Film  

I guess the best way to describe Gnomeo & Juliet is to think of it as Romeo & Juliet meets Toy Story meets the Hatfields and McCoy’s. The film is set in the fenced in back yard gardens of two adjoining rowhomes in England. The homes are owned by a man and a woman who do not get along. One house is painted blue, the other red. One address is 2B the other Not 2B. get it?

Not only do the two owners not get along, neither do the garden gnomes that inhabit each garden. The red home has red colored gnomes and the blue house, what else, blue colored gnomes. When humans are not watching, the gnomes and all other garden trinkets such as frog fountain ornaments come to life. When humans are watching, they freeze in place, wherever they may be. Sound familiar?

While the film is produced by Elton John’s Rocket Films, it did so in partnership with Disney, so I guess this little bit of “borrowing” was OK. In any event, the gnomes each hate the other group with a passion, with the hatred at times bubbling over into violence and often clouding their collective judgment.

One day, Juliet, a red gnome and daughter of the leader of the red gnomes, sees an orchid growing out of the roof of a nearby greenhouse, that has a flower on it that bears the mark of Cupid’s arrow. She decided that she must have it and slips into a black sock and heads out to get it. As she reaches for it, a blue gnome, Gnomeo, reaches for it too. Their eyes lock onto each other and they fall quickly in love, not realizing that they are both from another clan. They quickly come to realize that but nonetheless try to continue a clandestine love affair.

Along the way, they meet a lonely plastic pink flamingo, Featherstone, who is integral in fostering their love for each other. Needless to say, their family and friends were not accepting of their relationship and in the end, a mass war breaks out between the two clans that threatens their entire existences. Gnomeo & Juliet is filled with many of the characters of Shakespeare albeit in different forms, including Shakespeare himself, although just as a statute.

The story is fairly clever and at times a bit too clever as well as predictable. The film features the voices of the likes of Emily Blunt, James McElvoy, Michel Caine, Jason Statham, Ashley Jensen, Patrick Stewart, Ozzie Osbourne and even Hulk Hogan. Quite a diverse group!

The film is filled with the songs of Elton John and Bernie Taupin, orchestrations based on their music by Elton John’s one time band mate James Newton Howard and a very pedestrian song written and sung by Elton John and the current flavor of the day, Stefani Germanotta, aka Lady Gaga. Gnomeo & Juliet is certainly a cute and at times charming film that does have its moments. While I did enjoy the film a tad, I didn’t like it enough to give a rating any better than a rental. Still, it is worth a look and a film that the entire family can enjoy. Rated as a rental only.

Video  

When it comes to CGI films and those produced by the folks at Disney, the bar is pretty high in terms of video quality. Some of the best demo material out there is Disney product, namely the Pixar stuff, which looks stunning. You can now add Gnomeo & Juliet to that list. The video presentation here met all of my expectations. The image is crystal clear with deep blacks, bright and bold color that is beautifully saturated and detail that is just off the charts. The clarity, depth, detail and resolution on this release is simply stunning and of reference quality all the way. When it comes to Blu-ray computer animated films from the folks at Disney, they sure know how to deliver and deliver they do again with Gnomeo & Juliet.

Audio  

I was just slightly less impressed with the audio than I was with the video. Not that it is bad in any way, it is excellent. The audio has a full, smooth, warm and round sound that is very easy on the ears. Transparency and imaging are excellent. The surrounds are used fairly aggressively throughout the entire film to create a nice immersive sound filed. Perhaps it is because I watched this film shortly after I Am Number Four, but I found that the bass just didn’t mine the very deepest bass regions to warrant a full 5 star rating. Overall, the sound is excellent but falls just a tad, and I mean a tad, short in the areas of deep bass and overall dynamics, enough that I can’t quite give it a 5 star rating. I have no doubt however that fans of the film wont mind.

Special Features  

Gnomeo & Juliet is available in 3D as well as 2D. I was provided with a copy of the 2D combo pack which include the film on Blu-ray as well as DVD. The extras such as they are are rather pedestrian. They include 2 alternate endings, one alternate opening sequence for the film, one alternate scenes and 6 deleted scenes. All come with introductions from director Kelly Asbury of Shrek 2 fame and are all presented in storyboard style with no CGI at all.

The main featurette is a look at the making of the film with Elton John entitled Elton Builds a Garden which discusses the brief history of Rocket Pictures and the making of the film, including interviews with Elton, James Newton Howard and Kelly Asbury.

Also included is the brief Frog Talk with Ashley Jensen as she voices the character of Nanette the frog. Also included is an even shorter featurette “The Fawn of Darkness” that takes a look at Ozzie Osbourne as he voices the character Fawn.

We also get a rather brief “Crocodile Rock” music video featuring Elton John and Nelly Furtado.

Final Thoughts  

While Gnomeo & Juliet is certainly an interesting idea and a novel take on the classic Romeo and Juliet, I really can’t give it a recommendation higher than that of a rental. If you have kids, by all means, give it a look. I am sure they will enjoy it.

Film  

I Am Number Four is produced by the aforementioned Michael Bay and is directed by D.J. Caruso. It is based on the young adult novel of the same name by Pittacus Lore. The crux of the story is interstellar in nature. It seems that race of bad guys, The Mogadorians, hop from planet to planet, taking them over, exploiting their resources and in the process, wiping out the inhabitants (wasn’t that the plot of Independence Day?). In this case, they have already ravaged the planet Lorien. We don’t really know much about that planet other than the nine special ones who were helped to flee the plant along with their individual protectors, who have all made their way to Earth.

It seems that these nine special ones have incredible supernatural powers, even if they have yet to discover them. Bad news for the Earth though, as the Mogadorians have discovered that they are hiding out on the Earth. However, given the Lorien’s special powers, the Mogodorians have to eliminate all of the Loriens on Earth before colonizing the planet as the Loriens have the power to not only protect the Earth but destroy the Mogadorians. The Mogadorians need to strike quickly before the Loriens discover and develop their special powers, and band together to challenge them. This is where we find things when the film begins.

The Mogadorians have killed the first three of the Loriens and are stalking number 4. His protector, Henri (Timothy Oliphant), moves Number 4, John (Alex Pettyfer), who the Mogadorians have tracked to Florida. They move to Paradise, Ohio, where John enrolls in high school, and meets the alluring Sarah (Dianna Agron). However, the Mogadorians, discover his location and move in for the kill, endangering not only John’s life, but that of Henri, Sarah and the residents of Paradise. Will he survive? Will they all survive? Will someone come in at the end to help rescue them all? Will there be a sequel? I will let you watch the film for yourself to decide.

While D.J. Caruso of Disturbia fame is at the helm here, the film has all of the typical earmarks of a Michael Bay production, all action , little plot or meaningful dialogue and plenty of explosions and destruction. It would be nice to know more about the planet Lorien, why its residents look fully human and just how they made their way to the Earth, rather than take the easy way out with nothing but action with some puppy love thrown in. While there is plenty of potential here in this material, it was not explored very well here at all. Perhaps it will be in the sequel, although I am not holding my breath. If you are looking for a rather simple, fast paced, no brainer action film, give I Am Number Four a look. If you are looking for something with a great script and incredible, check out The King’s Speech instead. You will be glad you did. Rated as a rental only.

Video  

There is certainly a lot to love about the video quality on this release. The film certainly features a bright, bold and well saturated color palette although the skin tones are a bit too orange or gold for my tastes. For the most part black levels are outstanding. The level of detail here is exceptional and is about as good as it gets on Blu-ray. Clarity and depth are outstanding as well.

The only real issues I have with the video here is a bit of black crush and some lighter blacks near the very end of the film during, especially during the battle sequence in the interior of the high school. During most of the film, there is little in the way of shadow detail, which is most notable during the dimly lit interior sequences during the basement sequence where Henri is held captiveheld and during the haunted house sequence at the Paradise Halloween Scare festival.

While there is some video noise present during the most dimly lit scenes, it is kept to a minimum and is not much of a distraction. Other than this noise and the issue of black crush and some minor black level issues at the end of the film, this is a fine looking film and is an encode that should more than please fans of the film.

Audio  

Even without much in the way of subtly, this is one fine sounding film. It features a shall we say “robust” audio presentation with balls to the wall bass and dynamics that is of reference quality. While it can be a bit overwhelming at times, especially during the final battle sequence, the audio here is superb and will given your home theater rig, regardless of its cost or complexity, quite a workout. The dialogue track is well recorded and well placed in the sound mix. Despite the cacophony, the dialogue track never gets lost in the mix. The surrounds are engaged very aggressively during the entire film, providing a totally immersive sound experience. All of the various sound and panning effects were placed perfectly in the sound field and they move seamlessly from speaker to speaker, from side to side and from front to back.

The overall fidelity of the sound is superb, sounding smooth and warm, even at rather high volume levels. If you want to listen at high volumes levels, be forewarned that your sub may be blown into the next room during the fight sequence at the high school football field. The audio track is certainly more than up to the task of providing a robust and dynamic home theater experience that will simply thrill fans of the film and of home theater in general, even if the plot. lacks the same degree of robustness, if you get my drift.

Special Features  

I Am Number Four is available in a three disc combo pack, which includes, in addition to the Blu-ray copy of the film, separate DVD and digital copies of the film. I will say that the extras included here are rather sparse, consisting of a blooper reel, 6 deleted scenes with introductions by D.J. Caruso as well as a featurette focusing on the character of Number Six, played in the film by Teresa Palmer. While the film focus on Teresa Palmer, her training for the role and how her scenes were filmed, the featurette does also feature interviews with D.J. Caruso and members of the cast. The blooper reel is rather pedestrian and nothing more than a bit of filler, given how sparse the extras are here. There is one other deleted scene entitled “Power Prank” that is included with the digital download of the film.

Final Thoughts  

While long on quality audio and video presentations, I Am Number Four is short on just about everything else and most importantly plot, dialogue and character development. In short, a typical Michael Bay film. Rated as a rental only, if just for the sensational audio presentation.

Film  

To say that I loved The Incredibles when I first saw it in the theater would be an understatement. This is one great film and as far as I was concerned, should have won the Oscar for Best Motion Picture, not just best animated feature. The movie s that good. I had heard of the writer/director Brad Bird due to his fine work in the film The Iron Giant and was curious to see if he could top himself with The Incredibles. Top himself, indeed he did!

The film tells the tale of Bob Parr and his family. It seems that some 15 years prior, a group of superheroes, Supers if you will, became sort of passe. After a few mishaps that occurred during their daring rescues, there were just too many lawsuits for property damage and personal injury for the general public and the Supers went into a forced retirement into the witness protection program if you will. They were given new identities and told to never use their super powers again. One of those Supers was Mr. Incredible who is now known exclusively as Bob Parr. Bob now works in the unglamorous world of insurance claims deciding which claims to par or deny (Mostly deny as per company policy. After all, why would an insurance company want to pay a claim, cuts into the profits you know!)

Bob is married to another Super, Elastigirl aka Helen and they have three kids together Violet, Dash and the baby, Jack-Jack. Bob quite understandably misses the limelight and the thrill of being a super and falls easy prey to a sinister villain who, taking full advantage of his insecurities and unhappy lot in life, brings him to a mysterious island for the purpose of killing him. It seems that this villain has been killing off the Supers once by one.

As far as anyone knows, they are simply disappearing. Now it is time for Mr. Incredible to meet a similar fate. When Helen finds out that Bob has been moonlighting as a Super again, she travels to confront him as she thinks he is having an affair. Unbeknownst to her, her two oldest kids stow away on her plane which comes under attack as she approaches the island where they set of to rescue Bob and save the world from the sinister villain.

The film deals with many interesting issues that are geared to the adult audience. Despite this, the film works beautifully for children, which is Brad Bird’s greatest skill. He is able to craft fine films dealing with very adult topics which yet appeal to all age groups. Intelligent films that appeal to a mass audience. What a concept!. The Incredibles is a must own film. if you have not yet experienced it, get this release. You will be glad you did.

Video  

May I dare say that the video presentation of The Incredibles on Blu-ray is perfect? Yes, I said it, perfect!. While the DVD looks spectacular, the Blu-ray is even better, and by a wide margin. The film features bright and bold colors and deep inky blacks. Detail, clarity and depth are all astonishing, mind blowing in fact. The bigger the screen, the better this release looks. Take a gander at the lush colors from the orange red of the uniforms, to the lush green island and the silky blue water of the ocean. This is a spectacular looking film and I think, Pixar’s best.

The detail on the uniforms is superb as well as the hair, the texture of the water and just about every other element of the video presentation, which pushes the limits of Blu-ray to its maximum. The video here is just superb. The Incredibles on DVD was of reference video quality. Now it is just that on Blu-ray as well. If you are looking for a disc to show off your system or see what it is truly capable of producing, this is the release for you. It is a must have for film and home theater fans alike.

Audio  

As good as the video presentation is, the audio matches it in every way possible. The film features incredible fidelity with transparency to die for. The surrounds are used aggressively to create the sense of total immersion. The panning sound effects are superb. Bass is deep and solid without even the hint of bloat and dynamics are off the charts. Need I say more? The film is just repleat with demo sequences. The audio presentation of The Incredibles is what home theater is all about. As good as the audio was on the DVD, the lossless audio track on Blu-ray takes that quality up a few notches and is truly of reference quality.

Special Features 

The Incredibles is available on Blu-ray in a 4-disc combo pack. The combo pack includes the film and some extras on Blu-ray disc 1, Blu-ray disc 2 contains additional extras in both high definition and standard definition, a DVD copy of the film on disc 3 and disc 4 containing a digital copy of the film.

The extras on disc 1 include a new roundtable made for the Blu-ray release where Brad Bird and his chief production people sit down and discuss their recollections of the issues involved in making the film. Disc 1 also contains a couple of audio commentaries as well two short films, Boundin’ as well as the Jack-Jack Attacks from the prior DVD release, both of which presented in HD.

Disc 2 includes the extras ported over from the prior DVD release including the easter eggs found on that release as well as a series of deleted scenes that are presented in HD for the first time via storyboards with introductions by Brad Bird and producer John Walker. Also included is an interactive game “The New Nomanisan Island Redevelopment game, where Nomanisan Island is turned from the headquarters of an evil villain into a vacation island. After a brief introduction, you can access each of the island’s new vacation locales just in case you were planning a trip.

The extras also include interviews with animators entitled Path to Pixar: Story Artist as well as a story from one of the animators entitled “Studio Stories: Gary’s Birthday”. If you have the prior DVD release of the film, you have seen the most interesting of the extras already. Of the new material, the only one I would recommend as a must see is the new retrospective piece. As far as the rest are concerned, you can always get to them later. The real gem here is the film.

Final Thoughts  

Perfect film, perfect video and perfect audio. Perfect in all respects. The Incredibles on Blu-ray has it all and is a MUST OWN.

I have always found music to be a bit different than TV or films in that often times, commercial success in music, especially pop music, is reserved for music that appeals to the lowest common denominator and more often than not, has a shelf life that is a lot shorter than music of less coverall commercial appeal. Just picture landfill somewhere in the not too distant future filled to the brim with Mariah Carey CD’s. While this can be true for films as well, I have found that to be less so than for music.

This topic came to mind in considering the films that are the subject of this review, the Tron Legacy and Tron: The Original Classic, which are being released together in a 3D/2D/DVD combo pack. There is no doubt that the original Tron film is a cult classic of sorts and a very original film, with computer animation that is well ahead of its time. I saw the film when it was released in 1982 and can’t say that it made much of an impression, other than the innovative computer effects. It clearly wouldn’t have been my choice for a remake. I was curious to see if my view of Tron would change after all these years, given its place in the history of CGI and whether Tron Legacy would be much of an improvement.

Films

Tron: The Original Classic   Tron: Legacy  

I am afraid to say that despite the passage of 20 years, my view of Tron hasn’t changed a bit. While I have great respect for the film for its technical expertise and its ground breaking use of computer animation, I just don’t find Tron to be a very good film. I didn’t in 1982 and still don’t in 2011. I find the film to be woefully short on plot and very ponderous and at times, a bit confusing. Too much of the film is devoted to the CGI effects for the sake of the effects only and not as part of the development of the plot. In this regard, Tron reminds me of another film of the same era, Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Just like Tron, the first Star Trek film was all about the special effects rather than plot and character development. I mean, how long did we have to look at the Enterprise as is made its was through the cloud? It must have taken up half of the film and in the process, the interaction between Kirk, Spock and McCoy, which made the TV series so special, was completely lost. The same is true of Tron. There is little if any character development.

The plot that is there is confusing at times and at others, just plan boring. The plot of the film is very simple. Jeff Bridges stars as Kevin Flynn, a brilliant computer programmer who breaks into the building of his ex-employer, Encom. to hack into their mainframe to look for material that he has been unable to locate remotely. While in the mainframe, he is discovered by the computer’s operating system. The operating system takes advantage of a Star Trek like transporting device which digitizes the molecular structure of his body and brings him into the computer and drops him into a video game where an effort is made to kill him. While inside the game, he is able to locate the information he was looking for and with the help of computer programs, looks to reach the portal where he can reconstitute his physical form and enter the real world.

Visually, while the film looks rather primitive today, it was a sight to behold in 1982, with this interesting use of light and the clever combination of live action footage and computer animation. However, despite the technical merits of the film, I found the film just as tedious now as I did in 1982. The narrative simply did not hook me and pull me in like a great film does. In fact, I found my mind wandering off repeatedly during the film. Accordingly, the best I can given the film is a recommendation as a rental. If you are a fan of the film, I have no doubt that this will be a must by. But for the rest of you…

I am sure that a redo of Tron was a hard sell for the bean counters and were it not for the fact that previews of the film tested so well as Comic-con, the film wouldn’t have been made. Tron Legacy picks up years after the end of the first film. After Kevin Flynn escapes Encom’s mainframe, he becomes the CEO and takes Encom to new heights. However, he continues to return repeatedly to the digital world of Tron where he continues to improve upon the original programming, producing a world of even greater splendor and complexity, one so complex that it even creates its own life form. There is one problem however… Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges again) is trapped in the world by a program names Clu, which Kevin himself created to mind the store when he is away.

However, Clu evolves on his own and becomes intent on not only dominating the computer world, but in escaping through the portal with his armies and conquering the world. Kevin’s son Sam (Garrett Hedlund) is brought to his father’s old lab by a mysterious page to his former partner at Encom. Sam enters the lab and discovers the portal. He too is pulled into the Tron video game and has to escape the clutches of Clu who is bet on his and his father’s destruction. Together, Sam and his father, with the help of Quorra (Olivia Wilde) team up together to try and stop Clu and finally escape the world of Tron once and for all.

While I will admit that Tron Legacy is an improvement on the original, it suffers from the same issues that plagued the original, and that is style over substance. The film looks great, there is no getting around that. The technical level of the computer animation is sensational. However, the film has little in the way of character development or a fast moving plot. I would Tron Legacy to be almost as ponderous as the original. While the characters are a bit more fleshed out than in the original film, I can’t say they were by much. Why did Kevin Flynn continue to do what he did, why was his son Sam such a brat and why did a new life form or more accurately a new program create on it own. Even worse, why was Michael Sheen even in the film? Much more could have been done with him and his character. What a wasted opportunity.

Had the film focused on these issues, that of the creation of the universe and life itself rather than Clu’s efforts at world domination, we would have had a much better film, albeit one without all the flash. Again, form over substance. Its too bad too, as there is the potential for a very good film here. Tron Legacy, despite all its flash, just isn’t one.

Video

Tron: The Original Classic   Tron: Legacy 

I will admit that I was impressed with the video quality of the original Tron which looks pretty good given its age. The live action sections of the film feature nice blacks and excellent skin tones and plenty of color. The only real criticism I have is with the overall softness of the image, especially the more distant shots, which look quite soft. Overall detail and clarity are good, especially the close-ups which are well detailed. Shadow detail is excellent. I was not able to detect any obvious evidence of the application of digital noise reduction or edge enhancement. The print used for the film looks to be in excellent condition, with no obvious evidence of dirt or scratched or defects of any kind. Clearly, a lot of effort went into restoring the film for this release. Fans of the film will be thrilled with the picture quality on this release. If is safe to say that Tron has never looked anywhere near this good anywhere since its initial theatrical run.

I was expecting Tron Legacy, as a new film, to look exceptional and I was not disappointed. This is a highly stylized looking film. It features a rather subdued and almost washed out and muted color palette. This is true in all sections of the film, whether inside or out of the computer world. I would have expected the look of the film to be limited only to the digital world but it is completely consistent throughout. There is little in the way of deep blacks in the film as the film has this washed out look and is bathed in grays and browns and lighter blacks. However, the film has exceptional level of detail and clarity and three dimensionality, even without deep and inky blacks. Clarity and detail are consistent throughout the film regardless of the setting or the overall lighting. I also found no obvious evidence of the application of digital noise reduction or edge enhancement.

This is a great looking encode featuring exceptional levels of clarity and detail and is one that will thrill fans of the film Disney clearly pulled out all of the stops on this one. It should be pointed out that Tron Legacy is a bit like The Dark Knight as the film’s aspect ratio varies between the 2:35:1 aspect ration of the standard theatrical release and the 1:78:1 image of the IMAX presentation. Therefore some sections of he film will have black bars at the top and bottom while other scenes will fill your screen completely. This is how the film is intended to be presented and there is nothing at all wrong with your set up.

As noted above Tron Legacy is also available in 3D. As I do not have a 3D set up, I will leave a review of that version up to others who do.

Audio

Tron: The Original Classic   Tron: Legacy  

Let’s get the easiest one out of the way right away. The audio presentation on Tron Legacy is simply superb. The bass response and dynamics on this film are among the best I have yet heard on Blu-ray. The bass is deep, tight and detailed without even the hint of bloat. I am not sure I have ever experienced this level of bass response at home, both in terms of quality and quantity. I was afraid the pictures on the wall in my theater room would shake right off the walls the bass was so deep. In addition to the deep bass, the film features exceptional use of the surrounds, placing you in a totally immersive sound field which is simply superb. Overall fidelity is sensational, sounding smooth, rich and open without even a hint of edginess or harshness. This one is easy on the ears at any level. If I had only one criticism of the audio, it would be with the volume level of the center channel, which I found to be just a little on the low side during a couple sequences in the film. However, the rest of the audio is so good that I couldn’t justify giving the film anything less than a full 5 star rating. It is simply that exceptional.

As for Tron: The Original Classic, the audio is good although not at the level of Legacy. They do share something in common though and that is excellent bass although the bass on Classic is not quite as impressive as that on Legacy. The most obvious difference in the audio is the use of the surrounds and the overall fidelity which while good, is no where near as good as that on Legacy. While the surrounds are engaged actively throughout Classic, the film is more front heavy and as a result, the film does not have that sense of total immersion that Legacy does. The overall sound also lacks the fullness and richness that Legacy has, sounding quite nice but thinner in comparison. However, given the age of the film, I was more than impressed by the overall sonic quality on Classic which sounds a good bit better than I had a right to expect.

Special Features  

If you are a fan of these films, I have no doubt that you will enjoy the extras included in this release. The only new extra included in Tron Classic is the featurette The Tron Phenomenon which is presented in high definition and takes a look at the historical significance of the film.

The rest of the extras are from the prior DVD release of the film including an audio commentary, The Making of Tron, Development, Digital Imagery, Music, Publicity, Deleted Scenes, Design, Storyboarding and Galleries. If you already own the prior DVD release of the film, you have already seen these extras. Tron Legacy includes several extras and all presented in hugh def. I will admit that I was a bit surprised that more extras were not included about Legacy.

Included is the featurette “The Next Day: Flynn Lives Revealed: which fills us in on the goings on in the story in the intervening years between the two films as well as what happens after the Legacy ends. Also included is a featurette “Launching The Legacy” which discusses the details about how it was decided to do the film and Disc Roars, which shows how the crowd noises during the fight scenes in the film were recorded at the 2010 Comic-Con. Also included is the music video “Derezzed” which was written, produced and performed by Daft Punk.

Also included is Disney Second Screen which enables you to simultaneously explore interactive content with your iPad or computer as you watch the film. Also included is a look at Tron Uprising, the Disney XD animated series.

In addition to DVD copies of both films, this release also contains digital copies of the film compatible with Macs and PCs.

Final Thoughts  

If you are a fan of the original Tron film and/or Tron Legacy, this is a must buy for you. For the rest of you, I would recommend this release, but on the basis of a rental, if only to experience the exceptional audio presentation on Tron Legacy.

Film  

I will say for the outset that I did enjoy Tangled. It is a warm, charming and at times, funny film. The problem is that we have seen this same type of story line and presentation before many times from Disney. This film fails to break any new ground and is basically a rehash of familiar Disney faire although quite nicely dressed up in some beautiful looking CGI.

The film is a basic retelling of the Rapunzel fairy tale. The film starts out setting the scene for the film. We are introduced to the character of Gothel (voiced by Donna Murphy), an old haggard looking woman who happens upon a magic golden flower, which glows when she sings to it and which, in turn, makes her young again, sort of like finding the fountain of youth only in a flower. It is only by singing to the flower on a regular basis that she is able to live several hundred years. However, a problem develops for Gothel when the Queen of the kingdom becomes gravely ill while pregnant.

The King sets his men out to find a magic flower which will heal the Queen and save their child. The King’s men happen upon the flower despite Gothel’s efforts to hide it and dig it up and bring it to the King. The King then cooks the flower in a broth and feeds it to the Queen. The plan works and the Queen recovers and gives birth to a daughter who happens to have bright glowing blonde hair, which it turns out, has the same magical power as the flower.

Gothel decides to brake into the castle and steal the child, who she raises alone and secluded in a 70 foot tower, which is well hidden from the kingdom. Gothel forbids the girl, who she names Rapunzel (voiced by Mandy Moore), from ever leaving the tower, and scares her with tales of how dangerous the world is. While she claims that she is doing so to protect Rapunzel, she is actually doing it for very selfish reasons, as Rapunzel’s long flowing blonde hair glows when Gothel sings to it and restores her youth, just like the flower did.

Gothel’s greatest fear arrives when Rapunzel turns 18. Rapunzel is enamored by the glowing lights she sees rising into the night sky each year on her birthday and wants to leave the tower to see just what they are. It so happens that on her birthday, the tower is discovered by a thief, Flynn Rider (voiced by Zachary Levi), who is fleeing the castle and the king’s men after stealing the crown that was reserved for the king’s lost daughter.

When Flynn climbs his way into the tower, he is captured by Rapunzel with the aid of her trusty frying pan and her pet chameleon. Rapunzel hides the crown and Flynn agrees to help Rapunzel make her way out of the castle to see the mysterious lights in exchange for the return of the crown. The fact that Rapunzel has left is soon discovered by Gothel, who tracks them down as they begin an adventure to escape Gothel and her thugs, with the aid of Rapunzel’s Chameleon and a horse named Maximus. Will Rapunzel find true love? Will she be reunited with her real parents? Well, what do you think? You will have to watch the film to find out.

While I enjoyed the film, it is predictable and has some really forgettable music from Alan Menken, which sounds oh so familiar. Sure the film has its moments and sure looks and sound great, but I can really only imagine watching this film once. Recommended for families with young children. For the rest of you, I would recommend that you give it a look, but on the basis of a rental only.

Video  

I was expecting a great looking film and was not disappointed in the least by the video quality on this release. The CGI here is fantastic. The film simply looks beautiful, with a bright color palette, deep blacks, exquisite levels of detail, depth and clarity. Parts of this film have a golden glow which looks amazing and really matches the overall tone of the narrative. This is one great looking film and a natural for the high resolution and detail that only Blu-ray can bring into the home. If you loved this film in the theater, you know how good it looks. It may even look better at home than it did in the theater, the image quality here is that impressive.

Audio  

The audio track here is every bit as good as the video. The best word I can use to describe the audio is sumptuous. The fidelity is top notch with a clear full and smooth sound with excellent depth and transparency. The surrounds are used aggressively and very effectively throughout the film providing a sense of total immersion. Dynamics are excellent with deep, tight and powerful basis which sounds fantastic and will put any subwoofer through its paces. While the music is a bit pedantic, it does sound great. The dialogue track is also well recorded and well placed in the mix. Technically, this is a well designed sound mix which boasts excellent fidelity and in a word, sounds fantastic and should thrill fans of the film just as much as the video will.

Special Features  

I was not as pleased as much by the extras as I was the film. The extras include three deleted scenes introduced by directors Byron Howard and Nathan Greno, which are essentially story boards with voice overs and very primitive looking. We also get extended versions of two of the songs featured in the film, “When Will My Life Begin” and “Mother Knows Best,” which were scaled down for inclusion in the film.

Also are included are two original story book openings for the film and 9 “Tangled Teasers”, which are a collection of commercials made for the theatrical release of the film. Also included is a 50th Animated Feature Countdown, which is just that, a brief countdown of all 50 Disney animated films, beginning with the first, Snow White,and ending with Tangled.

The most extensive of the extras is the featurette hosted my Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi entitled “Untangled: The Making of a Fairy Tale” which is a real puff piece on the making of the film and frankly, not all that informative. I could really take or leave these extras and really didn’t find anything included all that interesting or informative.

The version of the release that I received is a two disc combo pack, which includes a DVD copy of the film as well. A 3D version of the film is available as well for those so inclined.

Final Thoughts  

While far from Disney’s best, Tangled is a charming film that is worth a look, if just for its stunning video and audio presentations. Recommended for families with young children and as a rental for the rest of us.

Disney restorations of their classic film have generally drawn their share of praise as they really do look and sound terrific. However, as with anything, they also have their share of detractors. The issues those detractors have is with the removal of all grain from the images and the use of more vibrant colors than the detractors claim were present in the originals. How they know that is not quite clear as there is no way anyone can really recall what a film looked like in the theater 2 years ago let alone 60 year ago.

Making comparisons between the Blu-ray and prior DVD or even laserdisc and VHS copies of the films doesn’t strike me as all that useful either as that would assume that the masters those editions were made from were true to the original. All we can really do is judge the look and sound of the film as encoded on each individual release, and not make judgments based on our possibly flawed memories of days gone by.

Film 

Bambi was originally released to theaters back in 1942. The film took approximately 5 years to make and due to budget issues at Disney during the war, was scaled back in terms of the original anticipated length and clocks in at around 70 minutes. Over the years, despite its place in the pantheon of animated films, Bambi has taken quite a hit from parental groups due to its subject matter, which some feel is a bit too much for the age of child the film is aimed at. The death of Bambi’s mother is felt to be a little too harsh for young children to consider. Single parenthood is an issue that is at the center of many of Disney’s films and frankly, as a parent, I think some of these groups are taking things a bit to far in their criticism of the film. I would have no hesitation in showing Bambi to a child of almost any age.

Bambi is a sweet and charming film about the beauty of nature and the animals of the forest. It centers on Bambi, a young deer and his friends the rabbit Thumper and the skunk Flower, as they grow up in the forest and learn about life and love and the dangers and tragedies we all encounter during our lives. At it core, the film is pro nature but there are those over the years who feel that is anti hunter, as it is hunters who take the life of Bambi’s mother and whose carelessness burns down the beautiful forest near the end of the film.

While the film can be viewed as having a political message, I chose to look at the film for what is really is, a sweet film about some lovable creatures in a beautiful setting, celebrating life and finding one’s first true love. While a bit dated by today’s standards, Bambi nonetheless is a classic film and one that belongs in the collection of any fan of animated films and is very highly recommended.

Video 

While I am getting older (it sure beats the alternative), I am no where near old enough to have seen Bambi when it was originally released in theaters in 1942 or during its more successful re-release in 1947. Heck, I wasn’t even a gleam in my father’s eye back then. Needless to say, I have no recollection of what the film originally looked like and will not judge this release by that standard. I will say without hesitation that Bambi on Blu-ray looks better that I have ever seen it at home, and by a wife margin. In a move that will no doubt frustrate some film purists, all of the film grain has been removed from the image. The resulting image is there very clear, so clear that one can more fully appreciate the impressionist paintings that form the backgrounds of the animation.

Unlike some of the other classic Disney films, the images here do not leap off the screen, due in part because of the color palette used as well as the impressionist backgrounds. The color palette consists mostly of various shades of brown, tan and gray, with some green, blues, oranges and reds thrown in. While the various characters are beautifully animated, they lack the fine subtle details of some of the other Disney films. The backgrounds in particular lack much in the way of detail and on purpose. Only a hint of a tree or shrub is drawn rather than an accurate representation of one. As a result, the overall image is bit on the soft side. Again this is deliberate, much like a classic Monet painting. Bambi is a highly stylized and truly beautiful piece of animation, with out without the film grain and was a joy to behold on Blu-ray.

Audio 

Given the age of the film, I was not expecting a great sound mix. However, I was more than pleased with the new 7.1 DTS HD Master Audio included with this release. The sound design provides a more than adequate sense of immersion, with quite effective use of the sounds. It is amazing that they were able to squeeze such an effective sound mix out of what I presume were at best two channel masters. Bass response is good as well with the classical music score and sound effects sounding particularly impressive, again given the age of the film and the state of the recording technology of the day.

The only real issue I have with the audio here is the overall fidelity. This is not the fault of the encoding process but the original sound elements, which have the thinness that one normally associates with the sound of the time period the film was made in, lacking the lushness of a newer recording. The technology just does not exist yet to transform those old sound elements into a more modern and more lush sounding aural experience. Given the age of the film, the audio presentation here is excellent and should really impress fans of the film.

Special Features 

Bambi is presented as a combo pack, containing both a Blu-ray and DVD copy of the film. The main extra included here is the Inside Walt’s Story Meetings-Enhanced Edition, which is an interactive feature which runs alongside the running of the film, with voice re-enactments of the actual transcribed production meetings between Walt Disney and his staff, where they discussed how to put this film together. During this feature, the actual film runs on screen in a small box. I found one aspect of this presentation to be quite interesting, namely the use of real animals for the basis of the film’s character animation. Walt Disney did not want the animals to look as cartoonish as they did in Snow White for example so he brought in real deer, rabbits and the like for the animators to study and form the basis of their animations. As a result, although clearly stylized for the purpose of adding personalities, the animal characters look much more life like than they ever appeared in prior Disney animations.

Also included are:

• Two never before seen deleted scenes, pieced together from the original storyboards for the film found in the Disney archives.
• Two Disney short cartoons “The Old Mill” and “Ice” featuring Pluto, which were used as templates for scenes in the film, such as Bambi walking over ice for the first time.
• A deleted song “Twitterpated” which is a term used in the film to describe how one feels at the onset of love.
• A Disney Big Book of Knowledge Game which uses the film as a learning tool and classic DVD features such as “The Making of Bambi: A Prince is Born” which takes a look at how the film was made, touching on such topics as the animation process, the use of child actors and the like.
• A “Tricks of the Trade” excerpt from a 1957 Disneyland TV show discussing the multiplane camera used in the production of Bambi. “Inside the Disney Archives” does just that, with Disney Supervising Animator Andreas Deja.
• Disney Second Screen which requires the use of a laptop or iPad which enables you to stream content about the film from the web as you watch the film. Isn’t just watching the film enough anymore?

Final Thoughts 

Bambi is yet another of the “Big 5″ Disney animated features that has finally made its way to Blu-ray. It features a total restoration of the video elements and a new 7.1 audio mix. This release is not to be missed and is very highly recommended.

Film 

Not everyone is the star quarterback in high school or the prom queen. For far too many of us, high school can be a drag because we just don’t fit with the hip crowd or have a nemesis that makes our high school experience shall we say, less than ideal. Yet, while most of us come out of high school with some scars, we are nonetheless able to overcome them, helped by the fact that those nemesis individual are no longer part of our lives after high school. However, what if you are able to overcome those old scars and have very successful business careers but are nonetheless thrown for a loop when an old nemesis unexpectedly jumps back into our life in a big way. Such is the plot for You Again.

It sure sounds like a great idea and one with plenty of fodder for a comedy. Throw in Jamie Lee Curtis, Sigourney Weaver, Kristen Bell and most of all Betty White, and you should really have something, right? Well, not so fast grasshopper. You still need a great script and this is where the film breaks down. There are a few funny moments here just not enough to carry a film.

You Again stars Kristen Bell as Marnie, something of a geek in school who is terrorized by one of the hot girls and head cheerleader, JayJay (Odette Yustman. Marnie is able to overcome it all and become a very successful public relations executive specializing in the music industry. She returns home to attend her brother Will’s wedding only to discover that her soon to be sister-in-law, is her old nemesis JayJay, who now goes by Joanna.

Needless to say, sparks fly when they get together as they try to settle old scores and Marnie tries to warn her bother that Joanna is not the sweet and wonderful woman that he thinks she is Things are further complicated when Marnie’s mother, Gail (Jamie Lynn Curtis) is surprised to learn that Joanna’s aunt Ramona (Sigourney Weaver), is her former BFF from high school who she had a falling out with during senior year.

I think you have a pretty good idea where this film is headed. As a whole it is fairly predictable and formulaic. While it has a few laughs, it just doesn’t have enough to garner more than a lukewarm recommendation as a rental. What really bugged me the most about the film is the fact that they failed to use Betty White who plays Marnie’s grandmother Bunny, to full effect. She is used here more as an afterthought. I would have preferred to see a lot more of Betty White and her edgy and suggestive persona. She is a real gem and a treasure. The failure to make her more of the story was the real lost opportunity here.

Video 

You Again was shot with HD video rather than on film. However, despite that, the film does not have the glossy look of HD video and looks shall we say, more film like, than one would normally expect. I really enjoyed the look of the film which features a very natural color palette and spot on fleshtones. The film thankfully lacks that golden hue that is becoming far too common in films these days. Enough already! You Again features well saturated and bright colors and deep blacks. Facial detail and background details are good and the film has a nice sense of depth. The film is a bit soft throughout, really just a tad but is enough to keep the film having an even higher score. All in all, with the bright and natural color palette and deep blacks, the look of You Again on Blu-ray should more than please fans of the film.

Audio 

For comedy, the audio presentation is just abut what I expected it would be. This is not a sophisticated sound design but one that sounds quite nice with a smooth and open sound without any evidence of harshness or shrillness. The film is rather front heavy with the surrounds only really grabbing your attention during a few scenes, such as the collapse of the tree house in the last third of the film. With the exception of the musical score, the surrounds are used mostly for sound effects rather than providing an engrossing and immersive sound experience.

Overall, the musical score sounds great with excellent bass response, especially during the “live” musical performance during the rolling of the credits. The fidelity of the dialogue track is quite nice and always intelligible. All in all, the audio presentation is a solid one and one that is more than respectable, given the nature of the film.

Special Features 

The extras included here are just about as standard a faire as one could imagine and with one exception, not really worthy of much of your time. The extras include deleted scenes with intros by director Andy Fickman. There is a “Blooper Dance Party” which is, you guessed it, a blooper reel. “Following Fickman: On Set With the Director” follows Andy Fickman as he directs the film and interacts with the cast and tries to impress us with what a great and funny guy he really is. In “Ask The Cast”, Jamie Lee Curtis, Betty White, Sigourney Weaver and Kristen Bell supposedly answer questions submitted from their fans.

The only extra that I would suggest that you watch is ‘Funny or Die” which is a spoof of an on set interview with Kristen Bell, Jamie Lee Curtis, Betty White, Odette Yustman and Sigourney Weaver, who get into an argument over who is the biggest star and who have a good bit of fun at each others’ as well as their own expense. You Again is presented as a Blu-ray combo pack, including a second disc which is a DVD copy of the film.

Final Thoughts 

I was expecting a better film than what I experienced with You Again, which is yet another example of a film failing to live up to its promise. If you are looking for a light comedy, you may want to give You Again a look, but as a rental only.

Film 

I am sure that all of you are well familiar with the film Alice in Wonderland. The film was released to theaters in 1951 and is based on the beloved children’s book, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll which is now well over a hundred years old. Alice in Wonderland was in production at Disney for 20 years as Walt Disney struggled with adapting the book to film, which turned out to be quite difficult. There were numerous renderings of the film performed and it was not until Disney artist Mary Blair’s renderings of the sections of the story in the second half of the 1940′s that Disney found the visual look that would make the film possible.

The film tells the story of Alice who is sitting in the English countryside while listening to her sister reading a history book to her. She dozes off and images that a white rabbit with a large pocket watch runs by. Alice follows him and falls down a rabbit hole, to a magical land below the Earth. While there, she encounters several fascinating characters, including the famous smiling Cheshire Cat, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, The Madhatter and the Queen of Hearts, who seemingly want to cut off everyone’s head. Alice finally awakens from her slumber and returns to reality but presumably, will always remember the adventures she experienced while dreaming.

Of all the early classic Disney films, Alice in Wonderland is probably the hardest to get one’s mind around due to the fact that it is really so surreal. However, it is one that I have always enjoyed since seeing in on TV as a child. Despite it’s age, the film holds up beautifully 60 years after its release and was a joy to experience in high def on the Blu-ray format, especially the unforgettable tea party scene with the Madhatter, voiced brilliantly by Ed Wynn. Disney’s Alice in Wonderland is highly recommended for film fans of all ages.

Video 

Alice in Wonderland is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1:33:1 with black bars on the side filling out the 16:9 aspect ratio of the high definition format. These bars can also be replaced with artwork as part of Disney View for those so inclined The picture is simply beautiful, with a bright and bold and beautifully saturated colors and deep and inky blacks. The film is awash in greens, blues, reds and yellows that simply pop off the screen. The layering of one set of images over another to create a particular scene is very evident, given the excellent black levels which creates an excellent sense of depth.

The image is also razor sharp and crystal clear. It would appear that film grain was removed in the re-mastering process which may be an issue for some purists out there. However, while I am one of those who would prefer that film grain be presented to the best extent possible, I have no issue with the work done here, given the beautiful results and the fact the original art work itself from which the film was made was grain free. While it appears that film grain was removed, the rest of the film is untouched. Note for example the misspelling of Lewis Carroll’s name during the opening title sequence. There is no question that Alice in Wonderland has never looked anywhere close in the home to how it looks on Blu-ray, and is another in a string of fabulous restorations from the folks at Disney. Very well done.

Audio 

I was not exactly looking to be bowled over by the audio here given the age of the film and was therefore not disappointed with the audio. I did most of my listening to the 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio track but also did a comparison to the Dolby Digital mix as well. For me, the clear winner was the DTS HD master Audio track which had a richness and smoothness of sound that the Dolby Digital track just could not match.

In comparison the Dolby track sounded thin, shrill and shallow. The lossless DTS HD Master Audio track is the only way to go. While the original film elements were remixed to the 5.1 format, the sound field is rather front heavy with only very occasional aggressive use of the surrounds speakers. I was not expecting a dynamic sound experience and didn’t receive one. However, the dialogue, music and effects were all recorded very well and presented here about as well as they could have been.

I really can’t image the film sounding any better than it does on the lossless track featured on this release given the age of the film. I did not one anomaly with the audio and that is that the Dolby Digital track and not the DTS HD Master Audio track was the default audio track. Therefore, make sure that you select the lossless track at the start of the film. Switching back and forth between the lossless and lossy tracks during the opening title sequences of the film, the superiority of the former is readily apparent.

Special Features 

Alice In Wonderland is presented in a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack. The release therefore contains two discs, one containing the Blu-ray release and all the extras and a DVD release. Surprisingly, the release does not also contain a digital copy of the film.

The Blu-ray copy contains a few new extras that were not contained on the previous DVD release of the film. The first is entitled “Through the Keyhole: A Companion’s Guide to Wonderland” which runs concurrent with the film. The film itself appears in windows moved around the 16 x 9 frame with artwork, text as well as interviews with various film and Disney historians, discussing Lewis Carroll’s life and the book itself, as well as the 20 year effort on the part of Walt Disney to adapt the book into a film. This extra is presented in HD.

Also included is a Painting the Roses Red game which I didn’t find all that interesting. Also included is a short into, in color by the way, of Walt Disney’s introduction of the film when it was shown on TV for the first time in 1959 at Christmas. While I am old, I am not old enough to remember that showing as I was just a baby!

We also get two very short featurettes where the voice of Alice, Kathryn Beaumont, introduces a newly discovered pencil test of the Alice Shrinks sequence as well as the live footage of her talking to the doorknob in the beginning of the film, which the animators used as the basis of their animation.

The remaining extras are those ported over from the prior DVD release of the film and include the following:

• I’m Odd: A Newly Discovered Cheshire Cat song with an intro by Kathryn Beaumont
• Thru the Mirror Mickey Mouse Short (presented now in HD)
• Art gallery
• “Reflections of Alice” featurette where film and Disney historians discuss the making of the film
• “Operation Wonderland” which is a visit to the studio during the making of the filmOne hour Christmas TV special from the early 1950′s where ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and his two “sidekicks”, Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd are invited to a Christmas party at the studio where Walt Disney shows the quests the magic mirror featured in Sleeping Beauty which shows scenes from classic Disney films including Snow White and Song of the South to the quests and TV audience.
• 1930′s era silent short “An Alice Comedy: Alice’s Wonderland”, based loosely on Lewis Carroll’s work, where a young girl visits Walt Disney and the studio and falls into the world of cartoon animation, much like Alice falls down the rabbit hole in the film
• Original 1951 and 1974 theatrical trailers for the film
• Walt Disney TV introduction from 1954 and 1964
• An excerpt from The Fred Waring TV show
• Deleted materials including the deleted scene “Pig and Pepper”, “From Wonderland to Neverland: The Evolution of a Song” which recalls how a song originally intended for the film ended up in Peter Pan, a deleted storyboard concept: Alice Daydreams in the Park and original song demos “Beware The Jabberwock”, “Everything Has a Useness”, “So They Say”, “Beautiful Soup”, “Dream Caravan”and “If You Believe in Me”.

All in all, I found the history behind the making of the film quite interesting and well worth your time.

Final Thoughts 

In Alice in Wonderland, another Disney classic has made its way to Blu-ray and has never looked or sounded any better in the home and is highly recommended for film fans of all ages.

Film 

I am old enough to recall the hoopla surrounding the triple crown run of Secretariat. I can’t say that I am a fan of horse racing but as a teenager, I was in front of the TV for each of the Triple Crown races involving Secretariat in the summer of 1973. It was certainly quite a story and one that captivated the entire nation, not just racing fans. There was something about the majesty of the horse and how he would hold back and come on and win his races with a real sense of drama. It was really hard not to get caught up in all that. It was quite compelling.

While there has been some hoopla concerning subsequent horses and their pursuit of the Triple Crown (Smarty Jones comes immediately to mind), none has ever come close to that involving Secretariat, perhaps the greatest race horse of all time. There is no doubt that the film captures this sense of excitement. However, what made this film so interesting to me, was the backstory around the horses owner, Penny Chenery, played so beautifully by Diane Lane. The whole story behind how she acquired ownership of the horse, how she risked her entire economic future in racing this horse and the impact that it had on her family is what makes this film so special.

Any working mothers out there who have had to miss school plays of football games will be able to relate to what Penny Chenery missed out in pursuit of this dream. In many ways, she was a woman well ahead of her time. I am sure that there were some creative license taken in putting this story together, but so what, as it really helped to create a compelling narrative. I also found the rest of the characters around her to be just as interesting, including the quirky trainer, Lucien Laurin played ever so perfectly by John Malkovich and the quiet and reassuring Eddie Sweat played by Nelson Ellis, who had a way of getting inside the mind of horses and who acted as steading influence on Penny Chenery.

While there was some controversy created by the reviews of this film on political grounds, I found nothing at all overtly political about the film. The film is much more than a film about a great race horse. It is an uplifting tale of a women who overcame great odds in a field dominated by men, who just happened to lead the greatest race horse to the greatest feat in racing, the Triple Crown. I really enjoyed this film and hope that you will as well. Highly recommended.

Video 

There is a lot to like about the video presentation of Secretariat on Blu-ray. Other than some early scenes set in Colorado which have something of a brownish tone to them, the film has a very natural looking color palette with beautifully saturated colors. Black levels were quite deep and inky and consistent and stable throughout the film. If I had a criticism about the look of the film it is that I found it to be a tad soft and lacking in detail which robbed the film of the sense of depth that you see in the very best looking films on Blu-ray. I do not feel that this is the result of any technical issues with the encoding of the film but simply an artistic choice on the part of the director. All in all, despite these limitations, this is still a nice looking film and worthy of a full 4 star rating. It is just not of reference material.

Audio 

While I had a few issues with the look of the film, I have no issues at all with the audio presentation which is superb. While I would not call this a very immersive sounding film, the surrounds are used very aggressively and very effectively to place you at the race track during each of the races featured in the film. It is the race sequences where the audio presentation is top notch. The dynamics are off the charts during the racing sequences. You will nearly jump out of your seat as the horses exit the gate. The thumping of the horses as they race on the track are exhilarating and will surely give your subwoofer a workout.

I was also quite impressed with the panning effects as the horses enter the curves. They simply pass right across your room seamlessly as they turn the corner and head toward the straightaway. The racing sequences are without a doubt, reference material and a thrill to experience at home. The rest of the audio is top notch, with excellent fidelity and transparency and a dialogue track which is beautifully recorded, clear and natural sounding and well placed in the mix. This is simply a great sounding film and one that all home theater fans should enjoy. I know I sure did.

Special Features 

The Secretariat release on Blu-ray comes as a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack. The extras feature an audio commentary with director Randall Wallace as well as several featurettes about the making of the film.

The featurettes include “Heart of a Champion” which takes a historical look at Secretariat and features interviews with the cast and crew as well as the real people involved with Secretariat. “Choreographing The Races” takes a look at all that was involved in filming the actual racing sequences.

The best of all the extras in my opinion is the interview by director Randall Wallace with Penny Chenery herself, which takes a look at the real back story depicted in the film.

Also included are several deleted scenes with optional audio commentary by Randall Wallace as well as “Secretariat Multi-Angle Simulation” which enables you to relive the 1973 Preakness Stakes by viewing the race from different angles as well as listening to commentaries from race fans, announcers and jockey Ron Turcotte. All in all, I found the extras to be rather interesting as well as informative.

Final Thoughts 

Secretariat is a moving and uplifting film about the greatest race horse of all time and the courage and conviction of Penny Chenery, the woman behind Secretariat’s epic achievements. The fim features a solid if unspectacular video presentation with some truly reference audio sequences and is highly recommended.

Film

The Search for Santa Paws has a very clear target audience and I tried to be as neutral as I could to give a fair review. I found out that this actually a prequel to “Santa Buddies” which is one of the many regurgitations of the direct-to-video “Air-Bud”. I was surprised to find out that the recently passed Tom Bosley was the original voice of Santa Paws and was even more surprised when I found that besides having Danny Woodburn as Eli the elf as well as a few voices such as Richard King as Eddy the Elf Dog, the rest of the very small star studded cast they tried to have for the first film fizzled away. Now instead of having some familiar faces to get us through the film, The Search for Santa Paws has to rely on merit alone.

Sadly the film just doesn’t have any depth; it tries hard to create some Christmas folklore with the idea of the Christmas Icicle which is carried over from Santa Buddies, but the story is terribly flat. It follows Santa as he visits New York with his new pet dog, Santa Paws, and due to a car accident and theft, Santa loses his magical necklace which causes him to lose his memory. Santa Paws on the other hand is lost and has to find his way back, but no one can understand a dog…

You add in a subplot of an evil woman who runs an orphanage and a gang of dogs with really random voices and you’ve got yourself a very blatant cash grab attempt. The movie is so transparent that the orphanage actually has an incinerator in the basement with a conveyor belt attached… Who would have that in the basement of the orphanage?! Those are meant specifically for like horror movie sets…

The fact that the film manages to take this wafer thin plot and find a way to mangle it, in an attempt to try and add depth to the storyline I’m assuming, by adding in so many little side elements that just don’t mesh well… If you want to have a Santa lost in Manhattan film, that’s fine… Don’t make it the b-plot of your Air Bud movie.

Besides the script being written in crayon, the acting is atrocious…. From the bumbling homeless man who initially pickpockets Santa to the overly stereotypical angry New York woman who ends up being the Orphanage owner. The film just doesn’t have a leg to stand on… I can’t even see kids finding this film entertaining… the songs suck and the story is insulting.

Video

The Search for Santa Paws is displayed using the MPEG-4 AVC codec. I usually associate Disney video releases with above par image quality and although this film does look good, there is some noise in the lower lit scenes. The details are reproduced nicely and there’s no softness issues… Textures are sharp and everything looks crisp.

The colours are bit too vivid for my taste, there are few scenes where we go from the grey indoors to this explosion of warm tones when we go inside Santa’s workshop or even to a lesser extent, the toy store. The skin tones come off a bit red indoors as well; obviously the colour grading was a little too extreme.

The bad part about having decent looking films on a budget is that the visual effects look incredibly fake and stick out when a decent image is composited on top, take for instance Santa walking along a CG backdrop of the North Pole… He looks fine while everything else resembles a hokey digital illustration.

Audio

The Search for Santa Paws’s audio comes at us using the 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio codec and much like the video quality; we’re given a decent presentation. The mix is front heavy and doesn’t try too hard to impress, I found that the dialogue was clear during the movie and the song numbers weren’t hard to follow either.

The dynamic range of the mix is a bit limited but we do get a few rumbles here and there to put emphasis on certain aspects of the movie, mostly score related to bring the emotion out… or should I say “to fake emotion”? You really never feel anything during this film.

Special Features

The main extra to name is the short film; a common selling point on home media releases of children’s films is the fun shorts added to increase the value of the film. “Wall-E” had “Burn-E”, How to Train a Dragon had “Legend of the Boneknapper” and The Search for Santa Paws has The HuckleBuckle Hero, which is in the running for the laziest attempt at a short I’ve ever seen. The film plays off its limited animation by saying that the animation is actually in the form of a pop-up book… so basically this short is some crumby animated dogs reading a book to you… Sounds thrilling right?

There’s also some deleted scenes that don’t add anything to the story, a music video from a young singer who I’m sure is the next Miley Cyrus and  a sing a long mode which is just subtitles pretty much. Overall I expected a lot more if Disney actually wanted to make this disc worthwhile.

Final Thoughts

Although The Search for Santa Paws is decent looking and sounding, you can’t get around the fact that the film itself feels like it was slapped together over a week-end. With a lackluster CGI and lazy special features I would suggest checking out some of the other Disney Christmas specials.