Phineas and Ferb: The Perry Files – Animal Agents (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

February 22, 2013 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

Enjoyable, and a lot of fun… “Phineas and Ferb: The Perry Files – Animal Agents” features 12 episodes of “Phineas and Ferb” plus a cool spy kit! Recommended!

DVD TITLE: Phineas and Ferb: The Perry Files – Animal Agents

DURATION: 12 Episodes (168 Minutes)

DVD INFORMATION: Widescreen (1:78:1) – Enhanced for 16×9 Televisions, Dolby Digital Surround Sound, French and Spanish Language Tracks and Subtitles

COMPANY: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

RATED: TV G

RELEASE DATE: February 26, 2013

Directed by Zac Moncrief, Dan Povenmire, Robert Hughes, Jay Lender, Jeff “Swampy” Marsh

Written by Dan Povenmire, Jeff “Swampy” Marsh, Martin Olson, John Colton Barry, Bobby Gaylor, Antoine Guilbaud, Aliki Theofilopoulos, Kim Roberson, Sherm Cohen, Chong Lee, Piero Piluso, May Chan, Kaz, Michael Diederich

Executive Producer: Dan Povenmire

Co-Executive Producer/Executive Producer: Jeff “Swampy Marsh

Line Producer: Natasha Kopp

Music by Danny Jacob

Edited by Ted Supa

Art Direction by Alan Bodner, Jill Daniels

Featuring the voices of:

Vincent Martella as Phineas

Thomas Sangster as Ferb

Ashley Tisdale as Candace

Dan Povemire as Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz

Jeff “Swampy” Marsh as Major Monogram

Dee Bradley Baker as Perry the Platypus

Caroline Rhea as Mom

Alyson Stoner as Isabella

Mitchell Musso as Jeremy

Maulik Pancholy as Baljeet

Richard O’Brien as Dad

Bobby Gaylor as Buford

Tyler Alexander Mann as Karl

Kelly Hu as Stacy

Olivia Olson as Vanessa

Join Perry the Platypus – a.k.a. Agent P – and his fellow operatives as they team up to thwart Dr. Doofenshmirtz and his dastardly “Inators.” Be they furry or feathered, scaly or slimy, these fearless agents roll over for nobody when it comes to crushing evil in the Tri-State Area and beyond. Fully loaded with over two hours of animated animal-themed adventures, including the exciting, two-part “Phineas And Ferb” cliffhanger “Where’s Perry?”, “Phineas and Ferb: Animal Agents” is a fun-filled, action-packed laughfest that will drive audiences wild!

Perry is back and now your kids can be part of the O.W.C.A. (Organization Without a Cool Acronym) with the latest “Phineas and Ferb” DVD release, “The Perry Files – Animal Agents”!

Since 2007, “Phineas and Ferb” has been an animated show that has been entertaining children (and also adults) on the Disney Channel with its running gags, interesting and hilarious characters.

With each episode, Phineas and Ferb are both working on a project and each time, their sister Candace is always scheming to finally bust them. Meanwhile, the evil scientist Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz is up to no good and Major Monogram and the secret agent Perry the Platypus (Agent P) are doing all they can to stop Doofenshmirtz.

The main characters of “Phineas and Ferb” are:

Phineas Flynn – One of the main protagonist of the show who joins his stepbrother Ferb in various projects.
Ferb Fletcher – The intelligent step-brother of Phineas who is from England and although quiet he happens to be an engineering genius. He also has a crush on Vanessa Doofenshmirtz.
Candace Flynn - A 15-year-old teen and the older sister of Phineas and step-sister to Ferb. She is always trying to bust her younger brothers. Meanwhile, she is dating Jeremy Johnson.
Perry the Platypus - The pet of the Flynn-Fletcher family and is thought of being useless. But the truth is that he is a special agent working for the O.W.C.A. (Organization Without a Cool Acronym) and is constantly battling his nemesis Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz.
Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz - A mad scientist and father of Vanessa Doofenshmirtz. his goal is to take control of the Tri-State area.
Isabella Garcia-Shapiro – A friend of Phineas and Ferb and has a crush on Phineas. Also, has skills to help the boys courtesy of her involvement with the Fireside Girls.
Major Monogram – The head of the O.W.C.A. and responsible for sending Perry out on missions.
Linda Flynn-Fletcher – The mother of Phineas and Candace and step-mother of Ferb.
Baljeet Rai – The Indian-American neighbor of Phineas and Ferb and is very smart but constantly bullied by Buford.
Buford Van Stomm – Because of his size, he is looked at as a bully but the truth is that he’s a nice kid who tries to act tough.
Lawrence Fletcher – Father of Ferb and step-father to Phineas and Candace.
Jeremy Johnson – The boyfriend of Candace.

“Phineas and Ferb: The Perry Files” comes with the following episodes. Included are:

Journey to the Center of Candace (Season 1, Episode 20) – When Isabella’s dog Pinky eats her sash, Phineas and Ferb build a mini-submarine to retrieve it with their shrinking ray but end up going inside of Candace.
Traffic Cam Caper (Season 1, Episode 32) - Candace tries to catch her brothers using a camera to record their activities.
Bowl-R-Drama (Season 1, Episode 33) – Phineas and Ferb create the world’s largest bowling ball and pinball table.
Vanessasary Roughness (Season 2, Episode 69) – Vanessa tries to convince her father Dr. Doofensmirtz that she is responsible to have her own car.
Isabella and the Temple of Sap (Season 2, Episode 75) - The gang head out too the Old Abandoned Old Abandoned Amusement Park.
Cheer Up Candace (Season 2, Episode 76) – Candace is depressed when Jeremy cancels their date and thinks he is going to break up with her. Meanwhile, Perry is accused of committing bad deeds.
Robot Rodeo (Season 2, Episode 96) – Phineas and Ferb build a robotic rodeo.
Lotsa Latkes (Season 3, Episode 138) - When all the potatoes in Danville are missing, Phines and Ferb try to clone a potato chip.
Agent Doof (Season 3, Episode 159) - What happens when Dr. Dooffenshmirtz’s “Babe-inator” turns Phineas and Ferb into babies?
Where’s Perry? Part 1 (Season 3, Episode 168) – What happens when Carl takes over the O.W.C.A. and imprisons Doof and Monogram?
Where’s Perry? Part 2 (Season 3, Episode 169) – Dr. Doofenshmirtz and Major Monogram take on the evil Carl.
What’d I Miss? (Season 3, Episode 172) – Phineas and Ferb try to train domesticated squirrels to live in the wild.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“Phineas and Ferb” is presented in widescreen (1:78:1) – enhanced for 16×9 televisions and is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and French and Spanish Language Tracks and subtitles.

“Phineas and Ferb” sports vibrant colors and for the most part, picture quality should be fine for the children. If anything, the series is known for its unique character design and for the most part, the animation is quite enjoyable to watch because it’s quite different with the characters and their geometric shaped heads.

Dialogue and music are clear and are heard clearly through the front and center channels. Subtitles are in English, French, Portuguese and Spanish.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Phineas and Ferb: The Perry Files – Animal Agents” features the following special features:

Cedric the Entertainer – (2:27) Phineas and Ferb interviews Cedric the Entertainer.
David Beckham - (2:36) Phineas and Ferb interviews David Beckham.
Jason Segel - (2:48) Phineas and Ferb interviews Jason Segel.
Shaun White - (2:33) Phineas and Ferb interviews Shaun White.
Miss Piggy – (2:32) Phineas and Ferb interviews Miss Piggy.
Ben Stiller - (2:32) Phineas and Ferb interviews Ben Stiller.

EXTRAS:

“Phineas and Ferb: The Perry Files – Animal Agents” comes with a slipcover case. But also a spy kit with binoculars (folding cardboard binoculars with plastic lenses), cards, ID Badge and notebook.

At our home, “Phineas and Ferb” is the top animated series that is constantly watched by my 10-year-old son. He loves the animated series and watches it over and over, and he hasn’t even gotten bored by it in the several years of watching it.

And he has been waiting for a “Phineas and Ferb” DVD since the last “The Perry Files” release and with “Phineas and Ferb: The Perry Files – Animal Agents”, I’m sure many children will be thrilled that not only are their 12 episodes featured, but also a cool spy kit is included.

With this latest DVD release, 12 episodes from the first three seasons are featured, episodes that showcase Perry and members of the O.W.C.A. (Organization Without a Cool Acronym).

From many episodes of Vanessa trying to catch her brothers in the act, boyfriend problems or in some sort of crisis, Phineas & Ferb continue to make more inventions and also their friends take part in the adventures. But of course, because these are episodes showcasing the “Perry Files”, these episodes feature Perry ala “Agent P” in action.

For the most part, children and the young at heart, will enjoy this series! At our home, every day he watches the show, I can hear both he and my wife singing the show’s theme song and even my wife has talked about how she enjoys watching “Phineas and Ferb” alongside with him. In fact, I have sat with him many times as he schools me on the characters of the animated series and as a father, just watching his face and seeing him rewinding back to his favorite moments of the series.

So, I’m sure that what is happening in our household, happens in other households as well. So, for parents looking for a fun DVD for their children, “Phineas and Ferb: The Perry Files – Animal Agents”
is another fantastic DVD release! And my son gives this DVD, five stars and a very big “AWESOME!”.

Filed Under: Children's DVD/Blu-ray, DVD Reviews

Peter Pan: Diamond Edition (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Review)

January 29, 2013 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

For fans of this Walt Disney Animated Classic, “Peter Pan” will continue to entertain children and people today and tomorrow, as the film has done for the last 60-years. And in the case of “Peter Pan: Diamond Edition” on Blu-ray, it’s the definitive version of the film to own! Highly recommended!

TITLE: Peter Pan: Diamond Edition

FILM RELEASE: 1953

DURATION: 77 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition, 1:33:1, English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital Language Tracks, Subtitles: English SDH and Spanish Subtitles

COMPANY: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

RATED: G

Release Date: February 5, 2013

Directed by Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske, Jack Kinney

Play by J.M. Barrie

Story by Ted Sears, Erdman Penner, Bill Peet, Winston Hibler, Joe Rinaldi, Milt Banta, Ralph Wright, William Cottrell

Produced by Walt Disney

Music by Oliver Wallace

Edited by Donald Halliday

Featuring the Voices of:

Bobby Driscoll as Peter Pan

Kathryn Beaumont as Wendy Darling

Hans Conried as Captain Hook/Mr. Darling

Bill Thompson as Mr. Smee/Other Pirates

Heather Angel as Mrs. Darling

Paul Collins as John Darling

Tommy Luske as Michael Darling

Candy Candido as Indian Chief

Tom Conway as Narrator

The classic tale that taught us all “to believe” and first introduced us to the Darling children – Wendy, John and Michael – as they flew with Peter Pan and Tinker Bell past the second star to the right and straight on ‘till morning to the enchanted world of Never Land. Rediscover the magical adventure and relive childhood memories of this great bedtime story.

In the early 1900′s, Scottish novelist and playwright J.M. Barrie would go on to create the character Peter Pan.

First appearing in the 1902 novel “The Little White Bird”, “Peter Pan” (a.k.a. “The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up”) would be featured in a stage play in 1904, to be followed by a novel titled “Peter and Wendy” in 1911.

For a young Walt Disney, “Peter Pan” was one of Disney’s favorite stories growing up and back in 1935, he originally intended for “Peter Pan” to be the second Disney animated film after “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”. Problem was that it took a number of years for hi to get the rights from Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, which J.M. Barrie gave the rights to.

And from the 1930′s and 1940′s, the film was being developed and many ideas for the storyline came into play, World War II would then delay “Peter Pan” into becoming an animated film as the U.S. military took control of the studio and had Disney working on propaganda films.

But eventually after 30-years of planning and delays, in 1953, “Peter Pan” would become the 14th film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series line and the $4 million dollar film would go to earn $87 million in the box office. With several video releases, a 2002 sequel titled “Return to Never Land” and CG animated films featuring Tinker Bell having been released on Blu-ray, “Peter Pan: Diamond Edition” will be released in HD on Blu-ray for the very first time in February 2013.

“Peter Pan” is set in Edwardian London where George and Mary Darling have three children, the eldest is Wendy, followed by John and Michael.

As the couple are preparing to attend a party, the two boys get in trouble by trying to act out a story of “Peter Pan” as told to them by Wendy.

George Darling is not so thrilled about the stories as he feels the children are getting out of hand and tells Wendy that she is getting too old to stay in the nursery with them and it’s time for her to grow up and have her own bedroom.

One night, as everyone has fallen asleep, Peter Pan and his little pixie, Tinker Bell, are trying to catch Pan’s shadow. The shadow leads them to the home of the Darling’s and is hiding inside Wendy’s dresser. When Peter Pan goes to get back his shadow, he awakens Wendy and the children.

Excited to find out that Peter Pan is actually real, Peter Pan explains that he enjoys listening to her tell stories about him. But not so happy is Tinker Bell, who is getting a bit jealous that Peter is talking to Wendy.

Meanwhile, a pirate ship that is near Never Land, with pirates commanded by Captain Hook are in discussion of plans for revenge against Peter Pan. Often directing his anger towards his sidekick, Mr. Smee, Hook wants revenge on Peter Pan for cutting of his hand (which was eaten by a crocodile).

And now Captain Hook wants to know the location of Peter’s hideout and the best person that may lead him there is Tiger Lily, the princess of the Indian tribe on the island of Neverland.

VIDEO:

“Peter Pan” is one of the most wonderful looking animated films that still looks magnificent 60-years-later. The artwork is highly regarded by artists and although not realistic, you get a feel of a painted style, a brilliant artistic use of paint in animation brought to Disney’s attention. The film was in development for over two decades and the overall look of the film is even more impressive on Blu-ray.

“Peter Pan: Diamond Edition” is presented in 1080p High Definition (1:33:1). The colors are vibrant, the blacks are nice and deep and the character designs and animation look absolutely cute but also its lines are absolute clean. But it’s how the artistic backgrounds and foregrounds compliments the animation is quite amazing!

“Peter Pan” has never looked this magnificent and I am impressed by how much of an upgrade this film looks compared to its previously awesome Platinum DVD release only four years ago. There is no compression artifacts, no banding, no scratches or dust, it looks perfect!

If you love this film, you definitely need to upgrade to Blu-ray because “Peter Pan” looks fantastic in HD!

Because the film is presented in 1:33:1, once again, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment brings back the “DisneyView” featuring the art of Cristy Maltese, so instead of the black bars on the side, you can opt for colorful artwork that matches the scenes of the film.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Peter Pan: Diamond Edition” is presented in English 7.1 DTS-HD High Resolution Audio and also French and Spanish Dolby Digital Language Tracks. It’s important to note that Disney chose to go with High Resolution audio over lossless DTS-HD Master Audio. But the audio is still fantastic as the music sounds so much crisper than it has ever sound before.

The soundtrack is not totally immersive, but there is good use of the surround channels during the action portions of the film. Needless to say, this is a wonderful lossless high resolution soundtrack and the best I have heard of “Peter Pan”.

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

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Peter Pan: Diamond Edition” come with the following special features:

Storybook App – An app for your children to access coloring pages, puzzles, music, memory games and more.
Disney Intermission – Anytime you watch the film and press pause, you get a random interactive moment during the menu pause.
Introduction – (1:09) Featuring an introduction by Diane Disney Miller.
Disney View – While watching the film, you can add Disney View on the sides of the film featuring the artwork of painter Cristy Maltese.
Growing Up with Nine Old Men – (41:08) Walt’s original nine artists for Disney is well-known. But what about their personal lives? Ted Thomas, a son of one of the original artists, visits other children of the “Nine Old Men” to discuss how was life growing up with their father.
Deleted Scenes and Songs – Featuring two deleted scenes: The Journey Home and Alternate Arrival and two deleted songs: “Never Smile at a Crocodile” and “The Boatswain Song”
Disney Song Selection – Featuring the songs “The Second Star to the Right”, “You Can Fly”, “A Pirate’s Life”, “Following the Leader” and “Your Mother and Mine”.
Audio Commentary – Featuring the original audio commentary by Roy Disney.
Deleted Song – (2:22) The Pirate Song
Never Land: The Lost Song – (2:39) Richard M. Sherman talks about this lost song.
Music Video - “Never Land” – (3:16) Performed by Paige O’Hara
Music Video - “The Second Star” – (1:03) Performed by T-Squad.
You Can Fly: The Making of Peter Pan – (15:59) The behind-the-scenes story of how the story of Peter Pan would become an animated film.
In Walt’s Words – “Why I Made Peter Pan” – (7:46) Introduced by Ron Clements and John Musker, an audio of Walt Disney’s article of why he created “Peter Pan”.
Tinker Bell: A Fairy’s Tale – (8:27) The history of Tinker Bell.
The Peter Pan That Almost Was – (21:01) Ron Clements and John Musker introduce viewers to the various ideas that went into creating Peter Pan over its many years of being developed.
That Peter Pan Story – (12:04) A classic black and white documentary or newsreel of “Peter Pan”.

The story of “Peter Pan” is classic. A boy who never wanted to grow up, Neverland and the battle between Peter and Captain Hook is known to Disney fans. But during the time that “Peter Pan” was being developed by Walt Disney, suffice to say that “Peter Pan” was a story that captivated many readers and those who watched the play during the first half of the 20th century.

The film captures the innocence of children and the wanting of staying young, so you don’t have to grow up and worry about the things that teenagers or adults do. But “Peter Pan” is also a film that showcases the classic Disney era that showcases amazing use of color, art background with tremendous detail. Audiences were entertained by this animated film as it continued the visual artistry of the crew who worked on Disney films at that time.

While the animated film differs from its counterpart featured in the novels and the storyline was not as deep, it was an animated film that people needed to see. Especially several years after World War II, people wanted to be entertained and not necessarily needing something deep or emotional. The story was kept simple but yet, you are captivated by the film because whether you are a child or a child at heart, it’s that adventure of being a child and experiencing a magical world is quite fun. A lot of us have felt that moment where you know your child years are ending and not wanting to grow up. So, one can easily understand the characters of this film, but also enjoy the adventures of Peter Pan, Wendy, her brothers and the Lost Boys.

For those of us who grew up with the film, the film is nostalgic. Sure, not everyone will be pleased. As there are some who are very critical of how the Native Americans were portrayed in the film and then there are those who see characters to be sexist. Tinker Bell as the vindictive, jealous female who will go as far to have Wendy killed because she doesn’t like women around Peter Pan.

But this where good parenting comes in, to help children understand how times have changed and explain to them about it. Some can cry foul and how these classic film can be pushed off as entertainment for children, but once again, these classic animated films were a product of its time. Because there will be many films, from silent films, classic animated film to top films from the ’50s and ’60s and even films made today that people will find a problem with certain content. It’s about knowing what is right or wrong and teaching your children and having them learn from it.

As for the Blu-ray release, the Walt Disney stamp of approval of releasing these classic films in the best quality as possible continues with “Peter Pan: Diamond Edition”, the film looks absolutely pristine in HD. There is nothing about the film that makes you think it was created before 1953. The colors are vibrant, there are no blemishes that can be seen.

I know that with the “Platinum Edition”, there were some who felt the picture quality was changed slightly but from my own personal viewing, the film looked colorful, detail of the backgrounds and environments looked amazing and I saw no problems with artifacts or banding. The film looked fantastic! And that goes with the audio as well. And for a Diamond Edition release, you would expect a plethora of special features and you do get a good number. Some that are new and many from the past release.

Growing up, “Peter Pan” and “Captain Hook” were classic characters that showcased good vs. evil. While I enjoyed the film as a child, I must admit that it is not the most memorable Disney film nor is it a film that I watch often. I know that my wife enjoyed the film and can remember lyrics to the songs to this day, but for me it was more about nostalgia and watching it again with our child, who enjoyed the film.

The animation for “Peter Pan” still holds up to this day and with this Blu-ray release, I’m quite pleased with the Diamond Edition as it continues to carry the quality that Disney has done previously with their Walt Disney Animated Classics series on Blu-ray and really giving fans what they want in terms of pristine picture quality, crisp lossless audio and a plethora of special features.

Filed Under: Blu-ray Reviews, Children's DVD/Blu-ray

Prep & Landing/Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice – Totally Tinsel Collection (a J!-ENT Children’s Blu-ray Disc Review)

November 18, 2012 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

“Prep & Landing/Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice – Totally Tinsel Collection” is an enjoyable holiday Blu-ray release that is fun, well-animated and full of Christmas spirit! For those looking for an enjoyable holiday special for the children, that is safe, fun and very entertaining… I definitely recommend “Prep & Landing/Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice – Totally Tinsel Collection”!

TITLE: Prep & Landing/Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice – Totally Tinsel Collection

THEATRICAL RELEASE: Prep & Landing (2009), Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice (2011)

DURATION: Prep & Landing (23 Minutes), Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice (23 Minutes)

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (1:78:1 Aspect Ratio), English 5.1 DTS-HD MA, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, 2.0 Dolby Digital Spanish Language Track, Subtitles: English, English SDH, Chinese, French and Spanish

COMPANY: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

RATED: TV G

Release Date: November 6, 2012

Prep & Landing

Written and Directed by Kevin Deters, Stevie Wermers

Story by Chris Williams

Additional Story Material by Robert L. Baird, Daniel Gerson and Reid Harrison

Executive Producer: John Lasseter and Chris Williams

Produced by Dorothy Kim

Associate Producer: Jenni Magee-Cook

Music by Michael Giacchino

Edited by William J. Caparella

Casting by Jamie Sparer Roberts

Production by Billy George

Art Direction by Andrew Edward Harkness

Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice

Directed by Kevin Deters, Steve Wermers

Additional Story by Robert L. Baird, Daniel Gerson

Produced by Dorothy McKim

Executive Producer: John Lasseter

Associate Producer: Craig Sost

Music by Michael Giacchino

Edited by Jeff Draheim

Casting by Jamie Sparer Roberts

Featuring the voices of:

Prep & Landing

Betty White as Mrs. Claus

Dave Foley as Wayne

Sarah Chalke as Magee

Mason Vale Cotton as Timmy Terwelp

David DeLuise as Dancer

Peter Jacobsen as Waterkotte

Lino DiSalvo as Gristletoe Joe

Derek Richardson as Lanny

William Morgan Sheppard as The Big Guy

Nathan Greno as Dasher

Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice

Dave Foley as Wayne

Sarah Chalke as Magee

Emily Alyn Lind as Grace Goodwin

Chris Parnell as Mr. Thistleton

Derek Richardson as Lanny

Rob Riggle as Noel

William Morgan Sheooard as the Big Guy

Prep & Landing is an adorable holiday story about a high-tech team of elves who ensure homes around the world are properly prepared for their visit from Santa. After working for a tireless 227 years, an elf named Wayne (voiced by Dave Foley) is upset when he doesn’t receive an expected promotion. Instead he is partnered with an idealistic rookie elf named Lanny (voiced by Derek Richardson) to execute a special Christmas Eve mission. While on their journey, Wayne and Lanny encounter unexpected challenges that push them to their limits and ultimately threaten Christmas for children around the world. But in the end, these two elves work together to guide Santa through a raging snowstorm in order to save Christmas.

Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice – The outrageous yuletide adventures of Christmas elves Lanny and Wayne continue in this totally tinsel adventure that reminds us there’s room for everyone on the ‘nice’ list. Santa’s stealthiest little elves must race to recover classified North Pole technology, which has fallen into the hands of a computer-hacking naughty kid, in an effort to stop Christmas from descending into chaos. Bring the family together for a comical adventure that puts the Ho, Ho, Ho in your Holidays!

When “Glago’s Guest” writer Chris Williams had an idea of an elf Christmas story and pitched to Walt Disney Animation studios shorts program, Chief Creative Officer John Lasseter felt the idea would make a great half-hour TV special for ABC.

As the idea which would later become “Prep & Landing” was greenlighted by the network, Chris Williams was then working and co-directing the animated film “Bolt” and so “Brother Bear” writer Kevin Deters and “Brother Bear”, “Tarzan” writer Stevie Wermers were brought in to co-write and direct the 22-minute Christmas special which aired in Dec. 2009.

The special which was budgeted for $14 million would go on to to be nominated for five Emmy Awards (winning four for “Outstanding Animated Program”, “Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation” for Art Director, Storyboard Artist and Background Key design) and nine Annie Awards (winning “Best Animated Television Production”, “Character Design in a Television Production and “Production Design in a Television Production”).

In 2011, Walt Disney Animation Studios followed up with the sequel “Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice” directed by Kevin Deters and Stevie Wermers-Skelton and aired on ABC in Dec. 2011. Similar to the first animated feature, “Naughty vs. Nice” would be nominated for eleven Annie Awards by the International Animated Film Association and would win four awards including an award for “Character Animation in a Television Production” by Tony Smeed, “Character Design in a Television Production”, “Music in a Television Production” and “Storyboarding in Television Production for Brian Kesinger.

Now both “Prep & Landing” Christmas specials will be presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment in November 2012.

“Prep & Landing” revolves around a Christmas elf named Wayne. Wayne is a member of “Prep & Landing”, a job in which these specially trained elves prepare homes for Santa Claus’ visit on Christmas day.

But having worked for 227 years as a Christmas elf, Wayne believes that he will be promoted for a major job and can’t wait to leave his current job. So, as Wayne says is confident that he has gotten the job, unfortunately he is told that the job has went to his partner that he trained.

Wayne is then introduced to his new partner, a rookie named Lanny who has looked up to Wayne’s work when he was younger and is excited to be teamed up with his idol. But Wayne is quite bitter for not getting the promotion and he’s not so interested in giving 100% to his job this year.

So, while visiting a home, Wayne makes Lanny do all the work but unfortunately, it ends up in disaster and the boy Timmy living at the house is awaken and finds the two elves. And because Wayne has broke protocol and did not prepare the home for Santa, Wayne has to cancel Santa’s visit. Lanny is upset that Wayne has become so bitter but now he may have prevented the innocent Timmy from receiving a present from Santa.

When Wayne hears Timmy talking in his sleep and thanking him for his Christmas present, Wayne is now determined to make sure Santa is re-routed and that he gets his toy delivery in time for Christmas.

For “Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice”, the special involves the Coal Elf Brigade, the special unit of Christmas elves that are responsible for delivering lumps of coal to children who are bad, but at the same time leaving notes of encouragement to try to be good for the following year.

Meanwhile, Wayne and Lanny are trying to recover classified North Pole technology which has fallen into the hands of a hacker known as “jinglesmell1337″. Worried that the hacker can cause problems on Christmas, Wayne needs the help of a naughty kid expert, but that expert is his estranged brother Noel of the Coal Elf Brigade. But because Wayne doesn’t wan tto be around Noel, Wayne knows he needs the expertise of his brother to solve this case.

So, Wayne and Noel must work together on a mission in figuring out who is responsible for stealing the classified technology. But because of Wayne’s bitter attitude towards his brother, will he be able to work with him before the hacker causes any more problems?

VIDEO:

“Prep & Landing/Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice” is presented in 1080p High Definition (1:78:1 aspect ratio). Before I do my review, it’s important to remember that this is not a film, it’s a Christmas half-hour TV special. So, in some way, I was expecting CG quality that was somewhat good, but not as detailed. But I was definitely wrong. Both specials are quite detailed and look great!

The CG animation for this “Prep & Landing” is fantastic! In fact, the overall look of the film is what makes me enjoy this TV special so much is because there was a lot of production value put into it. I’m not just talking about characters but also objects, scenery. The CG for this special is absolutely wonderful, especially when compared to the previous 2011 DVD release of the first special.

But as the first “Prep & Landing” looks impressive on Blu-ray, the second special “Naughty vs. Nice” features much more detail when it comes to objects, especially wooden objects and hair. The amount of detail that can be seen on Blu-ray is quite impressive. And definitely an improvement from the previous special.

There is a little banding but nothing that sticks out unless you really look for it. For the most part, parents looking for a Christmas release to keep the children occupied during the holidays, will definitely want to check out this Blu-ray release!

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Prep & Landing/Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice” is presented in English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0. I have to admit that I wasn’t really expect so much from its lossless soundtrack because these are TV specials. But with the amount of action featured, there is good use of the surround channels and also LFE. Dialogue is crystal clear and overall, lossless soundtrack for both specials were much better than I expected.

Subtitles are in in English SDH, French and Spanish.

SPECIAL FEATURES

“Prep & Landing/Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice – Totally Tinsel Collection” comes with the following special features:

Operation Secret Santa – (6:53) Mrs. Claus hires Wayne and Lanny to find a mystery box in Santa’s office.
Tiny’s Big Adventure – (1:09) Tiny needs to make coffee but the coffee can is too high.
Kringle Academy Training Videos: – Featuring three animated training videos: Welcome to Kringle Academy (1:27) , Equipment Training (1:50), Do’s and Dont’s (1:33).
North Pole News – (1:28) Newsreel with big stories for the tiniest elf!
North Pole Commercials – (1:40) 3 Hilarious Ads Straight from the North Pole
Behind the Jingle with Grace Potter - (2:09) Grace Potter talks about her dream of writing a song for a Disney film and voicing a character for a Disney film.
Promotional Pieces – (20:08) Featuring several featurettes that can be played separately or via play all: The recording process (4:16) – The cast talk about recording their voices for the animated TV episodes, the animation process (5:46) – A featurette on creating the animation for “Prep & Landing”, the characters (3:10) – The cast talk about their character, Christmas Unwrapped (3:38) – Kevin Deters and Stevie Wermers-Skelton talking about the voice talent they had in mind plus interviews with the voice talent, Prep and Landing: Behind the Scenes (3:03) – John Lasseter and directors talk about the behind-the-scenes of making an ABC Christmas special.

EXTRAS:

“Prep & Landing/Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice” comes with the Blu-ray plus a DVD containing both animated episodes and special features plus the Blu-ray release comes with a cardboard cover case.

Wonderful CG animation, enjoyable holiday story…The award-winning Disney/ABC TV special “Prep & Landing/Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice – Totally Tinsel Collection” finally gets released on Blu-ray!

In Dec. 2009, “Prep & Landing” aired on television and I was blown away by the CG animation but also how entertaining the TV special and literally, me and my young son wanted more! And while I was waiting hoping for a home video release in 2010, it never was released. But with the characters of “Prep & Landing” returning for a new TV special in 2011 titled “Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice” for Dec. 2011, I thought there would be a double-feature release. That also didn’t happen, but a DVD release of the first special “Prep & Landing” was released.

So, here we are in 2012, and now, both specials are being released on Blu-ray. And while these two Christmas episodes are around 22-minutes each, there is definitely an improvement when it comes to seeing the details of this series in HD, especially with the hair, the background details, everything looks much better, especially if you compare the first special on Blu-ray vs. last year’s DVD release. Images are crisper and well-detailed and with the newer “Naughty and Nice”, definitely a step up in detail from the first special.

For the most part, both stories are very easy to follow and both Christmas episodes will attract viewers of all ages. In fact, for adults, there are a lot of in-jokes in this holiday special. Magee has a Christmas Tree ala “A Charlie Brown Christmas”, “Mickey’s Christmas Carol” is shown on Timmy’s TV set at their house and also little Disney additions that fans may pick up on!

And while the Blu-ray featuring both episodes look and sound great on Blu-ray, fortunately the Blu-ray release also includes the “Prep & Landing” shorts, “Operation Santa Claus” (which features Betty White as the voice of Mrs. Claus) and “Tiny’s Big Adventure”. In addition, there are other animated special features included on the Blu-ray such as cast and crew interviews and more.

And last, thank goodness that the Blu-ray release also includes a DVD in addition to the Blu-ray, so if you are a parent planning to travel by car during the holidays, for those who own a DVD player in their vehicle, can definitely keep the children entertained with the included DVD (featuring both specials and also includes the special features).

Overall, “Prep & Landing/Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice – Totally Tinsel Collection” is an enjoyable holiday Blu-ray release that is fun, well-animated and full of Christmas spirit!

For those looking for an enjoyable holiday special for the children, that is safe, fun and very entertaining… I definitely recommend “Prep & Landing/Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice – Totally Tinsel Collection”!

Filed Under: Blu-ray Reviews, Children's DVD/Blu-ray

The Tigger Movie (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

August 16, 2012 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

If you are a parent looking for a safe, fun and touching family film, you can’t go wrong with “The Tigger Movie”. Recommended!

BLU-RAY TITLE: The Tigger Movie

MOVIE RELEASE DATE: 2000

DURATION: 77 Minutes

BLU-RAY INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition, 1:78:1 Aspect Ratio, English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio (48 kHz/24-bit), French and Spanish Language Tracks, Subtitles: English SDH, French and Spanish

COMPANY: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

RATED: G

DVD RELEASE DATE: August 21, 2012

Directed by Jun Falkenstein

Based on the characters by A.A. Mulne

Based on the Story by Eddie Guzelian

Screenplay by Jun Falkenstein

Produced by Cheryl Abood

Associate Producer: Jennifer Blohm, Richmond Horine

Music by Harry Gregson-Williams

Edited by Makoto Arai, Robert Fisher Jr.

Art Direction by Toby Bluth

Featuring the Voices of:

Jim Cummings as Tigger/Winnie the Pooh

Nikita Hopkins as Roo

Ken Sansom as Rabbit

John Fiedler as Piglet

Peter Cullen as Eeyore

Andre Stojka as Owl

Kath Soucie as Kanga

Tom Attenborough as Christopher Robin

John Hurt as Narrator

“The Tigger Movie” Bounce-A-Riffic Special Edition Blu-ray is a tiggerific treat for the whole family and for added fun, comes packaged with a family tree activity poster and stickers. In this charming musical tale of friendship and adventure, “The Tigger Movie” Bounce-A-Riffic Special Edition follows Tigger as he sets off on an epic journey to find other Tiggers in his family tree. Through a series of exciting adventures he discovers that families come in all shapes and sizes. This fun and playful animated tale delights a whole new generation of fans with its timeless characters and storytelling, rich animation and delightful songs by legendary Disney songwriting team of brothers, Richard and Robert Sherman. The film features the Hundred Acre Wood’s most lovable characters, Pooh, Eeyore, Tigger, Piglet and the rest of the gang.

Be prepared to do some bouncing as “The Tigger Movie” will be released on Blu-ray and DVD!

Since 1926, “Winnie-the-Pooh” has been a staple in American pop culture as a family friendly character and stories that many children for generations have grown up with. And adults who have continued to share that with their own children.

In 2000, “The Tigger movie” became the first animated feature film to not feature Winnie-the-Pooh but focus on Pooh’s friend Tigger. Written and directed by Jun Falkenstein (who worked on “9″, “The Smurfs”, “Despicable Me” and directed “Winnie the Pooh: Seasons of Giving” and “A Winnie the Pooh Thanksgiving”) and would feature songs written by Robert and Richard Sherman (“Mary Poppins”, “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”, “The Jungle Book”, “Charlotte’s Web” and “The Aristocats”) creating the music for the film. Their first feature film score since 1971 for “Bedknobs and Broomsticks”. The film would also feature a collaboration between the Sherman Brothers and singer Kenny Loggins.

The film was originally planned to be a direct-to-video release but when Disney CEO Michael Eisner heard the Sherman Brothers score, Eisner wanted to release the film in theaters.

And it was a great choice for Disney as the film would earn over $96 million in the box office and also win “Annie Awards” for “Outstanding Individual Achievement for Directing in an Animated Feature Production” and “Outstanding Individual Achievement for Music in an Animated Feature Production” and “Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting by a Male Performer in an Animated Feature Production”.

And now “The Tigger Movie” will be released on Blu-ray and DVD in August 2012.

“The Tigger Movie” is set in Hundred Acre Wood and as everyone is cold and preparing for the long winter, we see how Tigger disrupts their preparation as he wants to bounce and have fun.

We see Tigger and crashing into Pooh’s honey jars; seeing a freezing Piglet, Tigger throws his chair into the fireplace and as for Eeyore, he has a huge rock fall and drop on his house. And also disrupting Rabbit’s pulley system to help Eeyore build his house.

The group tells Tigger that as much as they enjoy playing with him, they are not Tiggers and they can’t bounce like him, meanwhile Rabbit gets mad at him for destroying the pulley system.

Feeling alone, Roo sees Tigger and tries to cheer him up. Roo asks Tigger if there are other Tiggers and fascinated by the concept, when Tigger goes to ask Owl about other Tiggers, Owl tells him about family trees.

Meanwhile, Roo and Tigger develop a family-like bond and he looks up to Tigger as his older brother. For Roo, he wants to be taught how to bounce and so Tigger tries to teach his new “younger brother” how to do the Tigger bounce. And during their training session, he talks about how he has a locket which should have a picture of him and his family, but there is no picture.

One day, as Tigger goes to look for his family tree but is not able to. So, Tigger writes a letter to his family but no one responds. This leaves Tigger feeling alone and that there are no Tiggers out there.

And as Roo notices how Tigger has become so sad, he hatches a plan with everyone in Hundred Acre Wood to help lift his spirits by pretending to be a Tigger and each writing a letter to him.

And when Tigger receives the letter he is happy and tells everyone that his family will be visiting him the next evening. This shocks his friends as they never wrote such a thing, but Tigger tells everyone that he reads between the lines.

Now frantic about breaking Tigger’s heart, Roo and his mother Kanga decide to throw a party with everyone dressing up as a Tigger in order to make Tigger feel loved.

But will the charade work?

VIDEO:

“The Tigger Movie” is presented in 1080p High Definition (1:78:1 aspect ratio). The film is vibrant, colorful and the art backgrounds are nicely painted. We get to see the various seasons of Hundred Acre Wood and was glad to see the emphasis on detail for objects, trees, landscape in the art design. And as for the character design, the animators kept close to the original style of the characters that many people have grown up with.

If anything, “The Tigger Movie” looks fantastic on Blu-ray and I saw no artifacts, banding or any negative issues with this film.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“The Tigger Movie” is presented in English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio (48 kHz/24-bit) and 5.1 Dolby Digital French and Spanish Language Tracks. The film is primarily dialogue and music-driven and thus more center/front channel. Dialogue and lossless audio is crystal clear with a little use of the surround channels towards the end (during the more action-based sequences). But overall, the lossless soundtrack is good.

Subtitles are in English, English SDH, French and Spanish.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“The Tigger Movie” comes with the following special features:

A Tigger Tale- (6:22) The crew reunite to discuss their experience of making “The Tigger Movie”.
Mini-Adventures of Winnie The Pooh – (24:21) A total of ten (three-minute) mini-adventures featuring Winnie the Pooh and friends. Included are “Pooh and Tigger”, “The Most Wonderful Thing about Tiggers”, “Eeyore’s House”, “Someone Like Tigger”, “What Tiggers Do Best”, “Lullabee”, “The Super Bounce”, “Tigger Goes Ice Skating”, “The Jagular”, “Unbouncing Tiger”.
Round My Family Tree Sing-Along - (2:45) Featuring a sing-along for Tigger’s “Round My Family Tree”.
Kenny Loggins Music Video – (4:49) Featuring Kenny Loggins music video for “Your Heart Will Lead You Home”.

EXTRAS:

“The Tigger Movie” comes with a slipcover case and a DVD version of the film presented in 1:78:1 widescreen, English, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital with English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles. Also, included is a family tree activity poster with stickers.

I know that I’m not the only one who grew up with “Winnie the Pooh”. It’s been in my family and even my son today was raised enjoying stuffed animals and the animated films (and series).

Having reviewed several of the animated films, “The Tigger Movie” having been released in 2001 and also now being released on Blu-ray is the best looking “Winnie the Pooh” related animated film on video. And what makes this film so entertaining and different from other Pooh films is that it focuses on Tigger.

Tigger is one of the most jovial characters ever created but also a character that gets into a bit of trouble because he is always wanting to have fun. But it’s that style that tends to attract the young viewers as the other characters are typically shy or reserved, Tigger is all over the place.

But this time around, you get a fun, energetic film but you also get pulled in by its story because it is quite sad that Tigger has all this energy and wants to have fun, but since the others are not Tiggers, they don’t have the same type of drive and thus it leads to Tigger being sadden that there is no family or anyone like him around. Or is there?

As “The Tigger Movie” is a film that does focus on Tigger, we also see another character grabbing the spotlight and that is little Roo, Kanga’s son. Roo is usually featured a few times in a film but this time around, we get to see Roo hanging out with Tigger but also learning from him and trying to be a good “little brother”.

So, this film definitely gives us a new perspective of characters other than Winnie the Pooh, Piglet or Rabbit.

For the most part, I found “The Tigger Movie” to be a wonderful family film. I watched it with my nine-year-old, at first I was wondering if he would feel that he was too old for this animated film but he was captivated by it and enjoyed it.

There is a lot to learn, may it be one’s private space to also the importance of friendship, children can surely learn from “The Tigger Movie”. And as for the Blu-ray release, children will also enjoy it for the inclusion of the mini-adventures of Winnie the Pooh plus the included family tree activity posters and stickers. And also another positive for parents is that the Blu-ray does come with a DVD, so definitely handy for those going on long commutes or a film for children to watch during vacation time. And as mentioned, seeing this animated film in HD on Blu-ray, it looks and sounds great!

Overall, if you are a parent looking for a safe, fun and touching family film, you can’t go wrong with “The Tigger Movie”. Recommended!

Filed Under: Blu-ray Reviews, Children's DVD/Blu-ray

Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

August 15, 2012 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

While “Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure” may not be as deep or dark as its 1955 counterpart, for a direct-to-video family animated film, the storyline is accessible, safe and entertaining! If you are a parent or a person who grew up watching the original “Lady & the Tramp”, “Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure” is definitely recommended!

BLU-RAY TITLE: Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure

MOVIE RELEASE DATE: 2001

DURATION: 69 Minutes

BLU-RAY INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition, 1:78:1 Aspect Ratio, English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Subtitles: English SDH, French and Spanish

COMPANY: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

RATED: G

DVD RELEASE DATE: August 21, 2012

Directed by Darrell Rooney, Jeannine Roussel

Screenplay by Bill Motz, Bob Roth

Additional Screenplay Material by Tom Rogers, Flip Kobler, Cindy Marcus

Produced by Jeannine Roussel

Associate Producer: David W. King

Music by Danny Troob

Edited by Susan Edmunson

Casting by Jamie Thomason

Production Design by Robert St. Pierre

Art Direction by Robert Schaefer, Fred Warter

Featuring the Voices of:

Scott Wolf as Scamp

Alyssa Milano as Angel

Chazz Palminteri as Buster

Jeff Bennett as Tramp/Jock the Scottish Terrier/Trusty/Dogcatcher

Jodi Benson as Lady

Bill Fagerbakke as Mooch

Mickey Rooney as Sparky

Bronson Pinchot as Francois

Cathy Moriarty as Ruby

Mary Kay Bergman as Si

Debi Derryberry as DArling

Nick Jameson as Jim Dear

Tress MacNeille as Aunt Sarah/Am

Andrew McDonogh as Junior

Rob Paulsen as Otis

Kath Soucie as Collette

Frank Welker as Reggie

April Winchell as Mrs. Mahoney, the Street-Wig Woman

Jim Cummings as Tony

Michael Gough as Joe

Roger Bart as Scamp (Singing Voice)

Jess Harnell as Buster (Singing Voice)

Susan Egan as Angel (Singing Voice)

Disney’s beloved classic continues in Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure – for the first time ever on Disney Blu-ray. Lady and Tramp’s mischievous pup Scamp is always in the doghouse. Now, an itch for a collar-free life and freedom is sending him on the ultimate adventure! With nonstop laughs, paw-tapping songs and exciting bonus features, Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure is a new breed of Disney fun that the whole family will love!

Walt Disney’s “Lady and the Tramp” is a classic animated film that has entertained generations upon generations since its theatrical release back in 1955.

But the idea for the film actually happened nearly 20-years prior when Disney writer Joe Grant came up with an idea to make a story built around an idea inspired by his Springer Spaniel named Lady, and how his dog was pushed aside upon the birth of his child.

In 1955, the film made its theatrical debut and was a enormous success in the box office.

Fastforward nearly 60-years-later and in 2001, “Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure” was released direct-to-video. Directed by Darrell Rooney (who worked on animated series such as “Smurfs”, “Pac-Man”, “The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride”) and Jeannine Rousel (who worked on “The Addams Family”, “2 Stupid Dogs”, “Captain Planet and the Planeteers”) and featuring a screenplay by Bill Motz and Bob Roth (both worked on “The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride”, “The Return of Jafar”, “Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas”).

The film would feature voices by Scott Wolf (“Party of Five”, “Go”, “V”), Alyssa Milano (“Charmed”, “Who’s the Boss?”), Chazz Palminteri (“The Usual Suspects”, “A Bronx Tale”, “Analyze This”), Jodi Benson (“The Little Mermaid”, “Toy Story” films), Bill Fagerbakke (“Coach”, “The Artist”, “SpongeBob SquarePants”), Bronson Pinchot (“Perfect Strangers”, “Risky Business”), Jeff Bennett (“Enchanted”, “The Replacements”), Cathy Moriarty (“Raging Bull”, “Kindergarten Cop”) and Mickey Rooney (“National Velvet”, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”, “Boys Town”).

“Lady and the Tramp II: Scamo’s Adventure” is set in 1911 and Jim Dear is trying to give all of Tramp and Lady’s pups a bath. The two have three daughters who look like Lady and a mischievous son named Scamp who looks like his father.

Scamp loves playing with the baby but in the process, he ruins Jim’s hat. Jim gives Scamp a warning and Tramp tries to discipline his son but Scamp just wants to have fun.

After taking a bath, he gets muddy and messes up the entire living room. Upset with Scamp, Jim feels that the only way to punish him is to have him stay outside in the doghouse and being chained.

While Lady and Tramp are saddened that Jim had to resort to punishing Scamp, they know he did it with best intentions. Tramp tries to talk to his son, but Scamp is more interested in having fun and not live with a family. Thinking life would be better to be free!

So, while he is chained outside, he sees a ruckus outside of the gate as a dogkeeper are trying to catch stray dogs. Thinking that these dogs are having a lot of fun, Scamp manages to break through his chain and hang out with the stray dogs known as the Junkyard Dogs.

He befriends a young female dog named Angel and Scamp tries to join the Junkyard Dogs and feels that life away from a family is such a great life. But in the process, the leader of the Junkyard Dogs, Buster, wants Scamp to prove his courage in order to join the group. So, he has Scamp doing several tests and is amazed by Scamps ability.

While hanging out with the Junkyard Dogs, a dog named Sparky tells Scamp an exaggerated story about a legendary dog named Tramp who was able to avoid dozens of dog catchers and that he was looked up upon by the Junkyard Dogs but one day he disappeared. Hearing the story, Buster gets upset and tells them that Tramp didn’t die as a hero, he chose to run off with a female dog named Lady to become a house pet. And Buster chose Lady over Buster and the Junkyard Dogs.

And right then, Scamp realizes that the stories of this legendary dog is his parents.

Shocked that his father was a Junkyard Dog, he can’t believe that his father would leave this adventurous life to be a housepet. But for Angel, she tells Scamp that her dream is to live with a family. He doesn’t understand why would anyone want to stay with a family, stuck in a house and having the same routine over and over. But Angel tells him that she would choose living with a loving family than living on the streets.

Meanwhile, afraid for his son, Tramp hopes that he can find Scamp before he gets into trouble.

When Buster finds out that Scamp is the son of Tramp, Buster who has always had spite towards Tramp, figures why not try to take away his son from him. So, when Scamp is asked if he rather stay with the Junkyard Dogs to have a life of freedom or to go back to his father and be stuck in a house and treated as a pet, which life will Scamp choose?

VIDEO:

“Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure” is presented in 1080p High Definition (1:78:1 aspect ratio). And make no doubt about this direct-to-video sequel, despite it not being a Disney animated feature film, the film is well-detailed when it comes to its scenery and objects, vibrant and looks great in HD. If anything, despite being made in 2001, this film holds up incredibly well in 2012. Not only does the film take the characters from the 1955 animated film and bringing them to the digital realm.

While the background scenery is well-detailed, the character designs are good. A bit soft at times but for the most part, this film does look very good for a direct-to-video sequel.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure” is presented in English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital. The lossless audio track could have been better if it used the surround channels because most of the audio, I heard coming through the center and front channels only. Even during the more action-based scenes, I didn’t really hear the surround channels or LFE used as much.

With that being said, dialogue and music is crystal clear coming through the center and front channels but wished it was much more immersive.

Subtitles are in English, English SDH, French and Spanish.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure” comes with the following special features:

Puppy Trivia Tracks – While watching the film, you can watch with fun facts displayed onscreen.
The Making of Lady and the Tramp II: From Tramp to Scamp – (16:34) The making of “Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure” and how the film came to be and the process of making the film.
Sing-Along Songs – Featuring a sing-along (ala karaoke style) for five music tracks from the film: “(Prologue) Welcome home”, “World Without Fences”, “Junkyard Society Rag”, “I Didn’t Know I Could Feel This Way”, “Always There”.
Disney Animated Shorts featuring Pluto – Featuring “Pluto, Junior” (7:08), “Bone Trouble” (8:42) and “Pluto’s Kid Brother” (6:51).
Audio Commentary – Featuring audio commentary with director Darrell Rooney, animation director Steve Trenbirth and co-director/producer Jeannine Roussel.

EXTRAS:

“Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure” comes with a slipcover case and a DVD version of the film presented in 1:78:1 widescreen, English, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital with English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.

When it comes to direct-to-video sequels, I know there are many parents who feel that these videos are primarily created for families and storylines that are safe and geared towards children.

For the most part, “Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure” is a family film that will no doubt entertain children and even those that are young at heart and grew up with the original “Lady and the Tramp” film.

And while most older Disney films never had a sequel, for any Disney fan who grew up with these films, you wonder to yourself, “what if a sequel was made?”.

And for this sequel, while this is a film that I probably never expected a sequel being created, I was surprised back in 2001 but also excited because we get to see the characters brought into modern times using CG and different animation than its 1955 counterpart.

What I enjoyed about “Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure” is the continuing of the storyline from the first film. At the end of “Lady and the Tramp”, we watched as Lady had given birth to pups and the Dear family also welcoming a baby. This time around, the pups are slightly older and the Dear’s baby is now a young toddler who has bonded with the dogs.

And for the most part, the storyline works rather well because we get to see Lady and Tramp’s children much older, we also see the Dear family having formed a strong bond with Lady, Tramp and the puppies but also seeing Scamp exhibiting part of his father’s mischievous behavior. Granted, father Tramp is now much more mature and wants the best for his children, but Scamp wants to see the world.

It has that similarity to the first film when Tramp was trying to show Lady his free life and how much more adventurous life would be if she didn’t live in the Dear home. The same thing happens this time around but it’s Buster and other dogs from the Junkyard who want to entice Scamp to leave his life of being a pet and living in a house, and have more adventure and freedom while living with them.

It’s an accessible storyline that is easy for children to understand, fans who grew up watching the film to enjoy the film and its connection to the original “Lady and the Tramp” and most of all, seeing a sequel that is modernized and taking the characters and having a storyline that would appeal to a new generation.

With “Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure” being released on Blu-ray, the details of objects and scenery are well-detailed and despite being a direct-to-video sequel, by no means does it mean that this film is lower in quality. The film despite being released in 2001 (and having a bit of softness), still looks great for a direct-to-video sequel, especially being released now in 2012, the film looks very good in HD, especially on Blu-ray. Dialogue and musical scenes are crystal clear and for the most part, “Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure” looks and sounds good on Blu-ray!

And as for special features, “Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure” comes with a making of, trivia, sing-along songs plus three bonus animated shorts featuring Pluto and more!

If you are a parent or a person who grew up watching the original “Lady & the Tramp”, “Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure” is definitely recommended!

Filed Under: Blu-ray Reviews, Children's DVD/Blu-ray

Phineas and Ferb: The Perry Files (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

June 5, 2012 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

With summer vacation now here, treat your children to an enjoyable, fun and packed DVD of “Phineas and Ferb: The Perry Files” featuring 14 mini-episodes of “Phineas and Ferb” plus an activity pack that comes with a puzzle, magnet, stickers, hidden objects game and more! Definitely recommended!

DVD TITLE: Phineas and Ferb: The Perry Files

DURATION: 7 Episodes (14-mini episodes) (154 Minutes)

DVD INFORMATION: Widescreen (1:78:1) – Enhanced for 16×9 Televisions, Dolby Digital Surround Sound, French and Spanish Language Tracks and Subtitles

COMPANY: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

RATED: TV G

RELEASE DATE: June 5, 2012

Directed by Zac Moncrief, Dan Povenmire, Robert Hughes, Jay Lender, Jeff “Swampy” Marsh

Executive Producer: Dan Povenmire

Co-Executive Producer/Executive Producer: Jeff “Swampy Marsh

Line Producer: Natasha Kopp

Music by Danny Jacob

Edited by Ted Supa

Art Direction by Alan Bodner, Jill Daniels

Featuring the voices of:

Vincent Martella as Phineas

Thomas Sangster as Ferb

Ashley Tisdale as Candace

Dan Povemire as Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz

Jeff “Swampy” Marsh as Major Monogram

Dee Bradley Baker as Perry the Platypus

Caroline Rhea as Mom

Alyson Stoner as Isabella

Mitchell Musso as Jeremy

Maulik Pancholy as Baljeet

Richard O’Brien as Dad

Bobby Gaylor as Buford

Tyler Alexander Mann as Karl

Kelly Hu as Stacy

Olivia Olson as Vanessa

While Phineas and Ferb do it all to make every day the best day ever, evil lurks just around the corner! But there is hope for the unsuspecting citizens of Danville. Now, for the very first time, crack open the top- secret archives of O.W.C.A. (Organization Without a Cool Acronym) to expose… THE PERRY FILES!

Join Perry the Platypus–a.k.a. Agent P.–on his most exciting adventures as he thwarts his nemesis, Dr. Doofenshmirtz, at every turn. With groovy gadgets, mad skills and his trademark brown fedora, this semi- aquatic, egg-layin’ mammal of action is unstoppable! Experience the hilarious havoc as he defends the Tristate Area against Doof’s “inators,” battles rogue agent “Dennis the Bunny,” and much more. When it comes to secret agents, Perry’s not only the real deal, he’s real teal!

Since 2007, “Phineas and Ferb” has been an animated show that has been entertaining children (and also adults) on the Disney Channel with its running gags, interesting and hilarious characters.

And as Perry is a popular character in the series (and often responsible for saving the day), in June 2012, Disney is releasing the “Phineas and Ferb: The Perry Files” featuring 14-episodes (two mini-episodes are featured in one full episode) featuring secret agent Perry the Platypus plus a few bonus Perry-related items including a puzzle, magnet, hidden objects game, stickers and more!

The main characters of “Phineas and Ferb” are:

Phineas Flynn – One of the main protagonist of the show who joins his stepbrother Ferb in various projects.
Ferb Fletcher – The intelligent step-brother of Phineas who is from England and although quiet he happens to be an engineering genius. He also has a crush on Vanessa Doofenshmirtz.
Candace Flynn - A 15-year-old teen and the older sister of Phineas and step-sister to Ferb. She is always trying to bust her younger brothers. Meanwhile, she is dating Jeremy Johnson.
Perry the Platypus - The pet of the Flynn-Fletcher family and is thought of being useless. But the truth is that he is a special agent working for the O.W.C.A. (Organization Without a Cool Acronym) and is constantly battling his nemesis Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz.
Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz - A mad scientist and father of Vanessa Doofenshmirtz. his goal is to take control of the Tri-State area.
Isabella Garcia-Shapiro – A friend of Phineas and Ferb and has a crush on Phineas. Also, has skills to help the boys courtesy of her involvement with the Fireside Girls.
Major Monogram – The head of the O.W.C.A. and responsible for sending Perry out on missions.
Linda Flynn-Fletcher – The mother of Phineas and Candace and step-mother of Ferb.
Baljeet Rai – The Indian-American neighbor of Phineas and Ferb and is very smart but constantly bullied by Buford.
Buford Van Stomm – Because of his size, he is looked at as a bully but the truth is that he’s a nice kid who tries to act tough.
Lawrence Fletcher – Father of Ferb and step-father to Phineas and Candace.
Jeremy Johnson – The boyfriend of Candace.

“Phineas and Ferb: The Perry Files” comes with the following episodes. Included are:

No More Bunny Business/Spa Day (Season 2, Episode 70) – In the first episode, Agent Perry must fight Dennis the Bunny. In the second episode, Candace and friends are building houses for charity, while Phineas and Ferb create their own back yard spa.
Split Personality/Brain Drain (Season 2, Episode 108) - In the first episode, Candace accidentally pulls a lever of Phineas and Ferb’s invention, splitting her personalities into two. In the second episode, Dr. Doofenshmirtz puts a helmet on Perry and takes control of him.
Candace Disconnected/Magic Carpet Ride (Season 3, Episode 122) – In the first episode, Phineas and Ferb build Candace a new cell phone. In the second episode, Phineas and Ferb make a magic carpet.
Ask a Foolish Question/Misperceived Monotreme (Season 3, Episode 120) – In the first episode, Phineas and Ferb build a computer of what to do for their mom in order to make her happy. In the second episode, Phineas and Ferb build a fun house inside their house.
Mommy Can You Hear Me?/Road Trip (Season 3, Episode 128) – Candace has an injured foot and tries contacting her mom to show her the injury.
Perry the Actorpus/Bullseye! (Season 3, Episode 148) – In the first episode, Phineas and Ferb try to make Perry an actor. In the second episode, Phineas and Ferb builds their own truck stop diner but Dr. Doofenshmirtz is up to no good.
Escape from Phineas Tower/The Remains of the Platypus (Season 3, Episode 136) – Phineas and Ferb build an escape tower but Dr. Doofenshmirtz zaps it with the roodinator. In the second episode, Dr. Doofenshmirtz turns Perry into a butler.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

Dialogue and music are clear and are heard clearly through the front and center channels. Subtitles are in English, French, Portuguese and Spanish.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Phineas and Ferb: The Perry Files” comes with:

Nerves of Teal – (2:07) A featurette about Major Monogram talking about O.C.W.A.
Platybus Tour – (1:50) Alyson Stoner and the “Phineas and Ferb” cast introduce viewers to the Platybus.

EASTER EGGS:

The following Easter Eggs can be accessed on this DVD (from L to R):

Wall Corner – Watch Perry fly in a jet pack.
TV – Watch Perry dance.
Sliding Door - Watch Perry clinging on the windows with suction cups.
Curtain – Watch Perry hiding behind the curtain.
Lamp table – Watch Perry sneaking in the living room.

EXTRAS:

“Phineas and Ferb: The Perry Files” comes with a slipcover case. But also several extras such as a Perry mini-puzzle, Perry hidden objects sheet, Perry postcard, “Phineas and Ferb” stickers and Perry magnet.

At our home, “Phineas and Ferb” is the top animated series that is constantly played by my 9-year-old son. He loves the animated series and watches it over and over, and he hasn’t even gotten bored by it in the several years of watching it..

Every day he watches the show, I can hear both he and my wife singing the show’s theme song and even my wife has talked about how she enjoys watching “Phineas and Ferb” alongside with him. In fact, I have sat with him many times as he schools me on the characters of the animated series and as a father, just watching his face and seeing him rewinding back to his favorite moments of the series.

So, I’m sure that what is happening in our household, happens in other households as well and with the summer time here and the kids are out of school, parents need to keep their children occupied.

What best than the DVD release of “The Perry Files”, featuring 2.5 hours of “Phineas and Ferb”!

As for me, while the show is fun, there is only so much I can personally watch but for my son, this DVD was in his words…”Awesome!”. In fact, he loved all the extra cool Perry swag that came with the activity pack. So, while the children will love this release, it’s also a great way to bring families together, may it be to watch the episodes or put the mini-puzzle together.

Although, I may not have grasped the concept of why Phineas and Ferb’s older sister Candace is trying to bust her little brothers all the time or why there is a secret agent platypus staying with the family, I realize that this series is beloved by many, and my young son and my wife are among that demographic who love this series.

And for this DVD, I asked my 9-year-old son to assist me with the review by giving me words of what he thought of “The Perry Files” and all that came out of his mouth was “Awesome!”.

As a parent, the episodes were safe and fun to watch and I have to admit, for a children’s DVD, Disney has definitely released an impressive package with seven episodes (14-mini episodes total) of “Phineas & Ferb” and a few special features and hidden easter eggs to go along with this entire DVD. But the addition of the activity pack was literally the icing on the cake for my son! He loved it!

Overall, this is an wonderful and “awesome” release of “Phineas and Ferb” which fans of the series can’t go wrong with it and really, there is nothing I can even fault or say anything negative about because you get so much included with this DVD release.

For fans of “Phineas and Ferb”, “Phineas and Ferb: The Perry Files” is recommended and my son gives this DVD five stars and a very big “AWESOME!”.

Filed Under: Children's DVD/Blu-ray, DVD Reviews, GALLERY

The Secret World of Arrietty (a J!-ENT Anime Blu-ray Disc Review)

May 13, 2012 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

I was captivated by the beauty of “The Secret World of Arrietty” and also found the story to delightful, lighthearted and enjoyable. A more accessible, non-complex family film that once again, Studio Ghibli delivers!

TITLE: The Secret World of Arrietty

MOVIE RELEASE DATE: 2010

DURATION: 95 Minutes

BLU-RAY INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition, English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio (48 kHz, 24-Bit), Japanese 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio Original Production Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Subtitles: English ESL, SDH, French

COMPANY: Studio Ghibli/Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

RATED: G

Release Date: May 22, 2012

Originally created by Mary Norton

Directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi

Screenplay by Hayao Miyazaki, Keiko Niwa

Storyboard by Hiromasa Yonebayashi

Unit Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi

Music by Cecile Corbel

Art Director: Noboru Yoshida, Youji Takeshige

Animation Director: Akihiko Yamashita, Megumi Kagawa

Sound Director: Hiroshi Kasamatsu

Producer: Toshio Suzuki

Production by Studio Ghibli

Featuring the following voice talent:

Mirai Shida/Bridgit Mendler as Arrietty

Ryunosuke Kamiki/David Henrie as Sho (Shawn)

Keiko Takeshita/Gracie Poletti as Sadako (Aunt Jessica)

Kirin Kiki/Carol Burnett as Haru (Hara)

Shinobu Ōtake/Amy Poehler as Homily (Arietty’s Mother)

Tomokazu Miura/Will Arnett as Pod (Arriety’s Father)

Tatsuya Fujiwara/Moises Arias as Spiller

Based on the acclaimed children’s book series “The Borrowers,” by Mary Norton, “The Secret World of Arrietty” is an imaginative tale of “little people” living furtively among us, and the unlikely friendship that forms when their hidden world is discovered. The heartwarming family adventure features beautiful, stylized animation and timeless themes of friendship, courage and determination.

In 2010, Studio Ghibli (the popular anime studio known for creating “Ponyo”, “Spirited Away”, “Princess Mononoke”, “Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind”, “Castle in the Sky”, “My Neighbor Totoro”, “Kiki’s Delivery Service” to name few) released the film “The Secret World of Arriety”, a film adaptation of the popular children’s fantasy novel “The Borrowers” (1952) by English author Mary Norton.

The film broke records in Japan, surpassing it’s previous film “Ponyo”, opening on 1,522 theaters (a record for a Studio Ghibli film) and earn over $145 million in the box office. The film is the 4th biggest earning anime film in Japan of all time and won “Animation of the Year” in 2011 at the 34th Japan Academy Prize.

“The Secret of Arriety” is a Studio Ghibli film directed by Hiromasa Yonebashi (“Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade”, “Ponyo”, “Spirited Away”, “Spriggan”) and a screenplay by Hayao Miyazaki (“Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind”, “Castle in the Sky”, “Howl’s Moving Castle”, “My Neighbor Totoro” to name a few) and Keiko Niwa (“Tales from the Earthsea”, “Ocean Waves”, “From Up on Poppy Hill”).

The US release would feature music and vocals by French singer and harper Cecile Corbel and would feature the voices of Disney Channel actress Bridgit Mendler (“Good Luck Charlie”, “Lemonade Mouth”), Amy Poehler (“Parks and Recreation”, “Saturday Night Live”), Will Arnett (“30 Rock”, “Arrested Development”), Carol Burnett (“The Carol Burnett Show”), David Henrie (“Wizards of Waverly Place”, “How I Met Your Mother”) and Moises Arias (“Hannah Montana”, “Astro Boy”).

“The Secret World of Arrietty” begins with a 12-year-old boy named Shawn (voiced by David Henrie), who has temporarily moved to his aunt Jessica’s (voiced by Gracie Poletti) home as he rests and waits to have heart surgery. Meanwhile, as he stays at the home, he will be taken care of by the caretaker, Hara.

When he steps onto the lawn, he sees the family cat named Nina looking at something. When Shawn goes to check, he sees a small girl hiding from him.

The young girl happens to be Arrietty (voiced by Bridgit Mendler), a 14-year-old borrower who was retrieving a plant to bring home to her mother, Homily (voiced by Amy Poehler). When her father Pod (voiced by Will Arnett) arrives from home, he tells the family that a new “being” (human) has moved into the house and Arriety tells her family that she had seen the boy when she was out. But the parents warn her that the rule of a Borrower is that they must never be seen by a human and if they do, they must move away as humans curiosity can lead to trouble for them.

Because Arrietty has reached an age where she can now go on borrowing adventures with her father, her first mission is to retrieve a sugar cube and tissue paper.

And as Arrietty and her father go on a mission to retrieve those items, she does quite well, but while she is trying to get the tissue paper, Shawn who is laying down on his bed, looks directly at her and starts talking to her. Shocked by this, Arrietty fails in her mission and now because Arrietty was seen by a human, her father warns her to not have communication with him ever again.

But feeling bad that she was seen by a human, what shocks her even more is that Shawn has stopped by to bring her the sugar cube that she had dropped. As she tells her parents, her father begins to become concerned that because Shawn knows of their whereabouts, they will need to move.

Upset that Shawn has brought the sugar cube, she climbs up to Shawn’s room and tells him that she needs no help in “borrowing” and also tells him that they must stop communication. But as the two talk, a crow tries to attack Arriety and she is saved by Shawn.

Meanwhile, the caretaker of the home, Hara hears the noises from Shawn’s room and attacks the crow. When she asks him what prompted the crow to go to his room, he tells her that it must be building a nest but Hara suspects that perhaps Shawn has had contact with the little people and Hara would do anything to capture them.

VIDEO:

Magical, beautiful and everything that you can expect from Studio Ghibli. I was completely in awe when I watched “The Secret World of Arrietty”. The painted backgrounds are so detailed, so beautiful to look at and of course, that Studio Ghibli style of character design.

In this day and age, we tend to put so much into CG animated films and whenever I watch a Studio Ghibli fan, I always find it amazing of how gorgeous their films are. From the first animated film that I watched back in the early ’90s (which was “Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind”) to the latest release of “The Secret World of Arrietty”, Studio Ghibli continues to show this creative style through this film. The hand painted backgrounds are absolutely beautiful, the character design continues that Studio Ghibli look and style that they are famous for and I was hypnotized, captivated and loving every minute of the film.

Presented in 1080p High Definition, detail can be seen on the painted backgrounds. Vibrant during the day scenes, amazingly detailed to the little kitchenware used by the Borrowers, its one thing I expected from Studio Ghibli and nothing less and once again, they have delivered.

There are no compression artifacts, edge enhancement, aliasing, banding or any problems in picture quality for “The Secret World of Arietty” whatsoever. This film looks absolutely magnificent on Blu-ray!

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“The Secret of World of Arrietty” is presented in English 5.1 DTS Master Audio (48 kHz/24-bit) and in Japanese and French 5.1 Dolby Digital.

First the good. As one can expect from the Japanese casting, the voice acting is fantastic and the English dub track is equally magnificent.

And you want an immersive soundscape? “The Secret World of Arrietty” delivers. From the ambiance of the home on top of the hills with nothing but nature, you can hear the birds chirping, the insects, Nina the cat growling, the breeze flowing through their, great use of directional sound. Indoors, the same thing as the Borrowers, Arrietty and her father can hear the ticking of the clocks, the scurrying of the rats and its absolutely immersive.

While this film is not the type to use LFE, there are some moments that do use a bit of lower frequency sounds but for this animated film, dialogue and music is crystal clear and great use of the surround channels for ambiance.

The other positive is unlike “Ponyo” which Disney didn’t give the Japanese soundtrack a lossless audio soundtrack, with “The Secret World of Arrietty”, a Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is included.

As for the bad, there isn’t any. Aside it not having as many action sequences compared to “Nausicaa”, “Spirited Away” and “Ponyo”, this is not one of those type of films. But still, “The Secret World of Arrietty” sounds wonderful and fans should be pleased with the lossless soundtracks!

Subtitles are in English ESL, SDH and in French.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

If there was only one downer of this Blu-ray release, it is that”The Secret World of Arrietty” has very little special features. Included are:

Original Japanese Storyboards - Watch the entire film but this time with the video showcasing the original storyboards.
Cecile Corbel’s “Arrietty’s Song” Music Video - The Japanese version of Cecile Corbel’s “Arriety’s Song”
Bridgit Mendler’s “Summertime” Music Video – (3:01) Bridgit Mendler, voice actress of Arrietty in the US version, sings the film’s ending theme.
The Making of “Summertime” – (2:02) The making of Bridgit Mendler’s music video.
Trailers & TV Spots – The Japanese trailers and TV spots.

EXTRAS:

A DVD of “The Secret World of Arrietty” is included with this Blu-ray release. The DVD is in Widescreen (1:85:1) – Enhanced for 16×9 Televisions, English and French Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, with subtitles in English ESL, SDH and French. A slipcover is included.

“The Secret World of Arrietty” is an enjoyable, delightful and non-complex film that is visually captivating and looks and sounds fantastic on Blu-ray!

While one of the things that people will notice is that the film has the Studio Ghibli quality in look and also in character interaction, this is a Hiromasa Yonebashi directed film and a film written by Hayao Miyazaki and Keiko Niwa. It’s a film that is not complex, not about the environment, nor is it polemic film that is driving to drive a message to the viewer. And is more accessible for younger viewers, compared to the more serious Studio Ghibli films such as “Spirited Away”, “Princess Mononoke”, “Grave of the Fireflies” or even “Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind”.

But “The Secret World of Arrietty” is lighthearted and is pretty much on scale with other Studio Ghibli and Miyazaki films such as “Kiki’s Delivery Service”, “My Neighbor Totoro” and “Whispers of the Heart”. Captivating and enjoyable films that is not entirely geared towards older viewers, a film that I can enjoy with my young son and other parents can watch with their families. It’s essentially a family film and in some way, as a fan of Studio Ghibli films, I love the fact that the studio tends to change things up once in awhile.

I can understand if some people who prefer Studio Ghibli’s more epic storylines with a deeper message and I’m sure Studio Ghibli will continue to make those movies as they do with these lighthearted films, but with “The Secret World of Arrietty”, this is a film that I enjoyed because it’s touching, heartwarming and just overall delightful and no worries of complexity, it’s straight-forward and even my 9-year-old loved it!

And the Blu-ray is magnificent! But not perfect. Video and audio quality is fantastic, although this is not one of those action-intense films, the film makes up with its visual flair and ambiance. The main low-point of this Blu-ray release is that there are not as many special features included.

Fortunately, this Blu-ray release comes with a DVD, so as summer vacation is around the corner, parents can use the DVD for those long commutes or something the children can watch during the summertime.

Overall, I was captivated by the beauty of “The Secret World of Arrietty” and also found the story to delightful, lighthearted and enjoyable. A more accessible, non-complex family film that once again, Studio Ghibli delivers!

Filed Under: Anime on Blu-ray, Blu-ray Reviews, Children's DVD/Blu-ray

The Lion King 1 1/2: Special Edition (a J!-ENT Children’s Blu-ray Disc Review)

March 22, 2012 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

If you thought the original “The Lion King” looked amazing on Blu-ray, the second direct-to-video film “The Lion King 1 1/2″ looks vibrant and gorgeous in HD! While it is not essential to watch this film, it’s still a fun family film focusing on Timon & Pumbaa and life before and after they met Simba.

TITLE: The Lion King 1 1/2: Special Edition

FILM YEAR OF RELEASE: 2004

DURATION: 76 Minutes

BLU-RAY INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (1:66:1), English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio,French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Subtitles: English SDH, French and Spanish Subtitles

COMPANY: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

RATED: G (for General Audiences)

Release Date: March 6, 2012

Directed by Bradley Raymond

Screenplay by Tom Rogers, Roger Allers, Irene Mecchi, Raymond Singer, Evan Spiliotopoulos

Produced by George A. Mendoza, Jason VanBorssum

Associate Producer: Michael Paxton

Music by Don Harper

Edited by Joyce Arrastia

Production Design by Dennis Greco

Art Direction by James Gallego

Featuring the following voice talent:

Nathan LAne as Timon

Ernie Sabella as Pumbaa

Julie Kavner as Mom

Jerry Stiller as Uncle Max

Matthew Broderick as Adult Simba

Robert Guillaume as Rafiki

Moira Kelly as Nala

Whoopi Goldberg as Shenzi

Cheech Marin as Banzai

Jim Cummings as Ed

Edward Hibbert as Zazu

JAson Rudofsky as Flinchy

Matt Weinberg as Young Simba

Hilarity reigns in the motion picture comedy-adventure that takes you waaay back to the beginning before Simba’s tale began…now more fabulous than ever for the first time in a 2-disc Blu-ray Combo Pack!

From their uniquely hysterical perspective, Timon and his windy pal Pumbaa—the greatest unsung heroes of the savanna—reveal where they came from, how they helped Simba save the Serengeti and what really happened behind the scenes of The Lion King’s biggest events.

Disney has had many successes since Walt Disney created the popular animation studio back in 1923.

With the success of their live action films and their PIXAR 3D animated films, still to this day, “The Lion King”, the 32nd film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics remains as the most successful animated film for the legendary company earning over $862 million in the box office (created with a budget of $45 million) and in terms of overall animation, it’s the fifth highest grossing animated film of all time and the #1 highest grossing film when it comes to hand-drawn animation.

The film earned two Academy awards plus a Golden Globe for “Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy” and is the #4 animated film on the American Film Institute’s “10 Top 10″ list.

“The Lion King” made its debut on Blu-ray (2-disc) courtesy of a Diamond Edition on Oct. 4, 2011, as well as a 3D Blu-ray (4-Disc) and also an 8-disc “The Lion King” trilogy box set which included both direct-to-video films “The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride” and “The Lion King 1 1/2″.

And now in March 2012, both films will be released on Blu-ray separately.

“Lion King 1 1/2″ is the third film of “The Lion King” series, made in 2004 and focuses primarily on Timon and Pumbaa. Because this is a direct-to-video film and previous voice talent have gotten older since the making of the original “The Lion King”, a few changes were made for casting such as Matt Weinberg as young Simba instead of Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Rowan Atkinson as Zazu.

Created in a “Mystery Science Theater 3000″ style, both Timon and Pumbaa are watching a film of “The Lion King 1 1/2″ as it features their back story before and after they met Simba.

The film begins with Timon wanting more responsibility as a meerkat but because he tends to get into trouble, he nearly gets his meerkat group killed when he fails to alert them that hyenas have arrived to their village. While his mother is quite supportive of him and his Uncle Max tends to be quite critical of him, Timon becomes an outcast to the other meerkats.

Timon meets a mandrill named Rafiki who tells him that he must find his place in the world via Hakuma Matata and next thing you know, Timon goes to Pride Rock where he meets Pumbaa for the very first time.

Both Timon and Pumbaa have no family and thus, they become best friends to each other.

As the two are able to find a new home and live life via Hakuna Matata, the storyline then shifts to when both Timon and Pumbaa meet Simba for the very first time and begin to raise him.

The film shows a connection to the original “The Lion King” film but also shows how Timon is not so appreciative of Nala coming in and taking away Simba from them. As Simba heads back to the Pride Lands to confront his uncle Scar, will his good friends Timon and Pumbaa be there with him?

VIDEO:

Each time I have watched a Disney animated classic on Blu-ray, suffice to say, there are no disappointments. Each release has been spectacular when it comes to picture quality and with the Blu-ray release of “The Lion King 1 1/2″, once again viewers are receiving a quality product as this film looks fantastic on Blu!

Forget the fact that this is a direct-to-video film, the detail of this animated film is impressive, vibrant and beautiful!

Presented in 1080p High Definition (1:66:1), the first thing you will noticed about “The Lion King 1 1/2″ is how vibrant the film is. The colors are spectacular, the black levels are nice and deep and the colorful visuals are just breathtaking. There were times where I was expecting to see some banding, especially the gradient pink to purples in the background but for the most part, the film looked awesome with no problems whatsoever.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“The Lion King 1 1/2″ is presented in English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and also includes a French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital. If you thought the video was awesome for “The Lion King 1 1/2″, the lossless soundtrack was good. I’ve noticed a good use of the LFE and also the surround channels, but compared to “The Lion King”, it’s not as active and pronounced. A big difference is that there was good use of ambiance of the Pride Lands in the original film, for “The Lion King 1 1/2″, most of the audio comes to play during the action and music sequences. But for the most part, the audio for “Lion King 1 1/2″ was OK but not super active compared to the first film but is expected as this is a direct-to-video release.

Subtitles are presented in English SDH, French and Spanish.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“The Lion King 1 1/2: Special Edition” comes with the following special features:

Timon & Pumbaa’s Vacation Safari - (4:57) Featuring Timon and Pumbaa showcasing video of animals that live in the wild.
Deleted Scenes – (11:44) Director Bradley Raymond and Producer George Mendoza explain the segments that did not make the final cut. Note: The seven deleted scenes are presented as sketches or artwork.
Timon: Behind the Legend – (4:04) Peter Graves does a mockumentary of Timon’s childhood and features interview with Timon, his mother, Uncle Max and Pumbaa.
Before the Beginning: The Making of Lion King 1 1/2 - (15:02) Director Bradley Raymond and Producer George Mendoza give viewers a chance to see the making of “The Lion King 1 1/2″ with interviews with the crew who were responsible in making the film.
“Grazin’ in the Grass” Music Video - (3:12) A Music video of “Grazin’ in the Grass” sung by Raven Symone.

EXTRAS:

“The Lion King 1 1/2: Special Edition” comes with a slipcover case and a DVD version of the feature film. The DVD is presented in widescreen 1:66:1 aspect ratio, English, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital and subtitles in English SDH, French and Spanish.

For those who grew up watching “The Lion King” and enjoyed the film and are now adults with their own children, “The Lion King 1 1/2″ is a fun family film as it focuses on the two crazy characters of the original film, Timon and Pumbaa!

The film goes into the past of how these two characters met, but how Timon’s life was prior to meeting Pumbaa and Simba, but also showing the audience of what took place during the time Simba lived with both of them.

While it is a direct-to-video film and is not essential to watch, if you are a fan of “The Lion King”, it’s a wonderful addition to the series and also giving fans more storylines involving the characters from the first “The Lion King” film.

While both “The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride” and “The Lion King 1 1/2″ were released as part of a Blu-ray set last year, I’m actually happy that Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment has decided to release these two direct-to-video films on Blu-ray individually. And I am quite pleased of how gorgeous the film looks on Blu-ray. Typically one doesn’t put too much stock into direct-to-video animated films but in the case of “The Lion King 1 1/2″, the film looks absolutely vibrant and beautiful look at. Granted, the losless audio is not as active and pronounced as the original film but it’s still very good.

Overall, “The Lion King 1 1/2″ is a great family film and for parents looking for an animated film on Blu-ray for their children to watch. Also,”The Lion King 1 1/2″ Blu-ray release also comes with the DVD version of the film.

And for those who were fans of the original film who never saw the direct-to-video films and were in awe of the Blu-ray release of the original film, what best now to watch the two than on Blu-ray!

“The Lion King 1 1/2: Special Edition” is recommended for children and families!

Filed Under: Blu-ray Reviews, Children's DVD/Blu-ray

The Muppets: The Wocka Wocka Value Pack (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

March 11, 2012 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

“The Muppets” is a fantastic family film that will make you laugh, make you sing and will captivate you from beginning to end. A film that will entertain both the younger generation and the older generation who grew up with the Muppets, “The Muppets: The Wocka Wocka Value Pack” is a wonderful Blu-ray release that is highly recommended!

TITLE: The Muppets: The Wocka Wocka Value Pack

FILM RELEASE: 2011

DURATION: 103 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (1:78:1 aspect ratio), English and French 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English DVS 2.0 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Subtitles: English SDH, French and Spanish

COMPANY: Walt Disney Studios Home entertainment

RATED: PG (For Some Mild Rude Humor)

Release Date: March 20, 2012

Directed by James Bobin

Written by Jason Segel, Nicholas Stoller

Produced by David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman

Executive Producer: Martin G. Baker, John G. Scotti, Jason Segel, Nicholas Stoller

Associate Producer: Bill Barretta

Music by Christophe Beck

Cinematography by Don Burgess

Edited by James M. Thomas

Casting by Marcia Ross

Production Design by Steve Saklad

Art Direction by Andrew Max Cahn

Set Decoration by Trace A. Doyle

Costume Design by Rahel Afiley

Starring:

Jason Segel as gary

Amy Adams as Mary

Chris Cooper as Tex Richman

Rashida Jones as Veronica Martin

Steve Whitmire as the voice of Kermit, Beaker, Statler, Rizzo, Link Hogthrob, The Newsman

Eric Jacobson as the voice of Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, Sam Eagle, Marvin Suggs

Dave Goelz as Gonzo, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Zoot, Beauregard, Waldorf

Bill Barretta as Swedish Chef, Rowlf, Dr. Teeth, Pepe the Prawn, Bobo, Muppet Gary

David Rudman as Scooter, Janice, Miss Poogy, Wayne

Matt Vogel as Sgt. Floyd Pepper, Camilla, Sweetums, 80′s Robot, Lew Zealand, Uncle Deadly, Roowlf, Crazy Harry

Peter Linz as Walter

Alan Arkin as Tour Guide

Bill Cobbs as Grandfather

Zach Galifianakis as Hobo Joe

Ken Jeong as “Punch Teacher” host

Jim Parson as Human Walter

Eddie Pepitone as Postman

Kristen Schaal as Moderator

Sarah Silverman as Greeter

Emily Blunt as Miss Piggy’s Receptionist

James Carville as himself

Whoopi Goldberg as herself

Jack Black as Himself

Leslie Feist as Smalltown Resident

Selena Gomez as Herself

David Grohl as Animool

Neil Patrick Harris as Himself

Judd Hirsch as Himself

John Krasinki as Himself

Rico Rodriguez as Himself

Mickey Rooney as Smalltown Resident

Tyler Bunch as the voice of Foozie Bear, Thog

On vacation in Los Angeles, Walter, the world’s biggest Muppet fan, his brother Gary (Jason Segel) and Gary’s girlfriend, Mary (Amy Adams), from Smalltown, USA, discover the nefarious plan of oilman Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) to raze Muppet Studios and drill for the oil recently discovered beneath the Muppets’ former stomping grounds. To stage a telethon and raise the $10 million needed to save the studio, Walter, Mary and Gary help Kermit reunite the Muppets, who have all gone their separate ways: Fozzie now performs with a Reno casino tribute band called the Moopets, Miss Piggy is a plus-size fashion editor at Vogue Paris, Animal is in a Santa Barbara clinic for anger management, and Gonzo is a high-powered plumbing magnate.

It all began back in 1954.

A high school student named Jim Henson was working at WTOP-TV and creating puppets for a children’s show known as “The Junior Morning Show”. Henson would continue making puppets as a Freshman at the University of Maryland, College Park as the teenager would go on to create the financially successful show “Sam and Friends” for WRC-TV. The five minute show would feature a prototype of a character known as “Kermit the Frog”.

This would lead to Henson working on a public television children’s shown known as “Sesame Street” in the late ’60s where Kermit the Frog would appear as a news reporter.

This would lead to Jim Henson creating a British/American television show known as “The Muppets” which premiered in 1976 and a total of five series were produced until March 1981 and lasting 120 episodes. The show known for its parodies and slapstick would feature many celebrity guests and through the series, Jim Henson and Frank Oz would create additional characters to join Kermit the Frog such as Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Scooter, Gonzo, the Swedish Chef, Rowlf the Dog, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Beaker, the band Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, Camilla the Chicken, Sam the Eagle, Statler and Waldorf, Link Hogthrob, Rizzo the Rat and many more.

Although the television series ended, “The Muppets” would continue in the big screen with “The Muppet Movie” (1979), “The Great Muppet Caper” (1981), “The Muppets Take Manhattan” (1984), “The Muppet Christmas Carol” (1992), “Muppet Treasure Island” (1996) and “Muppets from Space” (1999).

While a musical telefilm was created in 2005 titled “The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz”, the masses have not seen “The Muppets” for a long time and the last film was back in 1999. Many have felt the characters have run its course and it was over, while others felt that without Jim Henson (who passed away in 1990), it would be difficult to continue “The Muppets” legacy.

In 2008, actor Jason Segel (“How I Met Your Mother”, “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”) and writer/filmmaker Nicholas Stoller (“Fun with Dick and Jane”, “Get Him to the Greek”, “Yes Man”) wanted to bring back the Muppets and so the two pitched the concept to Walt Disney and next thing you know, the film would be greenlighted and filmmaker James Bobin (“The Flight of the Conchords”, “Da Ali G Show”) would directed, while Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller would be responsible for writing (Segel would also star in the film).

Cast alongside Jason Segel would be Amy Adams (“The Fighter”, “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian”, “Julie & Julia”, “Enchanted”) and Chris Cooper (“American Beauty”, “The Bourne Identity”, “Adaptation”) as the antagonist. The film would also feature talents such as Jack Black, Rashida Jones, Alan Arkin, Zach Galifianakis, Ken Jeong, Jim PArsons, Kristen Schaal, Eddie Pepitone, Sarah Silverman, Donald Glover, Emily Blunt, Leslie Feist, Whoopi Goldberg, Selena Gomez, Neil Patric Harris, Judd Hirsch, Kohn Krasinski, Mickey Rooney and more.

The film would receive positive reviews from film critics and would be a success at the box office making over $158 million. And now, “The Muppets” will be released on Blu-ray and DVD in March 2012.

“The Muppets” is set in a smalltown where two brothers, a muppet named Walter and his human brother Gary (played by Jason Segel) grew up. For Gary, because of his size, he was always captivated by “The Muppet Show” in his youth and not only was he a big fan, he was inspired by them.

But as time went on and the show had ended, Walter continued to watch the show and collect the merchandise. But where his big brother Gary would grow and go on to own his own business, Walter didn’t grow as tall and he would often be ridiculed by others for his love for “The Muppets”.

But no matter what, his big brother Gary was always there for him and even watch the series on old VHS tapes.

Meanwhile, Gary and his girlfriend Mary (played by Amy Adams) have decided to celebrate their tenth year anniversary in Los Angeles and Walter feels his big brother is so lucky because that is where “The Muppet Show” was made. But Gary surprises his brother with an extra ticket, so they can visit the old Muppets theater.

And while the trip will be fun, for Mary, she was hoping the vacation would be just she and Gary (as he tends to bring Walter everywhere they go), but Gary tells her that it’s only for a short time in order for his brother Walter to see where “The Muppet Show” was made.

And so the three are off to Los Angeles and when they arrive at the old Muppet theater, it’s old and has not been maintained. No one is still around and this is a big surprise for Walter.

As Walter goes inside the studio, he hides and overhears a conversation and meeting between oil tycoon Tex Richman and muppets Statler and Waldorf who are planning to sell the theater to him. Tex tells him that his goal is to create a “Muppets” Museum. Waldorf explains that if the Muppets can raise $10 million by the end of the week, they can repurchase the theater.

When Statler and Waldorf leave, Tex Richman tells his henchman, Bobo the Bear and Uncle Deadly that his motivation for owning the property is that the theater is on top of an oil field and he plans to destroy the theater.

No way “The Muppets” theater should be destroyed and now Walter along with Gary and Mary find Kermit the Frog and tell him the bad news. Kermit tells Walter that he has not seen any of the Muppets in many years and has not stayed in touch with them. But seeing how “The Muppets” show has inspired Walter, Kermit the Frog tells them that he will reunite the Muppets if Walter, Gary and Mary help him. The three agree and off to find the Muppets they go.

The group travel all over the world in order to reunite everyone and find out that the only way they can raise $10 million is if they have a special show on television. But can they make it happen? Especially when Tex Richman and his henchman will do whatever it takes to stop the Muppets from raising the money. Meanwhile, as everyone is dedicated into helping the Muppets, what about Gary and Mary’s relationship. Especially when the vacation was supposed to celebrate their 10th anniversary.

VIDEO:

“The Muppets” is presented in 1080p High Definition (1:78:1). The film looks absolutely fantastic on Blu-ray. You can literally see the detail in the fur of the Muppets, to the skin pores of the human talent. The clarity, the detail and the beautiful colors featured throughout the film are vibrant and because the film utilizes a lot of color, reds and greens really do pop. Skintones are natural and black levels are nice and deep.

I didn’t see any banding or artifacts, if anything, videophiles should be happy with the overall picture quality is flawless!

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

I absolutely love how Disney is focusing on 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio lossless soundtracks. As expected from this film that utilizes so much music, dialogue and music is crystal clear coming through the center and front channels. There is good use of surround channels as well from the audience of the live show to the music being utilized.

The soundtrack is absolutely immersive, especially panning from varying sides coming from the surround channels (especially during the fireworks scene). Also, the LFE is used during scenes of accidents and there is also a good amount of ambiance that utilizes the surround channels as well. I was pretty impressed as even when the scenes are shown backstage, you can then hear the audience still in the background from the rear or surround channels, you can hear the flickering of the lights to even when one gets on the stage.

Like the video, audiophiles will enjoy this lossless soundtrack because it is equally flawless and no hissing or any audio problems were detected at all.

SPECIAL FEATURES

“The Three Musketeers” comes with the following special features:

Disney Intermission – Groundbreaking Blu-ray feature. Pausing a movie will never be this much fun, as the Muppets take over the screen every time you stop the disc! Whenever you pause, you get an intermission with music, audio from the Muppets, or the Muppets themselves showing up on screen or even a theater like look at the special features.
Scratching The Surface: A Hasty Examination of the Making of Disney’s “The Muppets.” - (15:56) Hosted by unit production manager monster J.G., the cast and crew take a behind the scenes look at making Muppet and movie history.
The Longest Blooper Reel Ever Made (In Muppet History––We Think) – (8:33) Featuring funny gaffs and gags from behind the scenes of making Disney’s “The Muppets.”
A Little Screen Test on the way to the Read Through. - (3:19) This hilarious footage follows the Muppet gang as they go to their first table reading of the script.
Explaining Evil: The Full Tex Richman Song -(2:38) This is the longer rap sequence featuring Tex Richman which goes into details of why he dislikes the Muppets.
Deleted Scenes – (10:01) Featuring eight deleted scenes: “Walter’s Nightmare,” “Life’s A Happy Song Missing Verse,” “A Hero in Hollywood,” “Credit Card Club,” “Muppets in Jail,” “Bowling for Beaker,” “The Strip Mall Awards” and “The Complete Muppet Telethon Opening & More”.
Theatrical Spoof Trailers – (9:00) Featuring seven spoof trailers: “Rise of the Muppets,” “Never” “Green with Envy,” “The Fuzzy Pack,” “Being Green,” “The Piggy with the Froggy Tattoo” and “Green with Envy, the Spoof Spoof Trailer.”
Audio Commentary with Jason Segel, James Bobin and Nicholas Stoller - A not-so-serious audio commentary by Jason Segel (executive producer/co-writer/actor , executive producer/co-writer Nicholas Stoller and director James Bobin. The three discuss the movie but also joke around a lot during the commentary as well. It would have been great to feature another commentary track with the puppeteers and crew, to give a more in-depth commentary on the making of the film.

EXTRAS:

“The Muppets: The Wocka Wocka Value Pack” comes with a Blu-ray, DVD version of the film, Digital Copy and a code to download the film’s soundtrack online. The soundtrack includes the following tracks (duration: 39:57):

The Muppet Show Theme   1 of 30   0:51   The Muppets & Joanna Newsom
“Muppet Studios, I Can’t Believe It”   2 of 30   0:04   Walter
Life’s A Happy Song   3 of 30   4:30   Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Walter, Feist & Mickey Rooney
“I Haven’t Seen The Old Gang”   4 of 30   0:20   Kermit & Jason Segel
Pictures In My Head   5 of 30   2:36   Kermit, Fozzie, Gonzo, Swedish Chef & Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem
“We Drive”   6 of 30   0:11   Kermit & Walter
Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard   7 of 30   2:42   Paul Simon
“That Spells Reno”   8 of 30   0:18   80′s Robot & Amy Adams
Rainbow Connection (Moopets Version)   9 of 30   1:03   The Moopets
“Welcome Back”   10 of 30   0:20   Kermit, Fozzie, Walter & Dr. Teeth
We Built This City   11 of 30   4:54   Starship
“Party Of One”   12 of 30   0:09   Sarah Silverman & Amy Adams
Me Party   13 of 30   1:53   Miss Piggy & Amy Adams
“We Humbly Ask”   14 of 30   0:09   Kermit & Chris Cooper
Let’s Talk About Me   15 of 30   2:33   Chris Cooper & Nathan Pacheco
“The Answer Is No”   16 of 30   0:07   Chris Cooper & Kermit
“Are You A Man Or A Muppet?”   17 of 30   0:08   Amy Adams
Man Or Muppet   18 of 30   2:58   Jason Segel & Walter
“Down At The Ole Barbershop”   19 of 30   0:07   Kermit
Smells Like Teen Spirit   20 of 30   2:24   The Muppet Barbershop Quartet
“Princesses Of Poultry”   21 of 30   0:06   Kermit
Forget You   22 of 30   2:29   Camilla and the Chickens
“It’s Time For Our Song”   23 of 30   0:04   Kermit & Miss Piggy
Rainbow Connection   24 of 30   3:09   The Muppets
“Get Out There And Help Those Guys”   25 of 30   0:06   Jason Segel
The Whistling Caruso   26 of 30   1:16   Andrew Bird
“How Charming, A Finale”   27 of 30   0:06   Uncle Deadly
Life’s A Happy Song Finale   28 of 30   2:23   Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper & The Muppets
Mary, Marry Me”   29 of 30   0:09   Jason Segel & Amy Adams
Mah Na Mah Na   30 of 30   2:05   Mahna Mahna and The Two Snowths

I was among the many kids who grew up watching “The Muppets”. In fact, back in junior high and my earlier years of high school, watching the show every Monday through Friday was like an addictive ritual before heading off to school.

But like many children who grew up with “The Muppets”, I got older and “The Muppets” became nothing more but a memory of my childhood and early teenage years.

So, when I first heard of “The Muppets” making a return to the big screen and that Jason Segel and Nick Stoller were involved in rejuvenating the franchise, I have to admit that I was a bit of a skeptic.

In today’s society, Saturday and Sunday morning children shows are a rarity, even during the afternoons, you can’t find anything. Today’s children to young adult series have been replaced by real characters and if there was any form of puppetry, it has long since disappeared from television and video games and the Internet have now become sources for children’s entertainment.

“The Muppets” have become nothing more but a memory for those of us who were able to watch the series while younger. So, I had no idea what I would think about the film. Especially having seen a variety of shows that I grew up with such as “The Transformers”, “G.I. Joe”, “The Smurfs” all receiving movie adaptations, “The Muppets”…how can they attract today’s audience?

So, I watched this film with my nine-year-old son. His familiarity with Kermit the Frog would probably be from our Christmas ritual of watching “Emmet Otter’s Jugband Christmas” (and due to licensing, Kermit the Frog has since been removed from later DVD releases) but together we watched and I was touched by the storyline of Walter.

The character represents the child inside many of us who grew up and was captivated by these characters, but unlike Walter, I stopped watching the series and for the last 20-years, I forgot about them.

So, I was touched by seeing the character of Walter wanting to reunite the Muppets but also captivated once again by the camaraderie and the music. From the opening song of “The Muppet Theme” and even hearing “Rainbow Connection”, I had nothing but a smile on my face because it was like returning to the days of my youth. I admit, I probably laughed much more than my child because of my familiarity with the characters but we both enjoyed this film immensely and the additional cameos also added to the excitement.

Also, Jason Segel and Amy Adams brought a warmth to this film that was enjoyable, humorous and so much fun! Sure, the musical segments may seem corny to some, but in the sense of how things relate to “The Muppets” and the quirkiness and craziness of the show, the musical numbers were perfect. In fact, I have to say that I really enjoyed the music and the overall soundtrack. For me, having grown up with the film, just to hear “Rainbow Connection” was quite sentimental as I have not heard Kermit the Frog sing that song since I was a child.

Also, another positive that I found with this film is that it’s a childrens film that doesn’t have to utilize the latest in technology.

In this day and age of CG graphics and technology, despite the characters being puppets, each character still retains their personality and watching them today, it still hasn’t grown old to me. I’ve read that Pixar helped out in the storyline department, and if that is indeed the case, you do get some of that Pixar-style sentimental scenes included in the film. From brotherly relationships, dysfunctional relationships and of course, those who may have wondered what happened between Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy is featured in this film.

And while Jim Henson is no longer with us, nor is Frank Oz involved in voicing the characters any longer, it does help that the voices today don’t sound too different from the original voices. Eric Jacobson, David Goelz, Bill Barretta, David Rudman and Matt Vogel do a wonderful job with the voice acting for this film.

But everything came together for this film, a script that touches upon nostalgia but also an appealing, captivating story for the young and old and a wonderful film that will entertain the multiple generations who experienced “The Muppets” on television and film.

As for this Blu-ray release of “The Muppets: The Wocka Wocka Value Pack”, you get a Blu-ray, DVD, Digital Copy plus a downloadable soundtrack. But for Blu-ray enthusiasts, this film looks absolutely fantastic in HD, and the immersive lossless audio soundtrack is equally impressive. This is a magnificent Blu-ray release if you are fans of “The Muppets”.

Overall, “The Muppets” is a film that I enjoyed a lot. For so long my friends have told me to watch it, but part of me rolled my eyes and felt, it was a part of my life a long time ago and I don’t know if I can get into talking puppets ever again. I was wrong.

I watched this film with my son and we both enjoyed it a lot. For him, it was because of its crazy characters, the crazy antics and storyline. For me, deep inside…I was happy because I can easily remember those times of watching “The Muppets” everyday and it was one thing for me to enjoy this as a child, but now to enjoy it as a father with my children and knowing friends who are also sharing it with their children or grandchildren makes me happy, because it’s one thing from our past that a newer generation of fans can enjoy.

“The Muppets” was definitely a crazy, entertaining and fun film. The musical elements, the characters and the overall storyline worked perfectly. Was there anything I didn’t like? Not really, but aside from the quacking chickens to the music of Cee Lo Green’s “Forget You”, I felt the film was entertaining and fun! Granted, It all depends on one’s appreciation for “The Muppets”, otherwise if you never liked them to begin with, not sure if that’s going to change your opinion today.

While I don’t know what will happen to “The Muppets” from here on in, I will say that the James Bobin, Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller got this film right. Looking back at the past Muppets films, a lot of them were kitsch and really going downhill. Because the familiarity of the Muppets are primarily with its older viewers, Segel and Stoller realize that, as they are fans themselves and wanted a film that can appeal to both young and old, like Pixar films. And they succeeded.

So for those who are wondering about this film, what I can tell you is that “The Muppets” is a fantastic family film that the younger generation and the older fans can really appreciate. And with this awesome Blu-ray release with wonderful PQ, AQ which is bundled with plenty of enjoyable special features (plus the Blu-ray, DVD and digital copy) plus an entertaining soundtrack, makes the “The Muppets: The Wocka Wocka Value Pack” release worth owning.

“The Muppets: The Wocka Wocka Value Pack” is highly recommended!

Filed Under: Blu-ray Reviews, Children's DVD/Blu-ray

Lady and the Tramp: Diamond Edition (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

February 6, 2012 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

Heartwarming and a Disney classic that will continue to entertain generation after generation. “Lady and the Tramp: Diamond Edition” is hands down the definitive version of this film to own. A fantastic Blu-ray release that the whole family will enjoy! Highly recommended!

BLU-RAY TITLE: Lady and the Tramp: Diamond Edition

MOVIE RELEASE DATE: 1955

DURATION: 76 Minutes

BLU-RAY INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition, 2:55:1 Aspect Ratio, English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French and Spanish 5.1 Disney Enhanced Home Theater (DEHT), Originally Restored Feature Audio, Subtitles: Engliish SDH, French and Spanish

COMPANY: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

RATED: G

DVD RELEASE DATE: January 31, 2012

Directed by Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske

Story by Ward Greene, Erdman Penner, Joe Rinaldi, Ralph Wright, Don DaGradi

Associate Producer: Erdman Penner

Music by Oliver Wallace

Edited by Donald Halliday

Featuring the Voices of:

Peggy Lee as Darling/Si/Am/Peg

Barbara Luddy as Lady

Larry Roberts as Tramp

Bill Thompson as Jock/Bull, Policeman and Joe

Bill Baucom as Trusty

Stan Freberg as Beaver

Verna Felton as Aunt Sarah

Alan Reed as Boris

George Givot as Tony

Dal McKennon as Toughy

Lee Millar as Jim Dear

The Mellomen as Dogs

A classic love story unfolds in the best Disney tradition as a lovely young pedigreed cocker spaniel named Lady, who lives a pampered life, finds herself falling romantically for Tramp, an amorous street-smart pooch without prospects. Although they have fun together on several dates, including a sentimental spaghetti dinner by moonlight at Tony’s restaurant, their relationship is strained not only by Lady’s loyalty to her human family and their newborn baby, but by Tramp’s devil-may-care attitude that eventually gets Lady in trouble and tossed into the dog pound. However, good-hearted Tramp redeems himself by saving the baby from potential harm and thus wins Lady’s love and the affection of her human family.

Walt Disney’s “Lady and the Tramp” is a classic animated film that has entertained generations upon generations since its theatrical release back in 1955.

Grant sketched his ideas and presented it to Walt Disney and sure enough, from 1937 through the ’40s, Grant and a few others have created stories which did not receive approval from Walt Disney because the story was too sweet and not enough action.

In the 1940′s, after Walt Disney read a story by Ward Greene titled “Happy Dan, the Whistling Dog” and was inspired by this story, along with the reaction his wife Lily had when he presented her a baby Chow on Christmas morning.

“Lady and the Tramp” would star American jazz singer Peggy Lee as Darling and would sing a few songs for the film’s soundtrack.

In 1955, the film made its theatrical debut and was a enormous success in the box office. The film was the first Disney animated film to utilize CinemaScope.

While Joe Grant left Disney Studios in 1949, the story and planning still continued. While Joe Grant was not credited for the original idea, he was given credit in a special feature on the Platinum Edition release of “Lady and the Tramp”.

And now in 2012, the 15th Walt Disney animated classic, “Lady and the Tramp” receives its Blu-ray release for the first time.

“Lady and the Tramp” takes place on Christmas morning of 1909 at the home of the wealthy Dear family.

Jim Dear presents his wife Darling with a baby Cocker Spaniel on Christmas morning. Darling names the dog “Lady” and the two treat the dog like their own child.

And we see how Lady has grown up with the family and they have grown attached to each other. And Lady is excited to get her first license and tells her friends Jock, the Scottish Terrier and Bull and a Bloodhound named Trusty.

We are then introduced to Tramp, a stray dog on the other side of town. Always getting into some trouble but always there for his friends. Tramp is always wanted by the dog catchers but has been able to allude them.

But not long after, Lady starts to notice that the Dear family has started to distance themselves away from her and she asks her two friends what could be the problem. The two explain that the Dear family are expecting a baby and when that happens, their attention turns towards baby.

Tramp hears their discussion and introduces himself to Lady and tells her that when humans have a baby, their attention towards their dog will lessen.

And eventually, Lady starts to learn quickly when the baby comes that Jim and Darling do not have as much time to spend with her. As Jim and Darling have to go to China, they leave the baby behind with Aunt Sarah.

But as Aunt Sarah is busy with the baby (and doesn’t like Lady to be around him), Sarah’s two Siamese cats cause trouble and start breaking things around the house, knowing that they are close with Aunt Sarah, Sarah blames Lady.

The next day, when Lady goes to check on the baby who is crying, Aunt Sarah thinks that Lady is trying to bite the baby and takes her to the pet store for a muzzle. But when the pet store owner tries to muzzle her, Lady is shocked and runs away. She runs and ends up in another part of town and three large, mean dogs start chasing after her. As Lady reaches a dead end, Tramp comes to her rescue and fights off the three mean dogs.

Wanting to show how much adventure lies outside of her home, Tramp shows her how life can be if she stays with him. But throughout their adventures together, Lady is caught by a dog catcher and now Tramp must try to rescue her.

VIDEO:

“Lady and the Tramp: Diamond Edition” is presented in 1080p High Definition (2:55:1 Aspect Ratio). And for anyone who has been following the Disney Animated Classics Blu-ray releases have seen how fantastic Walt Disney Studios has been with these releases. Remastering and restoring the video to a lot of their classics to pristine quality. No matter how old these animated films are, they have been cleaned from any blemishes and the “Lady and the Tramp” on Blu-ray is no exception. This film looks magnificent in HD!

The film is absolutely vibrant. The colors and the black outline of the characters are clear and the painted art backgrounds are well-detailed and look amazing.

There are no artifacts, banding, no softness… this is the definitive version of “Lady and the Tramp” on video.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

Just like its video counterpart, Disney presents “Lady and the Tramp: Diamond Edition” with an English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio lossless soundtrack, French and Spanish 5.1 Disney Enhanced Home Theater (DEHT), original restored featured audio.

The 7.1 lossless track is absolutely immersive. First, the dialogue is crisp and clear, the music can be heard through the front and surround channels. There is also a good amount of ambience, especially good use of audio during moments where Tramp goes to rescue Lady from other mean dogs to the scene where Jock and Trusty try to stop the dog catcher.

Like the video portion, when it comes to audio, this is the definitive version of “Lady and the Tramp” to own thus far!

Subtitles are in English SDH, French and Spanish.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Lady and the Tramp: Diamond Edition” comes with the following special features:

Disney Second Screen featuring “Inside Walt’s Story Meetings” – For those with an iPad or PC can sync their computer while watching “Lady and the Tramp: Diamond Edition” on Blu-ray.
Inside Walt’s Story Meetings – An audio commentary featuring a recreation of Walt Disney’s story meetings utilizing archived transcripts.
Diane Disney Miller – (8 min.) Remembering Dad – Diane Disney Miller shares stories about her father, Disneyland, his legacy and more.
Deleted Scenes – (19 min.) Featuring three deleted scenes via storyboards: “Introduction of Boris”, “Waiting for Baby” and “Dog Show”.
Never Recorded Song: “I’m Free as the Breeze” – A Ray Gilbert and Elliot Daniel song never used in the final cut of the film and now presented on this Blu-ray release.
Classic DVD Bonus Features – (157 Minutes) A length in-depth look at the making of “Lady and the Tramp” plus the original Platinum Edition seven-part making of featurette titled “Lady’s Pedigree: The Making of ‘Lady and the Tramp’, “The Siamese Cat Song: Finding a Voice for the Cats”, PuppyPedia: Going to the Dogs”, “Bella Notte Music video”, theatrical trailers and more.
Trailers – Walt Disney trailers.

EXTRAS:

“Lady and the Tramp: Diamond Edition” comes with a slipcover case and also a DVD version of the film presented in widescreen (2:55:1), English, French and Spanish 5.1 DEHT, original restored feature audio. Subtitles are in English SDH, French and Spanish.

Many of us who have grown up with “Lady and the Tramp” will always remember the famous scene where Lady and Tramp are eating spaghetti together and end up kissing, remember this film as a heartwarming tale of two dogs that fall in love and overcoming challenges.

It’s a Disney film that my parents watched, I’ve watched and my own child has watched and quite simply, this is another Disney classic that families will enjoy and an animated film that will keep entertaining generation after generation.

Watching this Blu-ray release of “Lady and the Tramp: Diamond Edition”, the one thing that I’ve wondered was how can they improve from the awesome “Platinum Edition”. Well, for one, the quality of the video and audio is the first thing that is noticeable. This is one film that while made in 1955, you can’t really tell this film is over 55-years-old, the restoration is that good and even the artwork holds up today.

There is also a good amount of special features included on this Blu-ray release which includes the second-screen and the “Inside Walt’s Story Meetings”, plus deleted scenes and a never-before-seen song. But still, in terms of special features, the original making of-featurette “Lady’s Pedigree: The Making of Lady and the Tramp” is still fascinating, in-depth and you learn a good deal about what it took to make this film a reality, especially the changes that were made (courtesy of Walt Disney’s wife, who spoke out about not making this film too dark).

Overall, “Lady and the Trap: Diamond Edition” is a wonderful Blu-ray release that fans will love and newer fans will just enjoy. It’s a timeless Disney animated classic but this time, it looks and sounds better than ever and worth the upgrade from DVD.

Highly recommended!

Filed Under: Blu-ray Reviews, Children's DVD/Blu-ray