The Nightmare Before Christmas: Collector’s Edition
Disney

Surely one of Tim Burton’s masterpieces and another brilliant collaboration with composer Danny Elfman and director Harry Selick, The Nightmare Before Christmas is a Halloween time classic now. I’m kind of surprised that Disney didn’t wait until at least late September to make it more of a seasonal re-release. The tale finds Halloweentown’s Jack Skellington (singing voice by Elfman, by the way) discovering an alt-universe of Christmastown. He concocts a plan to take Santa’s place and it’s Crisis on Infinite Holiday Worlds time. It all might be a touch scary for some little ones, though my boy was way into it by age three and it’s now a tradition for us to watch it…anytime! This new digitally restored and remastered Collector’s Edition, which is also out on Blu-Ray to dazzle even more, includes Burton’s earlier works, Vincent and Frankenweenie (uncut), plus Nightmare commentary by Burton, Elfman, and Selick. The special features abound and also include the great Christopher Lee reading Burton’s original Nightmare poem. Plus, with the second disc, you get a digital copy you can place on your iPod or similar device, one of the best new features found on some DVD releases this year, though others haven’t been Mac compatible and this works for PCs or Macs.

Win a copy of The Nightmare Before Christmas: Collector’s Edition from Buzzine! Just tell us who did the voice of Sally. Send the answer and your info to nightmare@buzzine.com. Winner chosen at random from correct answers.

The Little Mermiad: Ariel’s Beginning
Disney

As direct-to-DVD movies go, this one’s pretty good. It’s not as charming and endearing as the original Little Mermaid, but nonetheless works as a prequel. In a tale about King Triton banning music from his kingdom, we also get backstories on Sebastian (voiced again by Samuel E. Wright in a smart, smart move), as well the story of princess mermaid Ariel meeting her lil’ fish pal Flounder. There’s also — and Californians will chuckle at the name — Marina Del Rey (voiced by Sally Field), an evil governess with plans to domnate the undersea kingdom (but of course). Also back (the other way-smart move) is Jodi Benson as the acting/singing voice of Ariel. While the songs are nowhere as great at that original film, they still have enough appeal to hold everything together. The special features include “Splashdance,” a “making-of” featurette, and “The Little Mermaid: Under the Sea and Behind The Scenes On Broadway,” which takes a look at the stage production. There are also games and sing-along karaoke too. Nothing fishy about this.

Where the Wild Things Are…and 5 More Stories by Maurice Sendak
(Scholastic Storybook Treasures)
New Video Group

One of the greatest and truly classic chldren’s books of the 20th century comes back in the 21st in this latest DVD editon. The story of Max and his journey after being sent to bed without his supper still charms kids of all ages. The score, by Peter Schickele (P.D.Q. Bach), matches the tone of whimsy perfectly. The other stories here include Sendak’s equally wonderful In the Night Kitchen and The Nutshell Kids, with musical tales from the Sendak-inspired Really Rosie, as Carole King sings the poems “Alligators All Around,” “Pierre,” “One Was Johnny,” and “Chicken Soup with Rice.” Plus, there’s a revealing clip from the film Sendak, where he talks about his books and their original drafts.

..and something more for mom and dad and the older kids:

Metropolis
Koch Vision

Okay, this isn’t kiddie stuff — not even close — but for a family planning or hoping to travel in Europe, this makes for an enticing travelogue kick-off, coupled with history. The seven-part documentary series looks at the rise of legendary cities that include Athens, Venice, Paris, and Rome. Rich in the kind of details and facts that made education fascinating, the two-disc set may send you to the store to buy Fodor’s, Frommer’s, or other guides to plan those future trips abroad.