DVD review | A Mummy Too

Somewhere, hidden amongst thorny brambles is a little kingdom of Elves and Fairies – Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom

JD and Little Miss J are both fans of Ben & Holly, Mark loves the animation and I’m a big fan of Nanny Plum – she’s a little hapless, but she gets the job done.

Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom: The Elf Games and Other Adventures was released on 14th May 2012 with an RRP of £8.99 – not bad value for 10 episodes, which include some instant classics about robots, giant fish and very mild peril:

Nanny’s Lesson
The Elf Factory
Mrs Witch
Elf Joke Day
Kind Thistle’s New Clothes
Elf School
The Royal Golf Course
Morning Noon & Night
Gaston’s Visit
Trip to the Seaside

Disclosure: we were sent a copy of Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom: The Elf Games free of charge for review. No payment was received. All reviews are 100% honest.

A boy falls in chocolate and it’s funny! – JD, 4

Over Easter, JD and I watched both Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) on DVD . We’d seen them both before, we love them both, but it does beg the most serious of questions…

Which is the better movie?

Indeed, which has the best…

Wonka? Wilder has the acting edge. Depp does a great job of playing the dark, tortured clown, but Wilder’s closing scenes, where he turns on Charlie and shouts, “You lose! You get NOTHING!” used to terrify me as a child, and it had JD staring in wide-eyed concern, but it’s a thrilling moment – the best in the whole film, we reckon. One point to Wilder.
Script? We like Depp’s ‘cool cat’ turns of phrase but all the best lines in the new version are straight out of the old movie, so while the new script keeps things interesting, the original script wins it for us. Another point to Wilder.
Charlie? I have to admit I LOVE the British Charlie in the remake. He’s such a cutie and his acting is great. You can’t fail to love him. JD also reckons he’s funnier, so that’s one point to Depp.
Cool factor? Depp is looking uber-funky and his outfit is amazing, but Wilder’s Wonka is more fun, and he was in Hear No Evil, See No Evil, so I reckon Wilder wins that round. Another point to Wilder.
Songs? JD really enjoyed all the songs in the original movie – they’re classics! He was less taken with the new Oompa Loompas until they came out dressed as KISS and then he was overjoyed, so I reckon that’s a point each to Depp and Wilder.
Grown up entertainment? Hmm, a tough one. Wilder is more likable, but the whole story of Wonka’s childhood adds more depth to the remake, not to mention the fact that Depp is rather easy on the eye. It’s another point to Depp.
Visuals? We love the original with its tower full of bubbles and the car that goes in dirty and comes out clean, but Burton’s interpretation is, well, as fantastic as all his other work. A tough one, but it’s another point to Depp.