Animal Action

Homeward Bound - The Incredible Journey

Walt Disney studios had previously adapted Sheila Burnford's classic animal-adventure novel The Incredible Journey in 1963, and the story proves just as durable in this popular 1993 version, in which the heroic trio of animals are given voices provided by Don Ameche, Michael J. Fox, and Sally Field. They don't actually speak (like the clever critters in Babe), but we hear their "voices" as the lost household pets--Shadow the golden retriever, Chance the bulldog, and Sassy the cat--survive a harrowing series of adventures as they struggle to find their way home. Perfect entertainment for kids, this frequently clever movie offers an abundance of wildlife and beautiful location scenery, and the vocal performances by Ameche, Fox, and Field are surprisingly effective. A hit with parents and children alike, the film was followed by a sequel in 1996. --Jeff Shannon

The adventure begins when the loving owners of these irresistible pets are forced to leave them in the temporary care of a friend who lives hundreds of miles away. But after several days the worried animals begin to think their family must be in trouble so they decide to head for home. On their incredible journey across the ruggedly beautiful Sierras they encounter unexpected surprises from man beast and nature alike. It s an unforgettable story of love courage and devotion that will delight and inspire generations to come!System Requirements:Starring: Don Adler Don Ameche Sally Field Michael J. Fox Kim Greist and Robert Hays. Directed By: Duwayne Dunham. Running Time: 1 hrs. 24 mins. This film is presented in "Standard" format. Copyright 1997 Buena Vista.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: CHILDREN/FAMILY Rating: G UPC: 717951000071 Manufacturer No: 01307900

The Black Stallion

Adapted from the beloved novel by Walter Farley, this 1979 family classic was hailed by no less than hard-to-please critic Pauline Kael, who wrote that "it may be the greatest children's movie ever made." A visual feast from start to finish, the timeless tale of The Black Stallion plays out on almost mythic terms. A young boy survives a shipwreck and is stranded on a deserted island with a graceful black stallion, with whom the boy develops an almost empathic friendship. After being rescued and returning home, the two make a winning team as jockey and lightning-fast racehorse under the tutelage of a passionate trainer, played by Mickey Rooney in an Oscar-nominated role. From its serenely hypnotic island sequence to the breathtaking race scenes, this delightful film is guaranteed to enthrall any viewer, regardless of age. The Black Stallion is a genuine masterpiece of family entertainment. --Jeff Shannon

Young Alec Ramsay and a wild stallion are cast adrift and help each other survive on a desolate island.
Genre: Feature Film Family
Rating: G
Release Date: 1-MAY-2001
Media Type: DVD

Never Cry Wolf

Carroll Ballard's 1983 adaptation of Farley Mowat's autobiographical novel turns his life-changing experience studying the wolves in Canada's inhospitable North into a moving drama of one man's courage and discovery of nature's majesty. Charles Martin Smith plays green biologist Tyler, sent by the Canadian government to "prove" that the wolves are depleting the caribou herds, but what he finds is a natural world in perfect harmony where he becomes a tolerated outsider. Dumped unprepared in the wilds by a hard drinking bush pilot (Brian Dennehy), Tyler learns survival skills from the aged Eskimo who saves his life and the rules of coexistence from a neighboring wolf (which results in a literal pissing contest as man and beast mark their respective territories). Tyler's journey culminates in the majestic run with the wolf pack, an exhilarating sequence where for an instant he becomes one with natural environment of the wilds. For all its beauty, however, Tyler's experience becomes a bittersweet lesson as the encroachment of hunters, tourism, and the social landscape threaten the natural order. As in his previous film, the delicate and lovely The Black Stallion, Ballard's astounding visual treatment captures the awesome natural beauty of the Canadian wilderness with power and poignancy. Kevin Costner's Oscar-winning Dances with Wolves explores many of the themes presented in this film, but without the resonance or beauty of Ballard's unsung masterpiece. --Sean Axmaker

Filmed amid spectacular wilderness vistas, NEVER CRY WOLF reveals a world of hypnotic beauty and breathtaking cinematic imagery. An unforgettable adventure begins as Tyler, a young inexperienced biologist, is deposited alone onto the desolate Arctic terrain. Once settled, he struggles to endure the forces of nature as he documents the mysterious habits of the wolves he has been sent to study. An odyssey of self-discovery told through captivating drama, NEVER CRY WOLF is a haunting, lyrical film from the director of THE BLACK STALLION.

Iron Will

A complete lack of imagination is what qualifies this as a B movie. Thankfully, this snowy adventure about a boy and his dogs is charming enough to entice the kiddies. Charismatic MacKenzie Astin plays a teenager trying to save the family farm by entering a 522-mile sled-dog marathon. Except for Astin, the lusciously scenic background has more depth than most of the characters. This is so predictable you could take a nap and miss nothing except a few rousing scenes in the 1917 Winnipeg-to-St.-Paul sled race. Although this is visually more appealing than most family fare, one wishes more attention had been paid to the script. --Rochelle O'Gorman

A young man enters a dangerous cross-country dog sled race in an attempt to win the grand prize that will save his family from financial ruin.
Genre: Feature Film-Action/Adventure
Rating: PG
Release Date: 11-NOV-2003
Media Type: DVD

White Fang

Ethan Hawke, fresh faced and full of determination, tackles the icy wilds and rowdy boom towns of Alaska in Disney's 1991 adaptation of Jack London's turn-of-the-century gold rush classic. Though somewhat tamed for young audiences, the story of a city kid who befriends a feral half-wolf/half-dog orphan while learning to survive the dangers of nature and man has its share of peril and rousing scenes of wilderness adventure. But the humans are upstaged by both the animals (the standoff between White Fang and a wild brown bear is a highlight) and the Alaskan landscape, from the snow-covered mountains and frozen lakes of winter to the rich green forests and whitecap rivers of summer. The scenes of dogfights and wild wolves hunting game are carefully shot to avoid bloodshed (the opening disclaimer takes pains to remind viewers that all such scenes have been simulated), but they may still be too intense for young children. Recommended for 9 and up. --Sean Axmaker

Story of a young man who hopes to strike it rich in the Yukon gold country at the turn of the century and his relationship with the wolf-dog White Fang.
Genre: Feature Film-Action/Adventure
Rating: PG
Release Date: 11-NOV-2003
Media Type: DVD

Duma (Widescreen Edition)

This African tale follow the rhythms of director Carroll Ballard's earlier films The Black Stallion and Fly Away Home, namely a child is drawn into the mysteries and magic of an animal. Xan (newcomer Alexander Michaletos) is a 12-year-old living in South Africa with his parents (Campbell Scott and Hope Davis, who appeared as a much different couple three years earlier in The Secret Life of Dentists) when they find an abandoned baby cheetah. They bring it up as their own and name it the Swahili word for cheetah, Duma. After some time, the creature is too big to stay domesticated and Dad tells the boy they will have to journey back to Duma's home to set him free. A sickness makes the family pull up stakes and head to the city where Xan and Duma don't fare well. Xan must take Duma on his own to set him free. To tell more would be a crime. As with any Ballard film, the story is subtext, the visuals rule. First-time cinematographer Werner Maritz fills the screen with the desert landscape and is able to capture the magnificent speed of the cheetah. Ballard's films seem to build on their own inertia, creating scenes that seem to be simply happening instead of scripted, although this often suffers in the balance of wonderment versus all-too-lucky occurrences. Based on the children's picture book/memoir How It Was with Dooms by Xan and Carol Cawthra Hopcraft, this is a film worth seeking out, especially for families and kids above 5 years old. --Doug Thomas

Carroll Ballard (The Black Stallion Fly Away Home) directs the exciting story of 12-year-old Xan (Alexander Michaletos) who decides to return the cheetah he raised from a cub to the wild instead of allowing pursuers to place it in captivity. Harsh South African landscapes stalking lions crocodiles river rapids and a mysterious drifter (Eamonn Walker) who may intend to turn the big cat in for cash - all will test Xan's courage and resolve. Join him in this tale of growing up and letting go. It's a journey you won't want to miss.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: CHILDREN/FAMILY UPC: 085393898229 Manufacturer No: 38982

Toby Tyler

Straight from the vault of Disney's bygone classics comes this 1960 family film about a boy who joins the circus, based on the book of the same name by James Otis Kaler. Kevin Corcoran (Old Yeller, Swiss Family Robinson) is unsurpassed as the earnest and endearing Toby Tyler, an orphan who lives with his poverty-stricken aunt and uncle until the day he is told he's a "millstone around their necks." When the circus comes to town, Toby runs away to join the vagabond life of the big top. Although his concessionaire boss is a con man, Toby makes fast friends with Ben Cotter (Henry Calvin) and Sam Treat (Gene Sheldon) who protect him and, in the end, receive much more from Toby than they give. The movie's best moments center on Toby's camaraderie with a mischievous chimp he names Mr. Stubbs. The final circus scenes of Toby's equine acrobatics with the pretty Mademoiselle Jeanette (Barbara Beaird), and comedic stunts with Mr. Stubbs are well worth the price of admission. The three-ring comedy is sweet and simple, sprinkled with a few wholesome life lessons. Marvelously directed in Disney's vintage style by Charles Barton (The Shaggy Dog), the overall effect will tug on a family's heartstrings and funny bone. (All ages) --Lynn Gibson

TOBY TYLER takes you back in time to when the day the circus came to town was the biggest day of the year! Now on Disney DVD, Kevin Corcoran stars as the lovable, determined runaway who believes his uncle and aunt no longer want him, and life under the Big Top will put things right. Along the way he meets Ben, Mr. Tupper, and the mischievous Mr. Stubbs -- a playful chimpanzee! Together they fall into hilarious jams and scams more fun than a barrel of monkeys. Get your peanuts, popcorn, and candied apples, and jump into a classic three-ring circus that will have the whole family in stitches!

The Black Stallion Returns

A rare sequel that can stand alone, 1983's The Black Stallion Returns is both a fun follow-up to the 1979 Carroll Ballard/Francis Ford Coppola film and a fine adventure in its own right. Kelly Reno returns as the now adolescent, deceptively ordinary Alec Ramsay, who stows away on a plane for Casablanca after the titular horse is kidnapped by Arabs. Getting him back pitches Alec into the middle of tribal rivalries and all sorts of complicated, dangerous intrigue. The cast includes Teri Garr, Vincent Spano, and Woody Strode, but the real star here may be cinematographer Carlo Di Palma, a veteran of several Woody Allen films and a master of color, light, and framing. Director Robert Dalva edited the previous film and happily executes countless ideas he appears to have stored up from his first stallion outing. But it's Reno's resourceful hero--his anti-Harry Potter normalcy--that finally takes hold of viewers. --Tom Keogh

Two Brothers (Full Screen Edition)

Doing for tigers what The Bear did for Grizzlies and Kodiaks, Two Brothers offers lush adventure with a message that anyone can take to heart. French filmmaker Jean-Jacques Annaud directed both films, blessing them with his keen eye for beauty and a love for wildlife that's as impassioned as it is infectious. This time, the adorable critters are Kumal and Sangha, sibling tiger cubs in French Indochina circa 1920, separated when a treasure-hunting adventurer (Guy Pearce) inadvertently leads them to capture. He makes amends by defending their right to freedom, but before that can happen, the now-grown tigers must endure cruel treatment that younger viewers (and sensitive adults) may find somewhat traumatic. There's a purpose to their ordeal, however, and Annaud (along with a world-class tiger trainer, 30 different tigers, and minimal use of digital trickery) films this uplifting story as a child's fable, with equal measures of danger and irresistible charm. As a family-friendly plea to protect endangered tigers everywhere, Two Brothers is cute, cuddly, and easily recommended. --Jeff Shannon

Mighty Joe Young

Charlize Theron is the latest stunning blonde to be hanging around some big ape in a Hollywood movie, this one a remake of the 1949 semi-classic with echoes of the superior King Kong. Theron plays the daugher of an American researcher killed by poachers in Africa. The baby gorilla left in her care grows up to become a hugely tall and broad specimen named Joe, living in the mountains as a mostly unseen legend among people who live there. Along comes an eco-minded emissary (Bill Paxton) from a California sanctuary, who talks the jungle girl into providing safe haven for Joe at the L.A. facility. The transition is not without discomfort, but everything is aggravated via a conspiracy of poachers to get Joe into their own greedy hands. Director Ron Underwood (City Slickers) uses a combination of special-effects techniques to give Joe life and personality, and he succeeds quite effectively. The requisite giant-ape-goes-amok scenes are all in place--a couple of them pretty intense--as is a conclusion that finds the simian hero performing a stunning feat of escalation. Underwood attempts to give a little modern spin to some classic Hollywood conventions regarding wild hearts lost in civilization, and the results are pretty agreeable family fare. --Tom Keogh

In the classic tradition of heroic Disney adventures comes the extraordinary MIGHTY JOE YOUNG -- a thrilling story full of excitement, friendship, courage, and heart. The legendary Joe, a playful, smart fifteen-foot-tall gorilla, and his lifelong best friend Jill Young (Charlize Theron) have grown up together in the remote mountains of Central Africa. When Joe's peaceful existence is shattered by poachers, Jill and zoologist Gregg O'Hara (Bill Paxton) rescue their innocent friend and move him to the safety of an animal conservancy in California. But Joe's safety is short-lived. No longer a myth, his notoriety makes him a target for an enemy from his past -- a ruthless hunter who will do anything to capture the Mighty Joe. From the moment you meet him to his incredible display of courage, Mighty Joe Young will fill your eyes with wonder and your heart with magic.