Watch: A Trailer for DC's 'Batman and Harley Quinn'

Warner Bros. has released the first trailer for the next DC Universe original movie: Batman and Harley Quinn. The trailer is quite reminiscent of Batman: The Animated Series, the TV show that aired in the 90's, and it's not without reason: Bruce Timm - the man behind the series - is a writer and producer here. Watch the trailer below.

Monsters University Coming to DVD/Blu-ray on 29th October (US)

Monsters University is coming to DVD and Blu-ray in just over a couple of months (in America anyway)! The studio's fourteenth feature film, which has been met with a generally positive response, will hit home video on 29th October.

Guest Post: DC Animation Releases Flashpoint Animated Feature on DVD

By Juha DeGraw

Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox will be the next animated film in the DC universe. The 2011 comic by Geoff Johns and Andy Kubert followed The Flash (Barry Allen) as he awakens in an alternate reality where he's stripped of all this powers and the superheroes he knows from his own timeline are completely different.

WWE to Produce Straight-to-DVD Animated Flintstones Film. Yes, Really.

Warner Bros. announced today that they were partnering up with, get this, WWE to produce a new straight-to-DVD and Blu-ray animated Flintstones movie, starring a cast of wrestlers, including John Cena and CM Punk. The irony being that John Cena recently replaced Fred Flintstone as the long-time face of Fruity Pebbles.

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2 [Blu-ray] Review

Overview

After a great introduction in The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1, the highly anticipated conclusion has arrived to end Batman’s epic journey. Does it meet the high expectations fans had? I have to answer that with a resounding yes. TDKR, Part 2 is a fantastic, action-packed adventure that concludes Batman’s epic quest on a very high note.

Brave Out Now on Blu-ray and DVD in the UK!

Fortunately, the wait for Pixar's thirteenth feature film to arrive on home video here in the UK hasn't been nearly as long as the wait we had for its arrival in cinemas, because Brave was released today on DVD and Blu-ray in the UK!

The film is available on DVD, Blu-ray, and Blu-ray 3D - I got the 3D package, despite not having a 3D Blu-ray player, because it includes the normal 2D Blu-ray disc, and an extra 2D Blu-ray bonus disc (as well as the 3D disc) for only an extra £5! We'll have a full review up of the Blu-ray package later in the week.

After the less than stellar array of extras on the Cars 2 release, Brave is packed full of everything from behind the scenes featurettes, an alternate opening, filmmakers' commentary and a brand new short, The Legend of Mor'du. Be sure to check it out, it's great!

Related posts: Pixar Short Films Collection: Volume 2 Blu-ray Review

Watch: Clip From The Legend of Mor'du

Disney UK may suck at releasing films in decent time, but their YouTube channel is top notch. Today, Walt Disney Studios UK brings us the above clip of the new short film that's on the Brave DVD and Blu-ray, The Legend of Mor'du.

We got our first look at the feature-based short a couple of weeks ago, and you can really see the distinctively different visual style mentioned then in this clip. The short, which is directed by long-time Pixar storyboard artist Brian Larsen, (Ratatouille, Brave) is narrated by Julie Walters' Witch and follows the story of demon bear Mor'du more closely. It looks great and I can't wait to check it out with the fantastic Brave very soon!

The Legend of Mor'du arrives in the UK on DVD and Blu-ray with Brave this coming Monday - and is already out in the US. You can pre-order below.

Brand New Frankenweenie Short to Appear on DVD/Blu-ray Release

Tim Burton's Frankenweenie hasn't had the best run at the box-office (just north of $63 million at the time of writing), but the critics love it, and the DVD and Blu-ray will likely sell well among Burton and animation fans.

Stitch Kingdom reports that the film arrives on home video on 15th January (in the US), and is bringing a brand new feature-based short with it. In the same vein as Brave, which is accompanied on home video with the new short The Legend of Mor'du, one of the bonus features on the Frankenweenie - which is also released by Disney - release will be a two minutes and twenty second short called Captain Sparky vs The Flying Saucers.

Going from the title, the short will likely follow the home movies Victor makes with his later-reanimated dog Sparky. Captain Sparky was written by Frankenweenie co-producer Derek Fray, a long-time collaborator of Burton's who also worked on Alice in Wonderland and The Nightmare Before Christmas.

No word yet on the UK release date though.

Behold: Brave Easter Eggs Found!

A113 in Brave, carved in Roman numerals (ACXIII) above the doorway.

UPDATE: 20:33 (GMT) - you can now check out the references (including a newly found one, paying homage to the late-great Cars co-director Joe Ranft) in hi-res below; again via The Pixar Post.

It's not quite out over here yet, but Pixar's thirteenth feature film, Brave, is now out on Blu-ray and DVD in the US, and it's jam-packed with special features! The most special feature of all, though, is the film itself, and Pixar fans all over the web have returned to the film to try and nail down the few Easter Eggs that eluded us all in cinemas!

Those wonderful guys over at The Pixar Post have a breakdown of all the Easter Eggs you can see, ranging from Pixar-mainstays to some rather more interesting ones. We've already seen some of them before - the Pizza Planet Truck, Sulley from Monsters, Inc. and Monsters University, and a newt reference - but we also, finally, now know the location of A113 in the film (and the Luxo ball pops up as well).

A113 (top) isn't the most highly-defined and visible in the world, but it's there, and we'll add it to our A113 page ASAP! Check out the rest, of the slightly more visible Easter Eggs, below!

The Luxo ball, clearly - well, maybe not clearly - visible in the Witch's clutter.

The Witch's carving of the Pizza Planet Truck, which appears in every Pixar film except for The Incredibles.

Sulley from Monsters, Inc., who will also appear in next year's Monsters University, doubling up as a reference to past and future Pixar films.

A newt, paying reference to Pixar's cancelled film of the same name.

A carving of the late-great Joe Ranft's face.

Brave hits Blu-ray and DVD in the UK on 26th November - you can pre-order it below. In the meantime, to whet your Pixar appetite, Pixar Short Films Collection: Volume 2 is out now in the UK and you can buy it here, and check out our exclusive review of Monsters, Inc. 3D (released 19th December, US; 18th January, UK).

Pictures and Easter Egg-spotting courtesy of The Pixar Post.

First Look at Brave-Based The Legend of Mor'du Short

Another story I didn't get round to posting before my mini-break over the weekend: Entertainment Weekly have got the first images from Pixar's Brave-based short film, The Legend of Mor'du. The short film, based on the demon bear from Pixar's latest feature, will be a bonus feature on the Brave DVD and Blu-ray when they're released, and features Julie Walters as the Witch.

According to EW, the short goes "a little deeper into the backstory of the movie’s fearsome, snarling villain.". They also tell us that the short is (continuing Pixar's recent run of shorts) directed by a first-timer, Brian Larsen. Larsen worked as a storyboard artist on Ratatouille, and was story supervisor for Brave. Larsen describes The Legend of Mor'du as "like Grimm’s fairy tales" saying there's "not always a happy ending.”

The short is apparently in a different style to Pixar's norm; it seems it'll be like Your Friend the Rat, with CG sequences featuring the characters from the feature, and then more traditionally animated animation for the bulk of the short, more in the style of Mary Blair:

"The short is book-ended by Brave‘s cheerful witch (voiced by Harry Potter’s Julie Walters) recounting the tale of Mor’du for another, unseen customer seeking a potion that might change his fate. But as she flashes back to the savage prince’s backstory, we see it depicted in a kind of hand-painted, paper cut-out style."

Brave arrives on home media on 13th November in the US, and 26th in the UK.

Via The Pixar Post.

Guest Review: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1 [Blu-ray]

By Munir Abedrabbo

Overview

DC Entertainment has found a great niche in the home video market by producing animated films featuring their most famous and beloved characters. While their output has been hit (Batman: Under the Red Hood, Justice League: Doom) and miss (Batman: Year One), there is no denying that even their most uneven productions has something to offer to comic book, animation and film fans. This is a great way to see our favorite superheroes in new adventures or in adaptations of beloved graphic novels.

ParaNorman Blu-ray and DVD Release Date Announced (For the US)

Universal Studios Home Entertainment, who are in charge of the home media distribution of ParaNorman, have announced the (US) DVD and Blu-ray release date for Laika's second feature: 27th November.

The marvellous stop-motion film from the studio behind Coraline will be released with the following great bonus features (via redOrbit):

• PRELIMINARY ANIMATIC SEQUENCES: With commentary from Director Sam Fell and Writer/Director Chris Butler.
• PEERING THROUGH THE VEIL: A special behind-the-scenes glimpse into the creation of the weird and wonderful world of ParaNorman from building the characters to voicing them.
• FEATURETTES: Seven short segments showcasing Norman and his extraordinarily unusual co-stars.
• FEATURE COMMENTARY: With Director Sam Fell and Writer/Director Chris Butler.

Not an awful lot of bonus features, but it promises to be an enlightening look at the wonderful film anyway! However, the 27th November release date is for the US and Canada only, as for when the rest of the world can expect it, Laika/house's Twitter says "TBD." Although, that same Twitter feed also Tweeted this:

Digital downloads will be out Nov. 27, too. RT @jimparkyn: when do we brits get our hands on it?!
— LAIKA/house (@LAIKAhouse) October 3, 2012

So, it sounds like we'll be able to nab it on iTunes on the 27th anyway! There's lots of great animated releases in November!

Be sure to check out our review of ParaNorman here.

Via THR.

Brave Blu-ray and DVD Gets a UK Release Date

Wow, well this is much quicker than I'd imagined! Although Brave's still out in cinemas here in the UK, it'll arrive on home media formats on 26th November, only 13 days after the US release. I didn't think it'd arrive here until January at least, so this is pretty cool - that and getting Pixar Short Films Collection: Volume 2 this month almost makes up for the 2 month wait for Brave in cinemas over here... almost.

The release will include director's commentary, an alternate opening, La Luna, an all new short-film The Legend of Mor'du, the actual feature film and more! You'll need to check out the Blu-ray to get the bulk of the bonus features though - although you should be doing so anyway; imagine how fantastic Brave's going to look in HD!

Great Blu-ray and DVD release dates for UK animation fans to pen into their diaries include:

• Pixar Short Films Collection: Volume 2 - Listed a month earlier than the US, on 15th October, on HMV, but only a day before its 13th November US release on Amazon.co.uk
• Peter Pan - 5th November
  
• Dr Seuss' The Lorax - 19th November
• Arthur Christmas (finally!) - 19th November
• Brave - 26th November
  

You can pre-order Pixar's latest from Amazon.co.uk below.

101 Dalmatians is out on Blu-ray!

Walt Disney's 17th animated feature film, and one of my absolute favourites, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, is out of the Disney Vault! Not only is there no longer moratorium on it, but 101 is also now in glorious high-definition. The classic tale of Pongo, Perdita and their century-and-one of pups is out on Blu-ray for the first time today - and also re-released, with a whole host of special features, on DVD.

While it is a UK release, the good news for US and other worldwide fans is that it's listed on Amazon as being region free! I assume this isn't a mistake, and, while there'll be some hefty postage and packaging costs, it's a great addition to anyone's Disney collection.

With Cinderella and The Aristocats also recently released (and listed as region free too!), and the Pixar Short Films Collection: Volume 2 due out in just over a month here in the UK, it's certainly a good time to be a Disney fan. Now if they'd only get round to releasing Jungle Book on Blu-ray...

You can buy 101 Dalmatians on Blu Ray and DVD from HMV, or, slightly cheaper, from Amazon.

Pixar Short Films Volume 2 Due on 15th October in the UK

Well this kind of makes up for the huge delay for getting Brave in cinemas over here...

UK retail sites, including Sainsbury's, HMV and Amazon.co.uk, are listing the Pixar Short Films Collection: Volume 2 for release on 15th October - almost a month before its US release date. The follow up to the original Short Films Collection, which will include short films from 2007's Your Friend the Rat to 2011's La Luna, as well as student films from John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Pete Docter, is due for release on DVD and Blu-ray in the US on 13th November.

Related news: Curious: Pixar Shorts Mini Collection and Cinderella's Out on Blu-ray - A Sneak Peak at Special Features

And be sure to vote in our polls, to the right, and on Facebook, for the second round of our "A113 Ten Years" voting!

Cinderella's Out on Blu-ray - A Sneak Peak at Special Features

Cinderella's been released from the Disney vault, in high-definition, on Blu-ray, as well as on DVD, and is accompanied by an assortment of exciting new special features. Walt Disney Studios UK's YouTube channel has released some clips from some of these special features.

   

Included amongst the special features are a recently discovered alternate opening (above, left), an intro by Dianne Disney Miller (above, right), a look at the film's iconic castle and a few very interesting mini-videos, called "The Real Fairy Godmother".

These videos tell the story of Disney artist, Ken O'Connor, and his kind-hearted wife, Mary Alice O'Connor, who served as the inspiration for the Fairy Godmother. You can check out one part of the featurette above, and the rest ("Opposites Attract", "Creating The Coach" and "Drawing From Her Spirit") on YouTube.

The wealth of engrossing, never-before-seen special features, the gorgeous visuals and timeless stories make these Blu-ray Disney classics a great buy! Cinderella will be released on Blu-ray in the US on 2nd October, and those of us in the UK can get it right now!

And be sure to vote in our polls, to the right, and on Facebook, for the second round of our "A113 Ten Years" voting!

Brave Blu-ray Special Features Listings

Disney issued a press release today, giving a breakdown of the exciting special features that will appear on the various edition Blu-ray releases of Pixar's latest feature film, Brave. Included amongst the director's commentary, deleted and extended scenes, and some other exciting bonus features, is the Brave-based short film we heard about a couple of days ago!

Check out the colossal list of special features for the Brave Ultimate Collector's Edition after the jump break!

Some Details About a Brave-Based Short Film - And a Catch-Up on the "Umbrella" Short

It's been a tradition since 2001, that when a Pixar film hits home video formats, it will be accompanied by the short-film that preceded it in cinemas, and a new feature-based short exclusive to DVDs, Blu-rays and digital copies of the film. Monsters, Inc. had Mike's New Car, The Incredibles had Jack Jack Attack, WALL-E had BURN-E, and so on. Pixar's last two features, Toy Story 3 and Cars 2 haven't had one on their home video releases, but Brave looks set to return to the tradition.

Check out all the details after the jump break!

Pixar Short Films: Volume 2 Due in November

La Luna director Enrico Casarosa hinted at it a few weeks back in an interview with this blog, but now we have confirmation and a release date for the Pixar Short Films Collection: Volume 2. Enrico, whose directorial debut, La Luna, will be featured on the collection, said we could expect an announcement on the collection soon, and the above image - a German flyer - states a November 2012 release date for the DVD and Blu Ray release.

The first collection featured all the shorts from 1984's The Adventures of André and Wally B. up until 2006's Lifted, this collection presumably picks up where that left off, with 2008's Presto. We can also see from the front cover that Day & Night, Dug's Special Mission, the Toy Story Toon, Hawaiian Vacation, and Partly Cloudy will be featured on the set. Enrico told us that La Luna's going to be on there, and it's fairly safe to assume that BURN-E, the Cars Toon, Air Mater, and the Toy Story Toon, Short Fry, (after failing to appear on The Muppets' home video release) will all be on here too.

Look also for behind the scenes features on the shorts, as Enrico said that "[the commentary track for La Luna is]supposed to be on the DVD of the shorts, you know, there’s a new shorts [DVD], and that’ll be available soon.". Well, we now know when soon is, so expect other special features for the other shorts also.

Via Pixar Talk, who link the story back to us.

The Corner - Week 6 - Heather Reviews The Lion King

I would like to begin by saying: anybody who has not seen The Lion King is deprived. Since a rather young age (we’re talking two or three years old), The Lion King has been my all-time, most-magnificent, favourite film. So, excuse me if this review is a little biased- although, in retrospect, all reviews are opinionated articles, are they not? I digress…

The story is set on the prosperous African land: Pride Rock. Enter a young lion cub, Simba, future king of Pride Rock and its surrounding lands, son to the revered current king, Mufasa. The story is essentially, a “coming-of-age adventure” (as says the blurb of the Diamond Edition box, which, for the record, sits proudly at the forefront of my DVD collection). An assortment of likeable friends, joviality and seriousness, and never-ending hilarity help Simba come to terms with his destiny, and, more importantly, himself.

I could waffle on about how amazing and encapsulating The Lion King is, and win a prize for it-or if there was no existing prize for waffling, I could invent one and win that. However, I doubt a siege of paragraphs hailing this movie would interest anybody except myself, and possibly my fellow A113-ers. Therefore, I am going to have to try and back-off and gain a moral high-ground. Says the person who was given a badge with a picture of Simba, and her own name on it, for Christmas. Nobody said reviewing was easy.

Character-wise, The Lion King thrives. There is, and of course there would be, a certain glee to be had from the friendship between a meerkat and a warthog. Timon (aforementioned meerkat), and Pumbaa (warthog) make quite a pair of comedians, who show themselves to be quite the help when Simba loses his way. Beneath all the jokes and witty comments, the two show what it is to be a friend: loyalty and the willingness to help each other. Soppy? No, they make all their help quite the opposite. Of course, as, in my opinion, there should be in every good film, there is a budding romance. From the start, the naiveté of a young king’s attitude to love is clear: what can be no more than a minute’s dialogue between Zazu (the king's right-hand hornbill-a bird. Yes, you would have thought he'd be eaten, yet apparently his annoying demeanour is a quality Mufasa admires) and Simba outlines how Simba is too young to even consider falling for his best friend, Nala. Cute.

The music, too, is something to behold. Written by the duo of Tim Rice and Elton John, the songs are catchy and quirky. Download them to your iPod or MP3 Player, for example, and you’ll have them on loop (yes, I am guilty of this). The score, likewise, is brilliant – written by acclaimed Hans Zimmer (Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, Inception, Gladiator). To pick out one particular instance: Timon and Pumbaa are being “live bait” at their future king’s insistence, and Timon performs a hula-dance. It’s rather hilarious, and one of the funniest bits of the film, in my opinion. However, I did show it to my younger sister the other night and I was almost lying on the floor laughing, yet she just stood there with one eyebrow raised… she just didn’t get it.

So: The Lion King. Now, to reign my enthusiasm in, and to sign off. The Lion King is a five-star film, for me. Full of music (so, if you don’t like music, perhaps not five-star, and more like three and a half- I really can’t go any lower), and jokes, and loveable characters, and a moral. Yes, a moral. It is impossible not to watch this film without cracking a smile, and once you have seen it a couple of times, it also becomes an obligation to sing along to the songs. Watching it more than once will not bore you, it will only become more enrapturing to you than the last time you watch it. I recommend it to all, with my highest endorsements.