Three of Miyazaki’s best going to DVD

Spirited Away

Kiki’s Delivery Service

Castle in the Sky

Animated

Disney, VHS $20 (each)

DVD $30 (each)

The animated films of Japan’s Hayao Miyazaki are splendid, warm, imaginative, magical and brilliantly executed. And Disney is releasing three of his best on VHS and DVD, including “Spirited Away,” his 2002 Oscar winner for best animated feature. It’s rightly considered his masterpiece.

“Spirited Away” revolves around a young girl named Chihiro. Upset that she and her parents are moving to a new land, she finds herself in an alternate reality. The double-disc DVD features an introduction by “Toy Story” creator John Lasseter; a brief profile of the voice talent who dubbed the film; a fascinating, candid Japanese TV special chronicling the production of the film; the art of the film; and storyboard-to-film comparisons.

“Kiki’s Delivery Service,” from 1989, is a delightful story of a 13-year-old witch. The two-disc set also features an intro by Lasseter and a look at the voice talent (Phil Hartman supplies the voice of the cat) and the storyboards.

“Castle in the Sky” (1986) is a trippy tale about a young boy who finds a young girl descending from the sky wearing a mysterious crystal around her neck. Pirates and sinister agents who want the enigmatic, powerful crystal are pursuing her.

*

Drumline

Nick Cannon, Orlando Jones

Fox, $28

Charles Stone III directed this predictable but stylish drama about college football marching bands. Cannon, who made a name for himself on Nickelodeon’s kids comedy-variety shows, makes his debut as a cocky teen from Brooklyn who gets a drumming scholarship to an Atlanta university. Before you can say “Downbeat!” he clashes with the traditional bandleader (Jones) and falls in love with a beautiful classmate (Zoe Saldana). The DVD includes music videos, a “making-of” special, deleted scenes with commentary by Stone and a commentary track by Stone.

*

The Transporter

Jason Statham

Fox, $28

Star Statham from “Snatch” has a definite screen presence. And “The Transporter” features plenty of fast-paced fight action staged by Hong Kong director Corey Yuen and a rip-roaring car chase scene. But no amount of glitz can hide the fact that this action-thriller is just a disposable bit of celluloid.

The DVD contains more material than is necessary for a film of this quality. The disc features a typical “making-of” featurette and commentary from the charming Statham and producer Steven Chasman. The best extra on the disc is 15-minutes of unrated, extended fight sequences which are pretty spectacular but were cut because of time constraints and also in order to maintain a PG-13 rating.

Also this week

Pierce Brosnan stars as an unemployed painter in 1950s Dublin who is forced to put his children in orphanages in “Evelyn” (MGM: $26.98); “Rabbit-Proof Fence” (Miramax: $29.99) is director Philip Noyce’s political statement on the treatment of Australia’s aboriginal people.

Top VHS rentals

1. “Red Dragon”

2. “Maid in Manhattan”

3. “Ghost Ship”

4. “Friday After Night”

5. “8 Mile”

Top DVD rentals

1. “Red Dragon”

2. “Maid in Manhattan”

3. “Ghost Ship”

4. “Jackass: The Movie”

5. “8 Mile”

What’s coming

Tuesday: “Real Women Have Curves,” “The Crime of Padre Amaro,” “The Believer,” “Standing in the Shadows of Motown,” “Bloody Sunday,” “Kandahar” and “Night at the Golden Eagle”

-- Susan King