Q&A Interview with John Lasseter of Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios (J!-ENT Interviews and Articles)

Award winning director John Lasseter is known for his work at Pixar.

In addition to his many and varied feature animation film credits, Lasseter serves as Chief Creative Officer, Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios and Principal Creative Advisor, Walt Disney Imagineering.

A graduate of CalArts with a BFA in film, Lasseter is the only two-time winner of the Student Academy Award^® for Animation for his student films “Lady and the Lamp” and “Nitemare.”  Lasseter made his feature film directorial debut with the now classic “Toy Story,” which was the first-ever feature length computer animated motion picture.

He subsequently directed the international box office hits “A Bug’s Life,” “Toy Story 2,” “Cars” and “Cars 2.” Creatively overseeing all films and associated projects from Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, his executive producing credits include the Oscar^®-winning and nominated Pixar films “Monsters, Inc.,” “Finding Nemo,” “The Incredibles,” “Ratatouille,” “WALL-E,” “Up” and “Toy Story 3.”

He also served as executive producer for Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Academy Award^®-nominated features “Bolt,” “The Princess and the Frog” and “Tangled,” as well as the studio’s most recent release “Winnie the Pooh.” Lasseter is also the executive producer of Pixar’s new animated feature “Brave,” which will be released in 2012.

On November 1st, John Lasseter was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and on November 2nd, the Disney/Pixar film “Cars 2″ will be released on 3D Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD.

Here is a media Q&A interview with Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, John Lasseter.

Is it a testament to Pixar that you create such well-loved characters?

John Lasseter: At Pixar, we have been very fortunate to produce a number of incredible movies with characters that people really love. We’ve had the “Cars” and “Toy Story” movies, as well as “Finding Nemo,” “Monsters, Inc.,” “The Incredibles,” “WALL•E” and “Up.” Each of these sets of characters has struck a chord with the audience. I always say that we strive to create characters that are loved beyond the boundary of the film. To me, that is why our films are so successful.

 

How important is it to keep your characters alive when a movie finishes?

John Lasseter:  It’s incredibly important. We did a series of shorts with the “Cars” characters called “Mater’s Tall Tales” in between “Cars” and “Cars 2.” That was extremely fun to do, and it’s something we will continue to do.

 

How important are the shorts?

John Lasseter:  The shorts are a very important tradition at Pixar. They’re not only fun, but we use them to help develop talent. It’s an opportunity to let some of the younger artists and animators take a step up and create a story, or be a directing animator, or even direct.

 

From a production point of view, how is “Cars 2” different from previous Pixar movies?

John Lasseter:  One of the things that is dramatically different in this film is the level of complexity. It’s ten times more complex than any previous Pixar film. We really pushed the envelope with “Cars 2.”

 

What have been the biggest technical advances utilized for the new movie?

John Lasseter:  One of the big technical advances that looks great is the water in the movie. In the opening of “Cars 2,” you’ll notice how amazing the water looks. It’s really unlike any computer-animated water to date. We’re really proud of it.

 

Were the water simulations the result of technological advances?

John Lasseter:  Our guys found this new mathematical algorithm that plots the math of the ocean and the ocean waves. They implemented that into our system, which was a brand new way of looking at ocean waves. It really is amazing.

 

What else stands out for you about “Cars 2”?

John Lasseter:  I love the way that car imagery is found in every building and every landscape in our “Cars” world. If you look at the level of detail of this movie, it’s unlike anything that Pixar has ever created before. The more you look at it, the more you’ll see.

 

What research did you undertake in order to create “Cars 2”?

John Lasseter:  A ton of research goes into making all of our movies at Pixar. For example, we studied a lot of classic car racing movies in order to come up with the race scenes in “Cars 2.” We looked at movies like “Grand Prix,” “Le Mans” and “Days of Thunder” to see how cars and racing have been portrayed in films. It was really exciting. We even got a wide-screen print of “Le Mans” and showed it in our theater at Pixar. Those racing scenes are spectacular. They blew us away.

 

Did you speak to anyone involved in TV coverage of motor racing?

We talked extensively to a TV sports director named Artie Kempner, who works on the NASCAR broadcasts. He’s elevated the energy of the sport on TV and he’s a fantastic man. We asked him, “Hypothetically, if you didn’t have to worry about the safety of the camera, the cars or the drivers, where would you put the cameras?” We could put our virtual cameras wherever we wanted, so this information was extremely useful to us.

 

It’s easy to think about the visual side of animation movies, but how much effort goes into creating quality sound for the movie, too?

John Lasseter:  We put tremendous effort into the sound on this film. We created a movie where lots of different cars compete in a worldwide race, so we have the awesome American V8 sound of Lightning McQueen up against this gorgeous, very high-pitched Formula One sound of some of the other vehicles. In order to convey these different, unique sounds, we recorded different types of racecars.

 

“Cars 2” is also a spy caper. Did you research spy movies as well?

We studied spy movies at length. In particular, we looked at the tremendous chase sequences in the movie “Ronin” with Robert De Niro, “The Bourne Identity,” which takes place in Paris, and “Bullitt,” which was made in 1968.

 

Does your approach to vehicles change because your characters are cars and not the humans driving them?

John Lasseter: That’s what’s interesting about “Cars 2.” Typically, when you watch the chase scenes in the spy films I mentioned, the shots cut between the chase and the inside of the car, which is where you see the driver. For research purposes, our editors edited out all of the shots inside the car because the cars are our characters and we don’t have any drivers inside. It was fascinating to learn from that. I think it really helped us in the creation of “Cars 2.”

 

 

 

 

How important is it for Pixar to create high quality movies?

John Lasseter:  At Pixar, we recognize that quality is the best business plan. A quality movie is a great story that is totally entertaining. It entertains adults as well as kids. That’s always our goal.

 

How important is the story process to Pixar?

John Lasseter:  I think Pixar’s success is due to the wonderful stories we’ve created. We’re extremely passionate about story at Pixar and that’s always our focus when it comes to movies. I love to be entertained by a great story; that’s where we put all our effort.

 

What’s your toughest challenge in creating these incredible stories?

John Lasseter:  Not everything goes according to plan. In fact, every single Pixar film has had a painful stage in the development of the story. At one point or another, they’ve all been the worst motion picture ever made because the story simply does not work. We don’t give up on it, though. We trust ourselves, we trust the process, we trust the story and we just keep developing. We keep pushing forward.

 

Is that how you ensure the continued quality of Pixar movies?

John Lasseter:  We won’t put anything into production if we don’t think it’s working. It takes more than four years to make one of these films. I’m not going to put something into production that costs our brilliant artists at Pixar four years of their lives if it’s not a project they can be proud of for the rest of their lives.

 

What’s the most fun aspect of story development?

John Lasseter:  What’s fun about the story development at Pixar is the fact that it’s a journey. You don’t just write a script and then that’s the movie you make. It’s this constant evolution and the collaboration with voice actors, artists and animators. It’s incredibly fun to make these movies and I hope it shows when the audience watches.

 

“Cars 2″ is available on 3D Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD on November 2nd!

Dumbo: 70th Anniversary (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

Make no doubt about it, “Dumbo: 70th Anniversary” is the definitive release of this Disney animated classic.  The restoration is absolutely beautiful, vibrant  and spectacular.  The 7.1 lossless soundtrack sounds fantastic and with the new special features along with the old, makes this Blu-ray release a must buy!  Highly recommended!

Image courtesy of © Disney. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Dumbo: 70th Anniversary

FILM YEAR OF RELEASE: 1941

DURATION: 64 Minutes

BLU-RAY INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (1:33:1), English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, 2.0 English Restored Featured Audio, French and Spanish 5.1 Disney Enhanced Home theater Mix (DEHT), Subtitles: English SDH and Spanish Subtitles

COMPANY: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

RATED: G (for General Audiences)

Release Date: September 20, 2011

Directed by Samuel Armstrong, Norman Ferguson, Wilfred Jackson, Jack Kinney, Bill Roberts, Ben Sharpsteen

Screen Story by Joe Grant, Dick Huerner

Story Direction: Otto Englander

Story Develoment: Bill Peet, Aurelius Battaglia, Joe Rinaldi, Vernon Stallings, Webb Smith

Music by Frank Churchill, Oliver Wallace

Featuring the following voice talent:

James Baskett as Crow

Herman Bing as The Ringmaster

Cliff Edwards as Jim Crow

Edward Brophy as Timothy Q. Mouse

Sterling Holloway as Mr. Stork

In celebration of this landmark film‘s 70th anniversary, experience the daring adventures of the world‘s only flying elephant with a dazzling all-new digital restoration and brilliant Disney Enhanced High Definition Theatre Mix Sound. The inspirational tale of Dumbo, the courageous baby elephant who uses his sensational ears to soar to fame with the help of his clever best friend Timothy Q. Mouse, will thrill and delight audiences of all ages. And now, the award-winning music and empowering messages about friendship and belief In yourself reach new heights in this must-have Blu-ray high-definition presentation of Walt Disney‘s classic Dumbo!

It was 1941 and with Disney having its first successful animated film with “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” back in 1938, unfortunately its next two films “Pinocchio” and “Fantasia” would not be the big box office hits that Disney had wanted.  And partly that was because of World War II, as Disney would not be able to recoup through international screenings.

In fact, the two films hurt Disney financially and now with the studio hurting, their fourth feature “Dumbo” was created with the idea of keep things economical with a tight budget and because of that, they had to focus on simplicity.  And that meant creating an animated film that is just a little over one-hour long.

The animated film is based on a children’s story by Helen Aberson and was illustrated by Harold Pearl and was featured as a “Roll-A-Book”.  In 1939, Disney’s head of merchandise licensing brought the Roll-A-Book to Walt Disney’s attention and sure enough, Disney gave the greenlight for an animated short.  But because they were hurting financially, “Dumbo” was selected to help generate income and Disney relied on his storytellers, Dick Huemer and Joe Grant to being working on the plot of the film.

So, following the rules of a strict budget and simplistic features, “Dumbo” was not a film that would feature the same production level as the first three films. No emphasis on character design, backgrounds were not as detailed  and utilized water colors and the film would feature less cells.  It’s also one of the first Disney animated films where there is no cast list for its voice talent.

“Dumbo” was released by distributor RKO Radio Pictures in 1941 and at first because of its short length, it did cause a brief riff between both Disney and RKO Productions but in the end, Disney won and the film was released during World War II and it was a financial success.  The film which cost around $813,000 to make (much cheaper than the previous three films) grossed $1.6 million in the box office and  would win an Academy Award for Original Musical Score and would receive re-releases in 1949, 1959, 1972 and 1976.  “Dumbo” was also well-received by film critics.

Since its release, “Dumbo” has been considered a timeless Disney classic and will now be released in a 70th Anniversary Edition via Blu-ray and DVD release on Sept. 20th and will feature more special features compared to its 50th Anniversary and 60th Anniversary counterparts and also will feature restoration to bring the film to an audience wanting to watch this film in HD.

“Dumbo” begins with the circus transporting Mrs. Jumbo and a few elephants.  A stork comes down to deliver her a baby but immediately, the elephants begin to look at the baby with disdain due to it having large ears and immediately, they give the baby the nickname “Dumbo”.

When the circus begins, the human boys tend to make fun of Dumbo because of his ears but Mrs. Jumbo is protective towards her son.  Because of that, she is locked up and separated from Dumbo.

With no friends, Dumbo meets a mouse named Timothy Q. Mouse who becomes his mentor and new protector.  And for Timothy, he just wants to make Dumbo happy.

Meanwhile, the circus director tries to find out how to utilize Dumbo in the circus and has him in an elephant pyramid stunt but because of his ears, he has an accident and all the elephants fall.  So, then the director tries to have Dumbo become a clown who falls in a vat of pie filling and sure enough, he becomes famous for his clown act but for Dumbo, he dislikes his new job.

Timothy manages to take Dumbo to see his mother and he cries afterward.  Will Dumbo and his mother ever reunite?  Can Timothy Q. Mouse help Dumbo reunited with his mother?  And what new skill will Dumbo develop?

 

VIDEO:

With the success of “Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs”, “Pinocchio” and “Fantasia” on Blu-ray and seeing how Disney went all out in the restoration and look of the film, needless to say, I had the highest expectations for “Dumbo”.

Presented in 1080p High Definition (1:33:1), let’s just say that Disney once again, has done fans a great service by giving us one awesome restoration.

And I know… many of us own multiple copies of “Dumbo” on DVD but this is Blu-ray, it’s intro. to Blu-ray and as a 70th Anniversary release, it blows away any of the previous “Dumbo” releases on video.

OK, sure…”Dumbo” was created simplistic and with a lower budget than the previous three films but the overall character designs are crisp and the background still look beautiful and well-balanced.  Colors are vibrant and there are no signs of artifacts, banding, edge enhancement or DNR.  This was a straight-up restoration in which Disney restored each cel and are giving us the best presentation of the film yet!

“Dumbo” looks absolutely fantastic on Blu-ray and yes, even the drunken Dumbo scene looks vibrant than ever before.  I don’t want to use the word “pristine” but for Disney fans, “Dumbo: 70th Anniversary” looks fantastic!

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

When I saw that Disney gave fans an all new English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio lossless soundtrack, I couldn’t help but be happy about it!  The Blu-ray release also features the 2.0 English restored featured audio, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Enhanced Home Theater Mix (DEHT).

But the 7.1 lossless soundtrack is fantastic.  From the opening scene with the thunder cracking, the rain and wind…you hear the sounds all around you. Dialogue for the film is crystal clear, as with the original musical soundtrack, it sounds awesome via lossless.  Granted, the film as I mentioned in the picture quality, this was a film created on a budget, kept simplistic on purpose but still, it was great to see how the music utilized the surround channels and for the most part, this is the best soundtrack for “Dumbo” yet!

As for subtitles, “Dumbo: 70th Anniversary” is presented in English SDH, French and Spanish.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Dumbo: 70th Anniversary” comes with the following special features presented in HD (note: original DVD features that are on the Blu-ray are presented in standard definition):

• Cine-Explore - Featuring a picture-in-picture section hosted by Pixard director Pete Docter, Disney hitorian Paul Sigman and Disney animator Andreas Deja.  Learn about the history of the film and how “Dumbo” saved Disney from financial ruin and more.
• DisneyView -  While watching the film, you can fill the black bars on the side by selecting the optional DisneyView which features paintings by Disney background artist James Coleman.  Also, features a brief interview with Coleman.
• “Celebrating Dumbo” - (14:53) Featuring a featurette with Deja, Roy E. Disney, Don Hahn, Rudy Behlmer and film critic Leonard Maltin talking about “Dumbo”.
• Deleted Scenes: Featuring two deleted scenes “The Mouse’s Tale” and “Are You a Man or a Mouse?” presented via storyboards.
• Taking Flight: The Making of Dumbo – (28:18) A journey back to the origins of the film as everybody‘s favorite baby elephant takes wing.
• The Magic Of Dumbo: A Ride of Passage – (3:08)  Witness the excitement and magic of Disneyland‘s most popular ride through the eyes of a child.
• Audio Commentary – Featuring audio commentary with Pete Docter, Paula Sigman and Andreas Deja
• Sound Design Excerpt from The Reluctant Dragon - (5:56) A classic featurette on the sound design for “The Reluctant Dragon”.
• Original Walt Disney Television Introduction – (1:04) Featuring the classic TV introduction by Walt Disney.
• Animated Short: “Elmer Elephant” - (8:31) A 1936 Silly Symphony Short about Elmer and friends attending Tillie Tiger’s sixth birthday party.  But what happens when Tillie’s treehouse catches fire.
  
• Animated Short: “The Flying Mouse”  - (9:21) A 1934 Silly Symphony Short about a young mouse who tries to swing from leaves and fails.  He is is saved by a butterfly and now wants wings.
  
• “What Do You See?” Game - Featuring a image-scramble game which you can play via using your remote control.
  
• “What Do You Know?” Game – Featuring a trivia challenge which you can play via using your remote.
  
• Art Galleries – Featuring images in the following categories: Visual Development, Character Design, Layouts & Backgrounds, Storyboard Art, Production Pictures, Research Pictures, Publicity and from the Original Dumbo Storybook from 1941.
• Trailers – Featuring the original 1941 theatrical trailer and 1949 re-release trailer.

EXTRAS:

“Dumbo: 70th Anniversary” comes with a slipcover case and a DVD version of the feature film.  The DVD is presented in 1:33:1 aspect ratio, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Enhanced Home Theater Mix (DEHT), 2.0 English restored featured audio, subtitles in English, English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.

“Dumbo” is a Disney animated classic which my wife and I have purchased countless versions on VHS and DVD and it has been a favorite of ours.  Especially now that we have a son, it’s a film that we can share with our child and now enjoy especially with this beautiful restoration that Disney had given to this film.

Beautiful and vibrant, when I first watched this film on Blu-ray, I couldn’t help but see how clear everything looked.  But so far, Disney has not disappointed me because with the release of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”, “Pinocchio”, “Fantasia”, “Bambi” and several other films, Disney has really gone all out with these Blu-ray releases and also giving fans the best looking and sounding versions of these Disney animated classics yet.

“Dumbo” is a touching story and I can remember as a child wondering if the fate of Dumbo’s mother would be similar to Bambi’s situation.  And then watching it again as a college student and wondering what was the motivation towards the drunken dream sequence.  But having watched this film for countless times during my near 30+ years, this animated film is timeless.  I never get bored of it and as mentioned, I have purchased nearly every video release of this film since it’s 50th Anniversary and I can only wonder how Disney will outdo themselves when this film reaches its 100th Anniversary.

But still, this is the definitive version of “Dumbo” to own at this time.  And if I was asked if there was any faults of this release, it’s not more of faults but for one, “Dumbo” is not as detailed as the previous three films because Disney was hurting financially at the time and the film was made on a budget and was made to be simplistic.  Not that it’s a bad thing but for those who admire the first three films for its beautiful artwork, one has to understand that Disney had to make cost-cutting decisions for “Dumbo”.

The other thing is that with the other three releases, Disney really went all out in special features.  Not to say that there aren’t many in the 70th Anniversary release for “Dumbo” because there are a good number of special features including the really cool “Cine-Explore Experience” but in terms of what is featured in the first three releases on Blu-ray compared to what is included in “Dumbo”, the other three definitely offered much more bonus content.

But of course, that is me being spoiled by the first three releases on Blu-ray and if I haven’t watched those Blu-ray’s, I would still feel the sheer number of new and older special features included in this release would be nothing short of  magnificent.

With that being said, “Dumbo: 70th Anniversary” is a fantastic, timeless Disney animated classic and because Disney really went all out in terms of look and sound, this Blu-ray release deserves to be watched and owned by fans of the film!

Highly recommended!

 

Q&A Roundtable Interview with Donnie Dunagan (the voice of young Bambi) (J!-ENT Interviews and Articles)

With the release of “Bambi: Diamond Edition” on Blu-ray and DVD, J!-ENT’s Dennis A. Amith recently took part in a Q&A roundttable interview with Donnie Dunagan, who voiced the character of young Bambi back in 1942.

For Donnie (Don) Dunagan, he was given a chance to take part in a role of a lifetime, being the voice of “Bambi” for Walt Disney Studios.
But things were never that easy in the beginning.  Donnie and his parents lived in Memphis and at three-years-old, he was taught to tap dance and when he was entered at a talent contest, he won the $100 prize and he also caught the attention of a movie talent scout who happened to be in the audience.
Donnie and his family were given the chance to come to Hollywood by train and from 1938 to 1941, Donnie would be in the movies and starring in films such as “Mother Carey’s Chickens” (1938), “Son of Frankenstein” (1939) and in 1941, providing the voice of young Bambi for Walt Disney.
But instead of focusing on entertainment, Donnie focused on education and attended the University of Alabama on a football scholarship and then transferred to Virginia Tech to focus on a science degree.
With the Korean War and the draft happening, Donnie volunteered as a marine.  He was sent back to college by the Marines to complete his education and he graduated with a degree in Civil Engineering.
After he graduated and completed boot camp, Donnie became a Private, First Class and became a boot camp Drill Instructor, the youngest Assistant Drill Instructor (a Marine Sergeant at age 19) and into the Navy’s Military Law-Justice School for JAG officers at the War College in Rhode Island, followed by the Army’s training program for CIC special agents.
While serving his country, Dunagan was combat wounded twice while leading a patrol and commanding units in Vietnam.
Dunagan continued his education with a Masters degree in Engineering Management with honors at the University of Vermont at Burlington and became a candidate for a Ph.D. in Mathematics before leaving the U.S. Intelligence Agency private sector.
Throughout his education and time in the military, Dunagan kept his acting career private, especially his childhood role as the voice of Bambi until after he left the military in 1977.
Since then, Dunagan who is on semi-retirement keeps busy in mentoring and consulting the underprivileged and now enjoys talking about his young life in Hollywood, working with Walt Disney and being the voice of an iconic character.
J!-ENT recently took part in a Q&A press interview with both Donnie Dunagan.  Click here to read the article.

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

A timeless animated classic!  “Bambi: Diamond Edition” on Blu-ray looks and sounds more incredible than it has ever been before.  If this 1942 masterpiece resonates strongly with you or you are a Disney fan looking to upgrade to “Bambi” in High Definition, you won’t be disappointed.  “Bambi: Diamond Edition” is another must-own Disney animated classic on Blu-ray and is highly recommended!

Images courtesy of © Disney. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Bambi: Diamond Edition

FILM RELEASE DATE: 1942

DURATION: 70 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition Full Screen (1:33:1), English 7.1 DTS-HD High Resolution Audio, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby DEHT Language Tracks, Restored Original Theatrical Soundtrack, Subtitles: English SDH, English ESL, French and Spanish

COMPANY: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

RATED: G (All Ages Admitted)

Release Date: March 1, 2011

Directed by James Algar, Samuel Armstrong, David Hand, Graham Heid, Bill Roberts, Paul Satterfield and Norman Wright

Story by Felix Salten

Story Direction by Perce Pearce

Story Adaptation by Larry Morey

Story Development by Vernon Stallings, Melvin Shaw, Carl Fallberg, Chuck Couch, Ralph Wright

Produced by Walt Disney

Music by Frank Churchill, Edward H. Plumb

Art Direction by Tom Codrick, Robert Cormack, Lloyd Harting, David Hilberman, John Hubley, Dick Kelsey, McLaren Stewart, Al Zinnen

Featuring the voices of:

Hardie Albright as Adolescent Bambi

Donnie Dunagan as Young Bambi

Stan Alexander as Young Flower

Peter Behn as Young Thumper

Thelma Boardman as Mrs. Quail

Tim Davis as Adult Thumper

Sam Edwards as Adult Thumper

Ann Gillis as Adult Faline

Otis Harlan as Mr. Mole

Eddie Holden as Chipmunk

Sterling Holloway as Adult Flower

Cammie King Conlon as Young Faline

Mary Lansing as Aunt Ena/Mrs. Possum

Margaret Lee as Thumper’s Mother

Clarence Nash as Bullfrog

Bobby Stewart as Baby Bambi

John Sutherland as Adult Bambi

Paula Winslowe as Bambi’s Mother

Fred Shields as Great Prince of the Forest

As morning light breaks across the meadow, a young deer named Bambi is born and hailed as ‘Prince of the Forest.’ Soon Bambi emerges from the thicket on wobbly legs, much to the delight of his new friends, Thumper, the playful rabbit, and Flower, the bashful yet lovable skunk. But the fun of nibbling on fresh blossoms and frolicking through the woods is only the beginning. Exploring his new world, and guided by the wisdom of Friend Owl, Bambi learns valuable life lessons with every adventure – experiencing the power of friendship, family, and love along the away.

Back in 1923, Felix Salten wrote a novel titled “Bambi, a Life in the Woods” in Austria.  Five years later, the novel would receive its English translation and became an instant hit and a classic.

This led to MGM producer and director Sidney Franklin purchasing the rights to a film version of “Bambi, A Life in the Woods” in 1933 but because he felt it would be too difficult to make it into a live action film, he sold the rights to Walt Disney in 1937.

But Walt Disney was not a healthy company at the time.  “Pinocchio” and “Fantasia” were box office flops and it didn’t help that the International audience that Disney depended on for revenue was lost due to World War II.  And as for Bambi, as the budget started to reach up to over $800,000, it seemed as if the company would not be able to make their next film.  Fortunately, Walt Disney, who is a wonderful businessman, managed to woo Bank of America in getting the funding for “Bambi”.

While “Bambi” would become an instant classic for Disney throughout the last 70-years, back in 1942, the film still faced problems due to World War II and would also lose money in the box office, but it would regain its income in 1947 and would also receive the ire from hunters who felt the film was harsh towards them.

But needless to say, “Bambi” has come an instant classic in Walt Disney’s line of animated films (“Bambi” is the fifth film from Walt Disney) and it also paved the way for the animation industry as the film would lead to the hiring of Disney’s first female animator, the film would utilize multiplane camera technology, would feature an impressionist style courtesy of artist Tyrus “Ty” Wong and his artwork of the forests would be groundbreaking for its time and an inspiration for future artists.  Also, the film would feature a lot of paint and colors developed during the making of the film and would eventually lead to newer colors which would be used for future Walt Disney animated films.

Also, “Bambi” was created on an extreme budget and it was a learning experience for Walt Disney and the studio.

As “Bambi” has had its DVD release in 1997 (as part of the Masterpiece Collection Version) and in 2007 as a Platinum Edition, the film will receive its 2011 Blu-ray release as a Diamond Edition to celebrate it’s 70th year.This new release features a new enhanced digital restoration, newer special features and the use of Disney View and the introduction of Disney’s Second Screen technology.

“Bambi” is a film that features a doe giving birth to Bambi.  As Bambi learns to walk, he befriends a young rabbit named Thumper and a skunk named Flower.

We see how Bambi learns from his mother, from learning to walk, learning about the meadow and warning him of the dangers but also introducing him to his father, the Great Prince of the Forest.

As Bambi grows up, he meets a young fawn named Faline at the meadow but during this time, he quickly learns the danger of man, as hunters begin shooting towards the animals.  Bambi and his mother managed to escape death and she explains to him about the dangers of man being the forest.

As the animals go through a rough winter, trying to find food, his mother teaches him how to eat the bark from a tree and Bambi learns from Thumper on how to slide on ice.

By the end of the Winter, a hungry Bambi is shown a patch of new grass that has grown, in which he can eat.  As the grass is a sign of the arrival of spring, his mother can sense a hunter nearby and warns Bambi to run.  Both mother and Bambi run as fast as they can and a the shot of a rifle is heard.  As Bambi runs quickly back home, he waits for his mother to arrive, but she has not come back.

What has happened to Bambi’s mother?  And how will Bambi survive on his own?

VIDEO:

“Bambi” is one of the most wonderful looking animated films that still looks magnificent 70-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 courtesy of Tyrus Wong.  It was a look that Disney had wanted and amazingly implemented to “Bambi” and the overall look of the film is even more impressive on Blu-ray.

“Bambi” 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!

“Bambi” 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 “Bambi” 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 Lisa Keene, so instead of the black bars on the side, you can opt for colorful artwork that matches the scenes of the film.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Bambi: Diamond Edition” is presented in 7.1 DTS-HD High Resolution Audio, French and Spanish Dolby DEHT  Language Tracks and restored original theatrical soundtrack.  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 you can hear the thunder and lightning throughout your surround channels, you can hear Frank Churchill and Edward Plumb’s wonderful score and while this film is primarily dialogue and music driven, there ares some scenes where the audio sounds fantastic (primarily the final half hour of the film).

The soundtrack is not to immersive, but “Bambi” is not an action-driven film. So, the audio is well-utilized when it matters most and its during those more intense, action-based scenes.  Needless to say, this is a wonderful lossless high resolution soundtrack.

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

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Bambi: Diamond Edition” features the following special features:

• Bambi: Inside Walt’s Story Meetings – A pretty awesome featurette.  It’s hard to tell you the duration as my player wouldn’t give me the duration time for this feature but because it is featured in a way where you can watch various features separately, you can listen to Walt Disney and staff’s audio meetings on “Bambi”, you can also see two deleted scenes, the making of the film, two bonus animated Disney shorts, anecdotes and more.  The sequence does show picture-in-picture while the film is playing on one side you get to watch this special feature on the other side.  It’s clearly one of the best Disney special features I have seen thus far!
• Disney’s Book of Knowledge - An interactive game based on multiple choice and for players to earn stickers (on-game stickers).
• Disney Second/View/What is Disney SecondView – This feature allows people to watch a film on their iPad or laptop and sync it with what they are watching on TV, so you can use the iPad or laptop like a remote but while watching it on screen of your portable device.
• Two Leaves – (3:07) An original concept of how Disney and crew were thinking of creating dialogue between two leaves but opted not to use it on “Bambi”.
• Bambi Stuck on a Reed - (1:20) Another concept that was not used for “Bambi” but is featured on this Blu-ray.
• Twitterpated – (1:53) An explanation of what “Twitterpated” is.
• Bambi Interactive Galleries – An extensive look at the films sketches, background paintings production pictures, storyboards and visual development.
• Deleted Scenes – Featuring two deleted scenes (featured on the original 2007 DVD) – Winter Grass (:56) and Bambi’s First Snow (2:31).
• The Making of Bambi: A Prince is Born – A wonderful making-of featurette (about an hour long) featured on the original DVD.  This featurettete goes into the art and Disney hiring its first female animator, the hiring of Tyrus Wong, who brought the look and feel of Bambi’s artistic backgrounds because he wanted to move up in his job from in-between animation, the music of “Bambi”, the history of “Bambi” and how the book was adapted into an animated film and more.
• Tricks of the Trade - (7:18) Walt Disney talks about the multi-plane technology used on “Bambi”.
• Inside the Disney Archives – (8:39) A visit to the vault to look at unused art and sequences from “Bambi”.
• The Old Mill – (8:58) A 1937 Silly Symphonies animated short.
• Original Theatrical Trailer – (2:12) The original 1942 theatrical trailer for “Bambi”.

EXTRAS:

“Bambi: Diamond Edition” comes with a Blu-ray slipover case and a DVD fof the film.  The DVD features an introduction by Diane Disney Miller and also includes the enhance edition of “Walt’s Story Meetings” and DisneyPEdia: Bambi’s Forest Friends.  The DVD is presented in 1:33:1 aspect ratio, 5.1 Dolby English, French and Spanish language tracks and subtitles in English SDH, French and Spanish.

“Bambi” is a classic that will continue to entertain generation after generation.

It features a wonderful, touching story about family and how they continue to survive in the wild but faces the challenge of man.  Granted, I understand that this film may not satisfy hunters (as many of them were upset by the film during its original release) but for my family, as my wife and I, both have grown up with this film and it was one of the first Disney films that we introduced to our son.

We both felt that it was a family film that featured cute characters, innocent characters but also showed the importance of family, listening to rules and of course but also a first step of explaining to them about what was transpiring between Bambi and his mother and what happens later in the film.

So, as this film has resonated so strongly for my family, I’m sure it’s a film that many other families will love.  Afterall, it has entertained generation after generation for 70-years.

And with this film now being released on Blu-ray, I do have to say that this is one of the most beautiful classic animated film from Disney on Blu-ray thus far.   Call me biased but not only is the artwork magnificent, everything about it… from the animation, it’s character design, the cast (the voice actors were magnificent and how they used the young voice actor’s accidental pauses during the recording and actually using it in the film was brilliant!), its music and the storyline, everything works in harmony.  The nature of the film had a unique style, the use of the multiplane cameras also gave it a distinct look.  I really enjoyed this Blu-ray release!

Now, of course, comparing the special features to other animated classics from Disney on Blu-ray, it may seem that “Bambi” has less special features.  In the past, the special features were all separated but the way its done on “Bambi”, they were combined as one full special feature.  So, for example “Bambi: Inside Walt’s Story Meetings”, this may seem like on feature but really, there are about ten special features in that one feature alone.  For “The Making of Bambi”, there are five special features and of course, the other additional special features, if added, you get a lot included in the “Bambi: Diamond Edition”.  Granted, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” and “Pinocchio” are still excellent as they go way beyond what one would expect for special features but this release is still quite solid!

Overall, if this 1942 masterpiece resonates strongly with you or you are a Disney fan looking to upgrade to “Bambi” in High Definition, you won’t be disappointed.  “Bambi: Diamond Edition” is another must-own Disney animated classic on Blu-ray and is highly recommended!

The Boys: The Sherman Brothers Story (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

Robert and Richard Sherman are one of America’s greatest songwriting duo’s of all time.  From countless hits for “Mary Poppins”, “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” to creating the “It’s a Small World” song at Disneyland and Disney World to the recognizable “Winnie-the-Pooh” theme song, the Sherman Brothers receive the greatest tribute courtesy of their sons who directed the film.  But this fascinating documentary also shows us a side of the brothers that many people never knew.  If you are a Sherman Brothers fan, “The Boys: The Sherman Brothers Story” is highly recommended!

Images courtesy of © Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. All Rights Reserved

DVD TITLE: The Boys: The Sherman Brothers Story

DOCUMENTARY RELEASE DATE: 2009

DURATION: 102 minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Widescreen (1:78:1) – Enhanced for 16×9 Televisions, English 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 2.0 Dolby Digital, English SDH and Spanish Subtitles

COMPANY: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

RATED: PG (For Mild Thematic Elements, Smoking Images and Brief Language)

RELEASE DATE: November 30, 2010

Directed by Gregory V. Sherman and Jeff Sherman

Executive Producer: Stephen Buchsbaum, Morgan Sackett

Producer: David Permut, Gregory V. Sherman, Jeff Sherman, Ben Stiller

Co-Producer: Jeff Kurtti, Patrick O’Grady

Music by Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman

Cinematography by Terence Chu, Sam Montague, Richard Numeroff

Edited by Martin Apelbaum, Rich Evirs

Starring:

Julie Andrews

Jim Dale

Roy Edward Disney

Micky Dolenz

Karen Dotrice

Sam Goldwyn Jr.

Bruce Gordon

Sheldon Harnick

James Jensen

Jeff Kurtti

John Landis

Angela Lansbury

John Lasseter

Gavin Lee

Wendy Liebman

William Link

Kenny Loggins

Cameron Mackintosh

Leonard Maltin

Alan Menken

Hayley Mills

Chris Montan

Randy Newman

Robert Osborne

Debbie Reynolds

Ron Sadoff

Thomas Schumacher

Stephen Schwartz

Richard M. Sherman

Robert B. Sherman

Tracy Sherman

Ben Stiller

Jon Turteltaub

Dick Van Dyke

Tony Walton

Lesley Ann Warren

Johnny Whitaker

John Williams

Maury Yeston

During The Sherman Brothers’ 13-year career at Disney (1960-1973), they received four Oscar® nominations for more than 200 songs written for 27 films and two dozen television productions. Their most beloved scores include Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and the entire Winnie the Pooh series. With such unforgettable tunes as “Chim Chim Cher-ee” and “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” from Mary Poppins, “I Wanna Be Like You” from The Jungle Book, and the most translated song ever written, “It’s a Small World (After All)” from the popular Disneyland attraction, to name just a few, brothers Bob Sherman and Dick Sherman celebrated family entertainment and happy endings for generations of movie goers, but their personal life together was anything but harmonious. The film gives an enticing glimpse into how Walt Disney used the language of music to bring the brothers together, creating a cinematic legacy like no other.

The Sherman Brothers… the American songwriting duo consisting of Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman, both known for their musical song scores for films such as “Mary Poppins”, “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”, “Bedknobs and Broomsticks”, “Charlotte’s Web”, “The Jungle Book” and “The Aristocrats”.  Creating music for many hit films from 1961 starting with “The Parent Trap” up to “The Tigger Movie” in 2000, the duo are probably known to many who have went to a Disneyland or Disneyworld and heard their song “It’s a Small World” and for children, they will also be known for the creation of the “Winnie the Pooh” theme.  The duo has created many classic songs but behind-the-scenes, not everything was as happy as they seemed.

In the documentary “The Boys: The Sherman Brothers Story” directed by Jeffrey C. Sherman and Gregory V. Sherman, their songs created a documentary to celebrate the career of Robert and Richard but also to uncover something nagging them for all these years.  How come the two musical brothers drifted away and why did both brothers and their families have never met for many decades after crafting so many wonderful hits?

For Richard Sherman’s son Gregory and Robert Sherman’s son Jeffrey, the two met each other in 2002 for the anniversary for “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” and both were sitting in opposite sides.  The children knew that their was animosity between the two brothers, none of them knew why but through this documentary, the two relatives can learn about the Sherman brothers, their history and uncover the problems that has existed between the two that the public were not aware of.

The film begins with showcasing the the history of the Sherman brothers but starting with their father Al Sherman, an American Tin Pan Alley songwriter  and eventually making music for silent film stars during the 1920′s and also appearing in silent films as an actor.  In 1921, Al Sherman would marry silent film actress Rosa Dancis and together they would have two boys, Robert and Richard Sherman.

On the outside and to the media, the two put on a facade that they were very close but the truth was…they weren’t.  As the documentary progresses, we get to see how both brothers had a different interpretation of their relationship.  Robert felt that the two were never that close, while Richard said he adored his older brother and were close.   The fact was the two were different individuals that lived different lives and nothing in common but music.  They were very different, their wives were very different and the fact is, the two didn’t like spending time with each other despite being brothers.

But it’s their passion of music, thanks to their father Al, who help guide them, helped them craft their music and eventually won the heart of Walt Disney.  As the two would become the only songwriters on contract with Walt Disney and were treated quite well and was supported by Disney.

The documentary would explore the fantastic career of the Sherman Brothers from working at Walt Disney, to their final days with Walt and working at Disney to working on “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” but also would touch upon how the relationship between both men would eventually grow distant as priorities in life changed which would eventually split them apart.

“The Boys: The Sherman Brothers Story” gives us the true story of the Sherman Brothers that no one would probably have never imagined was happening behind-the-scenes during their involvement in the entertainment industry but also a documentary that celebrates Robert and Richard Sherman’s musical career.

VIDEO, AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“The Boys: The Sherman Brothers Story” is presented in widescreen (1:78:1) – Enhanced for 16×9 television.  It’s important to note that footage from the documentary varies as there are footage from various decades that the Sherman Brothers have worked for Disney but also photographic images to recent interviews conducted by the son’s with their father to talk about their past.  But overall, the quality varies but by no means is it bad as it is expected for documentaries with many archived footage from the past to vary in colors and overall quality.

As for audio, audio is presented in English 5.1 Dolby Digital and Spanish 2.0 Dolby Digital.  Dialogue is quick and understandable.

Subtitles are in English SDH and Spanish.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“The Boys: The Sherman Brothers Story” comes with the following special feature:

• Why They’re “The Boys” - (2:37) Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke and other family and friends discuss how the Sherman brothers were known as “The Boys”.
• Disney Studios in the ’60s – (3:34) The Sherman Bros. talk about how Disney studios was back in the ’60s.  Leonard Maltin and others talk about what the Sherman Bros. done for Disney during those years.
• Casting Mary Poppins – (3:40) Richard Sherman talks about the casting of Julie Andrews and Julie Andrews talks about her audition.  Also, featuring Dick Van Dyke remembering the casting for Julie Andrews.
• The Process – (4:19) Robert and Richard Sherman talks about the process of coming up with music for a song.    Composer Allan Menken, Tommy Schumaker and others also talks about the process and others talk about how special the Sherman Brothers songs are.
• Theme Parks – (9:04) Richard Sherman talks about writing for a theme park song and remembering when they first wrote for the enchanted Tiki Room at Disneyland and how they created “It’s a Small World” song and more.
• Roy Williams – (3:23) The Sherman Bros. remembers Roy Williams who was an illustrator at Disney and showing the various cartoon sketches that he would create and give to the brothers.
• Bob’s Art – (2:17) Robert Sherman talks about his paintings and how he had been painting even before he was a songwriter.
• Celebration – (3:54) Many well-known historians, songwriters and those in the entertainment business talk about the achievements made by the Sherman Brothers and why they should be celebrated.
• Sherman Brothers’ Jukebox – Archived interviews featuring the Sherman Bros. talking about how they came up with the songs: “Tall Paul” (:46), “Chim Chim Cher-ee” (3:10), “Feed the Birds” (2:48), “Gold Can Buy Anything (But Love)” (:41), “There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow” (1:35), “Jolly Holiday” (1:51), (sound test) “Oh, Gee, Georgie!” (performed by Eddie Cantor – 1924) (1:22), “Up, Down and Touch the Ground” (1:23), “A Spoonful of Sugar” (performed on guitar by Laurence Juber) (3:00), “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” (3:34), “Ugly Bug Ball” (:47) and “Der Wienerschnitzel Commercial” (:31).

EXTRAS:

“The Boys: The Sherman Brothers Story” comes with a slip cover case and comes with a copy of the original song sheet for “Tuppence a Bag”.

These last two years, in many ways, it has been somewhat of a revival for the work by the Sherman Brothers.  With the release of “Mary Poppins” and “Bedknobs and Broomsticks” on DVD and the recent release of “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” on Blu-ray and you recognize their amazing music but also watching these featurettes on the Sherman Brothers and personally, it was one thing to know about their amazing career together as songwriters but it was surprising once I saw the trailer that these brothers didn’t really get along and the happy times between these two was just a facade.

Needless to say, if you have grown up with the music by the Sherman Brothers, curiosity is surely going to kick in and find out, what happened?

I realize that these two were brothers and like all siblings, there are always going to be instances where they don’t get along.  In the case of Robert and Richard Sherman, they were so different from each other that the only thread holding them together was music.  The truth is that Robert Sherman was more conservative, he loved painting and he was a family man.  He wrote songs but it was work to make a living, while Richard Sherman loved the fun and the life around the entertainment industry that he enjoyed himself.

So, “The Boys: The Sherman Brothers Story” was probably an interesting journey for their sons, Robert’s son Jeffrey C. Sherman and Richard’s son Gregory V. Sherman as they worked together on a documentary to learn about their father’s past, their career but ultimately learn why the two drifted apart.

As mentioned, the two had different lives but watching this documentary, you can’t help but feel sympathetic towards Robert because this is a man who kept his emotions inside.  He went to war and saw the worst in the prison camps and never really spoke of it, but many who knew him pretty much knew the war had a toll on him.  But it’s that musical bond that helped lift him out of the darkness.  But at the same time, Robert was a family man and losing his parents in the ’70s and then losing his loving wife, the woman he fell in love with at day one and proposed to her that same day… you can tell that losing his partner in life devastated him.  That music was no longer his passion.  As Walt Disney was the glue that kept the Sherman Brothers together for music projects at the studio, Robert’s wife was instrumental in supporting him and literally keeping the Sherman Brothers together.

As for Richard, he was the younger brother who enjoyed the life of the entertainment industry and embraced it.  But you can also tell he cared for his brother but because they were never social and only discussed work, you can tell that both men adapted to personal life much differently.  Richard who was more upbeat and handled the industry and making music quite well, while Robert was depressed and knowing more and more that he didn’t want to write music anymore especially with his brother.  And with Richard, as the youngest brother, who often disagreed with him, you know he had love for his brother.  It’s just the two had different ways of expressing their emotions and unfortunately, despite being brothers and being together for all those years, they really didn’t know each other all that well nor did they care to know each other.

If anything, as much as I enjoyed the documentary for celebrating the career of the Sherman Brothers, I have to admit that part of me was rooting for these brothers to finally let bygones be bygones and meet up with each other.  The two together have made the greatest and happiest music of American film that is heavily ingrained to American pop culture.  And together, Robert and Richard Sherman will forever be known for their tremendous work.   This is will not be forgotten.  But now that this documentary has given us a chance to peer into the dysfunctional relationship that these two brothers have had, one can only hope that the two can meet on better terms other than events and at least communicate.

But I suppose that these two are just too different and too much time has passed.  Each brother has moved on forward and are doing their own thing that makes them happy.  If anything, I do admire both sons, Jeffrey and Gregory working on this documentary because you can tell the siblings wanted to celebrate their father’s music career, to give them recognition for their work but most of all, hope two tear down this wall that the Sherman Brothers have put between them.  Whether or not that wall will be broken, one can only hope so.

But as for this documentary, “The Boys: The Sherman Brothers Story” is a fascinating and intriguing documentary that really gets into the heart of the Sherman Brothers and giving us a chance to explore a side to them that we never had seen before. The documentary was well-crafted with interviews with family members, co-workers, friends and those who really knew them and can talk about their tremendous career, their employment at Disney or working on a certain film but also discuss tough situations that the brothers had with each other.

But one of the touching moments of the documentary was also to learn about how the brothers meeting with Walt Disney for the last time and their thoughts on his death to also them leaving Disney and working on “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” and then many years later, returning once again to work at Disney for “Winnie the Pooh” with Kenny Loggins.  And of course, the two working on “Mary Poppins” and “Bedknobs and Broomsticks” were further explored as well.  There is a good amount of focus on their musical achievements and fans should be happy to see those interviews.

Overall, “The Boys: The Sherman Brothers Story” is a touching documentary that was put together quite well by Jeff C. Sherman and Gregory V. Sherman.  A wonderful tribute to the Sherman Brothers and a documentary that is definitely recommended!

Fantasia/Fantasia 2000: 4-Disc Special Edition (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

Words can not describe how fantastic this Blu-ray release is.  “Fantasia” and “Fantasia 2000″ come alive with this Blu-ray release especially with the lossless 7.1 soundtrack but possibly one of the biggest additions to this 4-disc special edition was the inclusion of “Destino” and the documentary.  Another five star Blu-ray release from Disney!

Images courtesy of © Disney.  All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Fantasia/Fantasia 2000: 4-Disc Special Edition

YEAR OF FILM: (Fantasia) 1940, (Fantasia 2000) 2000, Destino (animated short) 2003

DURATION: Fantasia (125 Minutes), Fantasia 2000 (75 Minutes), Destino (7 minutes)

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (1:33:1 for Fantasia), (1:78:1 Aspect Ratio for Fantasia 2000), English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio (48 kHz/24-bit), 5.1 DEHT French and Spanish Language Tracks, English SDH, French and Spanish Subtitles

COMPANY: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

RATED: PG (All Ages Admitted)

Release Date: November 30, 2010

Fantasia

Directed by

James Algar  (segment “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”)

Samuel Armstrong  (segments “Toccata and Fugue in D Minor” and “The Nutcracker Suite”)

Ford Beebe (segment “The Pastoral Symphony”)

Norman Ferguson  (segment “Dance of the Hours”) (as Norm Ferguson)

Jim Handley  (segment “The Pastoral Symphony”)

T. Hee  (segment “Dance of the Hours”)

Wilfred Jackson  (segment “Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria”)

Hamilton Luske  (segment “The Pastoral Symphony”)

Bill Roberts  (segment “Rite of Spring”)

Paul Satterfield   (segment “Rite of Spring”)

Written by Joe Grant and Dick Huemer (story and direction)

Written by

Lee Blair   (story development) (segment “Toccata and Fugue in D Minor”) &
Elmer Plummer  (story development) (segment “Toccata and Fugue in D Minor”) &
Phil Dike  (story development) (segment “Toccata and Fugue in D Minor”)

Sylvia Moberly-Holland  (story development) (segment “The Nutcracker Suite”) &
Norman Wright   (story development) (segment “The Nutcracker Suite”) &
Albert Heath  (story development) (segment “The Nutcracker Suite”) &
Bianca Majolie   (story development) (segment “The Nutcracker Suite”) &
Graham Heid  (story development) (segment “The Nutcracker Suite”)

Perce Pearce   (story development) (segment “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”) &
Carl Fallberg   (story development) (segment “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”)

William Martin  (story development and research) (segment “Rite of Spring”) &
Leo Thiele  (story development and research) (segment “Rite of Spring”) &
Robert Sterner (story development and research) (segment “Rite of Spring”) &
John McLeish    (story development and research) (segment “Rite of Spring”) (as John Fraser McLeish)

Otto Englander   (story development) (segment “The Pastoral Symphony”) &
Webb Smith  (story development) (segment “The Pastoral Symphony”) &
Erdman Penner   (story development) (segment “The Pastoral Symphony”) &
Joseph Sabo   (story development) (segment “The Pastoral Symphony”) &
Bill Peet   (story development) (segment “The Pastoral Symphony”) (as Bill Peed) &
Vernon Stallings    (story development) (segment “The Pastoral Symphony”) (as George Stallings)

Campbell Grant   (story development) (segment “Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria”) &
Arthur Heinemann    (story development) (segment “Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria”) &
Phil Dike (story development) (segment “Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria”)

Edited by John Carnochan (1990 Restoration)

Fantasia 2000:

James Algar (segment “Sorcerer’s Apprentice, The”)

Gaëtan Brizzi (segment “Firebird Suite, The”)

Paul Brizzi  (segment “Firebird Suite, The”)

Hendel Butoy (segments “Pines of Rome” and “Piano Concerto No.2″)

Francis Glebas  (segment “Pomp and Circumstance”)

Eric Goldberg  (segments “Rhapsody in Blue” and “Carnival of the Animals, The”)

Don Hahn (host sequences)

Pixote Hunt   (segment “Symphony No. 5″)

Executive Producer: Roy Edward Disney

Producer: Donald W. Ernst

Associate Producer: Lisa C. Cook

Co-Producer: Patricia Hicks

Cinematography by Tim Suhrstedt

Edited by Jessica Ambinder-Rojas, Lois Freeman-Fox, Julia Gray, Craig Paulsen, Gregory F. Plotts

Casting by Mary Hidalgo, Ruth Lambert

Production Design by Pixote Hunt

Destino

Directed by Dominique Monfery

Written by Salvador Dali and John Hench

Story Supervisor: Donald W. Ernst

Produced by Baker Bloodworth

Executive Producer: Roy Edward Disney

Associate Producer: Dave Bossert

Edited by Jessica Ambinder-Rojas

Production Design by Thierry Fournier

Starring :

Leopold Stokowski – Conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra

Deems Taylor – Narrative Introductions

Corey Burton – Narrative Introductions

Walt Disney for the voice of Mickey Mouse in “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”

“Fantasia 2000″ starring:

Leopold Stokowski

Ralph Grierson

Kathleen Battle

Steve Martin

Ktzhak Perlman

Quincy Jones

Bette Midler

James Earl Jones

Penn Jillette

Teller

James Levine

Angela Lansbury

Wayne Allwine

Tony Anselmo

Russi Taylor

Eric Goldberg

Benee Leavy

Deems Taylor

Deborah Vukovitz

Fantasia, an unprecedented and magnificent feast of music and animated images, was initially released by the Studio in 1940 as a “road show” release. The following year, at the 14th Annual Academy Awards, Fantasia earned two Special Awards. The first was given to Walt Disney and associates for their outstanding contribution to the advancement of the use of sound in motion pictures, being the first commercial film released in multi-channel sound using a process called Fantasound, and the second to conductor Leopold Stokowski and his associates “for…unique achievement in the creation of a new form of visualized music…thereby widening the scope of the motion picture as entertainment and as an art form.”

Considered avant-garde during its time, Fantasia has gone on to become one of the most popular movies of all time and today is considered a classic. In 1990, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” Featuring the Philadelphia Orchestra, conducted by Stokowski, this groundbreaking film, which consists of animation set to eight musical pieces, is narrated by Deems Taylor and includes an appearance by Mickey Mouse (voiced by Disney himself).

Equally impressive is Fantasia 2000, the awe-inspiring extravaganza of sight and sound, executive produced by the late Roy E. Disney. Featuring an array of celebrity hosts including Steve Martin, Bette Midler, James Earl Jones, Penn and Teller, Angela Lansbury, Itzhak Perlman and Quincy Jones, the film, like its predecessor, expertly visualizes classical music compositions with various forms of animation and live-action introductions. Fantasia 2000 is primarily performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and conducted by James Levine.

With the success of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” and “Pinocchio”, Walt Disney Studios began working on a new animated feature length film titled “Fantasia”.

Unlike the previous two films, “Fantasia” would incorporate live action segments hosted by host Deems Taylor (an American composer and music critic) but with the studio wanting to raise the bar even higher, the animators wanted to try more experimental styles of animation that has never done before and then time it to go with the music directed by Leopold Stokowski and performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Because the film is more of a musical extravaganza, Walt Disney wanted the premiere to be a special event where there was reserved seating and it was a formal occasion in which people would get special program books.  So, in many ways, the film was like visiting a classic music concert versus a film.

“Fantasia” would feature the following soundtrack:

• Tocatta and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565 (Johann Sebastian Bach)
• The Nutcracker Suite OP. 71a (Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky) which includes “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy”, “Chinese Dance”, “Dance of the Reed Fluets”, “Arabian Dance”, “Russian Dance”, “Waltz of the Fowers”.
• The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (Paul Dukas)
• Symphony No. 6 (“Pastroal”) Op. 68 (Ludwig van Beethoven) which includes I. Allegro ma non troppo, II. Andante molto mosso, III. Allegro,  IV. Allegro, V. Allegretto
• Rite of Spring (Igor Stravinsky)
• Dance of the Hours from the opera “La Gioconda” (Amilcare Ponchielli)
• A Night on Bald Mountain (Modeste Moussorgsky)
• Ave Maria, OP. 52 No. 6 (Franz Schubert)

While the majority of the animation has no actual plot, among the most well-known animated segments include Mickey Mouse in “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”.  Mickey plays the assistant who takes his wizard’s hat and by looking at his spell book, tries to make the brooms come to life and clean the castle (so he doesn’t have to) but by creating so many brooms, the basin continues to fill up until a flood is created and causing damage.   While “A Night on Bald Mountain” is about the nocturnal Chernabog trying to summon souls from their graves as well as other evil entities.  Until the Angelus Bell sends them all back into hiding and transitions to “Ave Maria”.

The film has received positive reviews since it’s release in 1940 and even today as many are in awe of what was created at that time.  But because “World War II” was around the corner and Disney’s success was due to worldwide release and the film being shown in many countries outside of the U.S., the theatrical version (which cost a lot to make back in 1940) and only shown in 12 theaters was not a financial success.  Re-released in 1942 and receiving a hack and slash edit from 125-minutes to 81-minutes, it was a commercial failure as the public were not used to accepting a Disney animated film as a classical music animated concert.

Fortunately in 1946, the film restored the “Toccata and Fugue” animation.  In 1960′s, “Fantasia” would finally make a profit but because of the sign of the times, the film would become even more popular but that is because of the rampant drug use at that time and even Disney itself would release a psychedelic poster to promote the film.  The film would be edited once again for its 1969 release to remove the character of Sunflower, the centaur that was an African-American girl during the “Pastoral Symphony” and a racial stereotype that many praised for its removal but also annoying those who wanted an unedited, uncut version of the film.

The film would go through a major change in 1982 as the original sound negatives back in the ’30s were deteriorated and unusable, a magnetic recording was done in for its 1956 release.  Unfortunately, the master was unusable in 1982 and thus Disney re-recorded the film’s soundtrack digitally by an arrangement conducted by Irwin Kostal.  Deem’s Taylors original narration was replaced with voice artist Hugh Douglas and also removing most of the live action pieces of the film.  Once again, sending fans of the film in an uproar, while audiophiles who enjoyed the digital recording by Irwin Kostal over the original audio enjoying the audio change/upgrade.

With technology changes in 1990, for the 50th anniversary of “Fantasia”, Disney went back to the original Stokowski recording as they were able to digitally use the 1941 soundtrack to resemble the 1946 general release version.  Everything was restored with the exception of the 1969 racial stereotype removal.  In 2000, for the 60th Anniversary of the film, Disney also brought back the Deems Taylor visual elements and the intermission with the exception of the 1969 edit.

And here we are in 2010, for the 70th Anniversary of the film and for its Blu-ray release, receives a 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio treatment, keeping with the most faithful version of “Fantasia” since its 1946 release with the exception of the 1969 racial stereotype edit.

“Fantasia” was and still is considered “Avant-garde” and creatively artistic as the animators sought after experimental ways to raise the bar of animation.  It continues to be praised by critics and those who have watched the film and for nearly half a decade, remained a mystery on how the animation was created until a notebook created by Herman Schultheis (who worked for Disney’s camera effects department) was found and is now currently featured in the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco (note: A documentary on the finding of Schultheis’ notebook is included on this Blu-ray release).

The film was never meant to have an ending and thus for the film’s 60th Anniversary, the 38th animated feature “Fantasia 2000″ would be created.  Although shorter in duration than the original, the film would stay within the same context as the original by visualizing classical music compositions with live-action introductions.  For this 1999 release, the introductions would feature celebrities Steve Martin, Quincy Jones, Bette Midler, James Earl Jones, Angela Lansbury, Penn and Teller and Itzhak Perlman.

The new music would featuring James Levine conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra with the exception of “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” which would feature the original recording by Leopold Stokowski.

The biggest difference with this latest version of “Fantasia” would be the inclusion of modern animating techniques (CG) and trying to incorporate the classic style the original was known for.

Included in “Fantasia 2000″ are the following songs:

• Symphony No. 5 in C minor-1. Allegro con brio (Ludwig van Beethoven)
• Pines of Rome (Ottorino Respighi)
• Rhapsody in Blue (George Gerswhwin)
• Piano Concert No. 2 in F Major-i. Allegro (Dmitri Shostakovich)
• The Carnival of Animals, Finale (Camille Saint-Saens)
• The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (Paul Dukas)
• Pomp and Circumstance – Marches 1,2,3 and4 (Edward Elgar)
• Firebird Suite -1919 version (Igor Stravinsky)

A major difference between “Fantasia 2000″ and “Fantasia” is the inclusion of animation with a storyline.  In “Pines of Rome”, a whale who is trapped in an iceberg tries to find a way out of it with the help of its parents, in “Pomps and Circumstance – Marches 1,2,3 and 4″, Donald Duck and Daisy escort animals to Noah’s ark but when the flood comes, both Donald and Daisy are separated and both fear that the other must have died in sea.  For the final dramatic piece, a spring Sprite tries to return the land back with plants and vegetation after winter but a volcano erupts with a Phoenix breathing ash and fire to destroy any living thing around it.  Will the spring Sprite and her companion, an elk, survive?

With ten years having passed since the theatrical release of “Fantasia 2000″ and 70-years since the original “Fantasia” film, Walt Disney Studios are releasing a special 4-disc combo pack which includes a Blu-ray of both films, plus two DVD’s of each film.

Also, as an added bonus, the Academy Award winning animated short “Destino” (2003) which was originally created by Walt Disney and Salvadori Dali and storyboarded alongside with John Hench back in 1946 and shelved for over half a decade and brought to life in 2003 by Roy E. Disney and director Domonique Monfery with the help of John Hench is included on this Blu-ray release along with the fantastic documentary on the making of the short.

VIDEO:

“Fantasia” and “Fantasia 2000″ are both presented in 1080p High Definition with the former at 1:33:1 and the latter at 1:78:1.  First, the original 1940 film “Fantasia”…  Having owned this film on VHS and then DVD, the only thing I can tell you is how awesome the film looks in HD.   The colors are absolutely vibrant and once again, you can watch this film over and over and still be in awe of what was created back at that time, it’s amazing!  The contrast is very good, the blacks are nice and deep.  I did see some minor banding but considering the age of this film, by no means does it ruin your viewing of this animated classic. This is easily the best version of “Fantasia” thus far.

Now, of course, with “Fantasia 2000″, 60-years-later and the animators were able to combine newer CG animation with classic animation and thus with newer film elements compared to the original film, “Fantasia 2000″ obviously looks much better in HD.  The CG still holds up ten years later but if this film was created in 2010, who knows how much more detailed this whole film would have looked.

But both films look absolutely fantastic!  I didn’t see any artifacting, nor did I see any major blemishes towards picture quality.  Fans of “Fantasia” and “Fantasia 2000″ should be quite happy with this release!

As for “Destino”, Destino looks absolutely wonderful in HD.  Salvador Dali and Walt Disney’s creative and scrapped collaboration comes alive.  Colors are vibrant, blacks are nice and deep but it’s very important to note that this film does showcase Dali’s experimental style and although there is no nudity, there is a animated woman naked and unusual but creative artwork that some parents may find objectionable.  So, parents be warned.  But otherwise, a wonderful inclusion to this Blu-ray release!

As for the two included DVD’s, the film is presented in 1:33:1 aspect ratio (Fantasia) and 1:78:1 aspect ration (Fantasia 2000).

AUDIO:

This is where “Fantasia” and “Fantasia 2000″ comes alive on Blu-ray.  Presented in English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, I was absolutely floored.  Reason being is that I have owned several versions of the “Fantasia” soundtrack.  Listening it on cassette and CD and typically, “Fantasia” was my meditation music throughout the ’90s.  I’ve had this soundtrack play when I was working on my college notes, when I needed to just meditate and collect my thoughts and even to sleep, I absolutely love the soundtrack for this album.

But watching it on Blu-ray, I have never experienced “Fantasia” in this way ever!  Instruments separated on each of the seven channels, hearing audio going from left to right and right to left and hearing it so crystal clear and yet coming alive on a 7.1 system, I was literally amazed!

Both soundtracks with the Philadelphia and Chicago Orchestra just come alive in your soundscape with instruments being hear from all over.  If you have ever wondered how proper utilization of a concert or even audio Blu-ray using all channels would sound if properly done?  “Fantasia” and “Fantasia 2000″ is it!  Every instrument comes alive in each of the musical segments and simply, this is the best I have heard of “Fantasia” and “Fantasia 2000″.  I know there are some people who are still stuck on the digital recording of the 1982 version by Irwin Kostal but if you have a 7.1 setup, you may just want to come back and listen to Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra come alive in his HD release of “Fantasia”.  Once again, both soundtracks are fantastic!

As for “Destino”, the soundtrack utilizes the original song from 1941.  You can hear that record player needle touch upon the vinyl and that vinyl coming alive in HD.  It absolutely works with this film and I’m so happy that they used that soundtrack and not clean it up.  The audio is properly integrated to that classic song that Salvador Dali was inspired by.

As for subtitles, the film is presented in English SDH, French and Spanish.

As for the DVD release of “Fantasia”, the film comes with a 5.1DEHT English, French and Spanish language track.  Subtitles in English SDH, French and Spanish.

SPECIAL FEATURES

“Fantasia” comes with the following special features in HD:

• Audio Commentaries - Included with the Blu-ray release of “Fantasia” are three audio commentaries.  The first is with Disney Historian Brian Sibley who goes into everything from the development of the film to going through every detail about the film.  A fantastic audio commentary!  The second commentary features Roy E. Disney and historian John Canemaker and would feature archived interviews and recordings and also includes transcript readings and story note recreations.  The third audio commentary features Roy E. Disney, conductor James Levine, animation historian John Canemaker and film restoration manager Scott Macqueen.   This pretty much features commentary additional commentary by conductor Levine on the music of the film and Macqueen on the restoration done for the film.
• Fantasia Disney View Presentation – While watching “Fantasia”, you can watch it with an optional Disney View which fills the black bars ont eh sides with paintings by visual effect artist and designer Harrison Ellenshaw.
• Disney Family Museum - (4:05) Diane Disney Miller introduces us to the Disney Family Museum in Presidio, California.
• The Schultheis Notebook: A Disney Treasure – (13:51) A wonderful featurette by Diane Disney Miller talking about how the Schultheis Notebook was found and how it was incorporated to the Disney Family Museum using hi-tech technology.  We hear from various people of the importance of Schultheis notebook, pictures from the notebook and more!  A fantastic featurette!
• Interactive Galleries – With your remote, you can view , zoom and select favorites from the many concept art, illustration from “Fantasia” to the music from the film.

“Fantasia 2000″ comes with the following special features in HD and Standard Definition:

• Musicana – (9:19) A look at the development of a potential Fantasia Sequel titled “Musicana” which would never come to be.  We learn how Walt Disney’s original idea was to have “Fantasia” as a continual piece and how the artists in the ’70s tried to get “Musicana” off the ground.  Featuring images, conceptual art and sketches for “Musicana”.
• Audio Commentaries - The directors and art directors discuss each of the animated segments they worked on and how they feel about being part of a special occasion on working on the sequel.  The second commentary features Roy E. Disney, James Levine and producer Donald W. Ernst providing commentary of the entire film, how the film came about, and differences and similarities between the two films.
• Destino – (6:31) The Academy Award winning 2003 animated short.  A wonderful inclusion to this Blu-ray release!
• Dali & Disney: A Date with Destino – (1:22:18) A documentary on how Salvador Dali and Walt Disney would became friends, eventually working together on “Destino” and how the project was shelved but only discovered when the sketches were being moved to the newly built Disney Archives and thus learning how Roy E. Disney would go on to spearhead the project and make Dali/Disney’s project to become a reality.
• Disney’s Virtual Vault – The following features are provided via BD-Live.  You must have a Blu-ray profile 2.0 player that is connected to the Internet to access:

FANTASIA

- The Interstials

• Introduction (1:48)

- Tocata in Fuge in D-Minor

• Introduction (1:12)
• Alternate Concept (3:30)

- The Nutcracker Suite

• Excerpt from “The Story of the Animated Drawing” Layering and Painting (1:11)

- The Sorcerer’s Apprentice

• Introduction (1:00)
• Deleted Animation with the Broom (1:06)
• Story Reel (4:27)

- The Rite of Spring

• Introduction (:49)
• Excerpt from “Tricks of Our Trade” Effects Demonstration (7:34)

- The Pastoral Symphony

• Introduction (1:03)

- Dance of the Hours

• Introduction (:59)
• Excerpt from “Tricks of Our Trade” – Live Action Model Reference (6:30)
• Unused Rough Animation (1:03)

- Night on Bald Mountain

• Introduction (:46)
• Excerpt from “The Plausible Impossible” Managing Music and Visuals (3:51)

- Ave Maria

• Introduction (2:03)

- The Making of Fantasia (48:01)

- The Fantasia That Never Was

• Introduction (3:18)
• Clair de line (7:40)
• The Ride of the Valkyrie Story Reel (2:57)
• The Swan of Tumelsa Story Reel (4:07)
• Invitation t0 the Dance Story Reel (2:54)
• Adventure is a Perambulator Story Reel (2:23)

- Special Effects of Fantasia (4:02)

- Publicity (1940 Trailer) – (2:10)

- Publicity (1990 Trailer) – (1:27)

FANTASIA 2000

- The Interstitials

• Creating the Interstitials (5:08)
• Early Concept Reel (2:00)
• Proof of Concept Test (2:55)
• Micky Meets the Maestro (3:06)

- Symphony No. 5

• Creating Symphony No. 5 (4:32)
• Early Concept Reel #1, May 1993 (3:06)
• Early Cncept #2, Sept. 1993 (3:12)
• CGI Test of Early Concept #2 (1:13)
• Early Concept #3 (1:09)
• Proof of Concert Reel, June 1998 (2:53)

- Pines of Rome

• Creating Pines of Rome (4:31)
• Abandoned Concepts – Penguin Subplot (3:23), 0riginal ending (1:08
• Storyboard to Film Comparison (3:21)

- Rhapsody in Blue

• Creating Rhapsody in Blue (6:30)
• The Stages of Animation (2:54)

- Piano Concerto #2, Allegro, Opus, 102

• Creating Piano Concerto #2, Allegro, Opus 102 (4:43)
• Abandoned Concept – Alternate Rat Sequence (1:41), Original Ending (:26)
• Production Progression Demonstration: Tin Stoldier Story Reel (:39), Tin Soldier Rough Animation (:39), Tin Soldier, Clean Up and Effects Animation (:39), Tin Soldier Final Color (:39)

- Carnival of Animals (Les Carnival Des Animaux) FINALE

• Creating Carnival of Animals (Les Carnival des Animaux) FINALE (3:24)
• Early Story Reel, September 1954 (:59)
• Original Ending (:29)

- The Sorcerer’s Apprentice

• Deleted Animatic: Mickey with the Broom (1:06)
• Story Reel (4:27)

- Pomp and Circumstance – Marches 1,2,3 and 4

• Creating Pomp and Circumstance – Marches 1,2,3 and 4 (4:33)
• Abandoned Concepts: Noah’s Dove (5:41)

- Firebird Suite – 1999 Version

• Creating Firebird Suite – 199 Version  (6:07)
• Story Reel (2:44)
• Effects Animation: Firebird Eruption (3:11)
• Original Ending (1:30)
• Production, Progression, Demonstration: Sprite Awakens Story Reel (:50), Sprite Awakens: Rough Animation (:50), Sprite Awakens: Cleanup and Effects Animation (1:50), Sprite Awakens: Final Color (:30)

- Trailers, TV Spots: Trailer, Trailer 2 (IMax Experience), TV Spots #1-#4

- Roy Disney Introduction (3:31)

- The Making of Fantasia 2000 (48:42)

- Adventures in Music Melody (10:10)

- Adventures in Music: Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Bloom (10:20)

• Interactive Galleries – With your remote, you can view , zoom and select favorites from the many concept art, illustration from “Fantasia” to the music from the film.

EXTRAS:

“Fantasia/Fantasia 2000: 4-Disc Special Edition” comes with a slip cover case.

I loved “Fantasia” and since the 1990 release, the music of the film really got me through college and throughout that ten years before the DVD release in 2000, I would watch the film over and over and just be in awe of how this timeless classic continues to surprise me on how it was created and how beautiful the film is and how the marriage between animation and music just came alive. Experimental animation at its very best.

One does not have to be a Disney aesthete to watch this film and just be appreciative of the details of how the animation is and how well-timed it was for the big screen.  It’s an amazing testament to artists who wanted to push the envelope, raise the bar of animation to sights never seen before.  And this was in 1937-1940 and the results were fantastic.

Here we are in 2010 and if you thought you have seen or heard “Fantasia” in the best way possible, all I can say is prepare yourself until you watch and listen to this film on Blu-ray.  Audio-wise, this has to be one of the most incredible demonstrations of how audio and music can be used effectively with a 7.1 system.  As mentioned earlier in my review, I have had various versions of the “Fantasia” soundtrack which I have listened to in the past 20-years and until this Blu-ray release, I was literally shocked of how crystal clear and how effective the audio was utilized through the various channels.  Each instrument was given its own prominence on each channel and the results were incredible.

But granted, “Fantasia” is not the usual animated Disney film and also, it’s not a film that is loved by everyone because it’s not a story-based film.  As Walt Disney saw it in 1940 as an event to get people to sit and watching as if they are watching an actual concert, it all comes down to one’s appreciation to classical music and in this case, classic Disney animation.

For the first disc alone, I could see this as an easy must-buy because of the audio upgrade, especially audio commentary tracks and the Schultheis feature but Walt Disney also gives you “Fantasia 2000″ and “Destino” in this 4-Disc Special Edition Blu-ray release.

“Fantasia 2000″ is a combination of CG-animation with classic hand-drawn animation that Roy E. Disney and company have done a fantastic job in paying tribute to the the original and continuing Walt Disney’s goal of continuing the series.

“Fantasia 2000″ still manages to hold up well despite the 2000 CG but I enjoy the animation segments even more because they are story-driven and also sync up quite well to the music.  But when it comes to the music, both animated feature films are awesome in their own way.  The music selection for “Fantasia 2000″ was a bolder selection with the inclusion of Gershwin, but for the most part, I am happy that it doesn’t try to copy the original but mostly pays homage by maintaining the soul of “Fantasia” but presented differently with the inclusion of the celebrity introductions, story-based segments and more.

And as I enjoyed both films, the cherry on the cake for me was the inclusion of “Destino”.  As I am a fan of Salvador Dali’s work especially familiar with his work with Luis Bunuel, I did not know how close of a collaboration he had with Walt Disney until I saw the documentary “Dali & Disney: A Date with Destino”.  What a fantastic documentary and just the fact that it’s included in this Blu-ray is fantastic because we are getting three films showing us the experimental, the creative, the avante-garde side of Walt Disney Studios”within the last 60-years.

And just when you think that you are getting the best HD presentation of these films on Blu-ray and getting the best audio presentation of the soundtrack for both “Fantasia” and “Fantasia 2000″ films, you also get a lot of special features.

At first, I was looking at the back cover of this release and it appeared that this Blu-ray release of “Fantasia/Fantasia 2000″ would have very little special features but in fact, Disney decide to focus more on packing each disc with commentary on the first disc, and the “Destino” and its documentary on the second disc, that they saved all the special features for the BD-Live portion of this release.  And if you have a BD-Live enabled Blu-ray player and it’s connected to the Internet, then you can access the documentaries, story reels and more for both “Fantasia” and “Fantasia 2000″.  I know those with older Blu-ray profile 1.0 or 1.1 players will be disappointed by this and would have hoped for a third Blu-ray disc with bonus features but the fact that you get four discs in this release (including the DVD versions of both films), I can see why Disney decided to add the special features to BD-Live, especially utilizing the technology more with this release than they have in the past.

Overall, “Fantasia/Fantasia 2000: 4-Disc Special Edition” is a fantastic release and if you are a fan of either “Fantasia” films or a Disney fan at heart, this release is highly recommended!

Walt & El Grupo: The Untold Adventures (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

See a different side of Walt Disney that you have never seen before!  In 1941, Walt Disney and a few of his artists left the U.S. to spend three months in South America to study the country but also for Disney to become a cultural ambassador.   His group would be known as “El Grupo” and this documentary “Walt & El Grupo: The Untold Adventures” follows the adventures of Walt Disney and the animators as told by family, employees, friends from those in America and South America.  A fascinating documentary worth watching!

Images courtesy of © Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. All Rights Reserved

DVD TITLE: Walt & El Grupo: The Untold Adventures

DOCUMENTARY RELEASE DATE: 2008

DURATION: 107 minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Widescreen (1:78:1) – Enhanced for 16×9 Televisions, English and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 Audio, English and Spanish Subtitles

COMPANY: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

RATED: PG (For Historical Smoking)

RELEASE DATE: November 30, 2010

Walt & El Grupo: The Untold Adventures

Written and Directed by Theodore Thomas

Executive Producer: Walter Elias Disney Miller, Mark L. Rosen

Producer: Kuniko Okubo

Music by James Stemple

Cinematography by Shana Hagan

Edited by Lisa Palattella

Starring:

Miley Cyrus as Hannah Montana

Emily Osment as Lilly Truscott

Jason Earles as Jackson Stewart

Billy Ray Cyrus as Robbie Stewart

Mitchell Musso as Oliver Oken

Moises Arias as Rico

In 1941, when the world’s attention was fixed on the growing war, Walt Disney was called upon by the U.S. government to use a film research trip as a way of generating goodwill in South America, a continent the Roosevelt administration was wary of being influenced by Fascism and the Nazis. Walt personally led the expedition, absorbing the culture, befriending local artists and ultimately leading to the production of the classic films Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros.

The film is directed by Theodore Thomas, whose father Frank Thomas was one the “El Grupo” animators that accompanied Walt on the trip. Rich bonus features include 16mm Kodachrome footage intended as reference material, interviews with family members and historians as well as discussions of the personal and political importance of the artists’ contributions. Saludos Amigos, one of the films inspired by the group’s trip is also included.

It was a time of uncertainty for Walt Disney.

After the success of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” and proving that America did care about animated full-length features, Disney studios would grow. But this was during the time of the rise of labor unions and after the Screen Actors Guild was formed in 1937, the Screen Cartoonist Guild was formed in 1938 and Disney would be put on the spotlight due to their success.

Although Disney artists were paid quite well and Disney studios were doing very well, there was also discontent as layoffs were taking place and people felt that bonuses that were promised to them after the success of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” were not given to them and before any decorum could take place within Disney and its employees, the union would begin the first Disney animator’s strike.

Disappointed, shocked and dismayed, Walt Disney was facing one of the biggest hurdles of his career and in order to cool tensions between negotiations of Disney and its employees, Nelson Rockefeller who was head of the Latin Affairs Department (for the State Department) at the time requested Walt Disney to become an Ambassador of Goodwill and spend three months in South America.  To learn about the culture, the various countries and to get away from the events that were taking place.

And so, Walt Disney took his recommendation and selected several of his artists to join him on the three month trip to Central and South America which include Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Bolivia.

“Walt & El Grupo” The Untold Adventures” is a documentary written and directed by Theodore Thomas who interviews family and friends of Walt Disney and the artists but also interviewing family and friends of those who were there to greet Walt Disney and “El Grupo” to talk about memories of Disney and friends in South America.  Featuring letters, archived footage and interviews with Walt Disney, staff and those he met with in South America, the documentary paints a picture of the experiences of Disney, his artists and those who met with him.

We also learn that his trip was not just for goodwill but also to observe the area as Latin American governments were developing close ties with Nazi Germany at the time.

Needless to say, the trip by Disney and El Grupo was a success and the result of their trip led to the 1942 live/animated feature “Saludos Amigos” (Hello, Friends), the 6th animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series.

“Walt & El Grupo: The Untold Adventures” include both the documentary and the Disney’s sixth animated film “Saludos Amigos”.

VIDEO, AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Walt & El Grupo: The Untold Adventures” is presented in digital format but also includes archived footage and audio.  The film is presented in widescreen 1:78:1 – enhanced for 16×9 televisions and also features audio in English and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 audio and subtitles in English and Spanish.

Video quality varies as one would expect from a documentary but for the most part, the fact that there was archived video including interviews found for this documentary is fantastic and overall, picture quality is very good considering the various sources of the video and audio material.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Walt & El Grupo: The Untold Adventures” comes with the following special feature:

• Audio Commentary - Audio commentary with director Theodore Thomas and historian J.B. Kaufman. Thomas explains where the archived footage on the documentary comes from while historian J.B. Kaufman lends his expertise on the Disney strike and the politics behind it.
• Photos in Motion – (2:45) Still photos found from the 1941 trip and the process of how they made the photos come alive for the documentary.
• From the Director’s Cut – Featuring the following three featurettes:

- Home Movies for the Big Screen – (2:09) 16mm Kodachrome footage shot by El Grupo intended to be reference material. Featuring audio of Walt Disney and historian and author JB Kaufman explains the importance of the material.

- My Father’s Generation – (2:17) The return voyage on the SS Santa Clara is the setting to understand some of the remarkable qualities of the Disney group and their generation.  Cecilia Acle, daughter of a Chilean passenger and Cindy Garcia, daughter of Disney storyman Ted Sears tells the story.

- Artists and Politicians – (3:51) In a return to the Urca Casino, conductor and music historian Roberto Gnattali reflects on the golden age of the samba and the Brazilian government of the time.  Historian and author JB Kaufman shares thoughts on the timing of El Grupo’s trip.

• Saludos Amigos: Original 1943 Release – (42:00) The original 1943 Technicolor release of “Saludos Amigos”.  This is the sixth animated film by Walt Disney and features Donald Duck visiting Lake Titicaca, Pedro the small airplane from Chile picking up airmail from Mendoza, Goofy who is taken to the Argentine pampas to learn the ways of the native gaucho and Jose Carioca showing Donald Duck around South America and introducing him to samba.
• Original Theatrical Trailers – The original theatrical trailers for “Saludos Amigos” (1943) and “The Three Caballeros” (1945).

EXTRAS:

“Walt & El Grupo: The Untold Adventures” comes with a slip cover case and a gatefold map timeline featuring Walt Disney from 1937-1941.

When you hear or watch things related to Walt Disney, you are usually seeing the success of Disney and his animators.  The accomplishments that have been made in the company and what would be the growing Disney empire.  But as I’m not to familiar of the company outside of the popular animated films and TV shows, “Walt & El Grupo: The Untold Adventures” really gives us a perspective of how 1941 was a troubled time for Walt Disney and his studio.

I’ve briefly read about the Disney Animators Strike but watching this documentary and hearing it from family, you get a sense that Walt Disney was really hurt by what was taking place and seeing his artists strike against him and the company.  So, in many ways, it’s really interesting to see this film but also hear the audio commentary by director Theodore Thomas along with historian J.B. Kaufman giving us a perspective of how things were and what took place at that time.

Was it a coincidence that he left while the strike was taking place?  If anything, it was probably a good thing for Disney to leave the country for awhile and put divert his mind to other things.  But through this documentary, we get to learn that Disney and also the artists who were away from their families were homesick and as they were there to bring goodwill to South and Central America, as happy as they were to be there, they were also unhappy to be away for so long from their families and the only form of communication was letters that would come from time to time.

What I enjoyed about this documentary was to see how much access Theodore Thomas had with the Disney family members, especially family of the artists who have letters and memories from when Walt and El Grupo left and returned from their trip.  But also to see the access they got with family and people who had information in regards to Disney and the group arriving to South and Central America.  But it’s an honest documentary as well, especially when you get to hear from the South/Central American side of their view toward the film “Saludos Amigos”.  Did they love it?  or Did they hate it?  You’ll see their reaction when asked about it on this DVD.

And aside from this wonderful documentary featured on this DVD along with informative commentary.  You do get the animated film “Saludos Amigos” (the original 1943 release).

Overall, “Walt & El Grupo” is a fascinating documentary for those who enjoy Disney but also want to learn more about the history of Walt Disney and to see a side of him through his family and friends and those who met him.  I have watched a lot of Walt Disney related documentary and footage and as most tend to focus on his most famous work and what took place behind-the-scenes of those famous films, we rarely get to see the real Walt Disney, the family man, the business man and caring friend.

So, I really did enjoy “Walt & El Grupo: The Untold Adventures” and I definitely recommend it!

BEAUTY & THE BEAST: Diamond Edition on Blu-ray 10/5!

Beauty and the Beast: Diamond Edition

On Blu-ray™+ DVD Combo Pack – October 5, 2010
And Standard Definition DVD – November 23, 2010

Burbank, Calif., March 29, 2010 – Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (WDSHE) proudly announces the Blu-ray high-definition debut of Disney’s animated masterpiece, Beauty and the Beast on October 5, 2010.

Disney’s most requested film, Beauty and the Beast, arrives for the first time on Blu-ray Hi-Def as the second installment to the company’s new Diamond Collection. The Blu-ray transformation reveals the magic, music and majesty of the film as never before experienced with state-of-the-art picture restoration, pristine 7.1 Digital Surround Sound and hours of additional viewing experiences that include behind the scenes features, deleted scenes, enhanced music tracks, immersive games and more.

The first of only two animated films ever to be nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Picture (the second is 2009’s Up), Beauty and the Beast earned six Academy Award® nominations and won two Oscars® in 1992 for Best Original Song (“Beauty and the Beast”) and Best Original Score.

Unavailable in any form since 2003, Beauty and the Beast will be released from the Disney vault for a limited time only, arriving on a Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack (2 Blu-ray Discs + DVD) October 5, followed seven weeks later with the release of a 2-Disc standard definition DVD on November 23.


The Beauty and the Beast Blu-ray™ + DVD Combo Pack has a U.S. suggested retail price of $39.99 and the 2-Disc DVD set has a U.S. suggested retail price of $29.99.

Film Synopsis:

Set in and around a quaint French village during the late 18th century, Beauty and the Beast follows the fantastic adventures of Belle, a bright and beautiful young woman who finds escape from her ordinary life, and the advances of a boorish suitor, Gaston, by reading books. Meanwhile, off in a castle in the distance, a cruel young prince is cast under the spell of an enchantress who turns him into a tormented beast, while transforming his servants into animated household objects. In order to remove the curse, the Beast must discover a true love who will return his affection before the last petal falls from an enchanted rose. When Belle’s inventor father stumbles upon the Beast’s castle and is taken prisoner, Belle comes to the rescue and agrees to take her father’s place. With the help of the castle’s enchanted staff, she sees beneath the Beast’s exterior and discovers the heart and soul of a human prince.

Film Accolades:

Beauty and the Beast received two Academy Awards® for music in 1992, three Golden Globes® for Best Motion Picture, Best Original Score and Best Original Song in 1992, and two Grammy Awards in 1993. Listed as number seven on the American Film Institute’s Top 100 Animated Films, Beauty and the Beast helped define Disney animation for a new generation as the second film in the “Disney Animation Renaissance” (1989-1999) which launched with The Little Mermaid and revitalized animated features by captivating mature audiences while still delighting young viewers.

Beauty and the Beast features a cast of top vocal talent. Veteran stage actress and singer Paige O’Hara is the voice of Belle, one of Disney’s most beloved and independent heroines, and Robby Benson (TV’s “American Dreams”) delivers a powerful portrayal of the Beast. Three-time Oscar®-nominated screen star (The Manchurian Candidate in 1963, The Picture of Dorian Grey in 1946, and Gaslight in 1945) and six-time Golden Globe® award winner (TV’s “Murder, She Wrote” in 1992, 1990, 1987 and 1985, The Manchurian Candidate in 1963, and The Picture of Dorian Grey in 1946), Angela Lansbury gives a bubbly performance as Mrs. Potts. The late Jerry Orbach (TV’s “Law and Order,” “House of Mouse”) shines as the voice of Lumiere, the passionate candelabra, and David Ogden-Stiers (TV’s “M*A*S*H,” Lilo & Stitch) is Cogsworth, the tightly-wound mantel clock who functions as the head of the household.

Beauty and the Beast was also the first Disney animated film to inspire a Broadway stage production by the same name. Highlighting the film’s music by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, seven new songs were written for the stage musical. Beauty… was nominated for nine Tony Awards in 1994 and ran on Broadway for 5,464 performances until 2007, becoming Broadway’s sixth-longest running production in history.

Hannah Montana – Miley Says Goodbye? (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

For “Hannah Montana” fans, “Miley Says Goodbye?” could easily have been a fitting series finale but with the announcement of a fourth and final season, fans of the series can enjoy more episodes featuring the Stewart family and friends as the kids are now grown up and having to make important decisions.

Images courtesy of © WDSHE. All Rights Reserved

DVD TITLE: HANNAH MONTANA – Miley Says Goodbye?

DURATION: 135 minutes (six episodes)

DVD INFORMATION: Dolby Digital, NTSC, Color, Dolby Digital Stereo Sound, French and Spanish Language Tracks and Subtitles, Full Screen (1:33:1)

COMPANY: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

RATED: G

RELEASE DATE: March 9, 2010

Created by Richard Correll, Barry O’Brien, Michael Poryes

Starring:

Miley Cyrus as Hannah Montana

Emily Osment as Lilly Truscott

Jason Earles as Jackson Stewart

Billy Ray Cyrus as Robbie Stewart

Mitchell Musso as Oliver Oken

Moises Arias as Rico

Never before has Miley Stewart faced such a crucial decision! Now, DVD viewers will be the FIRST to see the season finale with Miley’s pivotal decision-making moment about staying in Hollywood or returning home to Tennessee, only on DVD before it airs on Disney Channel! Get ready for Hannah Montana: Miley Says Goodbye?, with six episodes, including the Season 3 finale episode, exciting bonus features and a bonus episode.

In the latest volume of the popular Disney television series, a total of five hilarious and fun “Hannah Montana” episodes to satisfy the Miley fans and the entire family!

Having a child that is a big fan of various Disney series, “HANNAH MONTANA” has been part of our household family viewing for years. So, suffice to say that I have watched a good share of the episodes of “HANNAH MONTANA” to get a good feel of what the series is about.  As for the DVD releases tend to revolve around a certain theme than episodic episodes in order. Thus here comes a new “HANNAH MONTANA” DVD titled “Miley Says Goodbye” and features Miley, Jackson and friends who are older and now having to make important life decisions.

Also, with each of the talent of the show going to do their own thing in their personal careers, especially Miley Cyrus, it was not known if the third season would be her last and thus the season ended with what could be seen as a fitting series finale.  But a fourth and final season has been ordered by the Disney Channel and thus, the final conclusion to the series will be in 2011.

For those not familiar with the television show that launched the career of pop star, Miley Cyrus, “HANNAH MONTANA” is a popular Disney Channel television series which started back in 2006 and revolves around a family of three.

Miley Stewart (Miley Cyrus) is a normal teenage girl but when she goes on stage and records an album, she dons a blond wig and is known as the popular pop idol Hannah Montana.

Her father/manager Robbie (real life father, Billie Ray Cyrus) has given her the dual identity so she can live a normal teenage life. She lives with her brother Jackson (played by Jason Earles) who is a bit of goof off who tends to get himself into some sort of predicament at home or at work at the hot dog stand owned by young entrepreneur Rico (played by Moises Arias).  For Miley/Hannah, she is fortunate to have her best friend Lilly Truscott (played by Emily Osment) and Oliver Oken (played by Mitchel Musso) around at times to be her voice of reason and to help bail her out of trouble.

But in this third season, the six episodes featured on this DVD feature the kids who are now older.  Miley having made a successful movie, her career is doing well but getting a taste of her old life in Tennessee, she questions if California or Tennessee should be her true home. Jackson is dealing with decisions about college (and not going to college) and living on his own.  Oliver has done well in a music talent show and sees his music career starting to blossom while Lilly is now living with Miley and figuring out where she fits in with the success of her best friends.

The “Hannah Montana – Miley Says Goodbye?” DVD features a total of six episodes. Included are:

1. EPISODE 59: You Never Give Me My Money - With Miley’s father managing her money, Miley wants to show that she is financial responsible (after her credit card debacle many episodes ago).  So, her father is allowing her to have a checking account with $5,000 and to see if she can be responsible and not spend it all.
2. EPISODE 64: Papa’s Got a New Friend – With Miley accidentally injuring her choreographer (played by “Dancing with the Stars” Carrie Inaba), she hires a new choreographer who instantly becomes her father’s best friend.  But her new choreographer is all about him and very strict to Miley and her dancers.
3. EPISODE 69: Promma Mia - With Oliver and Lilly going to the prom, Miley doesn’t have a date.  (special guest star: “American Idol” star David Archuleta)
4. EPISODE 73: He Could Be the One - An old boyfriend tries to come back to Miley but with her father still sore from how the boyfriend treated Miley back then, Miley tries to hide the fact that she is dating him again from her father.
5. EPISODE 84: Miley Says Goodbye? Part 1 – Miley reunites with her horse Blue Jeans by bringing him to California.  So, now she is considering moving back to Tennessee.  Meanwhile, Jackson deals with living in his own apartment.
6. EPISODE 85: Miley Says Goodbye? Part 2 - Miley wants to move back to Tennessee, Oliver is offered to open and tour with a band for six months but both are worried about how Lilly will deal with their departure.

VIDEO, AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Hannah Montana – Miley Says Goodbye?” is presented in Full Screen (1:33:1) and is featured in Dolby Digital Stereo Sound with also a French and Spanish audio track available.  Subtitles are in English SDH, French and Spanish.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The DVD comes with two major special features:

• “He Could Be the One” Alternate Ending – (3:13) An alternate ending for the episode “He Could Be the One”.
• Sister Secrets – (8:05) Brandi Cyrus shows us backstage of the “Hannah Montana” set and also interviews the cast.
• Hannah’s Highlights: “You Never Give Me My Money” – While watching the episode “You Never Give Me Money”, pop ups with information will be displayed on the screen with fun facts and interesting information.

EXTRA:

Included with the DVD is a “Hannah Montana – Mile Says goodbye” photo holder where fans can display their picture next to Hannah Montana.

For “Hannah Montana – Miley Says Goodbye?”, the episodes focus on the kids growing up and now having to make decisions about life, love and career.   It was not known if this would be the final season of “Hannah Montana”, so it was quite interesting to see this one hour episode season finale and for the most part, it would have been a fitting ending if Disney chose not to renew the series.  Personally, it’s quite interesting to see how much has changed with the characters and to see them grow from these young kids to now young adults within the last four years but with one final season to go, it will be interesting to see how the series concludes.

But for the most part, for “Hannah Montana” fans, you get a total of six fun episodes instead of the usual 4-5 and more special features included on the DVD, especially to see how backstage, the set of “Hannah Montana” is a family affair with older sister Brandi Cyrus working in props and Miley’s grandmother going through the fan mail.

Overall, as a father of a child who enjoys the series, the show definitely has its share of hilarious moments and for six episodes for a low price, you really can’t go wrong with it. Fans of Miley Cyrus and “Hannah Montana” won’t be disappointed.

Handy Manny – Motorcycle Adventure (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

Join Handy Manny and his talking tools as they solve obstacles for their clients and friends during the holidays in a special Christmas episode and also special feature as Manny goes on a field trip for a special family reunion!  The DVD features interactive games and another fun and educational DVD release that can be enjoyed by the whole family.

Images courtesy of © WDSHE. All Rights Reserved.

DVD TITLE: HANDY MANNY – Motorcycle Adventure

DURATION: 46 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Dolby Digital, NTSC, Family Friend Widescreen (1:78:1 – Enhanced for 16×9 Television), Spanish Language Track

COMPANY: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

RATED: TV Y

RELEASE DATE:  December 1, 2009

Created by Roger Bollen, Marilyn Sadler and Rick Gitelson

Theme song performed by Los Lobos

Wilmer Valderrama (voice of Manny)

Carlos Alazraqui (voice of Felipe “The Phillips Screwdriver”)

Dee Bradley Baker (voice of Turner “The Screwdriver”)

Nika Futterman (voice of  Squeeze “The Pliers”)

Tom Kenny (voice of Mr. Lopart)

Fred Stoller (voice of Rusty “The Wrench”)

Nancy Truman (voice of Kelly)

Kath Soucie (voice of Dusty “The Saw”)

Shelley Morrison (voice of Mrs. Portillo)

Robby D. Bruce (voice of Quinn)

In this road trip adventure, Manny decides to bring his friends and tools along for the ride to a fiesta grande – Manny’s family reunion. With everyone safely aboard his magnificent motorcycle, Manny helps the communities he passes through with fixes and repairs, and even has time to teach Pat the hammer that families come in all shapes and sizes. With quick teamwork and clever steering, Manny manages to rescue Pat, Squeeze, and Flicker who strayed from the group and get everyone to the reunion on time to partake in the exciting family festivities.

You break it, we fix it!

Welcome to the world of Sheetrock Hills where Manny Garcia, a bilingual Latino handyman helps save his city (from breaking down) with making repairs with his team of talking tools.  The children’s CG animated series is created by Roger Bollen, Marilyn Sadler and producer Rick Gitelson (known for writing/producing for animated shows such as “Rugrats”, “LazyTown” and “Dragon Tales”) and is shown on Playhouse Disney.

With the Christmas season coming up, Disney is releasing “Handy Manny – Motorcycle Adventure” which comes with a bonus “A Very Handy Holiday” episode.

In “Handy Manny – Motorcycle Adventure”, Manny plans to go back home for a family reunion.  So, Manny packs up the tools and they go on a road trip.  But as they are heading to the family reunion, the take a quick stop at the gas station to fill up.  Meanwhile Pat, Squeeze and Flicker quickly go inside a tool truck to find out if Pat’s cousin is inside.  But with the truck going on another route, Manny knows he must travel a different direction and get back his friends.

Will Manny be able to get to his family reunion in time?

“Handy Manny” focuses on the following characters:

Manual “Manny Garcia – Voice acting by “That 70′s Show” actor Wilmer Valderrama.  Manny is half Puerto Rican and half Mexican.  He is the repairman that many people call if they are in need of a talented and trustworthy repairman.

Manny’s talking tools:

Accompanying Manny to his jobs are his tools such as:

Felipe “The Phillips Screwdriver” – The tool who suggests ideas that can make problems worse.  Considers himself important but also the Spanish translator of the tool group.

Turner “The Flat Screwdriver” – The grumpy tool who is always at odds with Felipe.

Stretch “The Tape Measure” - Loves to measure things and loves to count.

Squeeze “The Pliers” - Impatient and always ready to fix things.

Pat “The Hammer” – The funny and talkative person of the group, also not too smart one in the group.

Dusty “The Handsaw” – Always gives good advice and enjoys cutting wood.

Rusty “The Monkey Wrench” – Always worrying and is often scared.

Fllicker “The Flashlight” – Speaks Spanish and speaks very little English.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

In the past, “HANDY MANNY” was featured in full screen with an aspect ratio of 1:33:1.  This time around, “Handy Manny – Motorcycle Adventure” is now featured in 1:78:1 widescreen.  The animation is 3D and colorful and the type of animation that children have enjoyed from the popular Disney TV series.

As for audio, audio is presented in English via Dolby Digital Sound and comes with a Spanish Language track.  The soundtrack for the main feature includes the song “Rolling Down the Hightway” by Los Lobos.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“HANDY MANNY” comes with the following special features:

• GAME TIME: Adventure Mode – Using your remote, viewers can play two educational, interactive games.
• A Very Handy Holiday – (24:06) In this special holiday episode, Manny and the tools are building gifts for Christmas and have to get ready for Kelly’s Christmas.  But during the holidays, the lights on the town Christmas tree has gone out and Mayor Rosa asks for Manny’s help.  But as they prepare for the party, some of Manny’s friends are having problems during the holidays.  Mrs. Portillo has locked herself out of her store and can’t get in.  Sherman’s car is stuck on the road and Mr. Lopart’s Christmas lights are not working.  With Manny willing to help his friends in need, will Manny and his tools make Kelly’s holiday party in time?

With the holiday season coming up, if you are looking for a family friendly and educational animated DVD, “Handy Manny – Motorcycle Adventure” is definitely a series that will entertain the children for the holidays.

Both the feature and the holiday episode are safe for children and there is nothing harmless.  The overall concept of the series is about Manny and his talking tools of finding a way to fix a problem for his clients and friends and overcoming any challenges that Manny has to face through teamwork.

Will everyone enjoy this animated series?  Granted the series may skew towards young boys, especially those who want to build and get to know the various tools.  But because the show is structured with male and female characters, young girls can enjoy the series as well.

Overall, parents who have children who enjoy “Handy Manny” will definitely find “Handy Manny – Motorcycle Adventure” to be an enjoyable way to educate your child, especially when they are on vacation for the holidays.  Definitely a DVD worth checking out!

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