The catch of the week is "Spongebob Squarepants," taking the plunge onto home video on Tuesday. Silly, seafaring stories from Nickelodeon's phenomenally popular cartoon franchise will be released on two VHS collections, "Nautical Nonsense" and "Spongebuddies" ($13 each), and a single-disc DVD ($20).
Since its debut in 1999, Spongebob, the "absorbent and yellow and porous" sponge who lives in an undersea pineapple in Bikini Bottom, has reeled in an adult cult following.
Also available this week is "Tom and Jerry: The Magic Ring," which, if nothing else, is a marked improvement over 1993's sorry "Tom and Jerry: The Movie," in which Tom and Jerry actually talked.
In this produced-for-video feature, Tom's owner, a Gen-X wizard, leaves the cat in charge of his magic ring, which inevitably becomes stuck on mouse Jerry's head. The look of the film recalls Tom and Jerry's 1940s heyday. There's a cameo by Droopy, and Tex Avery fans will note the homage to his classic "Bad Luck Blackie."
Like Tom and Jerry themselves, "The Magic Ring" hits the ground running with the usual slapstick and, at a scant 62 minutes, flies by.
Raffi still in tune after 6-year hiatus
Raffi is back with "Let's Play," his first album in six years, and it's like he never left. The songs are a delightful mix of traditional favorites and Raffi originals. One, "Blessed Be," was recorded by Alison Krauss for the recent tribute compilation "Country Goes Raffi." The title tune is a "happy, tapping" song that recalls his "Time to Sing" (and even references his most beloved song, "Baby Beluga").
Available Tuesday, "Let's Play" retails for $18 on compact disc and $12 on audiocassette. To order call 800-ROUNDER.
'Ice Age' slated for warm reception
After warming up audiences for months with its hilarious theatrical previews, the PG-rated "Ice Age" opens in theaters Friday. This digitally animated feature, directed by Chris Wedge, an Academy Award-winner for his animated short "Bunny," features a great voice cast, including John Leguizamo, Denis Leary and Ray Romano as, respectively, a sloth, a saber-toothed tiger and a woolly mammoth who embark on a quest to return an orphaned human baby to the father.
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