The family film genre is problematic because the term gets bandied about for everything from sermonizing dramas to lowbrow comedies. But there are movies which simply can be seen by the whole family as a group endeavour.

Three are freshly minted on DVD.

Debuting this week are new special editions of two vintage, live-action Disney productions: Escape to Witch Mountain (1975) and Return to Witch Mountain (1978). Debuting next week is The Velveteen Rabbit (2007), a fresh, independent take on Margery Williams’ beloved children’s book. It is a hybrid of live action and traditional animation.

None deserves to be called a classic. Yet each, with its strengths and weaknesses, is worth looking at as a family-friendly entertainment containing a few life lessons.

The Witch Mountain movies are reappearing on DVD — separately and with added bonus materials — in Disney’s Family Classics series (Disney is not shy about hyping its own fare).

Each movie is a sci-fi adventure involving two young aliens — brother and sister Tony and Tia — who get into trouble with human villains because of their superpowers. Escape is their origins story, a charming romp that succeeds on the strength of the kid stars, Ike Eisenmann and Kim Richards, on Eddie Albert’s pluck, and on the quality of the arch villains played by Donald Pleasence and Ray Milland.

The lesser (and obviously cheaper) sequel is what happens to them on a Los Angeles vacation three years later. While the sequel’s villains are impressive — horror legend Christopher Lee and Hollywood titan Bette Davis — the kids have lost their cute and the story is hokum.

The timing of these DVDs is obvious: There is new high-tech, effects-driven movie, Race to Witch Mountain, in theatres this weekend. It co-stars Dwayne Johnson with two new kids.

The Witch DVDs are a nostalgia trip. Their optical special effects are decidedly low-tech, in comparison to what can be done digitally today. The old levitations are modest. The best trick in Escape is wire work that created the whirling hat rack, which attacks the dullard cop. Dancing marionettes are another nice touch. But the space ship — a miniature — is embarrassing in both movies, as bad as that in Plan 9 From Outer Space.

The Escape special edition has good extras, some from 2003 and some new. Among them is a commentary, pop-up fact boxes, an interview with director John Hough and a vintage cartoon, Pluto’s Dream House.

The Return special edition is just as strong. In addition to making-of materials, a commentary and a vintage Donald Duck cartoon, there is an 11-minute interview with Lee — in Spanish with English subtitles! — from 1978. Spanish journalist Pepe Lupi talked to the multilingual actor at the Disney studios about Return, even coaxing him to sing opera a capella. Priceless!

The Velveteen Rabbit: Michael Landon Jr. directed this version of the timeless story, an inspirational tale about a boy seeking love from a father who is paralyzed with grief. The heartbreaking story plays out at grandmother’s house, and in a magic animated land accessed through old toys in her attic.

Velveteen is a joint Canadian-American effort. Much of the crew and most of the on-screen talent, including the child star Matthew Harbour, is Canadian; the voice stars — Jane Seymour, Tom Skerritt and Ellen Burstyn — are not. Landon does a lovely directing job, given the challenges of seamlessly blending reality and traditional animation. The tear-jerking movie goes for broke in the warm-and-fuzzies and wins its audience over.

The DVD extras are limited but we do get to meet with key stars and view deleted scenes.

bruce.kirkland@sunmedia.ca