DVD Review and Giveaway: Two From Disney

I received a few Disney DVDs to review last week, so here goes ...

Bridge to Terabithia: This movie sparked my interest because it's based on the Newbery-winning novel of the same name by Katherine Paterson. It's rated PG, but I popped it in and watched it with my 5 and 7 year old boys without knowing much about the story. This without a doubt led to an "oh shit" moment, but it turned out OK. My 7 year old had to watch it in two sittings; my 5 year old left after 15 minutes, then returned for the second half.

Basically, it's about two tweens, Jess Aarons and Leslie Burke. Jess is an artistic, driven boy from a poor farm family. He goes to the School of Bullies, where apparently there are no teachers or even playground monitors and bullies can charge 5 year olds money to use the bathroom. Leslie's the new girl, also a misfit but from a rich family. The two forge a friendship and take to the woods, where Leslie introduces Jess to the kingdom of Terabithia.

The graphics are awesome, and the story deftly walks the line between lush fantasy and cold, hard reality. It left me wanting to read the book, that's for sure. Before you let your kids watch it, check out the Amazon review by Orrin C. Judd (it's on top). He does a great job of summing it up without giving the story away. If you'd like more of a taste of what the movie's all about, check out these clips:

• Side by Side View of Special Effects
• Troll Hunting
• Interview with Author Katherine Paterson

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (The Friendship Edition): Truth be told, I didn't agree to review this but they threw it in with Bridge to Terabithia. My kids like Pooh in stuffed animal form well enough, but never took to the cartoon. I put the DVD on expecting immediate revolt from my boys, but they suprised me by watching it without complaint. My two-year-old (yes, she turned 2 yesterday!) watched with them, and it was a happy family DVD moment. When it seems like your kids are growing up too fast, it's nice to see them suspend "the hate of all that is babyish" for an hour and watch Winnie the Pooh.

The next day, as I cleaned out John's closet, I asked him if he still wanted a shirt with Pooh on it. He gave an enthusiastic "yes!" and I think I'll put it on him regularly because -- *sniff* -- as long as he'll still wear Pooh he's still my baby, damnit!

Anyway, I realized that I already own this DVD in the form of it's previous release, The 25th Anniversary Edition. What about you? Do you need to feel, if only just for 74 minutes, like your children aren't about to grow beards and get mortgages? Want my copy? Leave me a comment telling me what you're up to this summer. Any vacation plans? Working? Home with this kids? Fill me in, I'm dying to know. I'll accept entries between now and Saturday at midnight, and post the winner on Sunday. Good luck!