BUENA VISTA HOME VIDEO has also released a wonderful dvd presentation of "JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH".   This makes a wonderful addition to "NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS" in any dvd collection!  While this reviewer enjoyed "NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS" more than "JAMES", our audience of "Children/critics" enjoyed this just as much. 

The "James" referred to in the title, is a young boy who is orphaned early
on and made to live with two vicious aunts.  One day, the chance to get away from his misery presents itself in the form of a giant peach that has
magically "grown" beside his home.  After James finds his way "into" the
peach, it rolls off onto an exciting and even more colorful adventure. 

The music to this film isn't nearly as memorable as the score to "NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS".  Still, it may please the less-demanding youngsters in the audience.

Again, BUENA VISTA HOME VIDEO has elected not to present this title with 16:9 enhancement.  While the image is decent for the most part, it's also quite soft, making it inferior to the image presented on laserdisc.  There is generally fine detail here, but the While color values and resolution are pretty good, there is also a surprising amount of pixelation present!  It jus isn't up to the standards achieved with the most recent BUENA VISTA HOME VIDEO dvd releases.


BUENA VISTA HOME VIDEO does deserve a big hand for choosing to offer both Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 sound mixes!   The sound mix to "JAMES" is extremely entertaining throughout the entire film!  While the wonderful look of the film's designs help to convey a big and incredible world, the directional effects help achieve this concept even further, offering a terrific sense of dimensionality!  Randy(Toy Story)Newman is responsible for the score, and while it's not as incredible as what he's achieved in his other films, it's imaginative at times.  While the Dolby Digital 5.1 mix offers wonderful scope, the DTS track offers more detail in almost every instance!
 
There are some supplements, but nothing really qualifying this as a "Special Edition".  There is a short featurette, more promotional than anything else.
A music video and trailers for this film and "NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS".