All year long we take note here of the biggest new DVD releases, but priorities change around the holidays. At gift-giving time it makes more sense to point out some of the niche items that came beaming our way.

Something here might make the ideal token present for that strange nephew, or the perfect stocking-stuffer for someone closer to you -- maybe even you yourself. All quoted prices are suggested retail, so shop around.

For those who think young

"Hey There, It's Yogi Bear" (Warner Home Video, rated G, widescreen, $19.98) and "The Man Called Flintstone" (Warner Home Video, not rated, full screen, $19.98). Yogi Bear and Fred Flintstone -- two of the biggest names from the Hanna-Barbera TV roster -- didn't quite pull off the transition to big-screen features in the mid-1960s. But these two "star vehicles" gave fans a bit of tuneful merriment. In the first, Yogi shows he cares for more than "pic-a-nic" baskets when he leaves Jellystone with Boo Boo to rescue girlfriend Cindy from a mad circus owner. And in the second, caveman Fred spoofs the basic absurdity of spy flicks with a caper centered on his amazing resemblance to a "world-famous" secret agent. Both now-retired cartoon stars will be pleased by the treatment their debut films received at the hands of the video masters at Warner.

"The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea" (Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, rated G, $29.99). In a new sequel arriving this week, the former mermaid rebel Ariel is now a land-loving mom with a head-strong teen daughter of her own. Young Melody doesn't understand her keen attraction to the ocean or why her mother is trying to keep her from it. Perhaps it has something to do with the revenge schemes of the late Ursula's power-mad sister, Morgana. All of the principals lend their voices again to this DVD original, which has some new songs and plenty of colorful animation in the tradition of the savvy TV spinoff. The DVD will keep young princesses busy with a new interactive "challenge" game and trivia quiz.

"The Cheetah Girls: One World" Extended Music Edition (Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, rated TV-G, DVD $29.99). Mumbai, India provides a scenic backdrop for the Disney Channel teen trio's feature-length dip into the home of Bollywood musicals. Sassy Chanel (Adrienne Bailon), Dorinda (Sabrina Bryan) and Aquanetta (Kiely Williams) get a colorful showcase for their singing talent and fashion acumen in their third original cable movie -- a huge ratings winner in its debut last August. If you know a girl between the ages of 6 and 14, she'll be thrilled with this new DVD, which also has bonus music videos, bloopers, pop-up trivia and an unseen musical sequence.

Just playing wit'cha

"High School Musical DVD Game" and "The Hannah Montana DVD Game" (Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, not rated, $29.99). The market for interactive DVD games just got hotter. The "High School Musical DVD Game" invites players to join the East High Wildcats for senior year and prepare for graduation with 11 trivia games and activities like singing and dancing along to favorite stars Zac Efron, Ashley Tisdale and others. In "The Hannah Montana DVD Game," players explore what it means to be a rock sensation like Miley Cyrus in everything from auditions and dance sessions to personality quizzes, art lessons and pantomime contests. Young fans will also find some favorite Hannah songs and a few new numbers.

"Hannah Montana: The Complete First Season" (Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, rated TV-G, $39.99). For those who can't get enough of "the queen of the 'tweeners," Disney has packaged all 26 shows from Miley Cyrus' first cable-TV season. The set includes 17 episodes not previously available on DVD, plus behind-the-scenes extras with the 14-year-old singing star, including a return to her hometown of Nashville, Tenn.

Big-ticket 'Legends'

"I Am Legend" Ultimate Collector's Edition (Warner Home Video, rated PG-13, $49.92; Blu-ray Disc $59.99). There are so many features on this collector's edition of the 2007 Will Smith end-of-the-world flick that it takes an oversized box to hold them all. Where else can fans listen to pioneering fantasy writer Richard Matheson discuss the story and his ideas on viral plague? Matheson not only wrote the original novel "I Am Legend" back in the 1950s, but also the screenplay for "The Incredible Shrinking Man" and other classics. Matheson is truly the "legend" behind "I Am Legend," and I would have paid for an entire documentary focusing on him, so who can quibble with a gift set that also brings new commentaries and unused footage, an alternate version, a Digital Copy for computers, a photo packet, a collectible 44-page book of "concept sketches" and lenticular artwork suitable for framing?

"300" Limited Collector's Edition (Warner Home Video, rated R, $49.92). You should know if there's someone in your inner circle with an unnatural fondness for this 2007 hit about the defenders of ancient Sparta. Usually, they wear sandals and refuse to shave. So it may be time to upgrade their worn-out DVD copy with this bulging brute of a gift set. Besides all the extras found on the two-disc DVD, the box includes a third disc with an all-new documentary titled "To the Hot Gates: A Legend Retold," a bonus Digital Copy, a 52-page hardcover art book, a lucite display and photo cards. Supplies, as they say, are "limited."

"Casablanca" The Ultimate Collector's Edition (Warner Home Video, not rated, $59.98). This restored 1942 classic is the perfect centerpiece for a wonderful gift set. The package includes souvenir cards, a branded luggage tag and passport holder, facsimiles of studio memos and movie memorabilia, plus some seven hours of filmed suppplements, documentaries and bonus shorts. One of the rare black-and-white films also out on Blu-ray Disc ($64.99), the 66-year-old images of war-lashed love birds Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman shimmer anew with so much depth and detail you might spot more of the "usual suspects."

Three 'Special' people

"Mitzi Gaynor: Razzle Dazzle! -- The Special Years" (City Lights Home Entertainment, not rated, $24.98). For the 10 years from 1968 to 1978, no variety star benefitted from finer TV production values than champagne-blonde Mitzi Gaynor -- the subject of this public television program. The hour-long look at Gaynor's career and the contributions made by her talented designers and especially noted choreographer-director Tony Charmoli will leave song-and-dance junkies screaming for encores. Happily, the DVD complies, with eight full-length performances culled from those specials, plus unseen interview footage and featurettes.

"Clint Eastwood Presents Tony Bennett: The Music Never Ends" (Warner Home Video, not rated, $24.98). This two-disc set will be treasured by Bennett fans and anyone who followed American pop recording after World War II. A full-length biography on the singer, produced by Eastwood for PBS' "American Masters" series, intercuts performance clips and photos with snippets of him singing at the 2005 Monterey Jazz Festival. Disc two presents that whole classic 2005 concert for a full evening of Bennett's warmth and peerless class.

"Annie Leibovitz: Life Through a Lens" (Warner Home Video, not rated, DVD $19.98). Here's something for the photographer in your family. This 2006 documentary, also made for the "American Masters" series, traces the career of the famed chronicler of American pop culture through her classic photos for Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair, with lots of footage of the artist at work. It also features the testimonials of a long list of celebrities, including Mick Jagger, Julia Roberts and Mikhail Baryshnikov. Besides the 83-minute program, the DVD has more than an hour of unused interviews and photo collections to enjoy at your leisure.

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