Toon Talk: The Toon Talk Top 10 - 2006
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by Kirby C. Holt
The Toon Talk Top 10 - 2006:
The Years Best Disney Films and DVDs
2006 will go down in the history
books as the year the computer animation explosion reached its saturation point
while a boozy pirate and a bunch of show tune belting high schoolers stole the
headlines.
2006 - The Year in Review:
Wise-cracking computer animated animals dominated the animated features released
this past year, resulting in critical antipathy and audience indifference. For
every success story (Disney/Pixars Cars, DreamWorks Over the Hedge, Fox/Blue
Skys Ice Age: The Meltdown) there was a handful of flops (Universals Curious
George, Warners The Ant Bully, Sonys Open Season, Paramounts Barnyard, Disneys
own The Wild, and even last years Oscar champ, DreamWorks/Aardmans Flushed
Away). When all was said and done, a tap-dancing penguin seems poised to top the
list (and nab the Oscar, a first for a non-Disney or DreamWorks release) with
Warners immensely popular Happy Feet.
But the biggest surprise of the year was the phenomenal success of Pirates of
the Caribbean: Dead Mans Chest. Sure, we all knew it would rake in the
doubloons, but certainly not in such volume, easily topping the worldwide box
office, despite mixed reviews, and surpassing such other high profile contenders
as Superman Returns and X-Men: The Last Stand.
On the home video front, high def DVD was the newest techie toy (and the newest
way for movie studios to re-release their entire film catalogs again), while VHS
was officially laid to rest. For Disney fans, the biggest and best news was the
debut of a new classics line with the long-awaited documentary series that tops
this years Toon Talk best:
(c) Disney
#1 - WALT DISNEY'S TRUE-LIFE
ADVENTURES
Walt Disney's Legacy Collection DVD Sets
Four two-disc sets of rediscovered, re-mastered treasures of award-winning wonders. Roy Disney brings these thoroughly entertaining collections of features, short subjects and bonus materials to new generations of viewers, including my personal favorites White Wilderness, The Vanishing Prairie, Jungle Cat and Bear Country.
(c) Disney
#2 - THE LITTLE MERMAID
Platinum Edition Disney DVD
The view from under the sea never looked better with this deluxe release of the one that (re-)started it all. The near-perfect modern classic is the centerpiece for this two-disc set, highlighted by an interactive glimpse of the Mermaid theme park ride that never was.