A large number of children's DVDs have been released over the past couple of weeks, led by the "Free Willy" trilogy:
— "Free Willy: Special Edition" (Warner, 1993, PG, $19.98). The first in the series is predictable and owes much to similar children's films of the past — from "Flipper" to "Namu, the Killer Whale." But it's a good morality tale, as an aimless street urchin named Jesse (Jason James Richter, who stars in all three films) is placed in a foster home and forced to clean up a marina he has vandalized. There he meets the title character, an orca whale, who becomes the film's most interesting character.
Extras: Widescreen, making-of documentaries, music videos, interactive games, DVD-Rom applications, etc.
— "Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home" (Warner, 1995, PG, $19.98). Essentially a remake more than a sequel, this time Jesse (now 14) meets his brother and finds a girlfriend in the Pacific Northwest, and, of course, links up with Willy again. They help Willy when an oil spill threatens his environment, and he returns the favor when an oil slick catches fire and traps them in a boat.
Extras: Widescreen, making-of documentary, music video, whale documentary, trailers, etc.
— "Free Willy 3: The Rescue" (Warner, 1997, PG, $19.98). A bit better than the second film, this sequel has some interesting ideas in an attempt to break out from the formula, as teenage Jesse and his friends take on whalers illegally selling whale meat on the black market. But for some reason the film stops short of following through on the promise.
Extras: Full frame, whale documentary, trailers, etc.
— "Hansel and Gretel" (Warner, 2002, PG, $19.98). This off-the-wall interpretation of the familiar tale is bolstered by some humorous star turns and zany, anachronistic humor, although it takes awhile to get going, then too quickly runs out of steam. Told in "Princess Bride" style, with a father reading to his children, the film gets its biggest boost from Lynn Redgrave as the witch in the gingerbread house, and Delta Burke as the title characters' wicked stepmother, both obviously having a great time. Howie Mandell is the sandman, Gerald McRaney the woodsman and various creatures are voiced by Sinbad, Bobcat Goldthwait and Tom Arnold.
Extras: Full frame (though the extras use widescreen clips), making-of documentaries, interactive games, trailers, etc.
— "Spongebob Squarepants: Tales from the Deep" (Paramount, 1999, not rated, $19.99). Of all the kid shows to follow, "Spongebob" may be the one that parents will most enjoy. The eight short cartoons here — and even the silly live-action Patchy the Pirate segments in the half-hour "House Party" episode — include some funny off-the-wall gags that will likely fly over the heads of the children for whom these are made.
Extras: Full frame, music video, making-of documentary, interactive games, etc.
— "Dora the Explorer: Map Adventures" (Paramount, 2003, not rated, $19.99). Episodes from the show include "Lost Map," "Super Map," "Three Little Piggies" and "Lost and Found."
Extras: Full frame, parents guide, etc.
— "Blues Clues: Blue's Big Band" (Paramount, 2003, not rated, $19.99). Four episodes from the popular show, including "Blue's Big Band," "Bedtime Business" and two from the "Rhythm and Blue" VHS.
Extras: Full frame, parents guide, etc.
— "Calling Dr. Caillou and Other Adventures" (Warner, 2003, not rated, $19.98). Collection of educational episodes from the PBS show includes "Caillou's Checkup," "Caillou Goes to the Library," "Caillou Meets Robbie," "Frog in My Throat," "Caillou's Secret," the title show, etc.
Extras: Full frame, biographies, message to parents, sing-a-long, interactive games, etc.
— "The Magic School Bus: Space Adventures" (Warner, 2003, not rated, $19.98). Three episodes from the TV series, "Gets Lost in Space," "Out of This World" and "Taking Flight."
Extras: Full frame, interactive games, trailers, DVD-Rom applications, etc.
— "Reel Wheels: Travel Adventures" (Warner, 2003, not rated, $19.98). Three episodes taking children inside large vehicles are "There Goes a Plane," "There Goes a Bus" and "There Goes a Train."
Extras: Full frame, bloopers, sing-a-long, interactive games, preview, etc.
— "Baby Genius: Mozart and Friends" (Warner, 1999, not rated, $19.98).
— "Baby Genius: A Trip to the San Diego Zoo" (Warner, 2002, not rated, $19.98). Each collection features 16 classical-music videos to teach children about the world around them. The first concentrates on images ranging from the alphabet to numbers to shapes to colors, while the second is, as the title suggests, a survey of zoo animals.
— "Baby Looney Tunes Backyard Adventures" (Warner, 2003, not rated, $12.95, VHS only).
— "Baby Looney Tunes Musical Adventures" (Warner, 2003, not rated, $12.95, VHS only). For the really small fry, these tapes are combinations of live-action baby footage, nature photography and puppetry, with "baby" versions of Bugs Bunny, Tweetie Pie and Taz.
E-MAIL: hicks@desnews.com