Green Lantern: First Flight
Warner Premiere

It’s hard to imagine a better animated launch for Green Lantern.  Here’s hoping we’ll see a whole series with numerous other characters from the modern age  and golden age of comics, such as the first Green Lantern, Alan Scott.   Written by Alan Burnett, directed by Lauren Montgomery (the also quite-good animated Wonder Woman), there’s no meandering set-up in First Flight; in fact, test pilot Hal Jordan finds himself encountering dying alien Abin Sur bestowing the ring of a Green Lantern upon him before the credits roll. From there, it’s a rollicking ride — a space adventure and a tale of heroism and betrayal and camaraderie, with fine voice acting in particular from Christopher Meloni (Law and Order) and Victor Garber (Alias) as Jordan and GL Sinestro, respectively.  The animation itself manages to meld styles of the character as drawn over the years, starting with original late ’50s and ’60s artist Gil Kane. The bonus features are also great, including a preview of the still-a-work-in-progress Superman Batman: Public Enemies, interviews with current Green Lantern writer Geoff Johns, Gl Corps writer Peter Tomasi, ’70s artist Neal Adams and more. Plus, the never-before-on-DVD Duck Dodgers episode, “The Green Loontern.”  A super-package filled with will power adventure.  Then, of course, I’m all about the green.

Hannah Montana: The Movie
3-Disc Combo Pack Blu-ray w/DVD and Digital Copy
Disney
(August 18th)

While the TV show’s stock in trade is slapsticky comedy (with a touch of dramedy maybe) combined with music,  Hannah Montana: The Movie gave Miley Cyrus a chance to show she can really act, and she pulls it off well.  Though there’s some of the TV show silly stuff (like the opening sequence), it’s ultimately a tale of a teen girl finding out who she really is and rediscovering the core of her family as she figures out the “best of both worlds.” That’s the theme song and show theme of the series, by the way, if you didn’t know: Miley Stewart leading a double life as blonde-wigged Hannah and trying to be a typical teenager when offstage. Cyrus’ real-life dad, Billy Ray, also does well here — the chemistry between them rings so true — while the rest of the supporting cast from the TV program don’t get a lot to do but make their little marks here and there.  Vanessa Williams is completely annoying as Hannah/Miley’s publicist, but then that’s the point.  The music is pretty winning and never too cloying, though certainly geared toward young teens and pre-teens, just like the hit series.  It’s mighty hard to resist “Howdown Throwdown,” even if you’re trying to be a “sophisticated” grown-up.

Race to Witch Mountain
Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy
Disney

This reimagining of the original Witch Mountain movies of the ’70s was mildly entertaining, especially for kids, but lacked the charm-meets-cheese of those films.  Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson becomes the defacto proctector of two teens who turns out, of course, to have mysterious powers.  There’s a wink-and-nod to comic and sci-fi conventions too. Sure, the effects are light years beyond decades ago, but somehow things don’t quite grab you.  Again, it’s not bad per se; it’s just…average.  Sure, it all looks stellar in Blu-ray, and the special features acknowledge the Witch Mountain Legacy, but Race to Witch Mountain isn’t always sure where it’s supposed to be going.

Tranformers 25th Anniversary Edition (Original Series)
Complete Season 1
Shout! Factory

Ah, the series that started it all and, despite the choppy animation, the first season of Tranformers 25th Anniversary Edition is sure to be sweet nostalgia for many, and today’s young fans will like it too, realizing this is where Optimus Prime and Megatron began their galactic struggle of good vs. evil. Plus, giant robots transforming into vehicles and also beating the crap out of each other don’t hurt either.  This is “Generation One,” as fans call it, referring to both the TV series and also the era of the first Transformer toys.  The set also includes PSAs, toy commercials (fun to watch ’cause they’re so dated, and typically, as with so many Shout! Factory products, it caters to true fans.  Well done.

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
Season 1.1
Shout! Factory

Timed right for the new G.I. Joe live action film, this collection of the first part of the first season of the old animated series sort of shows the source material for the latest movie. G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero took the original concept from the ’60s as a soldier toy and gave it a super/adventure hero spin, offering up the adventures of a team of specialists that included Duke, Scarlett, Snake Eyes, Flint,  and Lady Jaye. Also notable are the fact it went for story arcs in a time of mostly stand-alone episodes in animation.  The set includes PSAs, an interview with writer Ron Friedman, TV toy ads, and perhaps the best of the bonus bits: The original G.I. Joe 1963 Toy Fair Presentation.  Now that’s historic!

The Swan Princess
Sony Wonder
(August 18th)

Call it Swan Lake for children without the ballet. The Swan Princess finds Princess Odette (Michelle Nicastro) turned into a swan by an evil (of course) sorcerer, trapped in an enchanted lake where she finds new friends such as Jean-Bob the frog, Speed the turtle, and Puffin the bird. Then comes Prince Derek (Howard McGillin) to the rescue in a plot similar to a few Disney movies…but what the heck? It’s still a fairy tale, right?  The voice talents include the late great Jack Palance as the evil Count Rothbart, who transformed Odette, Sandy Ducan, the ever-funny John Cleese, and Mr. Deadpan, Steven Wright, plus others. It’s certainly a nice princess story for girls, and younger boys may like it too.  The 1994 film won the Film Advisory Board Award of Excellence and the Parents’ Choice Award,  and also scored a Golden Globe song nomination at the time, so even if it’s far from an animated landmark, it’s good family entertainment.

Pete’s Dragon
Disney
(August 18th)

Released in 1977, Pete’s Dragon is something of a “lost” Disney movie — not exactly a classic but not quite theater-filler either.  Combining animation and live-action in a musical setting, Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn wrote the songs, while the cast included then-pop star Helen Reddy in her feature film debut, along with some pretty famous Hollywood folks at the time, such as Jim Backus, Red Buttons, Shelley Winters, and Mickey Rooney, with Broadway’s Jim Dale and young Sean Marshall as the boy hero, Pete. Set in a small seaport village, it’s a tale of a boy and his dragon, with a lot of charm here and there. While the animation isn’t the kind for the ages, it holds up well enough. The tune “Candle in the Water,” performed by Reddy, was nominated for an Oscar as Best Original Song, and the film also received a Best Original Score nomination as well. The special features in this new edition include a deleted storyboard sequence, original demo recordings and other bits.

Power Rangers RPM
Start Your Engines
Buena Vista Home Video

One of the latest editions in the franchise (who can keep track?), Power Rangers RPM is a little darker, actually, set in an apocalyptic sci-fi world, lacking the real chipper attitude of the also-futuristic SPD from a few years back. This opening set of episodes finds a barren and bleak Earth, where an intelligent computer virus rules the planet except for the shielded city of Corinth. Instead of protecting the planet, the Power Rangers here are trying to help remaining humans survive and perhaps one day thrive again.

iCarly
Season 1, Volume 2
Nickelodean

Nick’s iCarly has done well with a cute premise: a young teen girl and her friends have a popular web show, as she’s raised by her sometimes bumbling but well-meaning older brother artist-inventor. Miranda Cosgrove is teen-believable as Carly, with Jennette McCurdy has her tough-and-sassy pal Sam, Nathan Kress and boy bud working the cam, semi-nerdy Freddie, and Jerry Trainor as brother Spencer.  There are typical mishaps, misunderstandings and little life lessons between the comedy, which is certainly on par with other Nick ‘tween’ shows and those on the Disney Channel. In fact, at times, iCarly is a bit more clever than most of the others.