DVDs to kindle holiday spirit

The elves in Hollywood have been getting ready for the holidays, busy in their DVD factories making sure classic -- and not so classic -- Christmas movies hit the shelves just as we get in the mood to see them. Here's a look at the holiday releases new to DVD so far this year.

* The "Warner Bros. Classic Holiday Collection" features 1938's "A Christmas Carol" and "Boys Town" and 1945's "Christmas in Connecticut."

"A Christmas Carol," which was produced by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, may not be the definitive adaptation of the Charles Dickens' tale, but it's a moving experience thanks to the performances of Reginald Owen as Scrooge and Gene Lockhart as Bob Cratchit. Franz Waxman's lush score is another plus. Extras include the surreal short "A Christmas Party" starring child actor Jackie Cooper and several MGM stars, a clip of Judy Garland singing "Silent Night" and a Technicolor cartoon.

Barbara Stanwyck and Dennis Morgan make a charming couple in "Christmas in Connecticut," a zippy romantic comedy about a food writer who can't cook and a war veteran. The DVD includes the touching, clever 1945 Oscar-winning short, "Star in the Night," which marked Don Siegel's ("Dirty Harry") directorial debut.

* Even as Warner Bros. prepares to re-release "The Polar Express" to IMAX Theaters, where it made a mint last Christmas, director Robert Zemeckis' surreal holiday fable is making its way to DVD. Based on Chris Van Allsburg's popular children's book, it tells of a vintage train that spirits two dozen children to the North Pole on Christmas Eve.

If you're planning to buy "The Polar Express," opt for the two-disc set. The extra disc includes such features as a Tom Hanks profile (he does five roles), trivia games and the making of a Josh Grobin music video.

*"Christmas With the Kranks," starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Tim Allen, has a silly premise. It's the story of a Chicago suburban couple, the Kranks, forced to take part in their neighborhood's elaborate Christmas decorating scheme. Be warned: It may deflate your holiday spirit.