A ‘Wild’ devotion from Penn and Jon Krakauer

Into the Wild

Paramount, $29.99; Blu ray/HD, $39.99

Sean Penn beautifully adapted the Jon Krakauer bestseller about an idealistic young man and his stunning search for transcendence in a film that is at once epic and intimate. Christopher McCandless, hauntingly portrayed by Emile Hirsch, crisscrossed the American West on a post-collegiate sojourn before disappearing into the Alaskan wilderness in 1992. The double-disc set includes a pair of compelling making-of shorts that capture Krakauer and Penn’s devotion to telling McCandless’ tale -- one exploring the back story and characters, the other depicting the rigorous shoot.

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Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium

Fox, $29.98; Blu-ray, $39.98

Screenwriter Zach Helm’s whimsical directing debut -- starring Dustin Hoffman, Natalie Portman and Jason Bateman -- is plagued by a slack narrative and flat characters and falls in the long shadow cast by similarly fantastical literary and cinematic confections. The story of a 243-year-old impresario’s magical toy store, the film’s underlying themes also seemed too dark for children. Extras include a quartet of behind-the-scenes featurettes.

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My Kid Could Paint That

Sony, $24.96

A documentary ostensibly on the nature of art, media exploitation and instant celebrity, director Amir Bar-Lev’s absorbing film eventually becomes entangled in the difficult question of who is exploiting whom. The film follows the minor fame heaped upon a 4-year-old painting prodigy and what ensued after “60 Minutes” questioned whether the work was actually hers. The disc includes commentary by art dealer Anthony Brunelli and the film’s editor, John W. Walter, a making-of doc that encapsulates deleted scenes, outtakes and a Q&A;, plus a second short with New York Times art critic Michael Kimmelman.

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101 Dalmatians

Disney, $29.98

The original 1961 animated version of the Disney classic gets a digital restoration and a bountiful litter of bonus features in this two-disc set. One of the great hand-drawn screen villains, Cruella De Vil rounds up London’s spotted puppy population for her sinister purposes. Playful graphics introduce the documentary material, musical extras, games and activities, notably pop-up trivia that can be viewed while watching the movie.

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Things We Lost in the Fire

Paramount, $29.99; HD, $39.99

In a film seemingly created to chase critical accolades and awards, Halle Berry and Benicio Del Toro star as longtime friends who turn to each other in a time of grieving. Critics tended to praise the performances but were less keen overall on the authenticity and sentimentality of Danish director Susanne Bier’s time-fracturing American debut. Extras include seven deleted scenes and a conversation on the making of the film.

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Billy Wilder Collection

MGM, $39.98

Four of the virtuosic filmmaker’s later comedies -- all written with longtime collaborator I.A.L. Diamond and three of which star the quintessential Wilder everyman, Jack Lemmon -- are brought together in this box set. “Some Like It Hot” has several behind-the-scenes extras, while “The Apartment” (1960) features a commentary track with producer and film historian Bruce Block and a couple of featurettes; “Kiss Me Stupid” (1964) includes an alternate scene. “The Fortune Cookie” (1966) has no bonus features but is notable for Walter Matthau’s Oscar-winning turn as the ambulance-chasing “Whiplash” Willie Gingrich.

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And . . .

“Awake” (Weinstein Co. $28.95); “Eleven Men Out” (Here! $24.95); “The Love Boat,” Season 1 (CBS/Paramount; $39.99); “Trading Spaces: The Specials” (Genius; $14.95); “Mrs. Doubtfire: Behind-the-Seams Special Edition” (Fox, $19.98)

-- Kevin Crust