Fantastic Mr. Fox is probably the most unique movie you’ll see this year, and that’s saying a lot. We’re talking about a year that’s seen films like Coraline, Up, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, and the upcoming Avatar. Still, I think Fantastic Mr. Fox sits on a level of its own.

We saw the movie last night at a free sneak peek in Indianapolis, and there wasn’t an empty seat in the theater. There was a surprising number of adults without kids, but there was plenty of families as well.

The whole theater was rolling with laughter. Fantastic Mr. Fox doesn’t play out like a kid’s movie at all, it’s basically just a Wes Anderson film that happens to be stop motion. The dialog is witty (and hilarious), the voice acting is great, and the staging and attention to detail is what you would expect from an Anderson film.

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Out on DVD today is one of my favorite cartoons from the 90s, if not my all time favorite; Superman: The Animated Series. I’ve always been a huge Superman fan, and when the Batman crew decided to take on the Man of Steel, I knew it was going to be the best adaptation of the character yet.

Superman: The Complete Animated Series is a massive 7-disc DVD set from Warner Bros. that contains all 55 episodes of the show, with a few bonus features spread throughout the discs. You probably know if you’re a fan of this show or not, and if you don’t own any of the previous DVDs, I’d say you definitely need to pick this one up.

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If you’re a fan of DK Publishing’s books (like the ones I’ve already reviewed) and you’re a gamer, then you’re going to love the Halo Encyclopedia.

I’m a big Halo fan, but I’ve never read any of the books or comics. I had no idea how fleshed out the Halo universe was until I read through this massive book. It’s around 350 pages, and it’s jam packed with information on characters, species, weapons, vehicles, and history.

The book starts with an introduction by Halo guru/Master Chief creator Frank O’Conner, as well as introductions to all the major aspects of the Halo universe. From there the book is broken up into sections, much like other DK books.

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Well, I might be a year late, but I’ve finally watched the new Clone Wars TV series. Since we don’t have TV (we have a tv, but we just use it for movies, digital files, and games), I haven’t been able to watch more than a few minutes of this show until now. The complete first season was just released on Blu-ray by Warner Bros, and I got my hands on a copy.

The Blu-ray is a three disc box set that includes a pretty cool “art of” booklet inside the case. There are all kinds of conceptual sketches, photos of models, and notes. There’s a grand total of 22 episodes, and 7 of them are presented as director’s cuts. They don’t have the original cuts on the discs, so I don’t really know what they changed.

There is a behind the scenes featurette for each episode, and a ton of 3D and 2D art to scan through. Besides that there are a few promos, one for season two, another for the new Clone Wars game, and the last about StarWars.com (in case you’ve been living under a rock or in an Amish community for the last 12 years).

The Verdict

I like this show a heck of a lot more than I thought I was going to. I’m a huge fan of the original 2D Clone Wars series by Genndy Tartakovsky, so I didn’t know what I would think of this new Genndy-less series. Beyond the typical prequel-universe annoyances (droids, droids, Anakin, droids), the series has a strong grasp of the Star Wars Universe, and benefits from its short episodic stories.

I like how they took risks like centering whole episodes on Clone troopers or an obscure character. While not as over-the-top and stylized as the Genndy Tartakovsky series, The Clone Wars is a fun show.

The Season One set is also available on standard-def DVD. It’s available now.

The Disney Treasures series occupies a huge chunk of my DVD shelves. I try to collect all the animation-related waves, but have never watched any of the live action sets until now. Today Disney released Zorro Seasons One and Two, in special edition black tins and cases.

I remember watching this show in reruns on the Disney Channel with my Dad, and I’m excited to watch them with him again. All 78 episodes have been restored and are spread across 12 discs on two sets. The show aired from 1957 to 1959, and was one of the most successful shows of its time. There have been a few different home video releases of Zorro, but the Disney Treasures sets are definitely the definitive versions.

Each individually numbered set includes a collectible pin, an authenticity certificate, an exclusive lithograph, and comes in a unique black Disney Treasures tin. To my knowledge, the only other special colored DT tin has been the gold Oswald the Lucky Rabbit set (which is awesome).

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