SwapaDVD Recently Posted DVDs

Agent Cody Banks

2009-11-24T00:46:39-05:00

A teen learns that all the gadgets in the world can't help him overcome his awkwardness around the opposite sex in this big-budget family entertainment. In Agent Cody Banks, Malcolm in the Middle star Frankie Muniz plays a young man plucked from suburban obscurity to be trained as a CIA super-agent. His mission? Get friendly with his classmate Natalie (played by another teen TV star, Lizzie McGuire's Hilary Duff) so that he can uncover her father's diabolical scheme to create indestructible robots. To compound his problems, Cody also has to deal with the same stresses as any adolescent: nagging parents, insufferable classwork, and a fragile sense of self-esteem. Agent Cody Banks was produced by MGM, not coincidentally the studio responsible for another popular spy franchise, the venerable James Bond series. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide

Elmos World Pets

2009-11-23T23:11:26-05:00

This release from the Children's Television Workshop offers a fun lesson for preschoolers from the loveable Elmo, who has many exciting facts to teach kids about the cats and dogs that pet owners love and care for. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide

Tales From the Neverending Story The Beginning

2009-11-23T23:09:45-05:00

Directed by Giles Walker and Adam Weissman, Tales From the Neverending Story: The Beginning is essentially a made-for-television retelling of the original Neverending Story, which was directed by Wolfgang Peterson in 1984. Mark Rendall stars as Bastian, a young boy who suddenly finds himself in Fantasia, the fantasy world in the mysterious book he is reading. It is revealed that Fantasia is dying because of an evil force called The Nothing. It's up to Bastian and the heroic Atreyu (Tyler Hynes) to save Fantasia and its Childlike Empress (Audrey Gardiner). ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

Shrek Special Edition

2009-11-23T23:01:24-05:00

In this fully computer-animated fantasy from the creators of Antz, we follow the travails of Shrek (Mike Myers), a green ogre who enjoys a life of solitude. Living in a far away swamp, he is suddenly invaded by a hoard of fairy tale characters, such as the Big Bad Wolf, the Three Little Pigs, and Three Blind Mice, all refugees of their homes who have been shunned by the evil Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow). They want to save their homes from ruin, and enlist the help of Shrek, who is in the same situation. Shrek decides to offer Lord Farquaad a deal; he will rescue the beautiful Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz), who is intended to be Farquaad's bride. Accompanying Shrek on his adventure is the faithful but loquacious Donkey (Eddie Murphy), who has a penchant for crooning pop songs. The two must face various obstacles in order to locate the Princess, but they find their world challenged when she reveals a dark secret that will affect the group. Shrek is based on the children's book by William Steig, and features additional voice-work by Vincent Cassel, Cody Cameron, and Kathleen Freeman. ~ Jason Clark, All Movie Guide

Barbie Fairytopia Mermaidia

2009-11-23T23:01:24-05:00

Prince Nalu has been kidnapped by a power-hungry fairy who's looking to cement her status as the most powerful figure in Mermadia, and it's up to Elina to rescue the prince and thwart the scheming sprite's plan before it's too late in an animated fantasy adventure follow up to the hit Barbie: Fairytopia. Laverna has a plan, and only Prince Nalu can help her realize her dreams of ruling over Mermadia with absolute authority. The only one in Mermadia who knows the whereabouts of a special berry with the power to make Laverna even more powerful than the Enchantress is the captive prince. Will Elina reach the devious Laverna in time to save the prince and ensure that the kindly Enchantress maintains her seat of power, or will the land of Mermadia fall prey to a power-hungry and selfish new leader? ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

The Neverending Story 2 The Next Chapter

2009-11-23T22:43:54-05:00

Following the surprisingly successful children's fantasy The Neverending Story (1984), this lesser sequel presents the further adventures of the young boy Bastian in the magical land of Fantasia. Bastian (Jonathan Brandis) returns to this kingdom of the imagination, reached through a magical antique book, to escape from his unpleasant life as a social outcast with a distant father. Unfortunately, things aren't so great in Fantasia either, which is under attack by the sorceress Xayide (Clarissa Burt), and Fantasia's young leader soon recruits Bastian to help win the battle for their world. Several memorable creatures return from the first film, including the Rock Biter and the Luck Dragon, and a number of other strange beasts make appearances along the way. However, the plot often relies on stale fairy-tale elements that make the sequel feel substantially less original than the fresh and unexpectedly charming original. However, enough children were entertained by the special effects and the simple story of good-versus-evil for a third installment, The Never Ending Story 3: Escape from Fantasia, to follow three years later. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide

Silly Songs SingALong

2009-11-23T22:43:54-05:00

Kids can exercise their musical muscles with this sing-along program, presenting 15 of the zaniest songs from the children's music cannon, with pleasant images and footage of children playing. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide

Shrek 2 Widescreen

2009-11-23T22:43:54-05:00

The cranky beast with a heart of gold returns to the big screen in this sequel to the computer-animated smash hit Shrek. After massive green ogre Shrek (voice of Mike Myers) and his new bride, Princess Fiona (voice of Cameron Diaz), return from their honeymoon, they receive an invitation to visit Fiona's parents, King Harold (voice of John Cleese) and Queen Lillian (voice of Julie Andrews), who are the monarchs of The Land Far, Far Away. However, the king and queen are more than a bit alarmed to discover their new son-in-law is a monster the color of algae, and that their daughter's little problem with a magical spell gone wrong has turned into a full-time skin condition. Certain this isn't the sort of "happily ever after" they dreamed of for their daughter, King Harold decides to take Shrek out of the picture and return Fiona to her former beauty with the help of Prince Charming (voice of Rupert Everett), the Fairy Godmother (voice of Jennifer Saunders), and ogre-slaying feline Puss in Boots (voice of Antonio Banderas). Shrek 2 also features the voice of Eddie Murphy returning as Donkey, as well as Larry King as an Ugly Stepsister. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Heidi

2009-11-23T22:43:53-05:00

Made-for-television adaptation of Johanna Spyri's classic children's tale about an orphaned girl who goes to live with her grandfather in the Swiss Alps. ~ Nicole Gagne, All Movie Guide

Thomas Friends Best of Thomas

2009-11-23T21:45:11-05:00

This program contains several episodes of the popular children's show Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends, each of which features Percy. A junior member of the railway, Percy is Thomas' best friend. A poll on the website for the show asked viewers to vote for their favorite Percy shows and this compilation was the result. Episodes include "Percy's Ghostly Trick," "A Scarf for Percy," "Percy Takes a Plunge," "Percy's Predicament," "Thomas, Percy & the Mail Train," "Percy Runs Away," "Percy and the Signal," "Percy Proves a Point," and "Percy's Promise." ~ Rob Ferrier, All Movie Guide

The Ant Bully Fullscreen

2009-11-23T20:16:25-05:00

A kid who hates ants finds himself living among the six-legged critters in this computer-animated comedy-adventure. Lucas Nickle (voice of Zach Tyler Eisen) is a ten-year-old boy whose family has just moved to a new town, and Lucas isn't enjoying it much -- he hasn't made any friends yet, his big sister ignores him, his parents (voices of Larry Miller and Cheri Oteri) are occupied with their upcoming vacation in Mexico, and his loving but slightly crazy grandmother (voice of Lily Tomlin) is convinced space aliens are casing out the neighborhood. To make matters worse, the local bully has found Lucas and is making his life miserable, so the boy looks for someone he can push around -- and he soon finds a large colony of ants in his yard. Lucas takes out his frustrations by stomping, drowning, and burying the bugs, little realizing the ants see him as a threat to their safety and aren't about take his attacks lying down. Zoc (voice of Nicolas Cage) is a "wizard ant" who creates a formula that shrinks Lucas to the size of an insect, and the tiny boy is brought before the leader of the Ant Council (voice of Ricardo Montalban) and the Queen of the Colony (voice of Meryl Streep) to answer for his crimes against the ants. Showing compassion, the queen sentences Lucas not to death, but to live among them and see how difficult their circumstances can be. Nurse Ant Hova (voice of Julia Roberts) is put in charge of looking after Lucas, and with the help of Scout Fugax (voice of Bruce Campbell) and Forager Kreela (voice of Regina King), Lucas gets an eye-opening picture of how the other half lives -- just in time for Lucas to help the ants in an all-out battle against Stan (voice of Paul Giamatti), a pest-control man brought in to get rid of the bugs. Produced by Tom Hanks, The Ant Bully was written and directed by John A. Davis, who handled the same chores on the film Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland

2009-11-23T20:16:25-05:00

One of the most popular characters on Sesame Street gets his own movie in this family comedy. Playful Elmo (voice of Kevin Clash) loves his blue blanket and would never want to lose it. So when it gets spirited off to parts unknown in the midst of a tug-of-war with one of his friends, Elmo sets out to find it and ends up in the grumpy kingdom of Grouchland, where Huxley (Mandy Patinkin) and the Queen of Trash (Vanessa Williams) rule over a dark and ill-mannered domain. Along with Elmo, several other favorite Sesame Street characters appear, including Oscar the Grouch (Carroll Spinney), Ernie (Steve Whitmire), and Bert (Frank Oz). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Sesame Street Elmocize

2009-11-23T20:16:24-05:00

When Monty stops by Elmo's Exercise Camp to do a report, he ends up joining Elmo, Rosita, and Tarah in the fitness fun. Kids will bend, twist, hop, and jump into shape as they learn body parts through songs such as "Elbows and Knees," "Elmocise," and "Do the Benny Hop." This video is perfect for youngsters. It is short and emphasizes movement and health over structured exercises. It also provides an excellent role model for children of all ability levels, as Tarah is in a wheelchair. Preschoolers who like to shake and move should also try Dance with the Teletubbies. ~ Heather M. Fierst, All Movie Guide

Elmos World What Makes You Happy

2009-11-23T20:16:24-05:00

Actress Kristen Chenowith joins everyone's favorite cuddly red Sesame Street character to teach preschoolers about themselves and the world they live in while finding out just what it takes to put a smile on our faces. From singing and dancing to simply laughing with friends, this celebration of all things fun is sure to bring joy to young viewers. An opera singer and a dance troupe drop by to show just how much fun it can be to keep an audience smiling with nothing more than your skills as an entertainer. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Baby Einstein Baby Santas Music Box

2009-11-23T19:33:47-05:00

The Baby Einstein Company has created a number of videos that combine bright objects and images with invigorating music designed to capture the attention of babies and toddlers. In Baby Santa's Music Box, the objects are holiday-oriented. Lights, ornaments, stockings, presents, winter scenes, and plenty of Santas brighten the screen as traditional holiday songs from around the world and classical favorites by Mozart, Handel,and Tchaikovsky play in the background. The Baby Einstein Music Box Orchestra performs the delightful music that enhances the simple festive scenes, providing a perfect opportunity for small children and their parents to enjoy the sights and sounds of the holiday season. ~ Sarah Block, All Movie Guide