If you like Wallace and Gromit, be sure to check out this holiday disc. BBC Video and Warner have released this holiday treat for young and old alike with dubbed American star cast (Ben Stiller, Britney Spears, Jim Belushi, Brad Garrett, James Woods and Hugh Grant) and placed both the animations on one DVD.

Robbie, played by Ben Stiller, arrives at the North Pole to join Santa's team of reindeer. The team's leader, Blitzen, has evil intentions for Robbie and tries to sabotage the lovable reindeer's plans. Robbie is encouraged by Donner (Britney Spears) who helps him get ready for the annual "Reindeer Games", in which Robbie and Blitzen have their showdown. The humor in this animated wonder is sweet and sly at the same time. While this is perfect family fare, there are many jokes in the script that can have extra meaning for adults. In the second feature, Robbie discovers a lost Viking tribe, which has been hiding out because they didn't like to fight. Evil Blitzen returns (Hugh Grant) with the help of his sidekick, The White Rabbit and his gang of rabbit thugs and soon set up a tourist attraction which has alternative intentions. Donner complicates matters by giving Robbie an ultimatum about their relationship. Its up to Robbie to set things straight with the tribe and the town before Blitzen wins out. This second animation is a bit more daring then the first and is more satirical. Check out the chase scene taken from "Return of the Jedi". It's hilarious.

The beautiful animation is sharp as a tack on this disc. Use your pause button to see the animation technique used in the production. Using the same animation techniques that produced "Wallace and Gromit" and "Chicken Run", the production team for Robbie used the pains- taking process of 24 still shots per second of film and produced the first 30 minute "Robbie" film in two years time. Sometimes a three second shot took 8 hours of work to produce. Sets are rich in detail and the disc has excellent replay value to catch all the subtle nuances placed in the film. Sound is Dolby stereo, which is acceptable but a 5.1 soundtrack would have improved the disc's overall rating. Soundtrack music for "Robbie" one was written by Mark Knopfler.

A smattering of extras are included on the disc, with short making of documentaries of both features. Since the disc used a dubbed American cast the documentaries include the original English actors and not Ben Stiller and company. The extras also show set production and interviews with the production crew. Still bios are also offered of the American cast and there are some Easter eggs hidden as well. The disc also includes a separate audio track with the original English cast, which included Jeff Goldblum (English?), Sir David Attenbourough, and pop star Natalie Imbruglia. A commentary track is also included with the directors of both films.

This delightful disc is a great addition to any Christmas video library and will entertain you throughout the year. Animation is first rate with witty writing for both children and adults. The intricate sets make the disc a great replay value alone. All animation fans yearning for more traditional animation techniques will appreciate this disc.