Monsters, Inc. (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

A Pixar animated classic, 2001 film “Monsters, Inc.” makes its first debut in High Definition and looks absolutely fantastic!   The new lossless soundtrack definitely takes the film to a new level.  And for those who are wondering about content, there’s around 60 special features included.  Overall, this is a fantastic release and fans of the film will definitely want to pick this one up.  Highly recommended!

Images courtesy of © 2001, 2009 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Monsters, Inc.

DURATION: 91 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (1:85:1), English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital

COMPANY: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

RATED: G (General Audiences – All Ages Admitted)

RELEASE DATE: November 10, 2009

Directed by Pete Docter

Co-Directed by David Silverman and Lee Unkrich

Story by Pete Docter, Jill Culton, Jeff Pidgeon, Ralph Eggleston

Screenplay by Andrew Stanton, Daniel Gerson

Additional Screenplay Material by Robert L. Baird, Rhett Reese, Jonathan Roberts

Executive Producer: John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton

Producer: Darla K. Anderson

Associate Producer: Kori Rae

Music by Randy Newman

Edited by Robert Grahamjones, Jim Stewart

Casting by Matthew Jon Beck, Mary Hidalgo, Ruth Lambert

Production Design by Harley Jessup, Bob Pauley

Art Direction by Tia W. Kratter, Dominique Louis

Production Management: Katherine Sarafian

Featuring the voices of:

John Goodman as James P. “Sulley” Sullivan

Billy Crystal as Mike Wazowski

Mary Gibbs as Boo/Mary

Steve Buscemi as Randall Boggs

James Coburn as Henry J. Waternoose

Jennifer Tilly as Celia

Bob Peterson as Roz

John Ratzenberger as the Abominable Snowman

Frank Oz as Fungus

Daniel Gerson as Needleman/Smitty

Bonnie Hunt as Flint

Jeff Pidgeon as Bile

Samuel Lord Black as George Sanderson

Experience the film that captured the hearts of critics and fans around the world in a breathtaking new way.  Monsters, Inc. is “visually dazzling, action-packed and hilarious,” raves the Boston Herald.  And now, with eye-popping, crystal-clear visuals and theater-quality sound, it’s even better on Disney Blu-ray Hi-Def!

Lovable Sulley (John Goodman) and his wisecracking sidekick Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal) are the top scare team at Monsters, Inc., the scream processing factory in Monstropolis.  When a little girl named Boo wonders into their world, it’s the monsters who are scared silly, and it’s up to Sulley and Mike to keep her out of sight and get her back home.

Open the door to a fantastic world of fun and imagination that will have you screaming for more.  Featuring never-before-seen bonus features.  Including Raz’s 100-Door Challenge Game, the original DVD and a DisneyFile Digital Copy of the movie, Monsters, Inc. is a sensational now experience on Disney Blu-ray.

With Disney films being released on video one year and not receiving a release seven, eight or more years  later, the popular Pixar Animation Studios film “Monsters, Inc.” receives its High Definition release on Blu-ray in a four disc set which includes the Blu-ray, a Blu-ray special features disc, a DVD and a DisneyFile Digital copy.

“Monsters, Inc.” was Pixar’s fourth animated feature and marked the directorial debut for Pete Docter (Director for “Up” and a writer for the first two “Toy Story” films).  Docter is joined by co-directors David Silverman (“The Simpsons Movie”, “The Road to El Dorado”) and Lee Unkrich (co-director for “Toy Story 2″ and “Finding Nemo”).

The original story is written by Pete Docter, Jill Culton (director for “Open Season” and worked on the “Toy Story” films and “A Bug’s Life”), Jeff Pidgeon (who worked on “The Toy Story” films and “Wall-E”) and Ralph Eggleston (who worked on “Up”, “The Incredibles” and “Toy Story”) with a screenplay by Andrew Stanton (“Toy Story” films, “A Bug’s Life”, “Finding Nemo”, “Wall-E”) and Daniel Gerson (“Chicken Little”, “Cars”, “Meet the Robinsons”).

Music for the film is by well-known composer and musician, Randy Newman (“Cars”, “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days”, “Meet the Fockers”, “Toy Story 2″).

The film achieved critical and also commercial success as it made over $525 million worldwide and will now make its High Definition debut.

“Monsters, Inc.” revolves around a corporation known as Monsters, Inc..   The company specializes in sending monsters out to the human world through their closets and by capturing the screams of children.  The screams are what produces energy in the monster world.

The top scaring monster at Monsters, Inc. is James P. “Sulley” Sullivan (voiced by John Goodman, “Roseanne”, “The Princess and the Frog”, “Speed Racer”, a big blue behemoth that can create a giant scare but really is a good-natured monster.  Sulley’s sidekick Mike Wazowski (voiced by Billy Crystal, “When Harry Met Sally”, “City Slickers”, “Throw Momma of the Train”) is a guy who lives off Sulley’s popularity and wants to date the Celia (voiced by Meg Tilly).

The owner of  Monsters, Inc., Henry J. Watermoose (voiced by James Coburn, “Hudson Hawk”, “Young Guns II”, “The Nutty Professor” ) wants more production from the monsters.  Because more human children are no longer scared by the monsters like before, he wants his top monsters to show other monsters how to be scary.

But Sulley is not the only top scary monster at Monsters, Inc., his rival Randall Bogs (voiced by Steve Buscemi, “The Big Lebowski”, “Armageddon”, “The Sopranos”) is determined to surpass Sulley in the rankings and will do what he can to get there.

All seems well one day until Sulley finds a door on the scare floor after hours (which Boggs was using) which is illegal.  Upon checking out the door, Sulley realizes its leading to an actual human’s bedroom.  A young human girl discovers him and thinks he wants to play.  Fearing for his life (the monsters are told a human touch from a child will kill them), Sulley escapes quickly out the door and back to the floor.  But things get hairy when he finds out that the girl which he names “Boo” has escaped from the human world and is now in the monster world.

With a fear of humans, Sulley knows this can lead to catastrophe and panic and gets his friend Mike to help him return the child back to the human world.  So, the two try to secretly hide Boo from other monsters the best that they can and try to send her back to the human world.  But with Boggs suspicious of the two, what happens when monsters discover that a human girl is in their world.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“Monsters, Inc.” is presented in 1080p High Definition (1:85:1).  For a 2001 CG animated film, the film still holds up as the fur/hair effects look absolutely beautiful as we see the blue hairy sheen of Sulley and even the woolly abominable snowman.  Detail of Boggs purple reptilian skin and Mike’s green skin are much more detailed in High Definition over its DVD counterpart.  The film utilizes quite a bit of color and so fans of the film can expect the film to look vibrant on HD.  As expected from a Walt Disney Blu-ray release, picture quality is fantastic.  Colors are vibrant, blacks are deep, no sign of major compression or banding.  Eight years later, “Monsters, Inc.” continues to look incredible and the Blu-ray’s picture quality does not disappoint at all.

As for audio, “Monsters, Inc.” receives its first lossless audio and director Pete Docter opens up the Blu-ray by explaining how the film has received a revamp for its audio.  Featured in English 5.1 DTS-HD MAster Audio (as well as French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital), from the moment you hear the scream capsules electrify very early in the film, you literally hear the electricity all around you.  Great use of surrounds and also rear surround channels throughout moments in the film.  Especially scenes that have ambiance and many monsters, you can hear their faint voices through the surrounds.  Good amount of LFE and for the most part, the film sounds great.  Although not incredibly immersive as recent Pixar films (such as the recent release of “Up”), the lossless audio for “Monsters, Inc.” is still fantastic.

The film is crystal clear as it is hear through the front and center channels.  Randy Newman’s music sounds incredible and for the most part, the soundtrack is quite solid and definitely a major improvement over its DVD counterpart.

Subtitles are featured in English SDH, French and Spanish.

As for the DVD, the DVD is featured in widescreen (1:85:1) – Enhanced for 16×9 Televisions and audio is in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Ex. S ubtitles are in English SDH only.

SPECIAL FEATURES

“Monsters, Inc.” comes with the following special features presented in 1080p High Definition, English, French and Spanish 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby Digital and subtitles in English SDH, French and Spanish.  Of course, with a lot of the features are from the original DVD, it’s understandable that those features will be in standard definition and do a look a bit dated but content-wise, if you add everything up, there’s probably around 60 or more special features included.

DISC 1:

• Audio Commentary byPete Docter, Lee Unkrich, Andrew Stanton and John Lasseter.  A very informative and fun commentary about the behind-the-scenes making of the film.
• Monsters, Inc. Ride and Go Seek: Building Monstropolis in Japan – (12:00) Go behind the scenes of the new attraction Tokyo Disneyland. Interviews with the artist and engineers who created the ride.  I was absolutely in awe when I saw this ride.  Incredible!
• Filmmakers’ Round Table – (22:00) Filmmakers Pete Docter, Lee Unkrich, Darla Anderson and Bob Peterson reflect on the creation of the film and talk about their favorite moments in creating the film at Hidden City Cafe.  And yes, there is talk about the chimp.
• For the Birds – (3:21) An animated short featuring a group of malicious birds who find themselves in trouble when they pick on the wrong victim.  Includes optional audio commentary by director Ralph Eggleston.
• Mike’s New Car – (3:46) Mike shows off his fancy new six-wheel-drive car loaded with gadgets to his friend Sulley.  Includes optional audio commentary by the filmmaker’s sons.  An enjoyable commentary by the two kids.
• Previews – Trailers for upcoming releases

DISC 2:

• Roz’s 100 Door Challenge – Take Roz’s employee placement exam to see where you best fit within Monsters, Inc.
• Humans Only – This section features the following:

- Pixar Fun Factory Tour – (3:34) Explore the nooks and crannies of the Pixar studios.

- Story – Featuring the following features: Story is King – (2:00) How the story department works at Pixar; Monsters are Real – (1:29) Seeing is believing – how the cast and crew of the film regard the Monster World; Original Treatment – (13:40) The original pitch for the film, with some surprising differences; Story Pitch: Back to Work – (4:36) Story Supervisor Bob Peterson pitches a scene to the production team.

- Banished Concepts – Featuring the following special features:  Intro to Banished Concepts – Co-director Lee Unkrich discusses the fate of five scenes that were banished from the film’s final Cut: Assistant Salley (2:15), End of Day (2:22), Bad Scare (2:51), Scream Refinery (1:06) and Original Sulley Intro (1:00).

- Storyboard to Film Comparison – Featuring the following special features: Story Reel (5:14) – Watch the storyreel version of the Boo bedtime scene, Watch the final version of the Boo Bedtime scene (5:14), Split-Screen Comparison – (5:14) Watch the split-screen comparison of the Boo bedtime scene.

- Art Gallery – Using your remote, you can view Character Design and Production Artwork from Monsters, Inc.

- Designing Monstropolis – (4:48) Designing the world of Monstropolis.

- Set Dressing Intro – (3:24) How the sets of the film were designed and staged.

- Location, Playgrounds – (7:25) CG animation of various setups such as Boo’s bedroom, Monstropolis neighborhood and more.

- Monster File – Featuring the following features: Cast of Characters – (5:51) Meet the cast of performers who bring the characters to life.  What Makes a Great Monster – (1:24) The evolution of Monsters, Inc. character designs.

- Animation – Featuring the following features: Animation Process – (3:11) A look at the animation of Monsters, Inc.; Early Tests – (8:02) An early animation test of Mike and Sulley; Opening Title Animation – (2:06) The design of the title sequence; Hard Parts – (4:58) The artistic challenges of creating the film; Shots Department – (2:16) New simulation was added as a step in the Pixar production process.  Production Demonstration is a subsection which features the following: Production Demo Intro – Co-Director Lee Unkrich introduces the stages of animation: Storyreel – (1:50) the Storyreel version of the scene “23-19!”, Layout – (1:50) The layout version of the scene – “23-19!”, Animation – (1:50) The animation version of the scene “23-19!”, Final Color – (1:50) The final color version of the scene “23-19!”.

- Music & Sound – Featuring the following features: Monster Song – (4:13) Billy Crystal and John Goodman sing “If I Didn’t Have You”. Sound Design – (3:15) – Sound designer Gary Rydstrom reveals some of the secrets behind the sound design of the film.

- Release: Featuring the following features: The Premiere – (0:56) Footage of teh film’s premiere screening featuring the stars and filmmakers.  Also features:  Trailers and TV spots – Trailer #1 (1:52) and #2 (1:19), TV Spot: Men in Teal (0:30), TV: Spot: Your Eye (0:30), TV Spot: Green Skin (0:30), TV Spot: Your Eye #1 Review (0:30), International Inserts – (1:06) How the film was customized for worldwide appreciation, Multi-language: Clip Reel – (3:45) A section of the film translated into thirteen different languages, Toys – (1:29) An overview of the toys created from the film, Outtakes and Company Play – (7:00) Full-frame versions of the outtakes and Company Play that appeared in the theatrical credits.

- Wrap-Up – (0:42) The filmmakers conclude their production tour of the Pixar studio.

• Monsters Only – Featuring the following features:

- New Monster Adventures – Monsters TV Treats – (1:09) A funny collection of Monsters, Inc. TV vignettes, Ponkickie 21 – A randomized version of “Rocks, Papers, Scissors” from Japan, “If I Didn’t Have You” Music Video – (1:11) A montage of favorite movie moments cut to the song.

- Behind the Screams – On the Job with Mike & Sulley – (2:31) An interview with Mike and Sulley about daily life at Monsters, Inc.

- Orientation -  Featuring Welcome to Monsters, Inc. – (0:58) A Welcome video for new Monsters, Inc. employees, Your First Day – (3:34) An overview of the company, History of the Monster World – (1:36) A history of the schism between man and monster, drawn and narrated by animation legend Bud Luckey.

EASTER EGG: Pressing left on your remote while a bonus feature is highlighted will access the following which are more or less features requiring your remote control to navigate through artwork:

- The Employee Handbook
- Guide to In Jokes
- Monster of the Month
- Scarer Cards

DVD:

The DVD contains the audio commentary for the widescreen version of the film.  Also, a 5.1 Surround Sound Mix for the Widescreen version only.

When “Monsters, Inc.” came out in the theaters, I can easily remember how impressed I was with the CG animation, animation with the hair and just the amount of detail.  When the DVD came out, it was one of the most jam-packed DVD’s with special features ever released and it was a spectacular DVD release years ago.

Over eight years later, here we are with the Blu-ray release of “Monsters, Inc.” and to be truthful, knowing Disney’s track run on Blu-ray releases especially with older animated films, I was not worried that we would have a quality release but I was wondering how the studio would top the original DVD release which had a large number of special features already.

And sure enough, there are a good amount of newer features exclusive to the Blu-ray release such as the “Filmmaker’s Round Table” which I enjoyed because you actually got to hear about the challenges that Pete Docter had faced as a director, the challenges they had in making the film but also the amount of fun they had in making the film as well.

I was very impressed with the “Monsters, Inc. Ride and Go Seek: Building Monstropolis in Japan”.  I was in awe to see this ride created and how interactive it is.  I don’t know if we will ever see this ride stateside but definitely makes me want to fly to Japan and take the trip to Chiba and check out this ride at Disney Land Tokyo.

And once you watch the special features in the first Blu-ray disc, for those of you who had the DVD release know how many there were, so you can imagine how many features are on the second Blu-ray disc.

For those who never owned the original, let’s just say that both discs combined and include featurettes, TV spots, etc. there are probably around 60 special features on both Blu-ray discs.  So, needless to say, this is one release that will keep you busy and content-wise, you can easily say that this is one release that is worth every penny.

As for the film, it’s a hilarious comedy but it was really fun to see the character interaction between Sulley and Mike courtesy of John Goodman and Billy Crystal.  And you have to give credit to Mary Gibbs who provided the voice of Boo.  She made the character come to life and of course Steve Buscemi as Boggs and James Coburn as Henry J. Waternoose, this is one animated film that was well-cast, well-written and well-animated.  To think that this was released in 2001 and looks incredible in 2009, makes you wonder what the animators have in store for the upcoming sequel and I definitely look forward in seeing how much more impressive the animation will look today.

For parents wondering if “Monsters, Inc.” is appropriate for their children.  I will say that when my son was around 4, I tried showing him the film but it freaked him out with the weird monster characters but he watched it again (he is now 6) and he enjoyed it.  Because the film is about a company which has monsters trying to scare children, some kids may find the earlier part of the story a bit scary.  But overall, it’s a family film that people of all ages can enjoy.

“Monsters, Inc.” is literally a fantastic release.  If you loved the film, you’re getting your money’s worth in this four disc set.  I’m really impressed with what Disney has been able to bring to their animated releases to Blu-ray from “Bug’s Life” and making that older Pixar CG animated film look great on HD, then with the fantastic release of both “Pinocchio” and “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” and now with the recent Blu-ray release of “Up” and “Monsters, Inc.”.

Overall, “Monsters, Inc.” is a wonderful release.  Sure, the film is was released in 2001 but the animation still holds up today.  In fact, the animation of this film still looks better than some CG animated films I have seen released in the last two years.  Picture quality, audio quality and the  amount of content that comes with this four disc Blu-ray release alone is fantastic and it’s a release that families will enjoy.

“Monsters, Inc.” is highly recommended!

J!-ENT Special Feature: Roundtable Q&A with “Up” director/co-writer Pete Docter and co-writer Bob Peterson

With Disney/Pixar’s animated film “Up” to be released on Blu-ray and DVD on November 10th, J!-ENT took part in a morning roundtable with “Up” director/co-writer Pete Docter and co-writer Bob Peterson on October 30th.  Here is an article written by J!-ENT’s Dennis A. Amith and also a transcript from the roundtable event Q&A.

Click here to read our article

Up (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

A touching, very fun and hilarious animated film that is incredibly beautiful and highly detailed.   Disney*Pixar has once again raised the bar for quality CG animation and awesome storytelling.  “Up” is probably the best film thus far to come out in 2009 and a fantastic Blu-ray release from Walt Disney Studios.  There’s no doubt about it, this Blu-ray release is highly recommended!

Images courtesy of © 2009 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Up

DURATION: 96 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (1:78:1), English 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby, Subtitles: English SDH, French and Spanish

COMPANY: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

RATED: PG (For Some Peril and Action)

RELEASE DATE: November 10, 2009

Directed by Pete Docter and Bob Peterson

Story by Pete Docter, Thomas McCarthy and Bob Peterson

Screenplay by Bob Petersen and Pete Docter

Executive Producer: John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton

Producer: Jonas Rivera

Associate Producer: Denise Ream

Music by Michael Giacchino

Edited by Kevin Nolting

Production Design by Ricky Nierva

Featuring the voices of:

Edward Asner as Carl Fredricksen

Christopher Plummer as Charles Muntz

Jordan Nagai as Russell

Bob Peterson as Dug/Alpha

Delroy Lindo as Beta

Jerome Ranft as Gamma

Elie Docter as Young Ellie

Jeremy Leary as Young Carl

Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios take moviegoers up, up and away on one of the funniest adventures of all time with their latest comedy-fantasy. Up follows the uplifting tale of 78-year-old balloon salesman Carl Fredricksen, who finally fulfills his lifelong dream of a great adventure when he ties thousands of balloons to his house and flies away to the wilds of South America. But he discovers all too late that his biggest nightmare has stowed away on the trip: an overly optimistic 8-year-old Wilderness Explorer named Russell. Their journey to a lost world, where they encounter some strange, exotic and surprising characters, is filled with hilarity, emotion and wildly imaginative adventure.

A touching, very fun and hilarious animated film that is incredibly beautiful and highly detailed.   Disney*Pixar has once again raised the bar for quality CG animation and awesome storytelling.  “Up” is probably the best film thus far to come out in 2009 and a fantastic Blu-ray release from Walt Disney Studios.  There’s no doubt about it, this Blu-ray release is highly recommended!

From the creators of “Finding Nemo” and “Monsters, Inc.” comes “UP” from Disney*Pixar.  With the yearly success of CG animated films by Disney’s Pixar Animation Studio, “Up” is not just a film that improves upon modern CG animation, it’s a clever film that manages to capture youth but also old age.  Through this film we see pain, loss, laughter, compassion through the wisdom of age but also the naivety and spontaneous side of youth.  An adventure, fantasy film that will capture your attention and make you laugh but also have you in awe of what Pixar Animation Studios was able to accomplish.

“Up” is directed by Pete Docter (writer for “Wall-E”, “Monsters, Inc.”, “Toy Story” films),  a screenplay co-written by Bob Peterson (“Ratatouille”, “Finding Nemo”) and music by Michael Giacchino (“Lost”, “Fringe”, “Star Trek”,”Alias”, “Ratatouille”, “The Incredibles”).  The film has received mostly all positive reviews from film critics and the film was a box office success making over $292 million worldwide.  The film was the second highest grossing film domestically by Pixar (after “Finding Nemo”) and the fifth highest grossing animated feature in the US of all time.

And now that film makes its Blu-ray and DVD debut on Nov. 3rd.  “Up” on Blu-ray is presented in a four-disc release which includes a Blu-ray Disc, a second Blu-ray Disc with the special features, a DVD copy of the film and a Digital Copy of the film.

The film first introduces us to a young Carl Fredricksen who is watching his idol, the famous explorer Charles F. Muntz (voiced by Christopher Plummer, “The Insider”, “Nicholas Nickelby”, “A Beautiful Mind”) who brings back the skeleton of a 13 ft. bird that he found in South America. Of course, because this bird is a species not known to man, scientist calls the bones as fake and Muntz then decides to leave back to South America and to prove people wrong, he would return with the living bird and won’t return until he finds it.

For young Carl, Muntz was his hero and he would wear his pilot goggles and carry a balloon that would say “Spirit of Adventure” named after the flying vehicle that Muntz rides.  But Muntz is also the hero of a girl named Ellie.  Both kids love adventure and meet each other in a rundown house which they call their club house.

We then see Carl and Ellie as children and later become young adults who marry and renovate the run down club house to be an actual home.    Ellie’s dream and her passion for adventure is to move her clubhouse to Paradise Falls in South America and Carl makes his promise to her that he will make it happen.

As they grow older, each time they save money for their trip to Paradise Falls, they run into financial situations in which they have to dip into their savings.  Since Carl makes a living as a balloon vendor, they enjoy a simple life and live in the same house, still in love with each other.   But as time has passed for both Carl and Ellie, by the time they are ready to go on their trip, the two have become very old and eventually, Ellie passes away.

Now older Carl (voice by Edward Asner, “Lou Grant”, “Mary Tyler Moore”) is alone, an angry recluse and feels that he has nothing to live for with his wife gone.  His home is all he has and it’s his constant memory of his love for Ellie.  But his home is now in an area where commercial buildings are being built and the construction company has tried to buy his home but since it’s his memory of Ellie, Carl refuses.  Meanwhile, a Wilderness Explorer, a boy named Russell (voiced by Jordan Nagai) needs his final merit badge and to achieve that, he needs to to “assist the elderly”.  Russell is a talkative young boy, a bit much for Carl and Carl sends him off to hunt a snipe.

One day, a vehicle of the construction company smashes into his mailbox that he and Ellie painted together and Carl is so much in rage that he beats the construction worker in the head and leads him to bleed.   He goes into court and is ordered to move into the Shady Oaks Retirement Home.

On the day he is to leave his home and start his new life at the retirement home, Carl unleashes his plan by using all his balloons which takes his home out of the ground and flies off and literally avoiding from him to separate himself from the home that he and Ellie had lived in for decades.  His goal is to make good with that promise he made to Ellie and that is to move their home to Paradise Falls in South America.

All seems good for Carl, until he receives a knock on the door and realizes that young Russell was snipe hunting on the porch all this time.  Thus Carl is shocked that his plans may be thwarted because he has a child with him.

Carl and Russell end up in South America where they  meet a very tall bird which Russell names it “Kevin” and also meet up with a dog named Dug who is able to talk (due to a neck collar that allows speech) who seems to be hunting for the bird for his master.  The four end up being on an adventure through tough terrain in South America.  Why is Dug after Kevin?  Why is Kevin needing the help of Carl and Russell?  And who is the original master of Dug who built the talking collar?  But most of all, will Carl be able to keep his promise to Ellie by bringing the house to Paradise Falls?

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“Up” is an audio and visual treat.  Presented in 1080p (1:78:1), Disney*Pixar raised the bar of their own previous works and managed to capture so much detail in this film, literally I was floored by how incredible this film looks.  From the moment I saw the CG skin of Carl, the detail of the clothing, of leather, the detail inside the home of Carl and Ellie, the detail on the plants, the rocks, the sky, you name it…”Up” is an incredible looking film on High Definition but an animated film in which the famous animation studio has raised the bar yet again.

By watching how the creative arts group at Pixar actually went up high into the Tepui mountains, saw all the rock formations for themselves, a chance to embrace, draw and see how things are in the area but also see how Paradise Falls looks in reality, definitely gave the crew a major incentive to make sure the atmosphere of “Up” was just as detailed as they saw with their own eyes.  From the flowers, the plants, the unusual rock formations, the sky and weather conditions, the animation crew was able to capture it so closely with again, so much detail… I was literally in awe of how beautiful this film looks.

There are also details in the way Russell wears his clothes and the clothing movement, the hair of the dogs and how the lighting effects reflect from the hair off the dogs, the slobber of the dogs.  Just the way the physics are with the balloons as it carries the house and more!  There is just a lot of well-thought out details that come along with the film and you just can’t help but be impressed.

Picture quality is absolutely fantastic!  Walt Disney Studios have pretty much been leaders in quality for their animated releases on Blu-ray and the colors are vibrant, blacks are nice and dark but again, the sheer amount of detail is just incredible.  No compression, no banding.  If there was a film that I can easily classify as “reference quality”, “Up” is definitely a film I would put high up there.

As for audio quality, the film is presented in English 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD (and also French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby).  The film also sounds incredible.  From the dogs barking all around you, the sound of the weather around South America, the balloons popping and the action sequences at the end of the film.   Sound is crystal clear from the front and center channels.  The film also sports solid surrounds capturing the overall ambiance and rear surrounds and also good amount of LFE usage especially during the storm sequences and when the house is bumping around the rocks.

This is definitely a film that sounds incredible on Blu-ray and the lossless audio is definitely crystal clear and immersive.  Overall, this is a soundtrack that has its immersive moments but what captures your attention and what sets the mood is the beautiful soundtrack by composer Michael Giacchino.  The beautiful music that captures that feel of yesteryear is just amazing.

As for subtitles, subtitles are in English SDH, French and Spanish.

The DVD features video in widescreen (1:78:1) and is enhanced for 16×9 Televisions.  Audio is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 Surround Sound.  Subtitles are in English SDH.

SPECIAL FEATURES

“Up” comes with the following special features featured in 1080p (1:78:1) for all bonus material on both Blu-ray discs, audio in English 5.1 or 2.0 Dolby Digital (also, in French and Spanish 2.0 Dolby Digital) and English SDH, French and Spanish Subtitles:

DISC 1:

• Audio Commentary by Director Pete Docter and Co-Director Bob Peterson.  Informative and entertaining commentary with a good understanding of the mindset of both Docter and Peterson and the people and environments that inspired the characters and overall feel for the film.  Definitely an enjoyable commentary track!
• Cine-Explore – A visual montage of concept art, clips, documentary coverage illustrating the director’s commentary with Pete Docter and Bob Peterson.
• Party Cloudy: Theatrical Short – (5:46) – A short CG film about clouds who create babies (animals and humans) for the storks but one dark cloud named Gus and his stork tend to make only dangerous animals and he wonders why he’s the main cloud producing those dangerous animals and how his stork, Peck has to deal with the dangerous atmosphere.
• Dug’s Special Mission: All New Original Short – (4:40) After you watch the film, watch this CG short about Dug and his relationship with the other dogs and what took place before he met Carl and Russell.  Directed by Ronnie Del Carmen (Story Supervisor).
• Adventure is Out There – (22:17) Footage and Interviews with the Pixar crew who took a trip to South America to venture up one of the Tepui mountains (in Venezuela) and to also check out Angel Falls and discuss their experiences and show how things were up in those mountains and bringing that to life in the film “Up”.
• Alternate Scene: The Many Endings of Muntz – (4:56) The Pixar crew talk about what ideas they had for the character of Muntz at the end of the film.
• Learn How to take your movies on the go – (1:00) A promo explaining what a digital copy is all about.

EASTER EGG: On Disc 1, if you highlight bonus features or set up, hit the left button and you will access an Easter Egg titled “The Egg” (1:55)

DISC 2:

• Documentaries

- Geriatric Hero – (6:24) The creation of Carl Fredricksen and the elements they wanted to put into his character design and more.

- Canine Companions – (8:26) The creation of the canine characters and the filmmakers attending a seminar by Ian Dunbar, Ph.D (Dog behaviorist) and learning canine hierarchy.

- Russell: Wilderness Explorer – (9:00) How the character design of Russell came about and featuring the young  Jordan Nagai, the voice of Russell.

- Our Giant Flightless Friend, Kevin – (5:04) How the character design of Kevin came about and the challenges in trying to create this unique 13-foot bird.

- Homemakers of Pixar – (4:38) Creating the house for “Up” and creating the interior set of the home.  Also, how a physical model of the house was created and how the house is more than just a living space in the film.

- Balloons and Flight – (6:25) The challenge of the crew of making balloons carrying off a home believable to the audience, creating the “Spirit of Adventure” blimp and more!

- Composing for Characters – (7:37)  Composer Michael Giacchino talks about creating the musical score for his third Disney*Pixar film “Up”, the recording of the music and how he worked with the filmmakers.

• Alternate Scene: Married Life – (9:15) Featuring the original love story ideas of how Carl and Ellie would get together.  Utilizing sketches via pre-production to tell various stories.
• Up Promo Montage - (6:00) A montage of CG animated shorts featuring Carl, Russell, Dug and Kevin.
• Global Guardian Badge Game – A geography game in which you find the states to earn a badge.
• Worldwide Trailers – Theatrical Trailer #2 (1:48), Theatrical Trailer #3 (2:29)

DVD:

The DVD contains the same special features as the Blu-ray (Disc One).

I absolutely love “Up” and I think that aside from the great detail and animation, what I enjoyed is how it communicates to adults as Carl and Ellie are absolutely relatable to the adults and married couples and you can understand the pain that he goes through when you lose that special someone in your life.  The film does a great job of balancing his story, his emotions of trying to keep Ellie’s memory alive through his home, while Russell represents that innocent and naive child and seeing these two characters, total opposites together and trying to make things work.

But what I found touching is that initial first 10-15 minutes of the film and seeing Carl and Ellie grow and the pain they have encountered in their life.  The inability to have a child, to see their dreams dashed by situations that required the money they saved up for their trip but the pain of seeing how these two have grown from children to seniors.  One thing that the Pixar crew wanted to accomplish with this film is to capture that appreciation you have for your grandparents but also, an animated film that young children can enjoy through the character of Russell.

There are some deep things that happen in the film, circumstances that children probably will not understand but for adults, these emotions that touch you profoundly.  Of course, a lot of these deep emotions are for the first 15 minutes of the film between Carl and Ellie as we see flashbacks through their married years but the film becomes highly entertaining once we see the child, Russell and the old man Carl together and having to work together, despite Carl getting a bit annoyed by Russell’s youth and non-stop talking and moving.

But it’s the pacing set by the screenwriters that work.  The film never gets boring as it the film becomes very adventurous and also humorous throughout.  The humor of a house traveling throughout parts of the world on hundreds of balloons is just a fun concept.  And again, the film never gets boring.  It’s just an exciting and fun ride when both Carl and Russell are together and manages to end with an uplifting ending.

And the fun doesn’t stop there.  This Blu-ray release is packed.  Four discs with special features that really go into how this film was created and learning about the things that inspired the filmmakers but also the trip the Pixar crew took to the mountains that inspired them to create that atmosphere.  That was great to see.  But also there are fun shorts for the children as well and also a game.  And of course, a DVD for those long commutes and a digital copy as well.

As for the PG rating, this is the second Pixar animated film to get the rating since “The Incredibles” and mainly its because of the action sequences.  Those sequences are not scary at all and I watched the film with my six-year-old.  If anything, he was asking questions which related to Carl and Ellie’s marriage (parts which relate to a scene in which Carl and Ellie are unable to have children and the scene where Carl is mourning after Ellie’s passing).

“Up” is a film that was geared not just for children but for adults.  The film is mature enough for adults to appreciate, enjoy and to be ultimately touched but also lively, fun and exciting for children to enjoy.  Definitely one of the top films of 2009 and one of the top Blu-ray releases of the year thus far.  Overall, “Up” is absolutely magnificent and this Blu-ray release is highly recommended!