Three new animated DVD and VHS packages hit the stores and online vendors today. ‘
Tarzan II, the direct-to-video prequel of Disney’s very successful Tarzan feature, is ready to swing from DVD store vines today. Director Brian Smith, who also helmed the successful sequels The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea and 101 Dalmatians II: Patch’s London Adventure actually calls the project a midquel, because it explores the untold chapters in Tarzan’s youth.
"We asked ourselves what other cool adventures young Tarzan must have had," says Smith. "What other characters did he meet and what were the foundations for the amazing guy that we see emerge in the first movie? I’ve always been a fan of stories about the origins of superheroes. You always want to know a little more about how someone cool got that way!"
The lush 2D feature was animated at DisneyToon Studios in Australia, which also delivered last year’s superhitThe Lion King 1 1/2 and Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers and has the new Lilo & Stich sequel in its pipeline as well. The 72-minute package also features original songs by Phil Collins and showcases the voice talents of Glenn Close, Brad Garrett, Ron Perlman, George Carlin and Estelle Harris. It’s priced at $29.99, but can be picked up for $20.99 on Amazon.com.
Fairly OddParents: School’s Out! The Musical, which premiered last week on Nickelodeon makes its Paramount homevid and DVD debut today as well ($16.99). The splashy one-hour special featuring Butch Hartman’s zany characters finds the kids of Dimmsdale stuck at Flappy Bob’s Happy Peppy Learnatorium. Thanks to Timmy, the poor suffering tykes find a way to put some musical fun back into summer. Bonus episodes and Oh Yeah! Cartoons are also featured in this package. To find out more, read our interview with Hartman at https://www.dev.animationmagazine.net/wordpress/article.php?article_id=4065.
Bandai’s DICE: Adventures in Space is also out in stores today. The anime action adventure has aired on Cartoon Network and is tied in to a line of action figures and a Sony PS2 game. Little girls might take to it, but its target audience is clearly elementary school boys. The suggested list price is $19.98.
