Disney's "Fantasia" and a live-action comedy-fantasy inspired by the Mickey Mouse cartoon that is that film's centerpiece lead this look at movies new to DVD this week.
But the real news for animation buffs is the long-awaited arrival of the Walt Disney-Salvador Dali collaboration "Destino," which is part of the Blu-ray "Fantasia" package.
"Fantasia/Fantasia 2000: Special Edition" (Disney/Blu-ray, 1940/2000, G, four discs, $45.99). "Fantasia" is, of course, one of Disney's great animated features, laying amusing and/or eye-popping visuals over popular classical-music pieces. It was a notorious flop in 1940, only to be rediscovered and re-evaluated decades later.
"Fantasia 2000" is an enjoyable sequel, if not quite at the level of its predecessor, with kitschy celebrity introductions. It is redeemed by several segments that are most enjoyable.
"Destino" is a 61/2-minute short derived from an unfulfilled collaboration between Disney and Dali. It's a truly fascinating hitherto unavailable piece that was fully animated decades later under the auspices of the late Roy Disney, who helped return his uncle's animation department to classic status. An accompanying documentary, "Dali & Disney: A Date With Destino," makes a strong case that the two artists' styles were not all that disparate.
Extras: full frame/widescreen, Blu-ray and DVD versions of both "Fantasias," deleted scenes, audio commentaries, featurettes, documentaries, trailers (also on two-disc DVD with fewer extras [and without "Destino"], $39.99)
"The Sorcerer's Apprentice" (Disney/Blu-ray, 2010, PG, two discs, $39.99). Nicolas Cage plays a sorcerer in modern-day Manhattan who recruits a nerdy college student (Jay Baruchel) to be his apprentice in a battle to save the world from evil Alfred Molina.
Easy-to-take amusement with a good cast and, as you would expect, razzle-dazzle special effects make this an enjoyable family-friendly ride.
Extras: widescreen, Blu-ray and DVD versions, deleted scenes, featurettes, bloopers, trailers (also available on single disc-DVD, $29.99, and triple disc Blu-ray, DVD and digital, $44.99)
"Walt & El Grupo: The Untold Adventures" (Disney, 2008, color and b/w, PG, $29.99)."Waking Sleeping Beauty" (Disney, 2009, color and b/w, PG, $29.99). "The Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story" (Disney, 2009, color and b/w, PG, $29.99). In addition to the films listed above, Disney has released these three fascinating documentaries that fill in some blanks for Disney history buffs.
"Waking Sleeping Beauty," a terrific no-holds-barred look at the remarkable late-'80s comeback story of Disney's animation department, and "The Boys," about the songwriting brothers who churned out music for "Mary Poppins" and many other Disney flicks, both played in theaters and therefore may be familiar.
But not so "Walt & El Grupo," with its focus on Disney as a cultural and goodwill ambassador to South America in 1941, when the United States was on the brink of entering World War II.
All three are worth your time, and fans of all-things-Disney will find them especially enjoyable.
Extras: widescreen, deleted scenes, audio commentaries, featurettes, trailers
"Samantha: An American Girl Holiday" (Warner, 2004, $19.97). AnnaSophia Robb stars as Samantha, based on Valerie Tripp's youth novels, and this TV movie is a surprisingly lush period piece, set in 1904, before U.S. child labor laws.
Samantha is a wealthy 10-year-old being raised by her grandmother (Mia Farrow), and the bulk of the film has Samantha and her best friend — a 10-year-old orphan girl next door who works a maid — embarking on episodic adventures that cross class distinctions and range from comedy to tragedy in this well-made, entertaining romp.
Extras: widescreen, featurettes
"Going the Distance" (Warner, 2010; R for language, sex, nudity, drugs; two discs, $35.99). This romantic comedy about the difficulties of a long-distance relationship is very much an up-and-down affair, bolstered by its stars, Drew Barrymore and Justin Long (a real-life on-again, off-again couple).
But overall the film is rather flat, and certainly raunchier than some will expect.
Extras: widescreen, deleted scenes, audio commentary, featurettes, music video; Blu-ray, DVD and digital versions (also on single-disc DVD, $28.98)
"Death of a Snowman" (Synapse, 1978, $19.95). Here's a "blaxploitation" picture with a twist, a South African film set in Johannesburg, with a black newspaper reporter (Ken Gampu) and a white cop (Nigel Davenport) going up against an apparent vigilante group that is killing local thugs.
The emphasis is on action, and it pays an unexpected amount of attention to the details of putting out a newspaper.
Extras: widescreen, trailer
"Valhalla Rising" (IFC, 2009, $24.98). Unexpectedly artful and striking visuals distinguish this Viking picture from Danish filmmaker Nicholas Winding Refn.
But the story is all over the place as a slave kills his captors and heads for a "Holy Land" only to find himself confronting savage violence.
Extras: widescreen, trailer
e-mail: hicks@desnews.com