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"TOY STORY 3" Blu-ray Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: ***** (out of 5 stars) DVD EXPERIENCE: **** (out of 5 stars) Rated G Studio: Disney Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
In this third installment in the groundbreaking Pixar franchise, Andy is heading off to college, so he’s packing up his old toys to donate to charity. The toys have to come to terms with their owner growing up, and they start a new adventure at a day care center. But soon they discover that this place is not the happy haven they were led to believe it was.
WHAT I LIKED
It’s “Toy Story.” What’s not to like? It’s so rare for a sequel to be as good as the original. Make it a second sequel, and it’s even more rare. Make that movie 15 years after the first one, and the odds are astronomical. Yet Pixar rolled those dice and delivered the best movie of 2010, bringing back all of the characters, all of the voices (save Jim Varney, RIP) and all of the charm for another go-round.
Like the previous installments, “Toy Story 3” has everything you’d want in a film. It has drama, it has heart, it has great characters, it look beautiful... heck, I’m sure it smells beautiful too... just like strawberries.
Pixar is currently book-ended with “Toy Story” and “Toy Story 3,” and while you can see gargantuan leaps in technology, animation and vision in this film, the heart and soul (which is what made the first film so lovely) are still there.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Not a thing. And yeah, I cry at the end. Every doggoned time.
BLU-RAY FEATURES
The Blu-ray combo set comes with four discs: the feature Blu-ray, the bonus material Blu-ray, the DVD and the Digital Copy disc.
Bonus material on the first disc includes the brilliant short “Day & Night” as well as Buzz Lightyear’s Mission Logs from the Space Shuttle (as earlier installments were seen on previous “Toy Story” releases).
The Blu-ray Bonus Disc includes the “Toy Story Trivia Dash” set-top game, a commentary track, an embedded feature-length insight called “Cine-Explore” with director Lee Unkrich and producer Darla Anderson, three new “Studio Stories” and a slew of featurettes: “Beginnings: Setting a Story in Motion,” “Bonnie’s Playtime – A Story Roundtable with Director Lee Unkrich,” “Roundin’ Up a Western Opening” and “Paths to Pixar: Editorial.”
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Everyone but Armond White.
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"FANTASIA/FANTASIA 2000" Blu-ray Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: **** (out of 5 stars) BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: ***1/2 (out of 5 stars) Rated G Studio: Disney Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
For the first time ever on Blu-ray, Disney has released the original classic “Fantasia.” Taking a diversion from the standard storytelling animation, Walt Disney embarked on an experiment in which he put animation to music in a very free form. It wasn’t esoteric interpretation, but rather the creativity of the artist, and it became a classic. Almost half a century later, the Walt Disney Company updated the concept and delivered “Fantasia 2000,” a new imagining of classical music with state-of-the-art animation.
WHAT I LIKED
I love animation, and most of the films in the Disney Vault are brilliant pieces of work that need to be seen in the best visual presentation possible. Earlier VHS and DVD releases of “Fantasia” (and its sequel) are beautiful to watch, but these films are done an honor for release in high definition.
“Fantasia,” which was originally made with a 4:3 aspect ratio, is presented in optional DisneyView, which extends the picture with color frames to fill the full width of your HDTV. “Fantasia 2000” is presented 16:9. Both of these films look gorgeous, and when I showed them to my kids, they watched every frame with wide eyes.
There’s something to love about both films, even with the first being almost twice as long as its follow-up. I love the look and charm of “Fantasia.” It was really thinking out of the box for its time, and even though Walt Disney never got the chance to update it every few years, it will live on forever. This is a snapshot into filmmaking of the 50s, and it has the perfect blend of cute (with appearances by Mickey and Donald) and class (with the variety of music and non-narrative presentation).
“Fantasia 2000,” which considered lesser by some, is still a sight to behold. It kept the charm of the original with “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” short, and it also showed what was possible at the time with the relatively new CGI technology. Yet, it still has the charm of hand-drawn animation in various styles, from the retro jazz of the Harlem number to the golden glaze of Noah’s Ark.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
There really isn’t much to complain about with these films. Sure, if you’re looking for a long-form storytelling or the traditional Disney Princess film, you won’t find it here. However, these films themselves are works of art to be treasured for years to come.
BLU-RAY FEATURES
Each film gets its own Blu-ray and DVD, totally four discs in the set.
“Fantasia” special features include a spotlight on the Disney Family Museum, interactive art galleries, audio commentaries and “The Schultheis Notebook,” which looks at some of the early stages of the film.
“Fantasia 2000” includes audio commentaries and “Musicana,” which was Walt’s inspiration for a “Fantasia” sequel. There’s also a feature-length look at the relationship between Walt Disney and Salvador Dali, who were to work on “Destino,” a surrealistic short. Also presented on the disc, “Destino” was completed in 2003 and was nominated for an Oscar.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Anyone with a great love of animation.
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"THE SORCERER’S APPRENTICE" Blu-ray Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: *** (out of 5 stars) BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: ***1/2 (out of 5 stars) Rated G Studio: Disney Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
Modern-day sorcerer Balthazar Blake (Nicolas Cage) takes an apprentice in New York City, a young kid who reluctantly becomes involved. Balthazar trains him to be a sorcerer so they can defeat the minions of Morgan Le Fay, who are trying to release her from her immortal prison.
WHAT I LIKED
For the most part, I enjoyed “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.” It definitely had the tongue-in-cheek feel of the Disney live-action family films like “Prince of Persia” and the “National Treasure” films. It’s really a story made for a younger generation rather than that of its stars. Jay Baruchel and his buddies probably wouldn’t be seeing this film were he not in the movie.
Like many of Disney’s live-action fantasy films, this sparks the imagination. It’s not as hard-edged as the “Harry Potter” films at all, and thus doesn’t quite have the same wide appeal. But it’s fun, and there is a scene which pays homage to the original “Sorcerer’s Apprentice” short in “Fantasia.”
Directed by Jon Turteltaub, “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” is just plain fun. It’s not the greatest movie out there, but it falls right in line with other films like “Percy Jackson and the Olympians.”
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Most of the softer parts of this film come from the movie just being fine rather than being awesome. The special effects look slick as ever, but there just isn’t the spark that makes a film great. Plus, Nicolas Cage and his mullet can bring down any movie, even if he chews the scenery in an entertaining way.
Finally, I really hope that Jay Baruchel’s fifteen minutes of fame are up. I’m getting tired of the kid, and I would have probably enjoyed the movie more were someone else the star.
BLU-RAY FEATURES
The Blu-ray comes bundled with the DVD. Blu-ray features include five deleted scenes, outtakes, a making of spot and several featurettes: “Magic in the City,” “The Science of Sorcery,” “Making Magic Real,” “The World’s Coolest Car” and “Fantasia: Reinventing a Classic.”
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Tweens who might find Harry Potter a bit too dark for their tastes.
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"OCEANS" Blu-ray Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: ***1/2 (out of 5 stars) BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: *** (out of 5 stars) Rated G Studio: DisneyNature Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
Following up the Earth Day release of “Earth,” DisneyNature presents “Oceans,” which looks at the complex and interconnected creatures in our world’s largest bodies of water.
WHAT I LIKED
With a title as all-encompassing as “Oceans” (which is only slightly less encompassing than “Earth”), there’s a lot of ground to cover. This plays out as a family-friendly introduction to the oceans of our planet. There have been several high-definition documentaries about the same topic, including “Under the Sea,” which got an IMAX release, as well as the entire “Planet Earth” series, so we find ourselves in familiar territory.
“Oceans” hits all the right buttons, focusing on the cute (like the seals and penguins) to the dangerous (like the sharks) and the majestic (like the whales). But it also doesn’t leave the smaller creatures behind. It brings to mind the early Disney nature documentaries from decades ago, and this new series is a great way to continue that tradition.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
On the whole, “Earth” played better, even though it was an amalgamation of previously existing documentaries. The same goes for this production, which isn’t really produced by DisneyNature but rather assembled by them. That, of course, doesn’t change the content, which is very nice.
BLU-RAY FEATURES
The Blu-ray includes “Living Menus,” which highlight different areas of the globe featured in the film. There are Filmmaker Annotations to the movie, plus bonus videos, a spotlight on preservation and the “Make a Wave” music video featuring Joe Jonas and Demi Lovato.
The Blu-ray also comes bundled with the DVD of the film.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Families who want an introduction to the Earth’s oceans without anything too violent.
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"THE CRIMSON WING: MYSTERY OF THE FLAMINGOS" Blu-ray Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: **1/2 (out of 5 stars) BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: *** (out of 5 stars) Rated G Studio: DisneyNature Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
Another installment from DisneyNature, which was released with the film “Oceans,” “Crimson Wing: The Mystery of the Flamingos” tells the story of how these beautiful birds live in a hostile environment and persevere with the miracle of life.
WHAT I LIKED
When I was just a toddler, my parents took me to the Columbus Zoo, where they have always had a sizeable flamingo exhibit. I was fascinated by these colorful birds, and to this day, I don’t miss a chance to check them out. They are beautiful creatures.
“Crimson Wing” gives a nice insight into the birds in the wild, and putting them up against the backdrop of Lake Natron in Tanzania, which is hostile and toxic to most other living creatures, it’s really cool story. “Crimson Wing” is a relatively self-contained documentary that isn’t as encompassing as “Earth” or “Oceans,” but it’s a neat story nonetheless.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
My only problem with this movie is how small in focus it is. The imagery is great, and the colors are vibrant on the high definition television, but the scope of the film is a bit lacking. At a scant 78 minutes, this could have easily been bundled on the “Oceans” DVD rather than being sold as its own feature.
BLU-RAY FEATURES
The Blu-ray comes with the DVD for portable use. The Blu-ray features include “The Crimson Wing” screensaver, filmmaker annotations and two featurettes: “Lake Natron Diaries: Behind The Crimson Wing” and “Living Planet.”
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
People fascinated by pink flamingos (the real ones, not the ones in trailer parks).
