Animation

Cooked to perfection

My review copy of the Blu-ray release of Ratatouille arrived this morning from DVD Pacific.

It goes without saying that my expectation were very, very high for this release. Pixar have put out some of the best-looking standard definition DVD releases ever, with their UK edition of The Incredibles being one of the few titles that I actually consider to be as close to “as good as it gets”. Okay, so Finding Nemo ain’t so hot in comparison, but they’ve never put out anything that’s less than “very good”.

Anyway, I wasn’t disappointed. If there is a single flaw in Ratatouille’s transfer, I can’t see it. According to writer/director Brad Bird, it was handled by a Pixar technician named Rick Sayre, who also supervised The Incredibles’ DVD transfer, and it looks sublime from start to finish. There is a lot of difficult material here, particularly running water, fur and various spices, but the encoder never seems to slip up once, and, while the visual look of Ratatouille doesn’t quite have the crispness of Sony’s Open Season (it was intentionally given a slightly softer, “warmer” sheen), I know which film I’d rather watch. For those who crave sharpness above all else, Pixar’s Cars, released at the same time as Ratatouille and being delivered to the HMS Whimsy shortly, could easily become the new HD disc of choice (at least judging by the trailer on the Ratatouille DVD, which is a little over-compressed but beyond criticism in terms of detail).

That said, for me, by far the most striking aspect of this BD (barring the “Depending on your player, this disc may take up to three minutes to start” disclaimer at the start) was the trailer that played before the film, showing brief high definition clips of Peter Pan, The Jungle Book, The Lion King and Pocahontas. Disney, why must you keep us waiting so?

This is going to set you back several Disney dollars… (Part 4)

You can view Part 1 (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to Alice in Wonderland) here, Part 2 (Peter Pan to The Black Cauldron) here and Part 3 (The Great Mouse Detective to Tarzan) here.

Fantasia 2000 (James Algar, Gaëtan Brizzi, Paul Brizzi, Hendel Butoy, Francis Glebas, Eric Goldberg, Don Hahn, Pixote Hunt, 1999) - I don’t own this one on DVD. The R1 US single-disc edition includes a DTS track, commentaries and other bonus materials not found on the R2 versions. This and the 3-disc Collector’s Edition (bundled with Fantasia) are both OOP.

The Emperor’s New Groove (Mark Dindal, 2000) - I don’t own this one on DVD. All versions present the film in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1, accompanied by the original 5.1 mix. The OOP R1 2-disc Collector’s Edition features a DTS track not found on the other releases, but otherwise all 2-disc variants throughout the world appear to be identical. Avoid the various (also OOP) single-disc releases.

Atlantis: The Lost Empire (Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise, 2001) - All of the various 2-disc Collector’s Edition releases present the film in its original 2.39:1 aspect ratio, accompanied by the original 5.1 mix in both Dolby Digital and, in English-speaking territories, DTS forms, plus a massive array of extras. There is also a single-disc R1 release, but at all costs avoid the R2 UK single-disc version, which features only a cropped 1.33:1 presentation of the film.

Lilo & Stitch (Chris Sanders, Dean DeBlois, 2002) - All releases present the film in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1, accompanied by the original Dolby Digital 5.1 mix. Virtually every territory except North America has a 2-disc Special Edition packed full of extras, with the R4 Australian release also including an English DTS 5.1 track and therefore being the best available version. At all costs avoid the R2 English and German releases, which have been censored (particularly the German release, which is missing upwards of a minute of footage). The UK versions also have a Gareth Gates song inserted over the closing credits.

Treasure Planet (John Musker, Ron Clements, 2002) - All releases present the film in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1, accompanied by the original Dolby Digital 5.1 mix. The R2 UK release also includes a DTS 5.1 track, making it the preferred version. Having seen both PAL and NTSC transfers, I would say that the PAL version offers improved detail while also exhibiting slightly more in the way of compression artefacts.

Brother Bear (Aaron Blaise, Bob Walker, 2003) - The R1 2-disc Special Edition includes two versions of the film, one corresponding to the theatrical presentation of the film (starting in windowboxed 1.85:1 before expanding to 2.39:1), and the other cropped to 1.66:1 throughout. The R2 UK version, meanwhile, comes on a single disc and includes only the cropped 1.66:1 version. According to Rewind, the R2 Norwegian release is also OAR. Both English-language versions also include a DTS track. Note that the R1 release has very poor image quality (extreme amounts of filtering).

Home on the Range (John Sanford, Will Finn, 2004) - Draw between all releases, which present the film in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1, accompanied by the original Dolby Digital 5.1 mix.

Belleville belle vue

My copy of the French HD DVD release of Les Triplettes de Belleville arrived this morning from FNAC - a lovely surprise, as I’d completely forgotten it was being released at the end of October and had no idea it was on its way.

For me, this release is a huge deal, because it’s the first full-length traditionally animated film I’ve owned on HD DVD (the next is likely to be Asterix and the Vikings, also due out in France at the beginning of December). I’ve already seen the three Looney Tunes shorts that are included on The Adventures of Robin Hood HD DVD, which made my salivate for more, as well as Satoshi Kon’s Paprika on Blu-ray, but the latter featured a somewhat underwhelming transfer, while the visual style did absolutely nothing for me (anime generally does little for me anyway, particularly when its flat, bland, stilted, washed-out anime like the kind found in Paprika).

Many people are under the misconception that animation doesn’t benefit from HD as much as live action, but my opinion has always been that the exact opposite is true, as I hope the screenshots I’ve posted below prove. Les Triplettes de Belleville looks amazing, with the improved definition really allowing you to appreciate the line work of the pencil animation and the level of detail in the backgrounds. Oh, and as an added bonus, it’s in its intended aspect ratio of 1.66:1, unlike the DVD, which was over-matted to 1.78:1.

It’s not a completely perfect release: the low bit rate of 9.16 GB is slightly too stingy for the encoder to cope with some of the more visually complex shots. In motion, the artefacts that you might be able to see in some of the screenshots below are nothing like as noticeable - in fact, I hardly noticed any of them when I was actually watching the film - but they could probably have been avoided had an HD30 been used instead of an HD15.

Still, all in all a very nice release indeed, and one that means I can now retired my 2-disc standard definition DVD version (all of the extras have been ported over, even if they are, by necessity, PAL to NTSC standards conversions).

Les Triplettes de Belleville
(France Télévisions Éditions, France, VC-1, 9.16 GB)

DVDs I bought or received in the month of October

• Black Book (R0 USA, Blu-ray)
• Dawn of the Dead (RA USA, Blu-ray)
• Day of the Dead (RA USA, Blu-ray)
• Fallen Angel (R2 UK, DVD)
• The Fly (RA USA, Blu-ray)
• Halloween (RA USA, Blu-ray)
• Inferno (R2 Italy, DVD)
• The Jungle Book: Platinum Edition (R0 USA, DVD)
• Masters of Horror: Season 1, Volume 1 (RA USA, Blu-ray)
• Masters of Horror: Season 1, Volume 2 (RA USA, Blu-ray)
• Mission Impossible III (R0 USA, HD DVD)
• Nikita/Subway (R2 UK, DVD)
• Oldboy (R0 UK, Blu-ray)
• Seed of Chucky (R0 USA, HD DVD)
• The Stendhal Syndrome (R0 USA, DVD)
• Suspiria: Definitive Edition (R2 Italy, DVD)
• Veronica Mars: The Complete Third Season (R1 USA, DVD)

No question about it, this was a very Blu month. A very expensive one too, although at least I managed to snag three review copies.

This is going to set you back several Disney dollars… (Part 3)

You can view Part 1 (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to Alice in Wonderland) here, and Part 2 (Peter Pan to The Black Cauldron) here.

The Great Mouse Detective [a.k.a. Basil the Great Mouse Detective] (John Musker, Ron Clements, Dave Michener, Burny Mattinson, 1986) - Draw between all the current releases, which all present the film in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1 and with the original stereo audio replaced with a 5.1 remix. The Region 2 UK release features scratchier opening credits due to the title having been replaced with the UK variant, Basil the Great Mouse Detective, but otherwise the transfer is comparable to its Region 1 counterpart. Both versions that I have seen feature what seems suspiciously like missing sound effects during the climactic fight between Basil and Ratigan, but, not having seen an earlier, non-remixed version, I can’t say for sure.

Oliver & Company (George Scribner, 1988) - All the current releases present the film in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1 and with the original stereo audio replaced with a 5.1 remix. The Region 1 release, however, gains a bonus cartoon short, Lend a Paw, not found on any other version.

The Little Mermaid (John Musker, Ron Clements, 1989) - The 2006 Platinum Edition is the version to go for, as it features an anamorphic presentation and the most extras. Its Dolby Digital 5.1 track is presumably derived from the 6-track audio that accompanied 70mm screenings of the film. Please note, however, that, unlike the now OOP Limited Issue version, it has been cropped from 1.66:1 to its theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. It also suffers from DVNR artefacts.

The Rescuers Down Under (Hendel Butoy, Mike Gabriel, 1990) - All the current releases present the film in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1 and include the same extras. The Region 1 Gold Collection release features a Dolby Digital 4.0 track, whereas all other releases have a 5.1 track. The original theatrical mix was presumably stereo, making neither track ideal.

Beauty and the Beast (Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise, 1991) - I don’t own the one on DVD. All releases present the film in its theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1, matted from the CAPS native 1.66:1, and feature a Dolby Digital 5.1 presumably derived from the 6-track audio that accompanied 70mm presentations of the film. The 2-disc Platinum Edition was released in all territories, although I am under the impression that the OOP Region 1 version suffers from compression and edge enhancement issues, more so than the Region 2 releases, which are also affected. Note that a single-disc “Special Edition” was released in the UK, which features minimal extras and includes only the new extended version of the film, which includes a “newly rediscovered” song, so it should be avoided.

Aladdin (John Musker, Ron Clements, 1992) - All releases are the same in terms of content, presenting the film in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1 and with its original Dolby Digital 5.1 audio mix (plus a “Disney Enhanced Home Theatre remix), along with copious extras spread across two discs. Having seen both the Region 1 and Region 2 UK releases, I would say that the Region 1 version has a marginally better transfer (comparison here).

The Lion King (Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff, 1994) - All releases are the same in terms of content, presenting the film in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1 and with its original Dolby Digital 5.1 audio mix (plus a “Disney Enhanced Home Theatre remix), along with extras spread across two discs. Please note, however, that all versions are derived from the 2002 IMAX re-release, which features some modified animation and effects, as well as a different Walt Disney Pictures logo and static (rather than scrolling) end credits. It also features a newly-integrated song, the Morning Report, which can be disabled from the setup menu.

Pocahontas (Mike Gabriel, Eric Goldberg, 1995) - Go for any one of the various 2-disc releases (10th Anniversary Edition in Region 1 territories, but released under different labels elsewhere), which feature the most extras and present the film anamorphically in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1 with its original Dolby Digital 5.1 audio mix. Avoid the earlier single disc releases, which are non-anamorphic and have very poor image quality.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise, 1996) - I don’t own this one on DVD. All releases present the film in its matted theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1, cropping a small amount of information compared with the native CAPS 1.66:1 ratio, and feature the original Dolby Digital 5.1 audio mix. The Region 1 release also features a DTS track and an audio commentary not found elsewhere, but has poorer image quality than the various PAL releases (comparison at Bjoern’s Place).

Hercules (John Musker, Ron Clements, 1997) - I don’t own this one on DVD. All releases are non-anamorphic and present the film in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1, accompanied by the original Dolby Digital 5.1 mix. The Region 2 re-release (i.e. not the one distributed by Warner Home Video) comes with an additional featurette.

Mulan (Barry Cook, Tony Bancroft, 1998) - All UK releases have been cut to remove a headbutt (although the film was initially released uncut erroneously, and copies of this recalled UK disc now fetch a hefty price on eBay). The best version is the Region 4 Australian 2-disc Special Edition, which presents the film in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1, accompanied by the original Dolby Digital 5.1 mix plus several extras. The Region 1 Special Edition includes the same extras but has poorer image quality, especially during the final third of the film (comparison here). The UK Special Edition features a DTS track but is cut. The earlier single editions feature minimal extras and a film-sourced transfer matted to 1.78:1, with the Region 1 version being non-anamorphic.

Tarzan (Kevin Lima, Chris Buck, 1999) - All versions present the film in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1, while most versions feature a Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track; the Dutch, Scandinavian and UK Special Edition releases feature a Dolby Digital 5.1 track. The 2-disc Region 1 Collector’s Edition boasts some additional featurettes not found on other releases. Also note that the old UK Collector’s Edition is missing the audio commentary, but that it is included on the newer UK Special Edition. Avoid the various single-disc editions, which are lacking most of the extras.

Part 4 will follow in the not too distant future…

This is going to set you back several Disney dollars… (Part 2)

You can view Part 1 (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to Alice in Wonderland) here.

Peter Pan (Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske, 1953) - The 2006 Region 1 Platinum Edition includes the most extras, as well as the original mono audio mix. Non-Region 1 releases of the Platinum Edition ditch the original mono mix. Older releases, including the now-OOP Special Edition and Limited Issue versions, also omit the mono track and most (if not all) of the extras.

Lady and the Tramp (Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske, 1955) - The best available version is the Region 1 2-disc Platinum Edition, which includes the 2.55:1 Cinemascope presentation of the film with its original 3-channel audio. A 1.33:1 version is also included, but this is just a pan and scan presentation of the Cinemascope version rather than the differently framed Academy version that was released for theatres not equipped for Cinemascope (this version has never been released on DVD). The Region 2 versions of the Platinum Edition ditch the 3-channel mix and pan and scan version. The OOP Limited Issue release features only a 5.1 remix and has much poorer image quality, slightly cropped to 2.35:1, plus a complete lack of extras. At all costs avoid the older, non-Platinum Region 2 releases, which are presented in pan and scan only.

Sleeping Beauty (Clyde Geronimi, 1959) - I don’t own this one on DVD. All editions are currently OOP, although a Platinum Edition is scheduled for release on DVD and Blu-ray in October 2008. None of the previous releases include the mono audio that accompanied Academy ratio presentations of the film, but the Dolby Digital 5.1 mix found on every DVD is presumably derived from the 6-track mix accompanying 70mm prints of the film. Avoid the older, single-disc Region 2 releases, which are presented in 1.33:1 pan and scan; the various 2-disc Collector’s Editions all include the original 2.35:1 presentation (unlike Lady and the Tramp, the 1.33:1 prints were merely cropped rather than reframed), while the UK release features a DTS 5.1 track. The US version, however, contains a commentary not found elsewhere, so it basically comes down to a choice between audio and extras.

101 Dalmatians (Clyde Geronimi, Hamilton Luske, Wolfgang Reitherman, 1961) - I don’t own this one on DVD. All releases are currently OOP. They all present the film in the preferable 1.33:1 Academy ratio rather than the 1.75:1 theatrical ratio (see here for an explanation to this controversy), and feature 2.0 surround audio rather than the original mono mix. A 2-disc Platinum Edition is due out in March 2008, and is expected to feature the original mono audio (on the Region 1 release, at any rate), and be matted to the theatrical 1.75:1 ratio.

The Sword in the Stone (Wolfgang Reitherman, 1963) - All current releases present the film in the preferable 1.33:1 Academy ratio rather than the 1.75:1 theatrical ratio (see here for an explanation to this controversy), and present the audio in a 5.1 remix rather than the original mono recording. Judging by footage shown in the documentary on Platinum Edition release of The Jungle Book, a new edition will be released in matted widescreen at some point in the future.

The Jungle Book (Wolfgang Reitherman, 1967) - The recently released 2-disc Region 1 Platinum Edition includes the best selection of extras and also includes the original mono audio mix (no word yet on whether the mono mix is included on Region 2 editions, but judging by recent trends, this is probably unlikely). Note, however, that it is presented in a matted theatrical ratio of 1.75:1 rather than the preferable 1.33:1 Academy ratio (see here for an explanation to this controversy). The various OOP single-disc releases present the film in its Academy ratio, but feature poorer image quality and remixed 2.0 surround audio.

The Aristocats (Wolfgang Reitherman, 1970) - I don’t own this one on DVD. All the current releases present the film in the preferable 1.33:1 Academy ratio rather than the 1.75:1 theatrical ratio (see here for an explanation to this controversy), and present the audio in a remix (2.0 surround in Region 1 territories, 5.1 for Region 2) rather than the original mono recording. A 2-disc Special Edition is due out at some point in the future, presumably with a matted 1.75:1 transfer and the original mono audio mix.

Robin Hood (Wolfgang Reitherman, 1973) - All pre-2006 editions present the film in the preferable 1.33:1 Academy ratio rather than the 1.75:1 theatrical ratio (see here for an explanation to this controversy). The OOP Region 1 Gold Collection release features the original mono mix, while all other versions include only a 5.1 remix. The recently released Most Wanted Edition ditches the mono track and presents the film in a matted 1.75:1 ratio. The Region 2 UK release is also confirmed to suffer from severe DVNR artefacts (evidence here), but I have no idea whether the Region 1 version is similarly affected.

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (Wolfgang Reitherman, John Lounsbery, 1977) - I don’t own this one on DVD. The OOP Region 1 25th Anniversary Edition presents the film in its intended 1.33:1 aspect ratio and features only a Dolby Digital 5.1 remix instead of the original mono track. The more recent Friendship Edition features similar specs, but boasts an improved transfer and includes some additional extras. Region 2 releases appear to correspond to the Region 1 25th Anniversary Edition in terms of specs and bonus materials.

The Rescuers (Wolfgang Reitherman, John Lounsbery, Art Stevens, 1977) - All available releases present the film in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1, which appears to be an accurate reproduction of its intended framing, and feature a 5.1 remix in place of the original mono audio.

The Fox and the Hound (Art Stevens, Ted Berman, Richard Rich, 1981) - All available editions are presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, which appears noticeably cropped, suggesting that this is a pan and scan job rather than an open matte affair like the 60s and 70s productions. All releases dump the original mono audio mix in favour of a remix (2.0 surround on the OOP Region 1 Gold Collection release, 5.1 for all other versions).

The Black Cauldron (Ted Berman, Richard Rich, 1985) - All releases present the film in the 2.35:1 aspect ratio of its 35mm screenings (a 2.20:1 ratio was used for the Super Technirama 70mm version); however, all but the French Region 2 release are non-anamorphic. The French release, which also includes English subtitles, seems therefore to be the preferred edition to get. All releases feature a Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track, which I presume is derived from the 6-track mix that accompanied 70mm prints of the film.

Part 3 will follow in the not too distant future…

This is going to set you back several Disney dollars… (Part 1)

Count Fosco, a good friend of mine, was recently inquiring about the subject of Disney animated features on DVD, and it occurred to me that a post dealing specifically with the available versions and which ones are the best would be a good idea. Disney, after all, has a rather annoying habit of releasing a film on DVD for a limited period, deleting it and then re-releasing it a few years down the line, and, as a result, there are several different iterations of many of their animated classics. This post isn’t meant to be taken as completely gospel, because I don’t own every single Disney film on DVD, but, generally speaking, I’ve tried my best to point out instances where I am unsure about a specific title.

So, without further ado…

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (David Hand, 1937) - I don’t own this title on DVD (surprisingly). Of the various editions released, the most preferable seems to be the now out of print Region 1 2-disc Platinum Edition from 2001, which features the original mono track (the Region 2 UK release claims to have a stereo track instead, but I can’t confirm whether or not this is a mislabelled mono track). A new Platinum Edition is expected in 2009.

Pinocchio (Ben Sharpsteen, Hamilton Luske, 1940) - The old Region 1 Gold Collection release is long OOP, but the currently-available Region 2 UK Special Edition features a very nice transfer, despite limited extras and a lack of the original mono audio mix. A Platinum Edition is expected in 2009.

Fantasia (James Algar, Samuel Armstrong, Ford Beebe, Norman Ferguson, Jim Handley, T. Hee, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske, Bill Roberts, Paul Satterfield, 1940) - I don’t own this one on DVD. The 60th Anniversary Special Edition and 3-disc Collector’s Edition (bundled with Fantasia 2000) are both OOP. A Platinum Edition is expected at some point, but there is currently no estimated release date.

Dumbo (Ben Sharpsteen, 1941) - No known version contains the original mono mix. The recent US Big Top Edition has the most extras, although it does drop a few that were included in the earlier and now OOP 60th Anniversary Edition. It also has a cleaner transfer, although the 60th Anniversary Edition (the one I own) probably looks more faithful to the film’s original intended look.

Bambi (David Hand, 1942) - This film wasn’t actually released on DVD until 2005, as a 2-disc Platinum Edition, which is now OOP. Unusually, the Region 2 releases all seem to include the original mono mix, meaning that any of the available releases of this film should be adequate. Please note, though, that all releases suffer from some noticeable “drifting” artefacts.

Saludos Amigos (Norman Ferguson, Wilfred Jackson, Jack Kinney, Hamilton Luske, Bill Roberts, 1942) - I don’t own this one on DVD. The OOP Region 1 version is edited to remove a racial stereotype; I’m unable to confirm whether the Region 2 releases are similarly affected.

The Three Caballeros (Norman Ferguson, 1944) - I don’t own this one on DVD. The OOP Region 1 release includes the original mono mix. I don’t have access to the specs for the Region 2 version.

Make Mine Music (Bob Cormack, Clyde Geronimi, Joe Grant, Jack Kinney, Hamilton Luske, Joshua Meador, 1946) - I don’t own this one on DVD. All releases appear to be edited to remove an entire 8-minute short, “Martins & Coys”.

Fun and Fancy Free (Jack Kinney, Hamilton Luske, William Morgan, 1947) - I don’t own this one on DVD. The Region 1 release is preferable for including the original mono mix; all other versions feature a 5.1 remix.

Melody Time (Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Jack Kinney, Hamilton Luske, 1948) - I don’t own this one on DVD. The Region 1 release is edited to remove a cigar from one of the shorts; the Region 2 UK release is unedited. Note, however, that the US release features the original mono mix, while the UK release appears only to have a 5.1 remix.

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (James Algar, Clyde Geronimi, Jack Kinney, 1949) - I don’t own this one on DVD. The Region 1 release is preferable for including the original mono mix, whereas the Region 2 releases are 5.1 only.

Cinderella (Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske, 1950) - I don’t own this one on DVD. The 2-disc Platinum Edition is the only current release of this film, and, as all territories appear to include the original mono mix, any version should suffice.

Alice in Wonderland (Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske, 1951) - The 2004 Region 1 2-disc Masterpiece Edition includes the original mono mix and the best assortment of extras. Avoid the various Region 2 (and Region 4) editions, which junk most of the extras plus the mono mix so that the film can be sold on a single disc. The old OOP Gold Collection release features a poorer transfer and minimal extras, and is also missing the mono mix.

Part 2 will follow in the not too distant future…

DVD review: The Jungle Book: Platinum Edition

While it would have been nice to have had the alternate Academy ratio version of the film included in the package, it goes without saying that this new Platinum Edition of The Jungle Book belongs on every Disney aficionado’s shelf. Controversial aspect ratio choice aside, this is a stellar package with an array of bonus materials that ranks among the best the studio has ever put out.

Arriving on DVD with considerably more than just the Bare Necessities, The Jungle Book remains many people’s favourite Disney film forty years after its original release. I’ve reviewed the Region 1 2-disc Platinum Edition.

The jungle is jumpin’!

Things have been a bit quiet around here during the last few days. I’m supposed to have quite a few discs of various formats on the way, whether bought, rented or for review, but there has been a nationwide postal strike, which has held things up. Various items are finally beginning to trickle in, and one of these was the R1 USA Platinum Edition of Disney’s The Jungle Book, which reached me yesterday.

This is a decidedly problematic release, and the reason for this stems from Disney’s decision to present the film in a matted widescreen ratio of 1.75:1. As I previously explained, although most commercial cinemas had become widescreen-only by the mid-1950s, Disney continued to animate their films in the Academy (1.33:1) ratio until as recently as the late 1970s (or early 80s, depending on who you listen to), and it is in this ratio that most of the studio’s films of the period were released on DVD until recently (with 1977’s The Rescuers, framed at 1.66:1, being the odd duck). These DVDs were open matte, revealing the entire Academy frame as drawn by the animators (again, there seems to be a single exception to this, with the 1.33:1-formatted The Fox and the Hound looking noticeably cropped on VHS, LaserDisc and DVD).

With the 2006 re-release of 1973’s Robin Hood, however, all this changed. Previously released in the Academy ratio, the new DVD used the unusual ratio of 1.75:1, matting the image at the top and bottom and as a result reducing the vertical dimensions. As seen in Ultimate Disney’s review, the altered framing made the artwork seem much tighter - some might say claustrophobic. Some people were up in arms about this, but I’ve always attempted to remain as agnostic as possible on the issue. After all, one of my main demands for home entertainment (whether that be DVD, HD DVD, Blu-ray or anything else) presentations of films is that they reflect, as closely as possible, the original theatrical presentations. It’s why I hate the concept of reframing in the first place, and why I continually rail against audio remixes or George Lucas-style “tweaks”.

With The Jungle Book, I’m forced to come off the fence and categorically state that I don’t like the new framing. To put it plainly, it just looks wrong. Far from merely being tight, it looks cramped and claustrophobic, and the overall composition is all wrong. The tops of characters’ heads disappear at the top of the screen, while their feet frequently skirt just below the bottom of the frame in a way that I can’t believe was intended by the animators. A small amount of information is gained at the sides, but far more is lost. Compare the various images in this post and tell me which version looks the more balanced to you.

Of course, on top of this, there’s the whole issue of this being yet another overly soft, DVNR’d to buggery Disney restoration from DTS Digital Images, with highly suspect colour values (more research required in this area to determine whether DTS have pulled another Peter Pan), but I’ll save that for the eventual review. At least, to end this post on a high note, the original mono audio track sounds excellent, and the bonus features are very informative - a big step up from those provided for Pan.

PS. For another recent example of reframing, check out what Robert Rodriguez has done to Planet Terror for its DVD release.

Upcoming review copies

This have been a little quiet on the review front of late, but I’m hoping that will pick up soon with the arrival of a couple of new titles.

First up is the recent 2-disc special edition of Dario Argento’s The Stendhal Syndrome from Blue Underground. Casting my eye around the net, it seems that virtually every major horror review site got their copy ages ago, but one of the problems that faces UK-based reviewers is that, generally speaking, we don’t have much direct contact with the US distributors. Still, hopefully the wait will be worth it. Given that I already own the Italian release from Medusa, and Blue Underground’s transfer doesn’t appear to improve much on it, if at all, my interest in this release comes primarily from the point of view of its bonus materials, which sound rather impressive.

I will also soon be receiving a copy of the 40th Anniversary Platinum Edition of Disney’s The Jungle Book. This is not my favourite Disney by any stretch of the imagination - in fact, I’d go so far as to say that it heralded the beginning of a particularly dark age in the studio’s history - but it has some great moments, and I never got round to picking up the old Limited Issue DVD release, so I’m looking forward to refreshing my memory of this title. Oh, and it appears to be another of Disney’s semi-controversial matted widescreen releases (see here for the debate surrounding Robin Hood and its intended ratio).

HD cartoon capers

A selection of 1080p animated delights for your viewing pleasure.

Corpse Bride
(Warner, USA, VC-1, 11.6 GB)

Rabbit Hood (on The Adventures of Robin Hood HD DVD)
(Warner, USA, VC-1, 1.08 GB)

Robin Hood Daffy (on The Adventures of Robin Hood HD DVD)
(Warner, USA, VC-1, 926 MB)

Click the images above to view them full size.

HD DVD debacle

We now have a new HD DVD to add to the HD Image Quality rankings list. Conversely, it’s probably the worst film I’ve ever watched in high definition. It’s Aeon Flux, which Lyris bought from DVD Pacific. While we marvelled at the sumptuous transfer, I was first baffled, then downright infuriated, by this shoddy excuse for a movie. Ironically, the end result of watching this live action travesty was that we both decided that Peter Chung’s original animated series looked vastly more interesting and that we had to see it at once. Result: Lyris ordered the DVD release of Aeon Flux: The Complete Animated Collection from eBay. There - who ever said that paying money for a dreadful film was always a bad thing?

Then again, I’m one to talk, as I recently indulged in a bit of “buying for the sake of image quality” myself, picking up a copy of the HD DVD/DVD combo release of 300 from Amazon.com. It arrived yesterday, and a cursory glance suggests another magnificent transfer. However, I’d be lying if I said this was normally my sort of thing - I generally don’t go in for comic book adaptations, and certainly not ones featuring bare-chested men doing a lot of yelling and fighting each other. There’s only so much testosterone I can take. Still, I’ll be sitting down to watch it before too long, and we’ll see whether or not my initial impressions were correct.

The latest HD image quality rankings

I have a new favourite HD demo disc: it’s Sony’s Blu-ray release of Open Season. Sony gave Lyris a stack of free Blu-ray discs when he went to make his reportings on their format in Berlin last week, and this was one of them (one of the others, unfortunately, was Black Hawk Down, which looks horrendous). While the film itself is doing my tits in, it’s hard to deny that the visual presentation is absolutely stellar - the sort of quality you can get when you feed a pristine source into an advanced codec like AVC.

I’ve taken the opportunity to update my HD image quality rankings chart, and have also included the codecs used for each release.

10/10

• Open Season (Sony Pictures, UK, Blu-ray) - AVC
• Corpse Bride (Warner, USA, HD DVD/Blu-ray) - VC1
• King Kong (Universal, UK, HD DVD) - VC1
• Casino Royale (Sony Pictures, USA, Blu-ray) - AVC
• The Descent (Lions Gate, USA, Blu-ray) - AVC
• Serenity (Universal, UK, HD DVD) - VC1
• Serenity (Universal, USA, HD DVD) - VC1
• Black Snake Moan (Paramount, USA, HD DVD/Blu-ray) - AVC
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Warner, UK, HD DVD) - VC1
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (Buena Vista, USA, Blu-ray) - AVC

9/10

• Babel (Paramount, USA, HD DVD) - AVC
• Looney Tunes: Rabbit Hood (Warner, USA, HD DVD)* - VC1
• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (Buena Vista, USA, Blu-ray) - AVC
• Mr. Bean’s Holiday (Universal, UK, HD DVD) - VC1
• Children of Men (Universal, USA, HD DVD) - VC1
• The Bourne Supremacy (Universal, USA, HD DVD) - VC1
• The Adventures of Robin Hood (Warner, USA) - VC1
• Miami Vice (Universal, USA, HD DVD) - VC1
• Resident Evil: Apocalypse (Sony Pictures, USA, Blu-ray) - MPEG2
• Layer Cake (Sony Pictures, UK, Blu-ray) - MPEG2
• Dawn of the Dead (remake) (Universal, USA, HD DVD) - VC1
• Blood Diamond (Warner, USA, HD DVD/Blu-ray) - VC1
• Reign Over Me (Sony Pictures, UK, Blu-ray) - AVC
• Casablanca (Warner, USA, HD DVD) - VC1
• Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (Warner, UK, HD DVD/Blu-ray) - VC1
• A Scanner Darkly (Universal, USA, HD DVD/Blu-ray) - VC1

8/10

• Silent Hill (Sony Pictures, USA, Blu-ray) - MPEG2
• Kingdom of Heaven (20th Century Fox, USA, Blu-ray) - MPEG2
• The Bourne Identity (Universal, USA, HD DVD) - VC1
• Ghost Rider (Sony Pictures, UK, Blu-ray) - AVC
• Mulholland Drive (Studio Canal, France, HD DVD) - VC1
• Constantine (Warner, USA, HD DVD) - VC1
• The Matrix (Warner, USA, HD DVD) - VC1
• Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (Paramount, USA, HD DVD) - VC1
• The Matrix Revolutions (Warner, USA, HD DVD) - VC1
• The Matrix Reloaded (Warner, USA, HD DVD) - VC1
• The Devil’s Rejects (Lions Gate, USA, Blu-ray) - MPEG2
• Unleashed (Universal, USA, HD DVD) - VC1
• Red Dragon (Universal, USA, HD DVD) - VC1
• Looney Tunes: Robin Hood Daffy (Warner, USA, HD DVD)* - VC1
• The Skeleton Key (Universal, USA, HD DVD) - VC1
• Land of the Dead (Universal, USA, HD DVD) - VC1
• Syriana (Warner, USA, HD DVD/Blu-ray) - VC1
• V for Vendetta (Warner, USA, HD DVD) - VC1
• The Machinist (Toshiba, Japan, HD DVD) - AVC
• Sleepy Hollow (Paramount, USA, HD DVD) - VC1
• Million Dollar Baby (Warner, USA, HD DVD/Blu-ray) - VC1
• Flightplan (Buena Vista, USA, Blu-ray) - VC1
• Batman Begins (Warner, UK, HD DVD) - VC1
• Van Helsing (Universal, UK, HD DVD) - VC1
• Wolf Creek (The Weinstein Company, USA, HD DVD) - AVC

7/10

• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Warner, USA, HD DVD) - VC1
• Arlington Road (Sony Pictures, USA, Blu-ray) - MPEG2
• The Exorcism of Emily Rose (Sony Pictures, UK, Blu-ray) - MPEG2
• Tears of the Sun (Sony Pictures, UK, Blu-ray) - MPEG2
• Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (Universal, USA, HD DVD) - VC1
• The Mummy Returns (Universal, USA, HD DVD) - VC1
• King Arthur (Buena Vista, USA, Blu-ray) - AVC
• Paprika (Sony Pictures, France, Blu-ray) - MPEG2
• Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (Constantin Film, Germany, HD DVD) - VC1
• The Fifth Element (remastered) (Sony Pictures, USA, Blu-ray) - AVC

6/10

• Chicago (Buena Vista, USA, Blu-ray) - AVC
• Enemy of the State (Buena Vista, USA, Blu-ray) - MPEG2
• Fantastic Four (20th Century Fox, UK, Blu-ray) - MPEG2
• Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Universal, USA, HD DVD) - VC1
• Lost in Translation (Universal, USA, HD DVD) - VC1
• Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (Paramount, USA, HD DVD) - VC1
• Hostel (Sony Pictures, UK, Blu-ray) - MPEG2
• The Fountain (Warner, USA, HD DVD/Blu-ray) - VC1
• An American Werewolf in London (Universal, USA, HD DVD) - VC1
• Troy (Warner, UK, HD DVD) - VC1
• Being John Malkovich (Universal, USA, HD DVD) - VC1
• Brokeback Mountain (Universal, USA, HD DVD) - VC1
• The Game (Universal, USA, HD DVD) - VC1
• Basic Instinct (Studio Canal, France, HD DVD) - VC1

5/10

• District B13 (Magnolia, USA, Blu-ray) - MPEG2
• Crank (Lions Gate, USA, Blu-ray) - MPEG2
• Black Hawk Down (Sony Pictures, UK, Blu-ray) - MPEG2

4/10

• Brotherhood of the Wolf (Studio Canal, France, HD DVD) - VC1
• La Haine (Studio Canal, UK, HD DVD) - VC1
• American Psycho (Lions Gate, USA, Blu-ray) - MPEG2

* Found on the The Adventures of Robin Hood HD DVD.

The Jungle Book coming to Blu-ray… oh wait, no it’s not

A couple of days ago, the shills at Blu-ray.com announced that Disney’s classic The Jungle Book would be coming to Blu-ray on October 2nd, alongside the film’s Platinum Edition standard definition DVD release… then promptly retracted the statement, admitting that no, it actually wasn’t coming out. Their source appears to have been an issue of Home Media Magazine, whose editors got their wires crossed. A simple enough mistake, you might say - although Blu-ray.com did themselves no favours by beginning their rather official-sounding statement with “Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment has announced that…” The cynic in me sees this as pure Blu-ray: announce a major title and then swiftly retract it once you’ve got enough attention. Blu-ray.com may be a completely unofficial site, but they’ve certainly picked up the tricks of their idols. Then again, the HD DVD camp can’t exactly talk, given their official announcement then retraction that several Spielberg titles would be coming to the format.

Disney themselves quickly rectified the matter, categorically stating that there are currently no plans to release The Jungle Book on Blu-ray. Those who want classical Disney animation (i.e. not Chicken Little or The Wild) in HD will have to wait till Autumn 2008, when Sleeping Beauty will be making its Blu-ray debut, at around the same time as Pixar’s Finding Nemo (which I’ll definitely be buying - the standard definition transfer for that film is by far Pixar’s worst to date).

Universal, where have you Bean?

If you’ve been following the coverage of the high definition formats recently, you’ve probably noticed a fair amount of negative press surrounding many of Universal’s most recent transfers, with many agreeing that their treatment, especially of catalogue titles, has left something to be desired. For the record, I thought The Skeleton Key and The Bourne Identity looked fairly decent, whereas Lost in Translation, The Game, Being John Malkovich and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind could charitably be considered average-looking. Every now and then, however, Universal puts out a disc which reminds us that they really can deliver the goods when they feel like it. Their latest is Mr. Bean’s Holiday, which features a visual presentation that I’m sure many are going to say is better than the film itself deserves. My copy arrived yesterday from Play (its UK street date is tomorrow), and, barring a terribly minor amount of filtering, which leads to the occasional bit or ringing on high contrast edges, it looks absolutely perfect: a very high “9” on my HD image quality scale and just about on par with the much-lauded Blu-ray release of Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (without the noticeable edge enhancement, into the bargain).

As for the film itself, it’s no masterpiece - but you probably knew that already, didn’t you? The critics gave it a complete slating, but in my opinion it’s really not that bad, and considerably funnier than The Simpsons Movie, the only other 2007 comedy I’ve seen so far. I actually laughed out loud several times, and if the plot doesn’t appear particularly substantial, then at least it’s more faithful to the original television series than the previous movie, which rather clumsily shoehorned Mr. Bean into an American family and a rather unconvincing storyline. This one is mainly an excuse for Rowan Atkinson to indulge in various extended episodes of physical comedy, and as a result it really does feel as if someone has given the TV show a larger budget and plonked it on the big screen. Like the previous film, it tends to reuse gags (with Atkinson even delving into a routine from his stand-up days on one occasion), but it’s undemanding, and its good-naturedness is quite infectious.

High definition vermin

Source: High-Def Digest

Disney have confirmed that they intend to release Pixar’s latest film, Ratatouille, on Blu-ray on November 6th, the same day as Cars and the Pixar Short Film Collection. In addition to the ubiquitous 1080p transfer and PCM 5.1 audio, this release will also feature “a new documentary on the making of the film, deleted scenes and the short film ‘Your Friend the Rat.’ ” In addition, the Blu-ray version will include an exclusive game (yawn) and a “Cine-Explore” mode, which, according to Disney, is “the ultimate behind-the-scenes innovative experience”. Of course, it’s anyone’s guess what this means in practice - I’m hoping for something along the lines of a picture-in-picture commentary feature, but in reality it could well be nothing more than text-based factoids.

Either way, this is a must-have. I had the opportunity to see the film recently and, while it’s neither Pixar nor Brad Bird’s best (that would probably be Toy Story and The Incredibles respectively), it’s definitely very enjoyable and surprised me on more than a couple of occasions.

Shame about the cover.

The Simpsons Movie

At the beginning of The Simpsons Movie, the world’s most famous yellow family are at the local theatre watching the latest exploits of cat and mouse duo Itchy and Scratchy. Homer, unable to understand why anyone would pay to see on the big screen what they can get for free on TV, chastises the audience for being suckers. It doesn’t take a genius to work out that this is a reference to those viewers and critics who will say exactly the same thing about The Simpsons Movie - the message being, presumably, that the film does offer more than an extended episode of the TV series. Unfortunately, that’s really all it is, and, depending on how you feel about the series, this is either a good or a bad thing. Personally, I would have been more than happy if it had captured the tone of the early seasons, back when the show was still good. Unfortunately, despite being in the making for four years and featuring the combined talents of many of the writers responsible for the best episodes of the early seasons, The Simpsons Movie definitely feels more like the tired, unimaginative dreck that Fox has been shovelling out for the past few years.

Its biggest problem, and a pretty major one for what is meant to be a comedy, is that it isn’t funny. In 85 minutes I laughed out loud twice, and one of these was at a joke that has already been used at least three times in the show. Seriously, it took eleven writers and 158 drafts to come up with this? (Then again, maybe that’s the problem: too many cooks continually refining it until the whole thing has been completely watered down.) Instead, all we get is the Simpsons shoehorned into a generic adventure story with a hefty dose of fake pathos injected in an attempt to give some semblance of sincerity.

Even the animation is more or less the same as the TV show. Despite a supposed budget of $65 million, it still has that lame, farmed out to Korea appearance (and yes, it seems that the bulk of the animation was indeed outsourced, to regular Simpsons sausage factory Akom), with only a handful of scenes showing anything more than the bare essentials. Yes, the colour palette is richer, and some soft shadows have been applied to the characters, but it still looks third-rate. The celebrity cameos, meanwhile, while taking up comparatively less screen time than they tend to on the show itself, are still incredibly annoying in the “Hi, I’m…” vein. One can only assume that it was them, and the regular cast, rather than the animation crew, that received the bulk of the aforementioned $65 million.

I can’t say that my expectations were all that high, and yet I was still incredibly disappointed by this. I never for a minute kidded myself that I was going to see a masterpiece, but I had at least expected to be entertained and get a few decent laughs out of it. Sadly, it couldn’t even manage that. 4/10.

DVDs I bought or received in the month of July

• Arrivederci Amore, Ciao (R3 Thailand, DVD)
• Being John Malkovich (R0 USA, HD DVD)
• Black Snake Moan (R0 USA, HD DVD)
• Blood Diamond (R0 USA, HD DVD)
• The Bourne Identity (R0 USA, HD DVD)
• Crank (RA USA, Blu-ray)
• The Fifth Element (remastered) (R0 USA, Blu-ray)
• La Haine (R0 UK, HD DVD)
• Layer Cake (R0 UK, Blu-ray)
• Paprika (R0 France, Blu-ray)
• The Secret of NIMH: Family Fun Edition (R1 USA, DVD)
• The Simpsons: The Complete Seventh Season (R1 USA, DVD)
• The Simpsons: The Complete Sixth Season (R1 USA, DVD)
• Syriana (R0 UK, HD DVD)

PS. I know I said I wouldn’t be posting much at all over the course of the next week and a half, but I felt the need to acknowledge that we have lost to cinematic visionaries, Ingmar Bergman and Michelangelo Antonioni, in the space of 24 hours. Shockingly, I haven’t seen a single Bergman film, but this news has made me feel an intense need to rectify this problem immediately.

Pixar shorts coming to Blu-ray

The Man Room is reporting that a Blu-ray release of Pixar’s various short films is scheduled to come out on November 6th, the same day as the Blu-ray release of Cars. Called, appropriately enough, the Pixar Short Film Collection, a generous 13 segments will be featured, with an RRP of $34.99:

One of the shorts, ‘Mater and the Ghost Light,’ should also be available on Buena Vista’s upcoming ‘Cars’ Blu-ray Disc release. The other shorts include ‘The Adventures of Andre & Wally B,’ ‘Luxo Jr.,’ ‘Red’s Dream,’ ‘Tin Toy,’ ‘Knick Knack,’ ‘Geri’s Game,’ ‘For the Birds,’ ‘Mike’s New Car,’ ‘Boundin’,’ ‘Jack-Jack Attack,’ ‘One Man Band,’ and ‘Lifted.’

This announcement comes as a complete surprise, at least to me, but you can definitely sign me up for a copy. I suppose it’s just too much to hope for an uncut copy of Knick Knack.

High-def happenings

I’ve got a whole parade of high definition updates for today. First of all, after being postponed from its original June 5th release date, High-Def Digest has revealed that Cars will now see the light of day on Blu-ray in North American territories on November 6th. The reason for the delay, it would seem, is “additional involvement from Pixar”, which comes in the form of two BD-exclusive bonus features: a new deleted scene and a BD-Java “Car Finder”. Woo. How about some worthwhile bonus materials, Disney - like, I don’t know, a visual commentary? Cars is currently the only Pixar film not to have been released on DVD as a fully-loaded 2-disc special edition, and I was somewhat hopeful that the Blu-ray release would feature all the usual bells and whistles… but it would seem not. Oh, well - even so, it’s still a must-have.

Meanwhile, New Line would appear to have tired of waiting for Warner’s TotalHD dual format discs to appear, and have decided to get cracking with HD releases of their films, beginning with Hairspray (the remake, not the John Waters original), coming to both HD DVD and Blu-ray at some point in the fourth quarter of 2007. Hairspray is currently the only title to have been announced, but I’m crossing my fingers for some of the rumoured titles before too long, especially Blade, Final Destination and Se7en… oh, and Peter Jackson’s version of The Lord of the Rings, provided it’s the Extended Editions and not the theatrical cuts. (I’d still rather have Ralph Bakshi’s version, though.)

Oh, and, after many delays, Entertainment In Video have finally confirmed their intention to release on Blu-ray in the UK, with a roster of eight titles to come out on August 13th: Gangs of New York, The Phantom of the Opera (2004), Million Dollar Baby, Brokeback Mountain, The Departed, The Crow and Lucky Number Slevin. Several of these titles are already available on HD DVD (or HD DVD and Blu-ray) in the US, and the only title to take my fancy from that list is Gangs of New York. Unfortunately, EIV have decided to punish people like myself who own Region A Blu-ray players by encoding these discs for Region B only, so it looks like I’ll have to wait for Disney to release it in North American territories, or for the proposed HD DVD releases to materialise in Spain or France. Way to lose business, EIV.