A clutch of new DVD releases -- three of them from the (sometimes) delightfully demented mind of Tim Burton -- demand a willing suspension of disbelief.

First is Burton's strange and even disturbing 2005 remake of Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, starring Johnny Depp as the eccentric sweets mogul Willy Wonka and Freddie Highmore as wide-eyed Charlie. The DVD was released last week in separate full and widescreen editions.

Visually, the movie is sensational. That is what Burton does best -- create dreamscapes where the fantastical is routine and reality is subverted. He does it all with a minimum of digital imaging, preferring to maximize old-fashioned, in-camera special effects while his actors work on lavish sets.

In terms of tone, however, the marriage of Burton and author Roald Dahl is unfortunate. The meanness of Dahl's book is magnified with such intensity that the chocolate tastes bitter, the satire seems savage and even Depp's courageous performance is in the service of demons.

The DVD does little to explain this approach, including Burton's decision to overdevelop the Freudian subtext in which Willy Wonka is driven to madness by his failed relationship with his father (Christopher Lee). Instead, the extras involve diminutive Deep Roy and the creepy Oompa-Loompas. Rarely has Burton used so much computer imaging. Rarely have the results been so grotesque.

TWO BURTON BEAUTIES: Also fresh are new editions of two Burton classics. One is the 15th Anniversary Edition of Edward Scissorhands, Burton's whimsical yet sad twist on Frankenstein. The disc, in separate full or widescreen editions, arrives with few new extras. But separate commentaries by Burton and composer Danny Elfman are significant.

The other title is Big Fish, presented in a package that combines the widescreen film, plus extras, with an odd little fairytale book inscribed thusly: "This is a story full of lies and fabrications but truer for their inclusion."

Both Edward Scissorhands and Big Fish are essentially fantasies with a serious subtext. Both explore the tragedy of broken families, with an emphasis on fractured father-son relationships. It is intriguing to be reminded of that at the same time as Charlie And The Chocolate Factory arrives.

CARTOON CAPER: Madagascar is just as fantastical, but animated cartoons are supposed to be crazy so it is not as obvious just how inventive this particular one is.

On a technical level, this effort by co-directors Eric Darnell and Tim McGrath is ground-breaking because they found a way to use the old squash-and-stretch cartooning technique in an all-digital creation. Subtle yet extremely effective. And the funny yet sweetly moving story about New York zoo animals who find themselves stranded in the wilds of Madagascar is a blast.

The excellent new DVD -- in either full or widescreen editions -- has a strong lineup of bonus materials. They include making-of materials, kids' games and, most significantly, lots of the subversive Penguins, my favourite characters. You get to help them try to crack a code, listen to their bizarre commentary or visit them in a 12-minute bonus short, The Penguins In A Christmas Caper.

PRICELESS: Danny Boyle's brilliant caper comedy Millions features a God-fearing child who finds a bag of stolen money and yearns to do good with the windfall.

The film engages the imagination in a such a giddy new way it makes your head spin. I haven't had a chance to extol its many virtues earlier, but it seems appropriate to catch up with it now in this group of films fired by imagination. Boyle expands the boundaries of "realistic" cinema -- through visions, camera and editing tricks and tonal shifts -- to create a tiny perfect masterwork.

The DVD, in separate full or widescreen editions, advances the understanding of the film through its extras. There are making-of featurettes, intriguing deleted scenes (some of which could/should have been in the film) plus a smart commentary by Boyle and writer Frank Cottrell Boyce.

IN THE BEGINNING: Anyone seeing Zathura in theatres should also check in on Jumanji, available now in a new Deluxe Edition DVD. The widescreen children's classic starring Robin Williams and a teenaged Kirsten Dunst is now a two-disc set fully loaded with extras, including insights into Williams' wonkiness. And the movie is still a WOW! even though the breakthrough digital effects now seem primitive.