Linda M. Steiner Movies

The Peanuts gang learns a valuable lesson in the importance of security after Linus learns that his grandmother plans to rid him of his beloved blanket during an upcoming visit in this animated special inspired by the comic strips of Charles Schulz. Wherever Linus goes, his blanket is sure to follow. But when Linus learns that his fuzzy, ever-present companion may soon be taken away from him, his friends all rally to highlight the importance of letting go. Somewhere between Lucy's arm-chair psychiatry, Snoopy's scheming to claim the blanket for himself, and Charlie Brown's inability to act while seeing his friend in distress, however, the insightful owner of the blanket in question points out the fact that everyone has a comfort item that helps them through hard times, and that sometimes when the going gets tough the best we can do is hang on and hope that things will get better soon. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

More TV animation from the folks at DC Comics, The Legion of Super Heroes concerned a group of crimefighters from the 31st century who at the outset of the series traveled backward some 1,000 years to enlist the legendary Superman in their battle against such villains as the Emerald Empress and the Fatal Five. Unfortunately, the futuristic Legion traveled a bit too far back, and thus met Superman when he was still the youthful Clark Kent, as yet unaware of his "Man of Steel" destiny. Despite this setback, the crimefighters whisked Clark to their own time, there to indoctrinate him in the duties and powers of superheroism, and to clue him in as to what his own career had in store for him. Taking their marching orders from the Mission Monitor Board on behalf of the United Planets, the Legion numbered such members as field leader Lightning Lad (aka Garth Ranzz of the planet Winath), who was able to summon up lightning bolts; Saturn Girl (aka Irma Ardeen of the moon of Titan), who practiced telepathy and mind control; Bouncing Boy (aka Chuck Taine of Earth), capable of inflating himself to monstrous proportions; Phantom Girl (aka Tinya Wazzo), a "Princess Leia" type from the extra-dimensional world of Bgztil, who could pass through solid matter; Timber Wolf (aka Brin Londo of the planet Zunn), a "Wolverine"-style lycanthrope; Brainiac 5, the youngest and smartest of the group, whose robotic powers embraced the ability to transform into weapons, vehicles, and the like; and the self-explanatory Triplicate Girl. Though fast action was the order of the day, the series possessed a refreshingly hip, comic slant, typical of the work of main designer and producer James Tucker. Legion of Super Heroes joined the CW's "Kid's WB" Saturday-morning cartoon lineup on September 23, 2006. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Dark Knight faces off against the Dark Prince when Dracula arrives in Gotham with a nefarious plan to enslave the entire city -- including Batman, The Joker, and Penguin -- in this animated, feature-length adventure. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Fighting a never-ending battle against the forces of evil--and their own immaturities, insecurities and petty jealousies--Robin, Cyborg, Beast Boy, Raven and Starfire return for a third season of the animated Teen Titans. In the season opener, Cyborg, disguised as a muscleman named Stone, infiltrates the H.IV.E. Academy, breeding ground for the evil Slade's minions. The mission succeeds in utterly decimating H.I.V.E. , a victory that may prove Pyrrhic when several surviving academy members mount an undersea counteract against the Titans in a later episode which features "guest hero" Aqualad. Elsewhere: Robin must battle his alter ego Red X, and his own guilt for making Red X the crazy mixed-up character he has become. Starfire surprises everyone when she announces plans to marry a man she's never met. Beast Boy's obsession with computer games causes Cyborg to be infected with a virus that causes him to berserk--and later in the season, Beast Boy experience another personality makeover when he's drenched in toxic waste. The Titans' long-dead enemy Slade apparently returns to life--or is it merely Robin's delirium that has brought about this unholy resurrection? Raven a rendezvous with a magician she frees from one of her books; and later,the less benign illusionist the Amazing Mumbo sucks the Titans into alternate world reminiscent of the Krofft Brothers' Lidsville! Retro villain Mad Mod returns to crash the Titans' 4th of July party and hurtle the U.S. back into the British Empire. And the Titan's unofficial pet Silkie the silkworm, introduced the previous season, turns out to be one of those domestic creatures that becomes more unmanageable (and more dangerous) when it's off its feed. The two-part season finale marks the formation of a new team, Titans East, comprised of DC Comics veterans Speedy and Aqualad, and Spanish twins Mas Y Menos; alas, their crimefighting activities are severely curtailed after a brainwashing session with the sinister Brother Blood. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi