Reviewed by
Kidzworld on Sep 08, 2008
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The Nightmare Before Christmas DVD Review
Rating: 
A little blue elephant has a big journey to make, while the tortoise and hare square off once more in these two movies from the home of the Muppets, the Jim Henson Company.
A little blue elephant has a big journey to make, while the tortoise and hare square off once more in these two movies from the home of the Muppets, the Jim Henson Company.
Jim Henson Company Discoveries :: The Blue Elephant DVD
Siamese baby bull elephant Khan Kluay gets teased for not having a dad, so he decides to go find the famous father that left him long ago. He gets captured and injured by the Burmese army, but escapes after the imprisoned Siamese prince helps him calm down. Soon he befriends a girl elephant, Chaba-Kaew, and stays with her and her human family while he gets better. Days turn into years as Khan stays with his new family, always thinking of his mother and father. When the King of Siam calls on all the elephants for a big competition, Khan finds himself face to face with his family’s past, and his own future.DVD Features
None! Which is really too bad, because it would have been cool to know the history of the movie (see below).The Bottom Line
This movie was animated and released in Thailand first, where it was the highest grossing film of 2006. It’s great to see animated films from other countries coming to the U.S., and The Blue Elephant is like the best parts of The Lion King and Dumbo together. Also, the original Thai version was shown to an audience of actual elephants when it was first released. How cool is that?Rating:
Jim Henson Company Presents :: Tortoise vs. Hare DVD
It’s fifteen years after the original race, and both Tortoise and Hare are still stuck in the past. Hare still thinks speed is best (he’s sure a nap is what cost him before), while Tortoise’s famous motto “Slow and steady wins the race” is still all over the place—which makes Hare crazy. When the opportunity arises for the two to compete in a new adventure race, they jump at the chance. Meanwhile, both Tortoise and Hare have kids with interests far from racing—but will their dads stop being competitive long enough to notice?DVD Features
There’s a really cool behind the scenes look at how to draw the characters, and there’s also a feature with the voices of Hare (Jay Leno) and Tortoise (Danny Glover) demonstrating how they recorded their lines for the movie. Neat if you're thinking about becoming an animator, or if you like to see how animation works.The Bottom Line
This is a fun and funny update of a classic story, and really shows how much you can miss in life if you get too obsessed with winning and being the best. The greatest part of this movie is the budding friendship (and maybe even romance!) between the kids—Butch Hare (Drake Bell) and Crystal Tortoise (Keke Palmer).Rating:
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