It’s not even Thanksgiving yet and we’re already starting to see the Christmas specials hitting retail. Holidaze: The Christmas that Almost Didn’t Happen, a brand-new, hour-long stop-motion movie from Bix Pix Ent. and Madison Road Ent., is getting a big push exclusively at Wal-Mart stores today as Genius Products releases BKN’s animated version of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Fans of the classics can also pick up a deluxe 50th anniversary edition of the 1966 animated adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
Holidaze: The Christmas that Almost Didn’t Happen is the story of Rusty (voiced by Fred Savage), a young reindeer who is tired of living in the shadow of his famous, red-nosed brother and sets out for the ‘Big City’ to find his own place in the Christmas tradition. Along the way he meets up with Candie the Easter Bunny (Gladys Night), Cupid (Paul Rodriguez), Albert the Thanksgiving Turkey (Harlin Williams) and a pair of Valley-girl Halloween ghosts named Trick (Emily Osment) and Treat (Brenda Song).
Directed by Bix Pix’s Dave Brooks from a script by Peter Murrieta and Jonathan Prince, the special also features the voices of Fred Willard (Chicken Little), Edie McClurg (The Little Mermaid) and John O’Hurley (Seinfeld). The movie can be purchased at Wal-Mart locations for $9.88 in advance of its network television debut on ABC on Saturday, Dec. 9 at 7 p.m.
BKN’s A Christmas Carol employs toon-shaded CG animation and an all-animal cast of characters to retell the time-honored tale of how the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge learns to embrace the spirit of Christmas. Featuring original songs and music, the film enjoyed a limited theatrical release on Nov. 4 as part of distributor Kidtoon Films’ series of weekend matinees. The Genius Products release carries a suggested retail price of $19.95.
Also debuting via Genus Products today is BKN’s Kong: Return to the Jungle, a new CG-animated feature film that continues the animated saga based on the classic 1933 monster movie. In this latest adventure, Kong and other remarkable inhabitants of Kong Island are captured and transported to a state-of-the-art zoo on the Island of Manhattan. However, this great ape won’t suffer the same fate as his famous ancestor. The DVD lists for $19.95.
Home Video has re-mastered the timeless holiday favorite How the Grinch Stole Christmas, which is narrated by Boris Karloff and directed by the great Chuck Jones. In addition to the feature presentation, the DVD offers a cartoon of Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who, as well as a new featurette titled Dr. Seuss and the Grinch: From Whoville to Hollywood. Other bonus features include the Songs in the Key of Grinch featurette with composer Albert Hague and vocalist Thurl Ravenscroft; TNT’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas Special Edition featurette with Phil Hartman, a “Who’s Who in Whoville” biography gallery and a Grinch pencil test. All that is wrapped up in a neat little package retailing for $19.98.
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