Netflix Invaded by Pirates of the Caribbean

Rejoice, all ye fans of swashbuckling, dark comedy and undead scallawags. Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (the one truly great Pirates of the Caribbean movie) has landed on the shores of Netflix for instant streaming.

If I'm not mistaken, this actually marks a return of the film to Netflix, following a lengthy absence that began when the Netflix/Stars agreement ended. This new appearance falls under the terms of the more recent Netflix/Disney arrangement.

One way or the other, it's great to see this film available once again. Even if you feel a bit burned out by all the sequels, over-exposure and classic ride makeovers, Black Pearl remains a fresh, imaginative and (thanks to outstanding performances by all four leads) tremendously likable film.

New Disney Collection Arrives With Great Park Tracks

That enormous 4-album Disney Music set we previewed earlier is now available for purchase and download on iTunes. The best news for park fans is the happy confirmation that all but one of Disneyland/Walt Disney World Tracks on disc 4 are available for individual purchase (Disneyland's Splash Mountain is the only album-only park track). Collectors can now pick out any tracks they need without having to pay $39.99 for a massive set of tunes they probably already own.

I'm very happy to finally have a great recording of "The Best Time of Your Life." Happy music browsing!

Haunted Mansion Holiday Materializes on iTunes

What's this? What's this? There's good news for all fans!

The park music digital download scene continues to flourish; The soundtrack to Disneyland's Haunted Mansion Holiday has creeped delightfully onto iTunes and Amazon MP3. For $7.99, you can add the world's most astonishing once-a-year ride metamorphosis to your playlist.

The album's stretched out with nine cute/creepy Halloween-themed parodies of Christmas carols, but--of course--the reason anyone would buy this is saved for the final track: a terrific and energetic 16 minute ride-through mix of the entire Nightmare Before Christmas-themed attraction. Even if you've never actually visited Haunted Mansion Holiday, this soundtrack completely captures the spirit of the experience. The wonderful music and voice work make it an audio celebration you'll want to listen to again and again.

This has been a great year for park music fans! Please Click here for a complete list of all the Disney park albums currently available on iTunes and Amazon MP3.

More Park Music on iTunes: Pirates, Mansion & Wishes

I don't know which person to thank at Disney for being smart enough to flip the switch, open the vault, turn the valve or whatever happened...but three more great park albums have recently become available on iTunes and Amazon MP3: Pirates of the Caribbean, The Haunted Mansion and Wishes.

If you haven't picked these albums up yet, now's a great time. They each cost $7.99. What you get for that money varies greatly between the three soundtracks. Here's a run-down:

Park Music on iTunes! A Review of The Circle Sessions

Happy New Year! If you're looking for some mellow music to unwind with after all last night's festivities, you're in luck; Disney has actually released an album of park music for digital download on iTunes and Amazon.

The Circle Sessions: The Music of Carthay Circle has been available at Disney California Adventure since early November, but just hit iTunes and Amazon a week before Christmas.

Comprised of twelve tracks from Buena Vista Street's Carthay Circle Restaurant, this album glides through smooth jazz interpretations of classic Disney tunes old and new, including "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes", "Ev'rybody Wants to Be a Cat", "Alice in Wonderland" "Be Our Guest" and "Married Life" from Up.