Into the Blu

As a fan of animation, I’ve never been quite sure what to make of the newer stylistic animations coming from the DC Studios.  Part Totally Spies and part Akira, this style shares some familiarity with anime, yet has a more modern look, with especially strong styling for certain characters (like Batman).

Therefore, I was quite intrigued to receive a copy of Batman: Under the Red Hood, as this would give me an excellent opportunity to review a full length movie from DC.  Batman has been one of my favourites since childhood, and I was very curious to see if DC is continuing with the gritty modern-day Batman, or has reverted (at least in animation) to the somewhat lighter 70’s version. Continue Reading

There is no question that animated films have universally looked great on Blu-ray, whether they be computer based animation such as the Pixar films, hand drawn films or stop action animation. Unfortunately, the subject of this review, James and the Giant Peach is an exception to this general rule. Continue Reading

One of my most cherished Christmas presents as an adolescent was a boxed set of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy.  To the fertile mind of a 12-year old, these were the best books ever, igniting a life long affinity for fantasy literature.  What made the books even more special is the prose used allowed a reader to form strong visions in their own mind of the characters, places, and action contained therein.

After reading the books, I was excited to discover that an animated version of the book existed, and lobbied hard to get my buddies to rent it when we were having a movie night.  And after we all sat back and viewed the movie, we looked at each other with the same expression on our faces: “What in heck was that?”

So the question is, after 28 years of watching various forms of animation, have I gained a new appreciation for Ralph Bakshi’s labor of love?  Does being on Blu-ray make the movie any better? Continue Reading

For those who have never seen a Hayao Miyazaki movie, you do not know what you are missing.  Period.  His films have a magical ability to entertain people of all ages, warming your heart while touching your soul.  Characters in his movies (regardless of their appearance) are all inherently good, and talk to each other like real people talk to each other.  Parents do not condescend to their children, children are independent and brave, and although things may be dramatic, they are never overtly scary.

So it was with this “lowered” set of expectations that I viewed Ponyo.    Continue Reading

Toy Story 2 was an eagerly awaited sequel prior to its first theatrical run in 1999, in part because of the success of Toy Story and in part, by the incredible success of Pixar’s second full length feature, A Bug’s Life. After A Bug’s Life, it was apparent that Pixar, in addition to being technical wizards, were master story tellers as well in the tradition of the old Disney masters. There were clear advances made in the Pixar CGI effects in A Bug’s Life, and it would be interesting to see how those improved techniques would be employed in Toy Story 2, to improve on what were already considered to be stellar images in the original. It would also be interesting to see how they could possibly improve on the original in terms of the actual story. Needless to say, Pixar outdid themselves in both areas on Toy Story 2, which has now finally made its way to Blu-ray, and it the subject of today’s review. Continue Reading

For most of the us, the movie that ushered in the world of computer animation is Toy Story, originally released in theaters in 1995. Has it really been 15 years? My kids were a bit too young at the time to see it in theaters and they didn’t get to see the original until its release on DVD. For me, the Pixar films I couldn’t wait to see on Blu-ray, were the two Toy Story films along with The Incredibles. Well, at least as far as the Toy Story films are concerned, the wait is over, as both are being released on Blu-ray. Was it worth the wait? Yes, as all I can say is WOW! Continue Reading

Ever since Toy Story burst on the scene with its incredible computer generated images, hand drawn animation began to fade away. After the release of Toy Story, each new CGI feature seemed to outdo the others, advancing the state of art even further, with more realistic and lifelike animation and movement. When it comes to CGI, the sky really seems to be the limit. However, lost in all this technical advancement was the sheer beauty of hand drawn animation, the kind that the folks at Disney Studios made so famous. I guess it was fitting that Disney, under the helm of John Lassiter of Pixar fame, would be the ones to bring hand drawn animation back to the screen with 2009′s The Princess and the Frog, which has finally made its way to Blu-ray. Continue Reading

Being one of the few people I know who is not a huge Star Wars fan, only seeing the original trilogy and The Phantom Menace, I was pretty bewildered when I heard that not only was there an animated film that was made to fit within the new trilogy, but there was an entire television series that predated the film… And this isn’t even that series! This is a new unrelated series that takes places throughout the Star Wars chronology at different times. Confused? Let’s see if it’s worth figuring out.

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Wow, has it really been 20 years since The Simpsons has been on the air? I can still remember when the Simpsons appeared as a regular short feature on the old Tracy Ullman show before the folks at Fox decided to make it into a 30 minute show. Now into their 21st season (and still going strong), The Simpsons 20th season has now made its way to Blu-ray and is the subject of today’s review. Continue Reading

Adding your typical Jerry Bruckheimer action fare and his team’s excellent CGI capability with a kids story about guinea pigs who are trained by the FBI to be secret agents sounded like an iffy proposition. The trailer did look promising so I was hoping to get my hands on a review copy of the film G-Force once it debuted on Blu-ray. Well, the review copy arrived yesterday and I popped it in to the player for a look last night. I was glad I did. Continue Reading

We all know Tinker Bell as the inspirational fairy who stood alongside Peter Pan with motivational support and knowledge. Well since her original conception she has quite literally taken on wings of her own spawning her own line of books, plays, video games, TV shows, and yes even her own movies. Really she needs no introduction, but can this buzzing side kick really carry her own movie? Preceded by 2008′s self titled Tinker Bell, Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue made its way straight to DVD and Blu ray with respectable cast of voice actors. With a third installment already planned this sequel can’t be all that bad, right? Continue Reading

DC and Warner Bros. certainly seem to have it together as they have released not only animated film after animated film the past couple of years, but they are all great stories with strong characters (both physically and in a literary sense) that provide a high value of entertainment.  Following up this year’s release of the the Green Lantern on Blu-ray is the highly anticipated release of Superman/Batman: Public Enemies.  Promoted heavily at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, DC’s latest story made a thunderous arrival upon its release. Continue Reading