Pooh on Hollywood Blvd.

By: BRIAN THOMAS
Date: Saturday, April 15, 2006

Alert! BAMBI 2 goes OFF sale on Tuesday!!! BAMBI 2, the largely ignored 2005 sequel (or "miquel" as at least one online commentator put it) to the 1942 Disney classic feature, was released straight to DVD on February 7 for a limited time. Well, that limited time is nearly up, after which BAMBI 2 will NEVER BE SEEN AGAIN! Just kidding we all know that Disney will trot it out again in a couple years when the release schedule has a hole in it, or when it's turn comes around in the Blu-ray Disc release schedule. But can you possibly stand to wait that long?

This Week in Pooh History: Last week, readers ignored my inciting and blaspheming to correct me when I questioned that POOH'S GRAND ADVENTURE: THE SEARCH FOR CHRISTOPHER ROBIN is the "first Winnie the Pooh feature film in 20 years". Indeed, GRAND ADVENTURE was released in 1997, 20 years after the release of THE MANY ADVENTURES OF WINNIE THE POOH. Now, one could argue that this is technically inaccurate on the grounds that MANY ADVENTURES is a collection of Pooh featurettes padded out to feature length, but we won't quibble. This confusion was caused by the fact that Disney and Buena Vista don't list a date on their home video releases. They'd like the general public to believe that every new DVD release is indeed a new product, whether it stars the Olsen Twins or Dean Jones. With all the Pooh merchandise that comes squeezing out of Disney (where they're still battling a legal challenge over rights to the characters) on a daily basis, it was easy to mistake GRAND ADVENTURE for something new. In any case, it makes no sense for them to be promoting this issue nine years later. They're also using the DVD release to publicize another event (or vice versa) Winnie the Pooh received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on April 11. The star just happens to be right in front of the Disney Studio Store, where you can buy approximately 748 items of Pooh merchandise. It might have made more sense to tie in the star with a new theatrical feature or the new CGanime Pooh TV series coming next year, but the star is said to be commemorating Pooh's 80th birthday, so they're aiming at the closest Pooh PR target.

Please don't mistake my ramblings as criticism of the silly old bear himself, as I would never pooh-pooh Pooh. I've been a fan since I first discovered Milne's books, and I was overjoyed when I saw the first Disney adaptation on the drive-in screen. I had mom collect the cereal box tops to send in for a set of Winnie the Pooh spoon riders. For those of you that don't know, spoon riders were hard plastic moldings of cartoon characters that were commonly given away in cereal boxes at one time. They were designed so that their arms could grip the edge of a bowl, and they had a groove on the bottom so that they could be made to sit on your spoon while you eat. Of course, sometimes they could slip off, and then you'd have Pooh in your bowl, but I was so attached to Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, etc., that I risked it. In addition, my wife still has a stuffed Pooh Bear that she's had since she was a little child (which makes it, ahem, about 20 years old). As an adult, I can still appreciate the ingenius construction of the stories, the artistry of the cartoons and the comfort the characters provide in guiding youngsters through childhood. But Disney sometimes gets out of hand in their promotions and salesmanship, and I can't help poking at them.

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Okay, let's reach into the Prize Closet and give away something! Geneon (www.geneonanimation.com) is released TENJHO TENGE Volume 6 and TETSUJIN 28 Volume 4 this past week, and FIGHTING SPIRIT Volume 11 is due on the 25th. We're giving away all three to five lucky winners. To enter, send an email to psycho@psychotronic.info containing your name and address, and don't forget to put "GENEON APRIL TRIO" in the email subject.

SPOTLIGHT OF THE WEEK

On the television.

(O) SOUTH PARK (Comedy Central) More than just controversial it's still darn funny, and it doesn't take an army of Koreans to animate. All this, and they've just won a Peabody Award, which is much better than the old Sherman Award. It's almost like the show is respectable!

NEW DVD RELEASES

Here's a rundown of the constant stream of anime comin' at ya on DVD from around the world:

(O) BABY LOONEY TUNES Volumes 1 & 2 (Warner Bros.) The Looney gang when

they were infants.
(O) GATCHAMAN Volume 11 (ADV) Is Ken's father really dead? Includes commentrak and karaoke.
(O) GATCHAMAN Volume 12 (ADV) The Science Ninja Team investigates a nuclear explosion, swarms of locusts and living mannequins. Includes commentrak and karaoke.
(O) GATCHAMAN Collection 6 (ADV) Includes volumes 11 & 12 in a special art box.
(O) HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSON: Fairy Tales Collector's Edition (Starlight) All 30 episodes on 9 discs. Also available in a special wooden box.
(O) MEGAMAN NT WARRIOR Volume 8: Dentech Troubles! (Viz) Four episodes.
(O) PREFECTURAL EARTH DEFENSE FORCE (ADV) A high school baseball team bands together to oppose a secret society of supervillains bent on taking over their prefecture.
(O) REVOLUTIONARY GIRL UTENA: The Black Rose Saga (Central Park) 4-disc set collects episodes 14-26, plus interviews, DVD-ROM features and more.
(O) SCOOBY-DOO MIX (Warner Bros.) 5-pack includes LEGEND OF THE VAMPIRE, LOCH NESS MONSTER, MONSTER OF MEXICO, WHERE'S MY MUMMY? And ZOMBIE ISLAND.
(O) THUNDERCATS Season One (Warner Bros.) All 65 episodes on 12 discs.
(O) THUNDERCATS Season Two Volume 1 (Warner Bros.) 6 discs of Mumm-ra fighting. Includes interview and music video with the Rembrandts.
(O) ULTRAMANIAC Volume 7: Magical Ending (Geneon) Episodes 24-26. The Dark Zone threatens the school masquerade.

And be sure to check back next weekand every weekfor CINESCAPE's Anime Avalanche! And check in every Tuesday for the latest DVD Shopping List!

Anime Avalanche (© 2006 Brian Thomas) is our weekly animation column. Brian Thomas is the author of the massive book VideoHound's DRAGON: ASIAN ACTION & CULT FLICKS, available now!

Questions? Comments? Let us know what you think at DVDShoppingList@cinescape.com.