'Into the Wild' and 'Ice Age' among new releases
By Bruce Dancis
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
One and two discs, Paramount Home Entertainment, rated R
Emile Hirsch stars as a young college graduate who walks away from admittance to law school and an affluent future to pursue adventure and solitude in the American wilderness.
Adapted from Jon Krakauer's best-selling book by screenwriter-director Sean Penn, the film comes in a single-disc edition with no bonus features and a two-disc special edition that includes two documentaries on the movie and its source material.
Paramount Home Entertainment, R
Halle Berry stars as a wife and mother of two children whose life changes after her husband (David Duchovny) is murdered and she asks his best friend (Benicio Del Toro) to move in, despite his being a heroin addict.
Directed by Denmark's Susanne Bier, the drama about loss, grief and resilience comes with seven deleted scenes and a documentary, "A Discussion About 'Things We Lost in the Fire,' " which includes scenes from the film and comments by Berry, Del Toro, Bier, co-star Omar Benson Miller, writer Allan Loeb, and producers Sam Mendes and Sam Mercer.
Fox Home Entertainment, G
Dustin Hoffman stars in the title role as the 243-year-old owner of a magical toy store whose decision to retire throws the store into chaos and presents a big problem for his successor, young manager Molly (Natalie Portman).
The DVD's special features include four featurettes: "Strangely Weird and Weirdly Strange: The Magical World of a Wonder Emporium," "An Eccentric Boss and an Awkward Apprentice," "To Meet Eric Applebaum: Start by Saying Hi" and "The Magical Toy Store."
Fox Home Entertainment, G
Early mammals Manny the Mammoth (voiced by Ray Romano), Sid the Sloth (John Leguizamo) and Diego the Saber-Tooth Tiger (Denis Leary) return for more animated adventures as they journey through a thawing landscape and meet a female mammoth named Ellie (Queen Latifah) and other creatures.
Bonus features include interactive games, new cartoons with Scrat, a learn-to-draw Scrat tutorial and more.
Two discs, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, G
Available for a limited time, Walt Disney's animated feature from 1961 is about the Dalmatians Pongo and Perdita, their 99 puppies and the nefarious plans of the evil Cruella De Vil.
The DVD comes with new digital restoration, deleted songs, interactive games, documentaries on the making of the film and the creation of Cruella De Vil, and more.
Fox Home Entertainment, PG-13
One of Robin Williams' biggest comedy hits, from 1993, this stars the quick-witted comic actor in the gender-bending role of an unsuccessful actor, separated from his wife and children, who disguises himself as an English nanny so that he can spend more time with his kids.
This bonus-filled DVD includes deleted, extended and alternate scenes, two features on the making of the movie and more.