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DVD

A Portrait of Jeff Smith

The Cartoonist is a new DVD documentary that brings us the life, times, and thoughts of Columbus-based cartoonist and Bone-creator Jeff Smith. The film survey’s Mr. Smith’s career during the run of Bone, and also captures the moment when he shifted focus from completing his popular epic to beginning new projects like Rasl. The film also includes interviews with many of Mr. Smith’s contemporaries in the world of cartooning: People like Harvey Pekar, Terry Moore, Paul Pope, Scott McCloud, and more. The Cartoonist is scheduled for release on DVD this coming January.

More Celebrations for the Turtles’ 25th

More items keep turning up in celebration of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ 25th anniversary. First up, Mirage Studios present a special re-release of the original TMNT first issue by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, now rendered in full color by long-time Mirage Studios colorist Steve Lavigne.

And then, there’s this… Turtles Forever is a new direct-to-DVD animated feature film, directed by Roy Burdine and Lloyd Goldfine and produced by 4Kids Entertainment. It features a novel concept: What if the ‘new’, gritty, 2000’s animated Turtles (from the 2D animated series, not the 3D theatrical feature) met up with the more cartoony, silly 1980’s animated Turtles (from the original 2D animated TV series, not the live action feature films — stay with us here!). That’s what happens here, thanks to a handy dimensional rift. Not only that, but various other characters from both series show up in the tangle. (Two Aprils! Two Caseys! One each Rocksteady and Bebop!) Turtles Forever was originally scheduled to be released in late October, but as of this writing contractual disputes between Mirage and 4Kids have forced the release to be postponed.  Keep your eyes on InFurNation to find out when they work things out. Or, you could follow the film’s story and updates here.

New on DVD

Back where it all started: “Hey SHAG-gyyyyy!” Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! Season One, Volume 1 is available now on DVD from Warner Home Video.  Four of the very first episodes ever broadcast with Fred, Velma, Daphne, Shaggy — and the dog himself, Scooby Doo, out in the world and solving mysteries. On the Disney side of things, Disney DVD has released the 20th Anniversary DVD edition of 1988’s Oliver and Company. If you didn’t know, it’s Oliver Twist set in modern day New York City — with a cast of dogs and cats!  Not to mention a voice cast with the likes of Billy Joel, Cheech Marin, Joey Lawrence, and Bette Midler!

Happily N’Ever After… the sequel?

Although it didn’t exactly burn things up at the box office (in terms of cash OR critical acclaim), evidently 2006’s Happily N’Ever After did well enough on DVD world-wide to rate its own direct-to-DVD sequel, Happily N’Ever After 2: Snow White’s A New Bite at the Apple (yes that’s the title). The new film is directed by Steven E. Gordon and Boyd Kirkland, and is being released to stores by Kickstart Productions this April. Furry fan favorites (?) Munk and Mambo return, this time trying to assist Snow White while the mighty wizard is, once again, out of town.