New Home Releases Can Be Earthy or Ethereal

With a weekend weather forecast that looks less than ideal, it might be the perfect time to curl up with the family and enjoy a movie inside. Here are three of my picks for family entertainment recently available for home rental or purchase:

First, there's “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1” that was released just last week. in depth when it was released in theaters last November, and loved it.  This penultimate film in the successful “Harry Potter” franchise finds the titular young wizard on the road with his two best friends as they seek to destroy the evil Lord Voldemort. The film is a high-tension road movie that sets the stage well for the finale this July. I would not recommend it for very young children due to some pretty tense moments and a scene or two that may have just barely earned the film its PG-13 rating. Still, especially for the older wizarding fans, it is definitely worth a look.

Next is the special edition DVD/Blue-Ray release of Walt Disney’s “Fantasia.” Easily my favorite animated Disney film, “Fantasia” defied expectations of what animation could do in 1940 by pairing classical music with cutting-edge animation. Bach, Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky and only naturally Mickey Mouse are included in their own segment.

At the end of this month, company reps have said the film will go back into the “Disney Vault.” While that doesn't make it impossible to find at stores, this may be the last chance for a while to pick up a truly unique piece of music and movie culture.

Finally, instead of a movie, for fans of 80s Saturday-morning television, “Captain Planet and the Planeteers: Season One”is now available on DVD.  The ecology-themed super hero, complete with a green mullet, has returned to teach a new generation about how to be environmentally conscious in this three DVD pack of the first season of the original show. With a release that coincides just in time for Earth Day, this could be a good way to help teach kids how to be kind to the planet, or at least the chance to get in a few laughs at the show's creator, Ted Turner.