Three New Releases

Click to Buy	Ratings Summary (Scored out of a maximum of five)
	Audio		Video
	Goodies		Interface
	Value

The Movie

You may not remember this, but in the 1960s
Fred MacMurray was pretty much America’s favorite father figure. From 1960 to
1972, he not only starred on television in My Three Sons (which lasted
so long that two of the sons finally left), but also headlined a series of Disney
live-action movies, including: The Absent Minded Professor, Kisses for
My President, The Happiest Millionaire, and the recently released on
DVD, Follow Me, Boys.

Follow Me, Boys stars MacMurray as Lem Siddons,
a saxophonist in a traveling jazz band in 1930, who decides to settle down in
the quaint middle-America town of Hickory. Lem’s purpose for staying is his brief
glimpse at the lovely Vida Downey (Vera Miles). In order to get himself in good
with the stand-offish Vida, Lem suggests that the town start a Boy Scout troop
and volunteers to be the Scoutmaster. So begins a several-decades tale of Lem’s
experience leading scores of boys on camp-outs, hikes and general good-deed doing
and his impact on both their lives and his adopted hometown.

The movie is
saturated in the type of feel-good, small-town Americana that is the trademark
of Disney live action films of this era (not to mention the inspiration for places
like Main Street U.S.A. at Disneyland Park in Anaheim.) When the troop files out
of town for their very first march ever, the entire town turns out to clap and
wave good-bye (kind of makes you wonder why the town could never get an adult
to lead a Scout troop prior to MacMurrayÔs appearance.) The troop is made up of
a mixed-bag of small town boys who, while not exactly sterotypes, don’t move too
far from the mold. When the troop stumbles onto a Morse code machine that starts
to chatter at them, who can decipher it? Why the kid with glasses, of course.

The
plot, such as it is, meanders a bit. It’s more a series of episodes designed to
show MacMurray’s—and by extension small town America’s—life during an
idealized first half of the last century. Kurt Russell, a stalwart like MacMurray
of a string of Disney films, makes his Disney debut here as Whitey, the tough-guy
kid. Whitey’s father drinks (but, in keeping with the type of movie it is, really
isn’t a bad guy) and Whitey scoffs at the Scouts but secretly wants to join. He
eventually does, of course.

MacMurray is perfect in his role: The classic
wise and kind father figure. His chemistry with Vera Miles is not sizzling, but
then this is a Disney film and sizzling wouldn’t be appropriate. They work well
together as a couple. Russell shows a good range for such a young actor. Silent
film star Lillian Gish is in a few scenes as town’s rich old lady who isn’t as
forgetful or crazy as she sometimes appears. There are plenty of laughs to go
around, and sentimentality is not in short supply. Director Norman Tokar, a Disney
vet who also helmed The Apple Dumpling Gang, The Cat From Outer Space,
and the non-Disney Where the Red Fern Grows keeps the pace moving despite
the 133 minute running time.

The Goodies

There isn’t much here.
Spanish subtitles are given a prominent place under Special Features on the back
of the DVD box. That’s never a good sign. There is an 11-minute reminiscence on
the filming called “Looking Back with Lem’s Boys.” Unfortunately, Lem’s
most famous boy, Kurt Russell, didn’t participate. In fact, only four of the former
child actors are involved, none of whom had very big roles in the film. Disney
didn’t even bother to track down Duane Chase, who played the non-entity Joe in
this movie, but also played that annoying punk Kurt in the Sound of Music.
They do discuss working with the main stars MacMurray, Miles, and Russell, and
the visit to the set by Walt Disney, but there isn’t anything that you might call
insightful here.

Other than that, the extras are limited to a gallery of
promotional art, posters, and publicity stills for the 1966 release and 1976 re-release
of the movie. This is a movie that would really benefit from a more thorough making-of
featurette and maybe a commentary track.

The Video, Audio, and Interface

OK,
everyone take a deep breath here. The movie is fullscreen (1.33:1). Now, that’s
enough to send some people running from the room to pour acid in their eyes. The
word “fullscreen” is an anathema to them. The movie doesn’t suffer too
much from it, but if you are a widescreen-or-nothing type person, then avoid this
movie. The picture itself is OK, it doesn’t scream “restoration work at its
zenith” or anything. It somewhat looks its age. But it’ll look better than
your worn-out VHS copy (if you have one), so most will consider it an upgrade.

The
audio is Dolby digital mono sound, and is nothing special. You’ll appreciate this
when Fred MacMurray sings the title song. Just kidding.

The interface is
pretty simple, with no animation or music changes. Just the same peppy, vaguely
Disney beat. As I’ve stated in other reviews, if your child has ever operated
your DVD remote, they can easily navigate these simple offerings.

The Final
Evaluation

This is a really good movie. It’s kind of a shame that Disney
didn’t put a little more effort into the DVD release. Some more extras, a commentary
track, a widescreen version and this would be a must-have for any fan of the classic
Disney family movies. As it is, it’s a good value and if you like movies like
Swiss Family Robinson, The Absent-Minded Professor, or The Apple
Dumpling Gang, then this DVD is a worthy companion.

Click to Buy	Ratings Summary (Scored out of a maximum of five)
	Audio		Video
	Goodies		Interface
	Value

The Movie

The world is divided into two camps: Those who have
(or have children who have) seen the animated Kim Possible television series
which plays daily on the Disney Channel, and those who have not. If you are in
the have not group, feel free to stop reading now. You don’t want the new DVD
Kim Possible: A Sitch in Time (no, that’s not a typo, it’s a play on Kim’s
use of the phrase “what’s the sitch?”) If you aren’t already a Possible
fan, you should catch one or two episodes on the Disney Channel (don’t worry,
it plays 16 times a week) and then come back and read the rest of the review.

If
you’re still reading, it means, like me and my two children ages 7 and 9, that
you are already familiar with Kim Possible (Christy Carlson Romano), a high school
girl who fights super-villains bent on enslaving the world, and worries about
homework, cheerleading, and her outfit in her spare time. Kim is assisted by her
sidekick, Ron Stoppable (Will Friedle), Ron’s naked mole-rat sidekick Rufus (Nancy
Cartwright), and computer/gadget genius Wade (Tahj Mowry).

Kim Possible:
A Sitch in Time was originally shown in November 2003 on the Disney Channel
as a three-part episode. It has a strong advantage over other television series
“movies” in that the entire thing is an original coherent plot and not
just a stringing together of three or four already-shown episodes with new material
linking them together (see the recent Recess DVDs reviewed on this site.)
The plot involves four of Kim’s fiercest villains (Drakken, Shego, Monkey Fist,
and the hilariously named Duff Killigan) teaming up to steal the Tempus Simia,
a monkey-shaped stone that can create a time portal. The villains plan to use
trips into the past to help them dominate the future. Will they succeed? I’ll
never tell, but just remember that the show isn’t called Duff Killigan
(although that would be something I’d watch.)

The trips back and forth in
time serve to introduce viewers to younger and older versions of familiar characters
from the show, and allow producers to stack the movie with guest-star voices,
including: Kelly Ripa as the adult version of Kim’s high school nemesis, Bonnie;
Freddie Prinze, Jr. as Kim’s brothers Jim and Tim; Raven and Vivica Fox as friend
Monique at different ages; Michael Clark Duncan as a grown-up Wade; and Elliot
Gould as Dad Stoppable. The time travel can be fun for fans to see their favorite
characters as pre-schoolers or as adults. My kids really loved this aspect.

The
movie has all the same action and humor as the television show. Some of the lines
are good enough to keep an adult laughing (Ron’s dad to Ron, “I’m an actuary;
I can work anywhere people attach a dollar value to human life.”) The action
can sometimes be fast-paced, but it’s never particularly scary, and humans are
never, ever hurt. As long as your daughter doesn’t have an eating disorder, then
Kim is a good role model (she is prone to belly shirts and has an impossibly narrow
waist).

The interplay between Kim and Ron is breezy and fun, and the oafishness
of some of the villains is humorous. While it’s possible to watch the movie without
having seen the show, a lot of what is happening will be lost if you lack some
basic knowledge of the characters and their personalities. It will generally appeal
to people who are already fans of the series.

One major drawback to the
DVD, despite the fact that it is new material rather than recycled episodes, is
that it is only 66 minutes long. Take out the credits at the end, and it’s just
over an hour long. That’s just too short.

The Goodies

Expecting
someone to pay almost $20 for a 66-minute movie that has already played on television
probably means there will be some unbelievable (or at least mediocre) extras,
right? Well, no. There is a (thankfully) brief video of Ron Stoppable’s song,
“Naked Mole Rap.” The song isn’t that good and the video isn’t funny
enough to save it. There is also something called the “Totally Awesome Tempus
Simius Simulation Activity.” That’s a pretty long name for a pretty lame
extra. It is basically pictures of Kim, Ron, and Rufus at various ages and a brief
(one line) voice-over explaining their personalities at that stage in their life.
To call this “extra” a goodie is being too generous.

The Video,
Audio, and Interface

The video is 1.78:1 widescreen. It’s not like this
is the movie to get to test out your new $5,000 home theater system picture. It’s
a television movie, not The Matrix. That said, the picture quality is surprisingly
good. The visuals are crisp and clear even during some time effects when they
use a big swirl on the screen to represent a portal in time.

The audio is
Dolby Digital 5.1 so you can hear every explosion and witty quip. The sound on
this movie is probably more critical than in many Disney Channel TV movies since
it has more action.

The interface is pretty easy. The menus are clear and
since there isn’t much on the disc besides the movie, previews, and two extras,
it’s simple to find what you want. Any young child who has operated the remote
on a DVD player before will be able to navigate these menus.

The Final
Evaluation

If you (or more likely, your pre-teen) is a fan of the Kim
Possible television series, then chances are, Kim Possible: A Sitch in
Time will be an enjoyable diversion. However, I really can’t see how it is
worth the $19.99 list price. If you can find it in the $10 range, it might be
worth picking up. The shortness of the movie along with the paucity of extras
makes it a very limited value. Getting it as a cheap rental is really the way
to go. If you aren’t already a fan of the Possible-Stoppable team, skip this altogether
until you’ve seen at least a few episodes on the Disney Channel.

Click to Buy	Ratings Summary (Scored out of a maximum of five)
	Audio		Video
	Goodies		Interface
	Value

The Movie

The
Misadventure of Merlin Jones is a misleading movie. During the ’60s and ’70s,
Disney on several occasions took several episodes of the “The Wonderful World
of Disney,” melded them together and released the result theatrically (e.g.,
after great success on televsion, Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier
found itself on movie screens).

You couldn’t be faulted for assuming that
Merlin Jones is an unusually sloppy example of this. The titular Merlin
Jones (played by Tommy Kirk) is a socially awkward college student, whose eternal
quest for knowledge in the name of science is constantly getting him in trouble.

Fortunately,
the cutest girl in school (Annette Funicello) values brains above brawn and helps
keep the worst away. In the first part of the movie, Jones has developed a complicated
contraption for measuring brain waves, and after an accident, finds himself able
to read minds.

When he “overhears” a local judge reminiscing over
old crimes (and plotting new ones), they are off on one crazy caper! Well, crazy
in the sense of a bad episode of Happy Days or something. Eventually everything
resolves itself, the credits roll and the theme song plays again and the next
episode starts.

Well, not really, but it’ll feel like it. The first half
of the movie (about 45 minutes) has about nothing to do with the second half (about
45 minutes) other than the characters being the same.

In the second, Jones
takes an interest in hypnosis (after he is hypnotized in class by a professor
and made to kiss a girl not Annette) and tries to teach a laboratory chimpanzee
to stand up against the bullying lab guy (Norman Grabowski, bit member of many
Disney and Disney-like movies of the ’60s).

Of course, the chimp stands
up a bit too well and they end up back in front of the judge from the first epis…
er, half of the movie. Things go weird and Jones ends up proving to the judge
that a man can’t be hypnotized to do something against his moral code, and to
prove it, hypnotized the judge to steal the chimpanzee. And they are off on one
crazy caper!

About the only thing of note is the paper cut-out animated
opening sequence, with music by the Sherman Brothers. That bit of alternative
animation shows more imagination than all of the rest of the movie.

While
it seems very clear that these two parts were originally intended for TV, the
film did make it to theaters first, and movie-goers must have been perplexed.

The
Goodies

Nothing much in the way of goodies. In honor of Merlin Jones’s
life mission, there is a brief clip reel of other Disney inventors. Maybe thirty
seconds of everything from Goofy and his parallel parking putter to Captain Nemo
and the Nautilus.

Not enough to be of interest, and the navigation from
one to the next requires you to go back to the menu screen.

The Video,
Audio and Interface

Again, there is nothing noteworthy hear. The video
and audio quality were probably no more than average when it hit the theaters
and it doesn’t appear anything special was done to clean it up for DVD.

The
menus are unexciting, though you are required to return to them to access the
half-dozen, 30-second inventor reels. Disney previews do lead the main menu when
you first start the disc, and you will have to fast forward to get past them (you
can not skip over them).

The Final Evaluation

If you are a completist
Disney collector or a fan of Tommy Kirk or Annette Funicello, you might want a
copy of this DVD. However, don’t pick up a copy expecting a couple hours of fine
entertainment.