Robots, critters and Rugrats aplenty

“Robots” (Fox, $30) is a visually stunning computer-animated family comedy from the creative team of “Ice Age.”

The best of the extras are the original “Robots” short used to pitch the movie; a decent “making of” featurette; a mini-documentary on the Blue Man Group, who collaborated on the score; an informative look at the creation of each character, including interviews with the voice actors; and laid-back commentary with director Chris Wedge and production designer William Joyce.

Nick Park and Aardman Animations, whose latest stop-motion feature, “Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit,” opens next week in theaters, scored an early hit in 1989 with the Oscar-nominated short “Creature Comforts,” which featured perceptive and funny “interviews” with animals at a zoo.

In 2003, Aardman turned “Creature Comforts” into a series. The first season (Sony, $20) has interviews with zoo animals, sea creatures, working animals and even animals at the vet. The DVD includes all 13 episodes, the original “Creature Comforts” shorts and several featurettes.

“Rugrats Tales From the Crib: Snow White” (Paramount, $20) is the first in a new made-for-video series with the popular Nickelodeon animated characters in classic fairy tales with music. The uneven “Snow White” finds the obnoxious Angelica Pickles as the Evil Queen, Susie Carmichael as the sweeter-than-sweet Snow White and the Rugrats as the dwarf-babies.

The easily offended will probably want to avoid “Family Guy Presents Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story” (Fox, $30), a three-episode arc masquerading as a made-for-video movie. No one is left unscathed in this comedy in which the maniacal, matricidal infant searches for the man he thinks is his real father. The DVD features commentary with creator Seth MacFarlane and others.

Also new this week

“Lords of Dogtown” (Sony, $29): Despite generally excellent reviews, this nostalgic drama based on the award-winning documentary “Dogtown and Z-Boys” failed to find an audience in theaters. Written by former “Z-Boy” Stacy Peralta, who also wrote and directed the documentary, the film stars Heath Ledger and Emile Hirsch and was directed by Catherine Hardwicke of “Thirteen.”

Sony is releasing the film in its theatrical PG-13 version, as well as the unrated director’s cut, which, as Hardwicke says, reinstates scenes excised for language and use of illegal substances.

Plentiful extras include genial commentary with Hardwicke and cast members Hirsch, John Robinson and Victor Rasuk, terrific commentary with Peralta and Z-Boy Tony Alva, assorted spills and crashes, footage of Tyson the skateboarding bulldog, and a making-of featurette.

“The Amazing Race: The First Season” (Paramount, $40): The heart-pounding CBS reality series, which features 11 teams of contestants racing around the world, just won its third consecutive Emmy. The four-disc set includes 90 minutes of bonus footage, a retrospective on the first season, a “roadblock” contest not seen on television involving ostrich eggs, and breezy audio commentaries.

“Beverly Hillbillies: The Ultimate Collection, Vol. 1” (MPI, $35): This four-disc set features 26 episodes of the classic 1962-to-1971 CBS sitcom that became the No. 1 show within weeks of its premiere. The DVD includes cast commercials for Kellogg’s (all involving Miss Hathaway and Jethro) and Winston cigarettes (it’s a bit disconcerting to see Granny and Jed puffing away), an interview with Max Baer, musical appearances by Buddy Ebsen and Irene Ryan on “Hollywood Palace” and a featurette on creator Paul Henning.

“The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp: From Ellsworth to Tombstone” (Rhino, $35): Hugh O’Brian became a major TV star with his stalwart performance as the famed marshal in this solid western series, which aired from 1955 to 1961 on CBS. This set features several classic episodes, including the five-part series finale, which finds Earp taking on the Clanton gang at the OK Corral. It also includes new interviews with O’Brian and Alan Dinehart III, who played Bat Masterson, a timeline of Earp’s life and legend, and a short documentary on O’Brian’s Youth Leadership Organization.

“The Man Who Fell to Earth” (Criterion, $40): David Bowie has the title role in Nicolas Roeg’s enigmatic, captivating 1976 adaptation of Walter Tevis’ sci-fi novel. Candy Clark, Buck Henry and Rip Torn also star. The Criterion DVD has 20 minutes of footage cut from the U.S. version.

The two-disc set features erudite commentary recorded in the early 1990s with Roeg, Bowie and Henry, new interviews with Clark, Torn and screenwriter Paul Mayersberg, and audio interviews with costume designer May Routh and production designer Brian Eatwell.

Also: “Bad Timing” (Criterion, $30): Roeg’s sexually frank but often ridiculous 1980 drama of obsessive love features a powerhouse performance by Theresa Russell as a troubled young woman who becomes involved with a psychoanalyst (an awkward Art Garfunkel).

Extras include a revealing interview with Roeg (who later married Russell) and a candid new interview with Russell.

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DVD sales

Here are the 10 top-selling DVDs for the week ending Sept. 18. Rankings are compiled from a variety of major retailers, including Amazon.com, Best Buy, Blockbuster, Circuit City and Tower.

1. “The Hitchhicker’s Guide to the Galaxy”

2. “Fever Pitch”

3. “Crash”

4. “Lost: Season 1”

5. “Sin City”

6. “Monster-in-Law”

7. “Sahara”

8. “Toy Story: 10th Anniversary Edition”

9. “Lilo & Stitch: Stitch Has a Glitch”

10. “Smallville: Season 4”

Source: DVDExclusive.com