Every time the Disney Studios release the so-called “Walt Disney Treasures,” I’m as happy as any film collector.  As I have said before, these sets feature the “most historical and valuable collection of archived material ever produced by the studio, the ones that slowly built the reputation and powerful library that the Disney Empire has achieved through times. This is the real Disney, the one that every serious collector and fan should have.” The new series being released, Wave VIII, is no exception. As the previous ones, the present wave also includes three formidable sets of DVDs, all enclosed in tin containers, and individually numbered, with authenticity certificates and exclusive lithographs.

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 “The Sword in the Stone” is the latest DVD release from the Disney Studios’ vault. And, unlike many of the other animated classics generated there, this little gem is a lesser known one, undeservedly so. This film is highly entertaining and very funny, and truly deserves a second chance.

It is medieval England, and it is announced that the king is dead. A new one should be named soon; otherwise, war is imminent. Since there is no inheritor to the throne, it is decided that the person that can pull out a sword that is imbedded in a stone, shall be named king. At about the same time, we meet Merlin, an old wizard, whose only companion is a “highly educated owl” named Archimedes. Like good friends, they are always fighting and arguing over different things. It is then that we meet young Arthur, who accidentally lands in Merlin’s hut. Arthur dreams to be a knight’s squire. Merlin has predicted that Arthur would come to him, because that was his destiny. From then on, the wizard takes care of the young man, and teaches him everything to be successful, and eventually, as we all know, become more than a knight’s squire. 

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It seems that Marjane Satrapi has one purpose in life: to make sure that the world knows about what is going on in Iran, her motherland. To accomplish this, she wrote “Persepolis,” a graphic novel, published in four volumes. The book was a critical success, and she has been writing ever since. But that was not all; she went one step further, and together with Vincent Paronnaud, she directed “Persepolis,” the passionate and exquisite movie version of her book. This is smart and penetrating filmmaking.

Like the graphic novel, “Persepolis,” the film, is presented as an animated feature, a wise choice by the filmmakers. The quality of the images is excellent and the use of color in a mostly black and white movie is fascinating. Animation has not been better in recent years, and this film is radiant evidence of this.

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Every presidency has its share of jokes, generated at its expense, often due to the silliness of the nation’s leader. Since Dan Quayle, I don’t recall any other of our elected officials to provide so much material for comedians than George W. Bush. The hilarious “Lil’ Bush: Resident of the United States” takes a sarcastic, smart and very funny look at our current president, during his “childhood,” when his father, George H. W. Bush, was our Commander in Chief.

“Lil’ Bush: Resident of the United States” not only focuses on George W. Bush and his family, but also centers on his “buddies,” namely Lil’ Condi, Lil’ Rummy, and Lil’ Cheney. Lil’ Cheney is perhaps the funniest of all the characters, because he is unintelligible, and sucks the blood of every single living creature that is in his way. Also funny is George’s little brother, Jeb, who is shown as not-so-smart babbling boy.

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When you think about bees, you can come up with two conclusions: you either love them or hate them. You hate them, obviously, because they can sting you. However, you love them because they are noble insects that spend their lives making honey for our consumption. The splendid animated feature "Bee Movie" takes us to life inside the hive, in a very creative and humorous way.

Barry B. Benson -voiced by Jerry Seinfeld - is a young bee that just graduated from college, and still lives with his parents. Unfortunately, the only choice that Barry has in life - the only business in town, that is - is to make honey. As Barry and Adam Flayman, his best friend, ponder about what position they want in the corporation, Barry realizes that this may not be the career that he is looking for. He is tempted to take a field position, outside from the hive, and he is given the opportunity to do a test flight with the pollinating crew. During that flight, there is a storm and he accidentally gets separated from his partners. He ends up in Vanessa’s - voiced by Renée Zellweger - apartment. Even though she is a human, Vanessa and Barry become friends. At that time, too, Barry discovers that honey is sold for human consumption. He is not happy about that, and concludes that what humans are doing is illegal. With Vanessa’s help, he decides to sue the honey industry. What follows are a series of unfortunate events that will determine the fate of the planet.

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