the plight of many of Earth's creatures. I laughed out loud watching the first flight of the Mandarin duck who was "falling with style."

If you liked March of the Penguins or similar documentaries, you will love Disney Nature Earth as well.

Though this film is rated G, I think that it would be a bit boring or slow-moving for the youngest of children. I think it's G because the scenes are innocuous. But you will still hold your breath as you wait to see if the wolf will get the caribou calf or the lions get the baby elephant.

(From the DVD:) An epic story of adventure, starring some of the most magnificent and courageous creatures alive, awaits you in EARTH. Disneynature brings you a remarkable story of three animal families on a journey across our planet -- polar bears, elephants and humpback whales. Filmed with spectacular clarity and beauty, EARTH is both majestic and intimate as it captures rare footage of nature's wildest and most elusive animals. From the landmark Disneynature collection, EARTH is an astonishing and heartwarming film filled with adventure, suspense and humor that will take your breath away.

This was written by Leighann who can be read at Multi-Minding Mom where she dishes about family, food, foraging, frivolity, and more!

Please read our disclosure statement. We were sent these DVD's to watch for this review.