Paramount Home Media Looks To June 18 For The Home Entertainment Launch Of Wonder Park

The Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Movies production of Wonder Park will be available for families to enjoy again and again in the home entertainment universe on June 18.

The ARR works out to 95 days and multiplex ticket sales came in at a nice $45.2 million.

Planned for release are a stand-alone DVD edition and a Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack presentation.

June (voiced by Brianna Denski, a young musical theatre actress who competed with roughly 1,500 other young girls for the role) and her mother (voiced by Jennifer Garner) play for hours in an imaginary world of their own special creation called Wonderland, where all they have to do is imagine it and it all comes true.

This special place is run by adorable animals, including the official Wonderland “greeter,” a blue-colored bear by name of Boomer (voiced by Second City stand-up comedian Ken Hudson Campbell) and the park’s manager, Peanut (voiced by Norbert Leo Butz — as Kevin Rayburn from the Bloodline Netflix series), a chimpanzee who reacts to June’s mother’s voice and immediately creates the rides and attractions that mother and daughter conjure up. 

Other members of the park include the maintenance staff of Gus (voiced by Kenan Thompson) and Cooper (voiced by Ken Jeong), who are brothers (and beavers), a porcupine by the name of Steve (voiced by writer-turned-actor John Oliver — 13 Emmy Awards nominations for writing, with seven wins for Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and The Daily Show) runs park security and Greta (voiced Mila Kunis), a wild boar who Steve has a crush on.

When June’s mom takes ill and has to go to the hospital, her father (voiced by Matthew Broderick) is overwhelmed and packs up June and sends her off to Math Camp.   While riding on the bus, she impulsively decides to “escape” and return home to her father while mom recovers, but quickly gets lost in the woods.

This is where Wonder Park takes off and the fun and adventures begin.   June discovers a rundown and abandoned version of Wonderland hidden in the woods.   It is there that she hooks up with Boomer, Gus, Cooper, Steve and Greta, but Peanut is missing.  To make matters worse, her new friends are being terrorized by an ever-growing population of “Chimpanzombies” and a “darkness” has settled over what was once a fun and magical place.

It doesn’t take long for June to piece it together, she is the cause of the darkness — her despair over her mother’s illness — and the solution is to find Peanut, restore order and get things humming again.   And maybe, just maybe the zombie chimps will be gone, the darkness lifted and Wonderland back to being a place loaded with magical rides and marvelous times.

Remember, Wonder Park is an animated kid’s film, so June’s mom will get well and by the final frame June will have overcome all of the obstacles thrown in her way — even those of her own making.

Bonus nuggets, which are exclusive to the Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack SKU include a deleted scene, “The Pi Song” sing-along and four featurettes — “Making Noises,” “June’s Guide to Wonderland,” “June’s Welcoming Crew” and the three-part featurette titled “Boardwald Caricatures” (“Drawing Boomer,” “Drawing the Wonder Chimp Pirate” and “Drawing the Wonder Chimp Princess”).

Wild Eye Releasing Targets July 16 As The Street For The DVD Debut Of Documentary Filmmaker Cody Meirick's Scary Stories

Wild Eye Releasing, with sales and distribution support provided by MVD Entertainment Group, has scored a very cool — horror-themed — documentary for release to the DVD marketplace this coming July 16.

Titled Scary Stories, documentary filmmaker Cody Meirick takes a look at the history, the controversy and the success of Alvin Schwartz’s three — yes, just three — books in the “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” series.    

Illustrated by the reclusive Stephen Gammell, the three books — “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” (published in 1981), “More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” (this followed in 1984) and “Scary Stories 3: More Tales to Chill Your Bones” (arrived in 1991) — each contained some two-dozen (plus) short horror tales and over 7 million copies were sold.   

Kids loved them and they had an ally in librarians, but certain parent groups and some stick-in-the-mud “educators” condemned them, especially for the graphic drawings that Gammell included with Schwartz’s tales. 

So why has Wild Eye Releasing, one of the premiere home entertainment purveyors of horror and sci-fi films, elected to release a documentary on Alvin Schwartz’s “Scary Stories?”   Simple, Wild Eye Releasing is smart and is taking full advantage of the big-budget Guillermo del Toro production of the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark theatrical release that will be hitting theatres nationwide on Aug. 9. 

If you are a fan of the series — and have all three books in the series (7 million copies!!!) — this DVD is targeted just for you.   Bonus goodies include commentary from filmmaker Cody Meirick and some twenty minutes worth of bonus footage.

Oops They Did It Again — Big Box Retails Out Early With Pre-Orders For Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment's Dumbo On June 25

Way, way back in the spring of 2000, Britney Spears had a number one hit single titled “Oops! … I Did It Again.”   

That was 19 years ago, but it might just be the theme song for today’s “Big Box” retailers when it comes to their order-taking activities.

Sing-a-long … “Oops! … I Did It Again” … “I jumped the gun on taking orders for Dumbo!”    Target and Best Buy like to get in early on announcing the release of new theatrical titles for delivery to the home entertainment marketplace and grab their “fair” share of the release pie … and that’s before the studio in question can officially put out the word.

The latest “Oops” is a pre-order push for director Tim Burton’s $170 million film production of Dumbo, which both of these big box retailers are currently in the process of taking orders for with respect to their exclusive “special edition” 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Pack editions.   They say these will be available on  June 25.   

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, of course, hasn’t officially announced the title as of yet.   But with the deck stacked against them — the Disney Store and its mega-list of “in-house” customers — you can hardly blame Target and Best Buy for acting in their own best interests in ignoring any embargoed announcement protocols.

Just three weeks ago both retailers did the exact same thing with Captain Marvel.  They said June 11 was the street date.   The PR department over at Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment didn’t get around to confirming that date until this week.   

Target and Best Buy were correct in saying June 11 was the street date for Captain Marvel, so we are once again going to take their word for it when it comes to Dumbo being released on June 25.

So, with that said, June 25 will be the street date for a three-SKU helping of filmmaker Tim Burton’s live-action update of the 1941 animated classic … Combo Pack editions for both the 4K Ultra HD (with Blu-ray) and Blu-ray (with DVD) formats, plus a stand-alone DVD edition will be the release mix.

The ARR works out to just 88 days and domestic box office receipts currently stand at $109.8 million.   

Since this is a defensive order-grab on the part of these “big box” retailers and the official word from Disney has not been circulated, there is no information available as to any bonus features.   That will come in time (if the timing follows that of Captain Marvel, expect a formal press announcement in two to three weeks from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment for Dumbo).

For the period ending May 03, 2019 ... New DVD, Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD selections added to the DVD & Blu-ray Release Report's database

 

DVD New Additions

 

Adler & Associates Entertainment (MOD)

04/30/19 — Released Us Too

Adult Source Media

04/30/19 — Released Daddy's Little Princess 2

Anime Midstream

04/30/19 — Released B't X Neo (2 disc set)

Asylum Home Entertainment (MOD)

04/30/19 — Released San Andreas Mega Quake

Blue Ridge Services (MOD)

04/30/19 — Released Transfer Station Safety Training: Personal Protective Equipment and Water Facility Training: Dozer Operations - Ripping and Sloping

Championship Productions

04/30/19 — Released Ball Screen Continuity & Quick Hitters vs. Zone Defense, Building and Rebuilding a Program, Charli Turner Thorne's Favorite Drills, Ganon Baker: Basketball IQ Development Drills, Volume 3, Motion Offense vs. 2-3 Zone & My Favorite Shooting Drills and Practice Drills to Ramp Up Defensive Pressure

Cinedigm Entertainment

04/30/19 — Released Mission of Honor

Conscious Films (MOD)

04/30/19 — Released Dr. Sebi: Eat to Live or Eat to Die #1, Dr. Sebi: Eat to Live or Eat to Die #2, Dr. Sebi: The Nuwuapian #1 and Dr. Sebi: The Nuwuapian #2

DreamScape Media, LLC

04/30/19 — Released Alma and How She Got Her Name

EM3, LLC (MOD)

04/30/19 — Released Strange Love of Martha Ivers

Freestyle Digital (MOD)

04/30/19 — Released Bardo Blues

Get Digital World (MOD)

04/30/19 — Released Disciplined Mind For Dummies, Disciplined Mind Video Course, Facebook Ad Tracking, Facebook Ad Tracking for Dummies, Functional Fitness Course and Functional Fitness for Dummies

Gravitas Ventures (MOD)

04/30/19 — Released Chippendale's Off the Cliff, Great Flip-Off, In Search of Greatness, Lost & Found (ARR of 32 days; box office: $28,365) and Rainbow

I-Cine

04/30/19 — Released Khong Nhu Ngay Hom Qua (14 disc set), Phong Bao Tinh Thu (15 disc set), Tan Thuy Hu, Part 1 (14 disc set), Tan Thuy Hu, Part 2 (14 disc set) and Tra Tao Do (18 disc set)

Icarus Films

07/02/19 — Sets Heiresses (Spanish)

Indican Pictures

05/28/19 — Sets Zilla and Zoe

Kerugma Productions (MOD)

04/30/19 — Released Amazing Prophecies from Scriptures, Journey Through the Bible, Occult Invasion of the Church and What is the Purpose of Our Existence

Kill the Lion Films (MOD)

04/30/19 — Released Rehearsals and Shredder

Leomark Studios, LLC (MOD)

04/30/19 — Released Protect and Serve, Sculpture (Italian) and Treasure

Lionsgate Home Entertainment

04/30/19 — Released Dragged Across Concrete and Hole in the Ground (ARR of 60 days; box office: $21,072)

MVD Entertainment Group

04/30/19 — Released Teddy Pendergrass: If You Don't Know Me

Meridian Releasing (MOD)

04/30/19 — Released They Returned (Spanish) and Tutor (Spanish)

Movie Detective (MOD)

04/30/19 — Released Birth Certificate (Polish), Eloisa is Underneath an Almond Tree (Spanish), Enamorada (Spanish), Eva Fools Around (Czech), La Chanson d'une Nuit (French) and Le Secret du Chevalier d'Éon (French)

Movie Time Video (MOD)

04/30/19 — Released Power of People (Telugu)

North Point Resources

04/30/19 — Released Andy Stanley: The Unsettling Solution for Just About Everything

PBS Direct

04/30/19 — Released Charley Pride: I'm Just Me, Homo Spatius, Nature: Living Volcanos, NOVA: Decoding the Great Pyramid, Reconstruction: America After the Civil War (2 disc set) and Right to Fail

Rogue Video (MOD)

04/30/19 — Released Scream Bloody Murder

Saina Video Vision

04/30/19 — Released Oru Adaar Love (Malayalam)

Scenic Workouts (MOD)

04/30/19 — Released Nude House Cleaning: Mid-Century Modern Maid and Scenic Workouts: Yosemite Valley

Serpent Films (MOD)

04/23/19 — Released 2 Classic Movies (2 film set: Hill Number One, I Love Trouble), 2 Classic Movies (2 film set: Invisible Avenger, Iron Angel), 2 Classic Movies (2 film set: Meet the Boyfriend, Martin Luther) and 2 Classic Movies (2 film set: Pilot X (aka: Death in the Air), Q Planes (aka: Clouds Over Europe))

04/30/19 — Released 2 Classic Movies (2 film set: Isle of Destiny, It Couldn't Have Happened, But it Did), 2 Classic Movies (2 film set: Men of Action, Midnight Manhunt), 2 Classic Movies (2 film set: Night Alarm, Night Tide), 2 Classic Movies (2 film set: No Hands on the Clock, No, No, Nanette) and 2 Classic Movies (2 film set: Non-Stop New York, Oh, Susannah!)

Shemaroo Entertainment

04/30/19 — Released Hotel Milan (Hindi) and Ranbanka (Hindi)

Smart Mark Video (MOD)

04/30/19 — Released Absolute Intense Wrestling: Slumber Party Massacre - Jersey City, NJ, BRAWL: Night of the Brawlers - Williamstown, NJ, Game Changer Wrestling: Orange Cassidy is Doing Something, or Whatever, Who Knows? - Jersey City, NJ, Glory Pro Wrestling: Aces High - Belleville, IL, H2O Wrestling: 2 Tuff 2 Quit - Williamstown, NJ, IWA Mid-South: Spring Tryout Show - Jeffersonville, IN, IWA Mid-South: Thunder Before Thunder - Jeffersonville, IN and IWA Mid-South: We are IWA - Jeffersonville, IN

Sony Pictures Home Ent.

05/07/19 — Sets Better Call Saul: Season Four (3 disc set)

05/14/19 — Sets Never Look Away (German) (ARR of 165 days; box office: $1,258,670)

Universal Pictures Home Ent.

06/18/19 — Sets Hotel Mumbai (ARR of 88 days; box office: $9,293,070) and Us (ARR of 88 days; box office: $172,877,890)

07/02/19 — Sets Best of Enemies (ARR of 88 days; box office: $10,008,6881)

Warner Bros. Home Ent. (MOD)

05/07/19 — Adds Gangway for Tomorrow, Lady Scarface, Let's Make Music, Unexpected Uncle and What a Blonde

05/14/19 — Sets Gorilla Man, Prisoner of Second Avenue, South of Suez and Three Cheers for the Irish

05/21/19 — Adds Beauty for Sale, Espionage and Sinner Take All

05/21/19 — Sets Girl of the Port, Golden Arrow, Gridiron Flash, Make Way for the Lady and Man Who Found Himself

Wolfe

07/30/19 — Sets Retablo (Spanish)

Blu-ray New Additions

 

Ammo Content, LLC (MOD)

04/30/19 — Released Deadly Crush

Arrow Video

04/30/19 — Released Khrustalyov, My Car! (Russian)

Cinedigm Entertainment

04/30/19 — Released Mission of Honor

Cinetrove International

04/30/19 — Released L'Eau a la Bouche (Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack) (French)

Cri-One (MOD)

04/30/19 — Released Chris Brown Turns a Colorburst Blank

Eastern Star

04/30/19 — Released Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight! (2 disc set) and Kyo Kara Maoh!: The Complete First Season (4 disc set)

FUNimation

04/30/19 — Released Absolute Duo: The Complete Series (2 disc set) (with Digital Copy), Barakamon (2 disc set) (with Digital Copy), Hakyu Hoshin Engi: The Complete Collection (4 disc set) (with Digital Copy), High School DxD Hero: Season 4 (2 Blu-ray/2 DVD Combo Pack) (with Digital Copy) and Rolling Girls: The Complete Collection (2 disc set)

Gravitas Ventures (MOD)

04/30/19 — Released Chippendale's Off the Cliff, Great Flip-Off, In Search of Greatness, Lost & Found and Rainbow

Kino Lorber

04/30/19 — Released Fantomas: Three Film Collection (3 film set: Fantomas, Fantomas Unleashed, Fantomas vs. Scotland Yard) (French) (3 disc set), Hannibal and Pink Panther Cartoon Collection, Volume 5

05/07/19 — Sets Kind Hearts and Coronets, Lavender Hill Mob and Man in the White Suit

Kuma Telefilms

04/30/19 — Released Konodan Collection, Volume 1

Lionsgate Home Entertainment

04/30/19 — Released Dragged Across Concrete

MPI Home Entertainment

04/30/19 — Released Level 16

MVD Entertainment Group

04/30/19 — Released Teddy Pendergrass: If You Don't Know Me

Meridian Releasing (MOD)

04/30/19 — Released They Returned (Spanish) and Tutor (Spanish)

Mill Creek Entertainment

07/09/19 — Adds NASA: A Journey Through Space (2 disc set) With Digital Copy)

Sentai FilmWorks

04/30/19 — Released Mitsuboshi Colors: Complete Collection (2 disc set)

Severin Films, LLC

04/30/19 — Released Death Warmed Up, Emanuelle and Francoise (Italian) and Escape From Women's Prison

Shout! Factory

04/30/19 — Released Boxer, Brain, Kuffs, Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki (Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack) and Tarantula

Silent Hall of Fame (MOD)

04/30/19 — Released Rags (silent-1915)

Tempe Video (MOD)

04/30/19 — Released Unlisted Owner

Universal Pictures Home Ent.

06/18/19 — Sets Hotel Mumbai (Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack) (with Digital Copy) and Us (Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack) (with Digital Copy)

07/02/19 — Sets Best of Enemies (Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack) (with Digital Copy)

4K Ultra HD New Additions

Mill Creek Entertainment

07/09/19 — Sets Space Station (4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Pack) (with Digital Copy)

Naxos

04/30/19 — Released Carl Maria von Webers: Der Freischütz

Universal Pictures Home Ent.

06/18/19 — Sets Us ((4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Pack Edition) (with Digital Copy)

Warner Bros. Home Ent.

06/04/19 — Adds Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Pack Edition) (with Digital Copy)

 

Mill Creek Entertainment Tabs July 9 For The 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Pack Release Of IMAX: Space Station

Last week Mill Creek Entertainment announced its first priced-to-collect Blu-ray product offerings for the month of July.   These were two new 4K transfer (both first time in widescreen) from cult filmmaker Andy Sidaris’ “Bullets, Bombs and Babes” hit series of films from the 1980s.   

Already in place and released on Apr. 16 were Malibu Express and Hard Ticket to Hawaii and now July 9 will see the arrival of Dona Speir and Hope Marie Carlton starring in Picasso Trigger and Savage Beach (both include Digital Copy).

That’s a tough act to follow, but Mill Creek Entertainment has matched the excitement of these action classics with an eye towards the celebration of the 50^th Anniversary of the Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin’s moon landing on July 20, 1969.   Available on July 9 will be a 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Pack edition of documentary filmmaker Toni Myers’ 2002 IMAX presentation of Space Station (complete with Digital Copy).

This film about the construction of the International Space Station, space walks and more has grossed over $93 million in its long-term IMAX theatrical run.  Tom Cruise serves as the narrator and the visuals are nothing short of spectacular!

Bonus goodies included with the 4K Ultra HD debut include the featurette titled “Adventures in Space,” featuring Tom Cruise, filmmaker Toni Myers and ISS astronauts, plus two technical featurettes — “Expedition 7” (a tour of the ISS) and “STS-108” (a tour of the Endeavor on its way to the ISS).

Wait!   Mill Creek Entertainment’s celebration of space continues on July 9 with the double-disc Blu-ray release of NASA: A Journey Through Space (complete with Digital Copy).

This seven-part history of the United States space program includes the following segments — “The History of Flying and the Space Race,” “Operation: Lift Off,” “Shooting for the Moon,” “The Apollo Missions,” “After a Giant Leap,” “The Shuttle and Living in Space” and “The 21st Century and Beyond.”

Bullets, Bombs and Babes and the 50^th Anniversary celebration of the Moon Landing … and Mill Creek Entertainment is just getting started!

Cinetrove International Restores French New Wave Filmmaker Jacques Doniol-Valcroze's L’eau a la Bouche For Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack Release On June 18

The French New Wave produced the likes of François Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard, Claude Chabrol and Éric Rohmer and in early 1960 a new “filmmaker” member to the movement made his feature film directing debut … Jacques Doniol-Valcroze.   

His role, however, with the New Wave film movement in France was from its very beginning in the post-war period … and as a co-founder of the New Wave film magazine Cahiers du Cinéma, Doniol-Valcroze credentials are impeccable.   It just took a tad longer for him to sit in the director’s chair.

Word arrived this past week that Cinetrove International has a new restoration of Doniol-Valcroze’s debut feature film, L’eau a la Bouche (aka: A Game for Six Lovers) ready for domestic consumption on June 18 as a Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack.

The film, starring Bernadette Lafont (three-time César Awards nominee — Prête-Moi Ta main, Masques, L'Effrontée) Françoise Brion and Alexandra Stewart, was released theatrically in France in January of 1960, but when it arrived in the United States two years later, the French language track had been stripped out and the film was dubbed — can you imagine Truffaut’s 400 Blows or Godard’s Breathless as only English-dubbed viewing options!!   Fortunately, Cinetrove International has the original French-language version for cinephiles to enjoy.

Miléna (Brion) lives in her wealthy grandmother’s château and suddenly finds her comfy world coming unraveled when the old lady dies.   The attorney for the estate insists that Miléna’s estranged cousins be at the reading of the will and soon enough Fifine (Stewart) arrives … and just as quickly starts hitting on the attorney.   

Fifine’s brother, Jean-Paul (who is really her lover) also shows up and is quickly smitten with his “cousin,” Miléna.   This complicated series of affairs of the heart expands to include the long-time butler who is trying to score with the new maid!

So how does it all work out?   Cousins with “cousins” and the legal affairs of the estate in obvious conflict … June 18 on Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack to find out how it all comes out.

L’eau a la Bouche is presented in French with English subtitles.   Bonus features include an extensive photo gallery and the featurette titled “The French 60s and theme to L’eau a la Bouche by Serge Gainsbourg.”