Kid Vid: There's More Than Just Disney Fare Out There

With its "Aladdin" sequel, "The Return of Jafar," setting new sales records for a straight-to-video release, Disney continues to be the dominant player in the kid-vid market.

But there's more than enough competition this summer, and some of it is seriously challenging Disney. Cassettes of "We're Back," "The Sandlot" and last year's theatrical remake of "The Secret Garden" are selling exceptionally well, and so are "The Polar Bear King," "Mighty Morphin: Green Ranger" and a collection of Shirley Temple classics led by "Heidi" and "Bright Eyes." (Next week, Disney is bringing out its own "Heidi," starring Jason Robards and Patricia Neal.)

Trying to beat Disney at its own game is Sony Wonder's "The Jungle King" ($15), a 48-minute tape that's being released just in time to compete with the theatrical release of Disney's new cartoon, "The Lion King." The storyline, about a lion who poses as his kidnapped twin brother, is the brainchild of Diane Eskenazi, who also created GoodTimes Home Video's best-selling non-Disney "Aladdin."

At the same length and price, Sony is also offering a version of "Snow White" that's available several months before Disney's "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" makes its tape debut Oct. 28. In addition, the company has "Noah's Ark," "Peter Rabbit," "The Night Before Christmas" and "The Prince and the Pauper" (also $15 apiece) and a couple of tapes from the animated adventure series, "Cadillacs and Dinosaurs" ($10 apiece), which takes place in the post-apocalyptic 26th Century.

Turner Home Entertainment has a new collection of "Timeless Tales From Hallmark" ($10 apiece) including "The Ugly Duckling," "Rumpelstiltskin," "Thumbelina" and "Rapunzel," with animation provided by Hanna-Barbera. Golden Book Video has three tapes inspired by Robert Munsch's children's books: "Pigs," "Something Good" and "Murmel, Murmel, Murmel" ($13 apiece).

Later this month, MCA Home Video is releasing six more stories from "Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories" ($13 apiece), including adaptations of such popular children's books as "Tugford Wanted to be Bad," "Moe the Dog in Tropical Paradise" and "Amos, the Story of an Old Dog and His Couch."

Three 30-minute episodes from the animated "Robocop" series are available from Best Film & Video Corp ($15 apiece), which is also bringing out several episodes from "Biker Mice From Mars" ($15). A&M Records has "Radio Show" and "Pet Fair" from Nickelodeon's "Elephant Show" ($12 apiece).

For younger children, Discovery Music recently brought out "Bethie's Really Silly Songs about Animals" ($15) and Wood Knapp has "What's Under My Bed? And Other Creepy Stories" ($15). Pam Beall and Susan Nipp's long-running "Wee Sing" series, which has sold 15 million cassettes since 1977, continues with "Wee Sing in the Big Rock Candy Mountains" and "The Wee Sing Train" ($15).

Republic Pictures, in connection with Children's Television Workshop, has just released three tapes in its "Ghostwriter" series ($15 each), which was created as a multi-media literacy project for 7-to-10-year-olds. Designed to demonstrate the value of reading and writing, each story invites children to solve mysteries with the help of a "ghostwriter" who can communicate only through written messages.

ABC Video is offering a new series of 45-minute-long cassettes, "Trailside: Make Your Own Adventure" ($20 apiece), drawn from the television show hosted by John Viehman but including new footage. The outdoor writer and executive editor of Backpacker magazine, Viehman and several other experts offer tips on kayaking, rainforest hiking, skiing and camping while traveling to Baja, Puerto Rico, Montana, Colorado, Utah and Alaska.

Some titles may be hard to track down at your local store.

A "video field trip" aimed at 3-to-9-year-olds, "Whistlepunks & Silverpickers: A Fun Look at Forestry" ($19), is available from an Oregon company, I Can Do It! Productions. Information: 800-698-3567.

Mary Clever's "Songs and Fingerplays for Little Ones" (Clever Productions, $15) uses 17 songs to demonstrate how to teach skills and ideas through music. Information: 408-449-9141.

Westmoreland Productions Inc. has "Cleared to Land" ($13), an hour-long child-oriented tape that goes behind the scenes at a busy airport. Information: 800-582-5802.

Ivy Classics Video has just released a 74-minute "biography" of Betty Boop, "Boop Oop a Doop" ($20), narrated by Steve Allen, that illustrates the animation techniques of her creator, Max Fleischer. Information: 704-333-3991.

"Choo Choo Trains . . . Close Up and Very Personal" (Stage Fright, $15) is a 30-minute tape focusing on trains in motion in the mountains of Colorado and New Mexico. Available for the same price are two more "Close Up and Very Personal" tapes: "Farm Animals" and "Big Rigs." Information: 1-800-979-6800.

More train tapes, "Marathon of Steam" ($20) and "The U.S. Military Railroad: Civil War Trains" ($20), are available from a local company, CounterTop Video Corp. in Bellevue. Train movies were once popular among 8mm and 16mm collectors, and they're selling in the tens of thousands on tape too. Information: 562-1202.

Video Watch by John Hartl appears Thursdays in Scene. For more information call the Video Hotline on InfoLine, a telephone information service of The Seattle Times. Call 464-2000 from a touch-tone phone and enter category 7369. It's a free local call.