Starting in January, CBS Paramount will tease us with a sampler of several popular episodes, followed by a box set for season one set to be released later on in 2012. StarTrek.com has reported that all 178 episodes of The Next Generation‘s seven seasons will be transferred to true high-definition 1080p for release in the Blu-ray format and, eventually, for runs on television and digital platforms in the U.S. and across the world. Having launched in 1987, the released of The Next Generation on Blu-ray comes right on time with the series’ 25th anniversary.

“Fans have been clamoring for a high-definition release of Star Trek: The Next Generation,” Ken Ross, Executive Vice President and General Manager of CBS Entertainment, said in a statement. “Transferring the series to high-definition presented difficult technical challenges, but our team has come up with a process to create true 1080p HD masters with true HD visual effects. We can’t wait to show fans how pristine the series looks and sounds with our upcoming Blu-ray releases.” On September 21, 2012, LeVar Burton tweeted on his personal Twitter account, “Stopped by to see how the TNG conversion to HD for Blue Ray [sic] was coming along…” along with a photograph of CBS Television City.

The sampler, called Star Trek: The Next Generation — The Next Level has a set date of  January 31, 2012, and will be presented as a single disc, which will include the feature-length version of the series pilot, “Encounter At Farpoint” and fan-favorite episodes “Sins of The Father” and “The Inner Light”. The Next Level will sell for the suggested retail price of $21.99.

For more information on this, and other upcoming Blu-ray releases, check out the Star Trek official website (www.startrek.com) and back here as well.

Bradley Cooper (The A-Team, The Hangover II) and Robert De Niro (Little Fockers, Machete) star in Limitless, a paranoia-fueled action thriller that is this week’s big release on Blu-ray and DVD. Bradley Cooper plays Eddie, a lazy, unpublished writer who becomes addicted to a top-secret smart drug named NZT that allows him to use 100% of his brain. NZT gives him superhuman abilities including increased awareness and concentration levels transforming Eddie into a damn near perfect individual seemingly overnight. His enhanced abilities soon attract the attention of shadowy forces that threaten his new life and become clear dangers to the very people in Eddie’s life.

Limitless was directed by Neil Burger (The Illusionist) and grossed over $155M during it’s run in theaters. As the story is told, the use of colors and vivid videography help to push along the story and immerse the audience into the action.

The Blu-ray features both the Theatrical and not-seen-in-theaters Extended versions with an alternate ending which is more or less the same as the final cut’s ending until the final cut’s little twist.

This movie comes highly recommend so head out to your local store and add this your collection.

Namco Bandai Games put word out yesterday that coming this fall a new Tekken title which isn’t Street Fighter X Tekken, Tekken X Street Fighter or Tekken Tag Tournament 2 will be landing on the PlayStation 3. Tekken Hybrid was announced and it will feature the upcoming release of Tekken: Blood Vengeance 3D and Tekken Tag Tournament HD along with some more additional content that hasn’t been officially announced yet. You can pretty much guess that Tekken Tag Tournament HD is a high-def remake of the PS2′s Tekken Tag Tournament which launched Sony’s successful system in 2006.

Considered one of the best titles in the Tekken franchise, and one of the greatest fighting video games of all time, Tekken Tag Tournament is the next of a growing list of PlayStation 2 titles receiving the HD treatment for release on PS3. Tekken: Blood Vengeance is the feature film set between the Tekken 5 and Tekken 6 games and follows a plot parallel to the Tekken canon. Tekken executive producer Katsuhiro Harada expressed in a recent interview that fans of the Tekken series have been begging for a full CG Tekken movie since the days of Tekken 2 and Tekken 3 but “the prospect of a feature film was impossible for technical reasons. After Tekken 6, however, which began with a four-minute CG movie, the game makers reconsidered the plausibility of creating a film with assets adapted from a Tekken game.”

Tekken: Blood Vengeance 3D will be presented as a special NCM Fathom event for one night only in over 375 theaters across North America on July 26 before a home entertainment Blu-Ray release as part of the Tekken Hybrid set, and as a standalone DVD release from BANDAI Entertainment Inc. The movie follows Xiaoyu Ling, seasoned martial artist and high school student, tasked by the G Corporation to infiltrate an international school in Kyoto to gather information on the mysterious student Shin Kamiya. Before she can make any progress in the investigation, Shin is kidnapped by an unknown assailant. Digging deeper into Shin’s background in an attempt to rescue him, Xiaoyu learns about the frightening underbelly of the Mishima Zaibatsu. Jin Kazama, Kazuya Mishima…and the late Heihachi Mishima’s conspiracy that’s stained with blood.

Are you excited for this upcoming release? Will the bonus content include anything on the crossover games and will there be any word on Tekken Tag Tournament 2? For more information on Tekken Hybrid, plus details for the DVD release of Tekken: Blood Vengeance, visit any of the following sites:

www.namcobandaigames.com; http://www.facebook.com/Tekken; http://www.twitter.com/Harada_TEKKEN; or http://www.twitter.com/FilthieRich.

Year: 2010
Running Time: Legacy 125 minutes / Tron 96 Minutes
Rated: PG
SRP: $79.99
Studio(s): Disney
Release Date: April 5, 2011

Film/Feature: Tron Legacy: C+ / Tron: C

Who would have thought that a film filled with computer-generated effects would influence and inspire so many people? Who would have thought that a sequel was possible nearly 30 years later? This was my second time viewing Legacy as I saw it in a 3D IMAX theater and this had to be probably my fifth time seeing Tron (in full) and one film set out what it wanted to do but for me fell way short of its potential. The other is a classic film for many, and justifiably a landmark in technical achievement but honestly has not aged particularly well.

The original Tron featured Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) as a computer programmer who claims video games he designed were stolen by his old company rival Ed Dillinger (David Warner) of ENCOM. With the assistance of his friends Alan Bradley (Bruce Boxleitner) and Lora Baines (Cindy Morgan), Flynn gets access to ENCOM’s mainframe computers and hacks into the system and in the process gets zapped into the server where he’s thrown into a virtual world of where he’s the guest “user” trying to survive alongside other programs as Master Control the ultimate program, which has grown to ultimate power throws Flynn into these wild games of survival. Writer/Director Steven Lisberger was a visionary when he put this film together. Long before the internet and smart phones, Lisberger dreamed of a world that we’ve only begun to catch up to today.

As imaginative and creative as the film is, and how the young actors at the time, and now long-time veterans in the “game” put in a “go for it” effort, Tron is filled with dry and forgettable moments and deplorable bad fashion. But you can’t help but give it up for Lisberger and the foresight to come up with language and speak that rings true today as well as concepts and our own personal usage of computers and games, and the internet. Tron unfortunately is a struggle to watch as something other than those inspirational moments and visual highlights. What people remember most is dazzling and colorful visuals, crazy virtual games, and a bunch of cheese oozing in between. Ironically the sequel is much in the same.

Tron Legacy had the knowledge of where we have gone since 1982 and fell flat when there were infinite possibilities as far as where to take the story, but sadly they chose to mirror much of Tron’s structure. First it was essential one see Tron before seeing Legacy but it does help greatly. Secondly the film mirrors much of the original instead of taking it to new places and that’s where my problem comes with Legacy. The story begins as Flynn knowing he could go to this virtual world and create a vast new world in the basement of his arcade. He enlists two “programs” to help him build while he would go back to spend time with his family. CLU, A computer in the visage of a computer generated “younger” Bridges, and Tron (Boxleitner) the security program that helped him destroy Master Control in the original movie. Unfortunately with all of his trips back and forth to The Grid, Flynn got stuck and his son grew up without his father in 1989.

Since then Sam (Garrettt Hedlund) is a thorn in ENCOM’s side and breaks into the company only to cause havoc on their servers on the days they expect their stock to raise in value. But Alan, now an executive at ENCOM gets word from Flynn inside The Grid to send in Sam. The message was an elaborate trick by CLU to get Sam into the virtual Grid, while opening a portal for anyone to go through back to the real world, including CLU. Sam is thrown into a barrage of death-match games much like his father but the world is a dizzying and dazzling update. Gone are the body suits with Sharpie marker designs drawn on them and in return is a beautiful, sleek and chic new imagining of The Grid. Sam survives the tests and is rescued by Quorra (Olivia Wilde) who takes him off the Grid.

Sam is reunited with his father who has become a stark contrast to the wild and reckless programmer he once was. CLU has grown in power and by staying off the grid, Kevin Flynn remains in the virtual world to keep the real world safe from his creation gone bad. Also, as if discovering a native flower, Quorra represents the last of a native race of beings in the Grid that could be the answer to multiple problems in the real world. Sam being on the Grid brings Flynn out in the open for the first time in a long time and with Flynn’s identity disc, CLU could escape out to the real world to create more perfection.

As I stated earlier Legacy seems to be more of the original Tron amplified, and much of that upping the visual ante can be attributed to first time director Joseph Kosinski who hailed from the architecture world. His prior career shines through the style and art design of the film. It’s a stunning redesign of silhouettes and neon light. It’s chock full of contemporary flair, but there’s also artificial lens flairs galore and atmospheric smoke for the sake of having atmospheric smoke. Legacy lacks the warmth of the original but also lacks the substance to let those spectacular scenes resonate into more than just being eye candy. Hedlund is stiff and rigid, and Bridges has been weathered down to playing The Dude persona instead of what we remembered to be Kevin Flynn. Bridges as CLU is even more rigid, and his disturbing brow doesn’t move even when it’s wrinkled.

Something often found in films like Star Wars: A New Hope and Tron are these character-building scenes that are nowhere to be found in modern sequels. For instance, in Tron, the scene upstairs in Flynn’s arcade where Flynn’s is playing handheld videogames while Allan and Lora try to figure out if he’s embezzling money shows us exactly who these characters are before we see the virtual world. In Legacy we never ever get to really know Sam, instead as we get reacquainted with the archetype of a young adult, who feels abandoned by his father who grows up to be a troublemaker. Then he later realizes the great sacrifice and then tries to live up to his namesake. Outside of riding motorcycles, being brave, and looking like a hard-ass, and talking in monosyllabic phrases, what else is there to know about Sam?

I was hoping for something to the scope of a Blade Runner some kind of new world to explore and to be awed by with a more complex story. Haven’t we seen saving the sole survivor of a race story before? The exceptional Daft Punk gave Legacy a pulse, a beat, even rhythm, but it couldn’t give it soul. Tron Legacy could have had all of the games, but is the only purpose for these games just a gladiator event? I guess I was mislead by the original trailer for Legacy when it showed the Light Cycles going outside of the arena, outside of the grid, but sadly again, this felt more like an update than a sequel. After the light show, the air battle, the story’s conflict seemed to circle itself into a dead end, repeating the clunky, awkward seizure-inducing light-blinding finale that Tron had (minus the obligatory helicopter). When Tron Legacy–and Tron for that matter–electrify they’re stimulating, but when each had they’re stretches where you’re wanting something more to connect to. Tron Legacy satisfied minimal expectations (looks cool, sounds cool, somewhat plausible and logical continuation) but is it too much to hope for more? Apparently.

Tron Legacy Video:A+/ Tron Video: A+

Tron Legacy is to die for on a visual level. It has a flawless1080p AVC-encoded transfer split in two aspect ratios. 2.35:1 was used on all Tron Grid world scenes where the wide action occurred. Scenes in the real world were shot in 1.78:1. Detail is amazing, even with the darkly-lit scenes, one could still see the freckles and age spots on Jeff Bridges’ face (the old one, not CLU), and every puff of smoke or cloud while translucent was clearly distinguishable. You could also see if it was on the outside of a ship or the inside. Colors shot in the real world are warmed by the fading sunlight of San Francisco. It was such a relief after being in the Grid for two hours. Shadows, even in this dark setting could be seen without getting lost. The high contrast of backlit neon colors against the silhouetting blacks was again deserved of the praise. The glow of the colors stops you in your tracks, and there’s no distortion of the colors, nor do they bleed out. I do wish they cut back on all of those artificial lens flares that are littered throughout the feature. They were blurry in the theater on 3D and now that they can be clearly seen and I sort of wish I hadn’t, still it was the sign of a beautiful transfer.

And for a 29-year old film, the Tron Blu-Ray makes the film look like it was shot yesterday. All of those wild psychedelic colors burst onto the screen. The image is cleaned up but there’s not a terrible overhaul of the image, but it’s not a perfect as there are a few scenes where you can see the image or the negative wobble. Grain is still present and that’s a good thing. As for details, this is the clearest I’ve ever seen the film. My last experience of Tron was on VHS and so much of it was lost. Every flicker of light, every polygon is crystal clear and sparkling clean. Not a damn thing to complain about.

Tron Legacy Audio: A+/Tron Audio: B+

Prepare to be blown away by this bombastic 7.1 English DTS-HD audio track that thrives in the home theater set up. Daft Punk’s electric wonderland bursts through the speakers while the sub kicks out a pulsating beat. Sound has been carefully designed to move all around viewers, with plenty of action for the surround speakers. Whether it’s the zipping of Light Cycles, the rush of the air or vapor whooshing behind, and then there’s the crowd in the arena or that incredible score. The weight of the vehicles can actually be felt through the amount of drive in the lower frequencies. There’s a difference in the roar of the Light Cycles to that of the Light Jets. When Clu addresses his legion of programs, you’d swear you were in a cavernous church when you hear his echo travel far past your head. Reference material? You bet. Other audio selections include: English French, Spanish in 2.0 Stereo and subtitles are available in English SDH, French, Spanish.

For Tron, the 5.1 English DTS-HD audio track is going to be Zen garden as compared to Legacy however for its time there a immersive sound effects, dialogue though a bit low at times is properly placed up front, and there’s a surprisingly fair amount of atmospherics that are other worldly. There isn’t a hard-driving score filled with bass, there wasn’t storm clouds in the backgrounds but there was a fair share of directional movement in the mix, trembling bass whenever appropriate and the dialogue was clear once you drive the volume up.

Extras: B
On the surface as far as everything that’s thrown in, the five-disc package is an incredible value. But as far as produced extra material, I found most of what’s found on the blu-ray to be too heavy on the EPK material and not long or deep enough for something that’s as technically wonderful as Tron Legacy. Here’s what was in the bundle:

Disc One is the 3D Blu-Ray
Without a 3D TV, I sadly cannot share my views on the experience of the home theater 3D experience. I hope it’s better than the theater experience as I found that there was too much blurring going on and my eyes felt fatigued two-thirds of the way through. I found the regular blu-ray feature presentation to be much more pleasurable experience and wished I had just seen in the theater on an IMAX big screen, but not necessarily in 3D. Still for people who have invested in the 3D capable televisions here’s another film to try that technology out.

Disc Two is the Tron Legacy Blu-Ray:
The Next Day; Flynn Lives Revealed HD (10:25) is an odd extra that bridges the gap in between the Tron movies from the point at which Flynn disappears. ENCOM employees, programmers and the “Flynn Lives” Hacker about what At the end is a High Score list where viewers can enter in initials to access additional clips. (Type “All” to access all of them) These clips are filled with Flynn Lives propaganda from commercials, Tron video games, to protests and rallies, even clips of the unveiling of Flynn’s Arcade at Comic-Con, it’s a hodge-podge of odds and ends that will make Tron diehards grin with delight.

Launching the Legacy HD (10:20) is a solid look at how a sequel for Tron came to fruition, the real scientists who created a plausible world with which to make the film relevant to today. Also the test footage was shown from Comic-Con 2009 where the wonderful test footage was shown to see if there’d be interest in a Tron sequel.

First Look at Tron Uprising HD (1:15) Talk about your teases, this is a teaser for the upcoming animated Tron Uprising series that will air on Disney XD. It featured a star-studded cast and looks like it’s animated in way that will honor the look of the film, and hopefully will reach much deeper into the characters and story than either film.

Visualizing TRON HD (11:46) I wish this featurette was longer since this department is the one that hit it out of the park. From Kosinski using his architecture background to micro manage (just being honest, but the end result was stunning) the production design to using light as the central design element this was one movie where I could have seen a good 45 minute to an hour of extra footage to see how everything was done.

Installing the Cast HD (12:04) Shows all of the cast members patting each other on the back and telling how much they loved working with each other and how nice it was for the cast from the original Tron movie to come back for Tron Legacy.

Disc Roars HD (3:00) shows how Kosinski used the crowd at Comic-Con International Tron Panel to record the crowd noises for the movie.

Derezzed HD (2:58) A Daft Punk music video

Second Screen is an option to use with your laptop or iPad and it syncs up with the movie through Disney’s website, so as the film is playing exclusive supplemental material is accessible.

And that’s it. No commentary, no deeper look at any one aspect of the production or more revealing produced pieces that offer up a sense of what being on the set was like. There is not even a piece about Daft Punk doing the score. The problem in home entertainment releases is the turnaround speed does not offer much time to reflect or allow the audience to dictate what an essential home release should have.

Disc Three is Tron on Blu-Ray
New and Exclusive to Blu-Ray
The Tron Phenomenon HD (9:45) A modern day retrospective on the influence of Tron, by the cast and crew of Legacy. Older actors reflect back while actors who weren’t even born talk about being involved with a film that’s achieved such high cult status.

Photo Tronology (8:05) An excellent feature with Steven and his son Carl Lisberger who make a visit to the Disney archives to go over production and set photos taken for the Tron. Carl has become a devotee to the film and you can really see the love he has that goes beyond being attached to it through his father. Exploring the new extras on both discs, this was one of my favorites.

The rest are a full offering that have been transported over from the DVD and Laserdisc editions

Audio Commentary by Director Steven Lisberger, Producer Donald Kushner, Assoc. Producer and Visual Effects Supervisor Harrison Ellenshow and Visual Effects Supervisor Richard Taylor give an exceptional informative and detailed track filled with anecdotes about the production and principal photography, technical challenges, and understanding the history of how Tron came to be.

Making of Tron SD (88:20) A extremely thorough back to front documentary on every imaginable aspect of the film, a backstage pass if you will to the making of the film and interviews with the filmmakers on the potential of a sequel.

Development SD (8:05) Animatics are shown along with a television report called “Computers are People Too”

Digital Imagery SD (12:10) Testing out the concepts and early CGI for the film.

Rounding out the disc are Two deleted Scenes of Yori and Tron, Galleries full of design, concept and publicity art, a reel of trailers, deleted score pieces, Storyboarding the Light Cycle sequence, and an interview with Syd Mead about the Design of the Light Cycles and other aspects of the movie.

Disc Four is Tron Legacy on DVD

Disc Five is a Digital Copy of Tron Legacy for portable devices or desktop computers.

Tron Legacy on Blu-Ray–Overall Shock Value B–
Who knows what Tron Legacy will go on to inspire but it was one of the few tent pole films of 2010 that made a visual impression on me and I foresee films to cherry pick this and that from this film as well. I still found the story to be lacking substance department, especially with what could have been. There were opportunities left on the floor here. The core audience looking for a Tron sequel will likely be satisfied, if anything it shoots to echo the voice of the original Tron and I believe it does so, flaws and all. Technically, Tron Legacy is flawless in both the audio and video departments and is sure to be bumping through home theaters across the globe in glorious high definition. They’ve included every imaginable legal way to view the film and that goes a long way to satisfy every viewer, die hard or casual, young or old. A much deeper and more intricate plot and a more robust offering of extras would have raised the overall value higher but this giant bundle still comes with Buy It recommendation based on the film’s intangibles.

Tron on Blu-Ray–Overall Shock Value B–
Being honest seeing Tron again didn’t hold up to the film that I remembered, like its sequel, the story seemed to slow down and putter out the momentum built up from the action sequences. Still, it’s a unique visual experience and paved the way for countless other films that relied on CGI heavily. The high def transfer really does make the movie look futuristic, and the extras are complete with mandatory viewing and hearing material. It’s a shame that Legacy didn’t go as far to satisfy that in-depth curiosity. Kudos to Disney for including it in the deluxe package.

With the current ban in place in Europe, retailers have approximately two to three weeks worth of product on hand. With Sony typically importing 100,000 units in that territory per week the situation could prove dire if the ban persists.

What remains to be seen is how this litigation plays out in the United States as well. We’ll have more as it breaks.

First up is Colleen Atwood who has a mile long list of films to her credit including many of Burton’s films and won two Oscars for Memoirs of a Geisha (2006) and Chicago (2002) and has been nominated for several others. She just finished The Rum Diary (2010) based on Hunter S. Thompson’s novel and Johnny Depp’s latest film, The Tourist (2011). She will be teaming up with Depp and Burton again for Dark Shadows (2011).

You’ve worked with Tim Burton multiple times. What has it been like to work with him, and how are his films different to work for than say your next film, The Rum Diary?
Colleen Atwood: Tim is one of a kind, he is really an artist and visually gifted.
The choice of material really determines a lot of design, so in that way, his sensibility would be quite different from that of Bruce Robinson who did The Rum Diary, which is a very gritty journalistic story.

What is the look that you are going for The Rum Diary? What was the inspiration?
CA: The look for The Rum Diary is based on journalistic photos of the time, the budding sixties, contrasting the oil and sugar rich, with the abject poverty of the island.

What is so attractive Burton’s films?
CA: The collaborative process with Tim is a rare gift in the world of film.

How close did you make the costume designs to Tim’s original sketches?
CA: Usually I see the sketches later, as Tim does not just stick a drawing in front of me.

How close do you work with the director?
CA: The director is my first collaborator, even before the actor. For me it is a very close working relationship.

With working with Burton as many times as you have, are there any sort of things that you automatically know to do or to come up with style wise? Or is each film sort of a different beast?
CA: Every film Tim makes is a new experience, there are no givens. I’d say a graphic sense would be the strongest continuum.

Why are (the right) costumes important for a movie?
CA: The right costume determines the character, helps the actor feel who he is, and serves the story.

How much power does the clothing have over the character?
CA: Clothing serves to help create character, along with the writing and acting.

I read somewhere that Tim Burton and Johnny Depp both do sketches of Depp’s characters before filming. I was wondering how their creative process plays into yours?
CA: So far it has been great. With the Hatter, we pretty much all came up with the same vibe.

For these Burton films, but also for movies like Public Enemies, you designed a lot of costumes for Johnny Depp. Does the process get easier if you know an actor?
CA: The level of trust is an important part of collaboration, so I would say that makes it more relaxed, but it also makes it more of a challenge since you always want change it up and come up with new ideas.

When do you know, when a character is finished?
CA: Never.

When you took on the “Alice” project, did you aim to separate the costumes from the Disney animated classic, or did you try to play off the animated movie? Was there a balance that you felt had to be met?
CA: I really didn’t look to the animated version as much as I did to the Tenniel and Carroll illustrations-then I moved on.

How much inspiration did you draw from the original book?
CA: I gave a sort of nod to the young Alice, then departure…oh and the hat…

Which character’s costumes did you find the most challenging to design, and which came most easily?
CA: In Alice, the technical side of Alice’s shrinking and growing were very challenging. Stayne (Crispin Glover) was originally not a real costume, but we couldn’t quite get it right, so we ended up actually making it in order for it to work.

How many dresses did you make for Alice and what have inspired you to create them?
CA: Alice had around 8 looks, and multiples of most of them, so there were around 20 hand-made costumes. The script and idea of Alice as an exploring spirit really inspired me.

What was the inspiration for the red and white world of Alice in Wonderland?
CA: The Red Queen and White Queen were named in the script, so for the Red Kingdom it was the playing card motif and for the White Kingdom the inspiration was more Nordic meets Louis 14

What were the challenges of making costumes for such oddly-shaped characters and CGI?
CA: I love an odd shape, so all the bodies in Alice were wonderful fun for me. The CGI element was interesting because so much of my process is in the actual draping on a body. I swatched all the virtual fabrics, trims and buttons to help in the visual process and give continuity to the world.

What stories would you like to tell with the clothes?
CA: So many. I love the story “Daughter of Fortune”, spanning the 1800s in North and South America. I love anything that is a great tale.

You have also done films like Public Enemies. How is the experience of working on a film with historical references different than that of something that allows more creativity, like Alice?
CA: I love the experience of examining history that my work gives me.
The gritty reality of John Dillinger’s world is as fascinating to me as the fantastical world of Alice. The human factor of the story is what attracts me.

What movie are you most proud of?
CA: I really don’t have that emotion with my work on a one by one basis. I think that I am very lucky to be able to do the work I have done, and am happy to be creating what I create.

What has been your hardest movie to design for?
CA: Planet of the Apes was physically the most difficult movie of my
career. The challenges were vast, and the day to day running of that sort of film is daunting

Designers are often dressed minimalistic and in black, because they’re ‘full’ of clothing. How are you dressing yourself?
CA: I am fond of black, but try to add a little white around my face.
I wear jeans a lot for work because they are good for a 14-hour day, which is my norm.

Any final thoughts on ALICE IN WONDERLAND?
CA: Alice in Wonderland was a dream project. The collaboration between Tim and Johnny, along with the amazing cast, made bringing such a historic piece to the world of 3D animation, one of my favorite projects for life.

Next we have Dermot Power, a conceptual artist who has worked on films such as V for Vendetta, Batman Begins, and the Bioshock videogame. He worked with Tim Burton to help establish the eerie and wickedly fun atmosphere of Alice in Wonderland. This is a virtual presentation of Dermot’s artwork with moderation by Mindy Johnson of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, Dermot Power, David Jessen, VP of DVD Productions at WDHE, and Jim Davy, producer of the Alice in Wonderland Blu-Ray/DVD. I am in the conference via phone and ask a few questions at the end of the conference.

Mindy Johnson: Dermot, talk a little bit about, when you first got the call for this film. And we’re going to shift to a couple of your – one of your first images of Alice. But if you’d like to give us some insight into certainly your work with Tim.

Dermot Power: Yes, I got a call from Tim’s assistant, (Derrick). And I’ve worked with Tim in the past on “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” and – but there was a big team of concept artists on that, and I never actually met Tim himself, but he knew my work. So he sort of asked his assistant to track the guy who did that type of stuff on the other film down, and he wanted to have a chat. He was quite (led) into the production of “Alice in Wonderland,” and was trying to get the design and look of the film you know to match his vision. It was a dream come true for me, because I’m a big fan of Tim Burton, and to sit there and have a chat with him, and I’m obviously a big fan of “Alice in Wonderland.” In fact, I’ve worked on another “Alice in Wonderland” production about 10 years before. It was a great opportunity.

The bonus was that, while I was having a chat with Tim, he said, “Well, where do you want to work?” And he said, you can work here in the editing, where he was, or from home or – and then he said, “But you know – you know Arthur Rackham?” I’m like, “Yeah, of course.” Arthur Rackham is the 19th century illustrator of “Alice in Wonderland,” and I’m a huge fan of his work. Tim was like well, ‘I bought his studio. So do you want to work in the studio?’ So that was where I ended up working for almost a year. Tim bought (Arthur Racken)’s studio which just happens to be very near where he lives in London and he set up an office there himself. And then I was up in the literally in the attic like the artists in the garrot. Yes, it was great. It was great opportunity.

MJ: Brilliant. I can imagine the inspiration you got from that.

DP: Yes.

MJ: We’re looking at one of the early pieces, (Dermot) if you could explain sort of the construct of this – of Alice, as she is first approaching Wonderland.

DP: So that shot I actually one of the very first shots I did. What I did was I did a very quick sketch for Tim of what I felt the woods should look like. Have that feel, the feel for them which he really liked. And then I took distance from an edited sequence so I knew exactly where – I mean Alice is just a figure in a green environment. And there was nothing in it. What was important to me was to have – with all the things that I designed is contrasting forms. So you know Alice is running straight into the woods on a straight path and crossing her path is this straight tree and then off that you have these very curved shapes that the trees, twisting trees and twisting ferns. Of course when you work for Tim Burton you attempt to find spires you know and excuses for drawing them everyplace so that was the thinking there. And very dark and lines…menacing out in the field I wanted to go for. In fact I did a much more detailed visual of the same shot and when Tim saw it he was like ‘yes, that’s cool’ but you know we don’t – he didn’t need me to do that. He wanted me to do the quite sort of very impressionistic – I don’t want to say simple, but minimalist illustrations that go to the point and didn’t hide the point of the design and the detail. I think before I had arrived on the firm there was a lot of beautiful t-frames illustrated by some of the guys like (Dillion Cole) and people like that at Sony. And I think the problem with that is their’s is so finished and beautiful it’s a little distracting so Tim asked me to come in and just do these quite minimalist, but strong concepts for the shapes and the things that she’d see in Underland.

MJ: Great. Let’s move to the next image of Alice as she is miniaturized. And can you talk a bit about the combination of incorporating the live action imagery into at artwork.

DP: Yes, sure because the sequences were already edited. So I had kind of the luxury of working on what was going to be the final edited sequences in the film, which is very unusual. Usually that’s because I came in quite late and into the production I had that luxury. So, again it’s quite simply done. The painting of the various elements around her but their very, very carefully placed if you know what I mean. So those dandelion clocks and all these kind of little elements, I tried to place them so that it’s a very kind of pleasing composition. But again very simply done, not, I think what it is when I design I like to leave a lot of creative input to the person next along the line. So I prefer to work to that level and then people can put their details and colors and everything in afterwards. I think next is maybe the Hatter.

MJ: Is the Hatter in the concept piece?

DP: Yes that’s purely a concept, in that it doesn’t, it’s not taken from any other edit or anything. It’s just a moment that Tim was trying to think about that hat which was on top of the may pole, in the scene where the Mad Hatter is trying to…it’s like a symbol of what has happened. I mean that didn’t end up in the film actually. But it was sort of trying to think about scale of the hat to the Hatter and that’s quite a conversational piece. I love drawing it to engage in a dialog, conversation with Tim about what he’s thinking about the scene. Rather than the previous image, which was very directly drawn to guide the animators and people afterwards as to where things should be in the sequence. This is more kind of a discussion piece. I remember Tim had in mind what he wanted for that sequence where the village is being, Mad Hatters village is being burned out, it was very, very tricky to get what he needed because it needed to be quite minimal. And I was trying to, I was looking for symbols to put across what had happened. And the top hat, the Hatter looking under the hat. I don’t know if you see that little skull under there. That would have never had made it in a Disney Alice in Wonderland. Maybe a Tim Burton one but yes, I don’t know what I was thinking there.

MJ: Definitely, let’s move to the next piece. Now you also did some design work on props as well.

DP: Yes very little. I did a couple of different of pieces of props. My role kind of became whatever Tim would throw at me I would solve it. So if he needed me to do a prop I would do the prop. In fact the dodo, what was quite funny was I did another, maybe I should have sent you that. I did another exact visual of the dodo carrying the flamingos in the caddy, croquet caddy, and I completely got it wrong. In that I had it that the pelicans were trying to burst out of the caddy and they were full of energy and they were, and the dodo was like being crushed by the weight of this and he was sweating and it was completely a different take on it. Tim came in and he looked at it and just was, because he doesn’t say an awful lot. And he just went, ohh ahh, like that. I mean it was completely wrong. He just went, no like this, he drew that essentially, I mean I drew that what you’re looking at but he very quickly did a sketch. What’s wonderful about working for a director who can draw is that he can explain himself, he doesn’t need to say anything he can just do a quick sketch.

MJ: Absolutely. We’re now looking of course at the image with the red queen and the flamingo and the croquet match.

DP: It’s more to the left of the flamingo, but the background, it’s just to design all the shapes that would be behind her head. That’s sort of how I like to design. I don’t think there’s any confusion in about what that background is, even if it isn’t full of photographic detail.

MJ: And moving on to the chambers.

DP: Yes, I think Tim wanted the inside of the palace to reflect the crazy kind of shapes and crazy world that you see from outside. And for inspiration I actually had a researcher dig out as many strange and extraordinary buildings as I could, that I tried to do it myself, I love working with researchers because that way when I’m drawing something else they start digging things out. That’s actually very inspired, now I can’t remember the name but we might have to dig that out, it’s a hotel that (Gaudi) did. It has very similar kind of…it’s got that swirling kind of cast ceiling, it’s based on a real thing. I think Tim wanted everything to look really kind of bonkers and it was really nice to find some actual architecture that was almost as bonkers. I mean it’s not exactly it, but its inspired by it. Yes.

MJ: Well speaking of architecture that’s inspiring, looking at the next slide, if you talk a bit about this.

DP: Yes, again this is part of the sequence where she arrives at the palace and then goes on to the moat of heads. The real sort of doing this is to put across some of that sort of Tim Burton gothiness. I didn’t design the palace though. It had already been done, it was more a case of saying, you know if you guys can find an angle, to give you a flavor of these gothic arches and spiral, that would suit what Tim’s looking for. You’ve moved on to the red queen looking down at the floating heads?

MJ: Yes.

DP: Yes. That’s quite an interesting one because I wasn’t familiar with all of the script and everything that was happening. I mean I read the script and forgot some of it but when Alice was jumping across the heads I got it wrong. I thought it was, that she was jumping across giant heads and not that she was tiny. Which was kind of stupid of me to think that. So I kept, this sequence, I kept drawing the heads quite big and then Tim would come in and go, yes they need to be a little smaller. And then I’d keep making them smaller and smaller and smaller and eventually I was like are these supposed to be human sized heads?

MJ: Yes.

DP: Yes, yes, yes, but because he doesn’t say an awful lot it took me redrawing it, and redrawing it, and redrawing it, but that sequence of her looking in the, down on the moat is, I was really pleased because it’s a lock shot it was almost exactly like that in the film. That’s what Ken Ralston’s team did, which was amazing there, it’s really beautiful. The shot where she’s jumping across again that’s a more finished illustration because Tim was going to the San Diego Comic Con and they wanted some artwork to show from the film and so that was a more simple illustration but I kind of tightened up a little bit. That’s why you’re seeing a rare color one. So I think the other one was as well where the queen was looking down on the head. It’s quite important to Tim as well when I’m doing these visuals that I don’t bring it up to a level of detail that’s trying to mimic the film. Because the film, you don’t want to, I mean for my own personal way of designing I don’t see the point in that, I think designers are trying to inspire and help get to the final vision. But I’m not so sure you need ever to pretend that the frame is the final shot, film sequence, a shot from the film. And I think Tim appreciated the fact that I paid a lot of attention to the kind of light and the mist and everything. You don’t look at that and think oh this is a frame from the film. It’s still quite painterly, which I think he really likes.

MJ: Nice. Moving on to a couple of Jabberwocky images.

DP: They’re actually very late Jabberwocky images, because they already had it done. I think Tim gets notions and ideas and he just wants to explore them and he said oh have a go, because I think what happened is at one point the Jabberwocky that ends up in the film is mostly, it’s very similar to a dragon, traditional dragon but it doesn’t fly in the film. There was decision made at some point by Tim that it wouldn’t fly that it would walk through the woods. He was wondering if he needed to change the design completely. So, again, to help him think about it, I’ll just do a couple of drawings. The one on the left is very much based on the Jabberwocky from John Tenniel’s 18th century illustration, from the original book. When I looked at that illustration, I looked at it as if it was a puppet on strings, if you know what I mean? So when you look at that, if you imagine what my thinking with this, it should be hanging there as if the loose head and limbs have been held by strings. That’s the kind of look I was going for. Also, because every dragon has been done, it’s so difficult to come up with a new one. I just thought I wouldn’t do a dragon. I’d just do something completely different. And the one on the right, again, it’s more like a demon or something. I think Tim liked them, but then they went with the original design anyway. So, fun to do, though, great fun to do.

MJ: Last one for your concept pieces, we do have a few slides of some of the final artwork that, as you mentioned, appeared in the film. Can you talk a bit to these?

DP: During the designing of some of the inside of the palace, I’ve put in a lot of picture frames and then of course they needed to be filled with something. And Tim was like, ‘well, what are you going to do?’ So I was, ‘oh, I’ll just build scenes and sequences from the original Alice in Wonderland book. So that’s the lion and the unicorn and I think represent – I’m trying to get my history right here, but represents the two sides of the British Empire in the 18th century – 19th century. So it was a great excuse for me to just paint some crazy stuff from the originals books. At that point – I’ve been on the film about eight or nine months and I think Tim trusted me to – you know, he knew I got into his mindset. I knew what he liked, and I think he trusted me to just kind of risk on these things. So because they were just going to be a theme in passing in the frames, they didn’t need a lot of art direction from him. The mural, and the red-green on the Jabberwocky, that was because when I revised the throne room and the sequence where the Mad Hatter walks in through the doors and is being presented to the queen, the walls looked a little bit grey and dark and dank, and I thought, you know. So I suggested to Tim, like, I’m going to get the name wrong, but what’s the castle, that palace in Germany?

MJ: Neuschwanstein?

DP: Yes. That’s the one. There are beautiful murals on the walls in that palace, so I said why don’t we do something like that but have it really, really faded, like it’s been up there for years? And so I did. The way the tone and colors are laid out, (embossed) on those little corners and all these things, don’t really mean anything, except that when they were in the sequence, it balanced all the little colors out. So in the red rooms and the blue rooms, it just adds in the shot where you are. Because they were so faded and scrubbed out, you’re just going to get an impression of something being there, these guys are ancestors – very obviously. They had the heart motif, wherever we could put it in. Because it’s something you’re going to see so quickly in the film, of course you can pause the DVD now, but there’s not a huge amount of detail there, but I think it’s just the right amount for a quick little shot. Towards the end of the film, I just thought I’m going to go mad here. I’ll just draw some really crazy shapes and – you know, in the style that I really love to work in and not try to be imitating (inaudible) painter (that kind of thing), just to see what would happen. And Tim really loved that, so he was like, yes, yes. The crazier the better, which is probably not surprising as well.

MJ: Well, beautiful work. And I want to move on to your extraordinary work in the Oraculum. That was a pretty important prop; an important (McGuffin) in this story. Talk a little bit Dermot, about how this was approached. And not only from a design standpoint but in terms of story.

DP: From the design point theory, I think that a placeholder for the Oraculum with some of the Tenniel illustrations. And a couple of other bits and pieces, again it was one of those things where I was chatting to Tim about it and I just said well if you want me to I’ll bash it and illustrating it I’d love to do it, (I’ll have a go).

I think originally we talked about doing it in a kind of John Tenniel style and part of the problem is doing that as illustrations from a book work in the context of the book and it’s weird when you try to ape that style for another thing like the Oraculum. It didn’t quite work as well. That’s my excuse for very quickly just doing it the way I like to draw. So what I did was I said OK this thing is going to end up being a foot and a half or two feet tall by I don’t know maybe 8-10 feet. It’s going to be huge so. I’m not sure how much time we have. So what I did was I started on the sequences that I knew the camera was definitely going to be on. Obviously where Alice is looking at the Oraculum and the sequence where she’s fighting the Jabberwocky, and the idea was that it should look like an illustrator’s version of events and not an exact copy of it. Because I could have taken the actual green screen sequences and traced the Oraculum illustrations over it but I think Tim wanted it to look like it was an artist impression. And so what I did was I did very detailed illustrations of the main part and then for the left and right, because they would end up in the camera, possibly in the camera I then just illustrated whatever.

And again like the, I just randomly picked scenes from the film or characters from the film and just kind of illustrated them in there in a way that, because the viewer in the cinema, in the theater just wants to get an impression that the Oraculum doesn’t stop at that point that you’re looking at. So it was really enjoyable to do. And then I think late in the process it was decided that maybe we should have a 3D element that you can separate out the different layers of the scene. Which meant that the Oraculum took, I don’t know, 3 times longer to do because I then have to cut out Alice and the Dodo and the mushrooms and then put them on a separate layer and illustrate everything behind her. So there’s layered versions of the Oraculum where you can switch each character off and there’s details in behind. Which was it was great fun to do that. Again this film, project gave me a chance to do every kind of art style that an artist is apt to do. From very chunky paintings and murals to these, I end up doing these very tight line drawings. It was great fun.

MJ: A lot of great variety. It is the Oraculum that’s being utilized as part of the living menus on the upcoming blue ray release of Alice in Wonderland and so we’re going to kind of stroll through these particular images that are broken down, not only of your drawings Dermot but also the screen imagery of the menus and, David perhaps if you could talk just a bit about how these were integrated and utilized in the set up of the Blu-ray.

David Jessen: Well when you enter the Blu-ray this is our other menu system and in the U. S., Mexico and Canada currently we call it our living menu system. So if you’re BD Live connected what happens is, the very first thing that occurs is that whatever your weather is in your particular climate Dermot was very generous and gracious to design new Oraculum art for us that features whatever that is, either it’s a sunny day, a cloudy day, a rainy day, a snowy day, a clear night, a cloudy night, a rainy night, a snowy night, and the cool thing is that this is new Blue Ray exclusive material that you can get nowhere else. So it’s pretty cool. Also if you not on BD Live connected the fact that you get to see the Oraculum in its entirety. It’s the first opportunity also a person would have to actually see it laid out for them in the menus and have it and own it.

MJ: We’re running edited sequences of these various illustrations, Dermot if you could talk a bit about these

DP: Oh it’s fantastic, I’m just bowled over by what you guys have done, and it’s beautiful. Seeing my drawings come to life like that, it’s just fantastic.

MJ: (David) if you can just talk a little bit about as to how this works. When you turn on your disk.

DJ: So when if you’re BD Live connected and you put your disk in, it’s automatically going to pin your local weather through the BD Live system in the States and in Canada and the U. S. and Mexico and it will load these pieces of art and these little animations that we have done. Like its right here it’s showing that if it’s raining in your climate it’s going to be raining on screen in the Oraculum magically. And it will depend on whatever it is, if it’s sunny you’ll have a beautiful sunny image, if it’s snowing you’ll have some snow. It’s just a magical way to bring your blu-ray disk to life.

MJ: Two more sequence of these and then Dermot in terms of creating this type of art work, did you have to do anything above and beyond just the standard illustrations?

DP: I think what you guys have done its fantastic to see it now real, it’s the first time I’m seeing it. It’s beautifully realized. The rays of the sun coming out, that’s absolutely perfect. It was difficult because you didn’t have a defined boarder and for ink drawings, you know if you do cloudy night for example it can be a little difficult just knowing where to border what you’re doing and things like that. Really it’s just an excuse for me to feel like a traditional book illustrator for a week or so, or a few days. I really enjoyed doing it. But yes it’s great to see it being used so, so beautiful.

MJ: There’s a sequence of the additional art, Oraculum artwork that is also on the DVD menus.

DJ: What’s wonderful is, we at Disney are always trying to find a way to extend the film experience organically and work with the film talent to do that, and I think this is the perfect example of that.

Jim Davy: When we first saw Dermot’s Oraculum art we just thought what a perfect way to have that be the theme for the menus for the whole disk experience.

DP: Yes that’s great, and to have something made drawn for the film which can be the end of its existence and have another life outside of it is kind of a rare opportunity for me. To tell you the truth it’s fantastic.

Ernie Estrella: Concerning the living menus and these seem to be more the norm back when DVDs were being pumped out and they seemingly been scraped recently–sadly I think, (especially with Blu-Ray). What made the decision to go with the more intricate menus and kind of utilize some of the Blu-Ray technology where it seems like it hasn’t been utilized properly I think enough?

DJ: It’s funny that you say that I mean, because at Disney, and I head up creative productions for DVD and Blu-Ray we’ve been, menus have always been integral to the experience. We always try to make menus organic to the entertainment experience so it’s a holistic experience and with living menus we did use them on “Sleeping Beauty.” We then followed up with “Earth” and we had them on “Snow White” so the magic mirror had artificial intelligence so whenever you put your disk in he would say something new to you and he knew what the weather was and were now continuing it with Alice in a different way. So be sure to check out those other disks.

MJ: As (Jim) mentioned Dermot artwork is so compelling that, and such a key part of the story, that.

JD: One thing I should add actually on these menus we forgot to say is that if your BD Live connected not only does it show your current weather in that very first panel with the White Night, but there’s a little banner there and an icon that Dermot created and it shows you tomorrows forecast. And it has a little temperature, Fahrenheit and Celsius and a little icon of what tomorrow’s weather would be. That wasn’t shown there but on the example that will be there on the actual product.

DP: It won’t work in the UK.

JD: We’re slowly rolling BD Live out.

DP: Yes, yes, I know, it’s always raining here.

EE: Dermot you were talking about the variety that you’re able to do on this film as far as the different styles your able to do. Maybe you can talk about, was this kind of the biggest draw for you or was it more working with Tim Burton or the ability to work with this kind of range?

DP: To me it’s working with Tim Burton really. The thing is when I started, as often happens in film, it was quite late in the production and Tim asked me to help out visualize, come up with the environments behind the green screen edits. I was meant to be in it for, actually I was due to start another production and I had to cancel it because Tim said oh I just need you for 6 weeks maybe and then it just expanded. So I had no idea when I was starting, the range of work I would end up doing and I think what happens is because I was around Tim, he was downstairs or literally in the attic of the (Rackem) Building, whenever it would occur to him, he had an idea or something to do and we talked about it, I would go ‘OK I’ll just draw it.’ Whatever he would throw at me I would just go ‘oh lets, I’ll have a go, I’ll have a go,’ and it was very casual. So from doing the Oraculum I was like ‘I’ll have a go if you like.’ Because I’ve been working as an illustrator for I don’t know 20 years or something, working in the film industry 15 years, I’ve kind of developed a wide range of styles for different things.

So I’m not intimidated by trying anything and because Tim is an artist he’s not fearful about asking for anything. He can read very quickly whether a design or drawing is working. So it’s not as if a director who is not sure is asking you to do things and then is not sure, he’s sure immediately. Not everything worked but most of the things I was doing he was like, ‘Yes-yes! Just keep going!’ It was really, really enjoyable. But the draw in the first place was just to work with him because I know he’s great fun to be around and to work for and he’s a real visionary. He drags the best out of people. We talked about this before we started that a lot of the kind of motion captured, live action crossovers have been done up in them. But I think Tim used the tools that have been developed, including the skills that have been developed over the last few years at Sony for other productions. He just knows how to get the best out of people and I kind of knew that if I was working around that environment was going to be really creative and really energetic and a bit crazy and hard to predict what was going to happen. And it doesn’t get more fun in life than asked to do what you do and then not being absolutely sure what tomorrows going to bring. It was wonderful.

EE: Because of the range that your able to play with what would you say of all the pieces you did for Alice was the most maybe challenging or time consuming piece that you did.

DP: Well the Oraculum was the most challenging but it needed to work on the screen; it needed to work when you saw it very quickly and if you saw it very closely. We didn’t want it to look modern so it was a bit of a challenge. I work completely digitally–and I have for the last 15 years–but I’ve like 8 or ten years before that when I worked traditionally with paint and ink and everything. So I had to go out and buy nibs and ink and draw a little bit in the real world on real paper to make sure it looked and then scanned it in and make sure it looked correct. Doesn’t have that line wave and everything. So that was technically kind of difficult. I think when you work a long time in the film industry you get used to; it’s all about puzzle solving, about doing what’s appropriate. So I never really thought all this was too difficult. Not really.

EE: On the Oraculum, in the blu-ray menus, did you have input as far as what would be animated?

DP: No, no, (Ken Ralston) was and his team at Sony sort of said can you do some layers, well actually they asked me to, can I send over some layers, but I don’t really work in layers digitally. So no not really, and then of course when it came to the Blu-Ray menu, all the ideas were Jim and his team. I’m right about that, not crediting the wrong people?

JD: Yes we took Dermot’s art for the menus and we saw that in the movie the team there animated certain sections and we thought that would be fun to do the same thing for the menus and animate certain things, clock hands moving, leaves blowing through, some subtle details of animation throughout the menus.

DJ: And of course we had Tim’s input along the way.

DP: Yes it’s great, it’s like here’s a crazy idea, go for it. It’s great. Yes.

You can visit Dermot’s website to see more of his powerful conceptual art. And be sure to check out the Alice in Wonderland blu-ray and my review to see both Colleen’s and Dermot’s work on the film. If you haven’t already, make sure you visit the big Q/A session with AIW’s special effects crew, Ken Ralston and David Schaub. Click Here for that article.

Ken Ralston

David Schaub

In the beginning of the month, Disney released their latest spin on Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland on Blu-Ray and DVD. Pop Culture Shock is excited to bring to you an extensive Q/A session with Alice in Wonderland’s Animation Director David Schaub and Senior Visual Effects Supervisor Ken Ralston. Schaub has been in the industry for more than 15 years and has worked on I am Legend, The Polar Express, Cast Away, Stuart Little and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Ralston is an industry pioneer and has five Academy Awards for visual effects technology while working at Sony Pictures Imagesworks and Industrial Light and Magic. Some of his credits include Contact, the Back to the Future trilogy, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Return of the Jedi and Star Wars. Together they answer questions about Alice in Wonderland, 3D technology, and the animation industry.

THE GREENPRINT FOR EFFECTING ALICE

The first question on everyone’s mind is, what’s it’s like to work with Tim Burton?

David Schaub: Tim was absolutely great. He is such a visionary and an absolute pleasure to work with. He has an incredible visual sense, and any time that we got stuck in any way he would always have great ideas that would steer us in new and interesting directions. That vision took us places I never imagined we would go. He has great respect for all of his actors and artists, and truly manages to bring out the best of everyone involved. Because of Tim’s involvement, I would have to say that it was one of the most rewarding shows I have ever been a part of.

Ken Ralston: Working with Tim Burton was wonderful, one of the best experiences of my career. We both have a passion for the art of moviemaking and shared an artist vision for ALICE.

How much leeway were you given to add your and your staff’s own personal style of animation when there was also the look and visual style of Tim Burton that was being presented?

DS: Tim was great at giving us lots of creative license to try lots of different things. He would always steer the work toward his particular sensibilities, and rather than completely scrap a performance that was working well in it’s own way – he would always find a way to make the most of the elements that worked and steer the ship forward without completely turning the ship around. I think it was a very rewarding experience for the animators.

What was the storyboard process like? Were the boards very detailed and specific? Or were they more loose and gestural, focusing on mood and general blocking?

DS: Tim is a very visceral filmmaker… and does not like working with storyboards. It is a very interactive process when it comes to animation, and a lot of our performance cues were taken from how he directed the actors on set. When it came to the animation process, it was the typical round of blocking, primary and secondary animation approvals.

For Tweedeldee and Tweedledum you combined footage from faces of a real actor with CG-figures. Who came up with the idea for that and how difficult was it to animate, control and combine the facial expressions?

DS: That was Tim’s idea, and it is something that Ken Ralston always wanted to do; that is, combining live action elements of a face in the render.

One of the more intriguing facets of the animation in Alice in Wonderland were the hybrid characters, like the Tweedles. Many questions were asked about the involvement of motion capture, the challenges of this hybrid process.

KR: To be clear, there are no motion capture characters in the film. They are all animated. As protection, we did capture motion, which was useful as a guide for the animators. For the hybrid characters, such as the Tweedles, we wanted to maintain the brilliant facial performance of our actor, which could never be duplicated by a CG interpretation.

DS: Motion capture became a point-of-reference for us in the end. If you watch the performances of the actors on set – often on stilts (and moving that way), you will see that the essence of movement in the final scene is very different. That is because the performances were animated. We went into this shoot not knowing all the details of how it would shake down, so we covered ourselves by acquiring motion capture, as well as optical data (that’s what those big white/black targets are on their suits). The actors are directed on set to hit their marks, moving from A-to-B and delivering a performance that we ultimately used as reference for animation. If you look at the way the Tweedles move, it is indeed the essence of Matt Lucas’ performance – but it is also stylized in a way that is very different than the way they moved on set. This was a deliberate style choice that evolved once we got into animation. The faces were also fully animated with animation controls, but for an extra level of realism, the eyes and often the mouth were tracked back into the final render. We had to nail those facial performances precisely.

With regards to body replacement, the trick was to stabilize the head (on a card), attach that card to the animated body, and then we were free to move the character anywhere we needed to within the scene. It proved too limiting to leave the head locked in it’s photographed location in the plate.

David, how many man-hours are added with the hybrid characters as opposed to having either live action or fully animated characters?

DS: The hybrid characters were particularly tricky – mostly from a technical point of view. We did not have to make a huge creative leap regarding performances because the essence of the performance is precisely how the actors performed their parts. Stayne was probably the trickiest in that regard because of his proportions. The trick was to replicate the essence of those performances – precisely as Crispin Glover performed – but also imparting a level of gracefulness to his moves which were often difficult to accomplish on stilts. Hours? Many hours! It is just another one of the many animation challenges that we were presented with.

Ken, the film was filmed using green screen. Was it particularly difficult to recreate all the environments with CGI, taking into account the style of Tim Burton that is so overloaded with details? What kind of challenges did you find in this regard?

KR: It was very difficult. Every shot in every scene has many details and textures in the environments. The real difficulty is the size of the data and the rendering of the shot – and the time it takes to do all of that – had to be calculated to take that into account in our schedule.

Does working with a green screen change how you approach things?

KR: Green screen or blue screen is basically the same idea for compositing live action into visual effects. But the green screen color, after long periods of time, seems to create a certain aggravation and irritation after staring at it for a long period. It is effective for compositing, but visually and psychologically exhausting to be surrounded by it for extended periods of time. The overall concept of shooting against green screen enabled us to design our sets and environments after the live action shoot. So it gave us great flexibility.

Its easy to think ‘oh it’s all green screen’ but how complicated were the physical green screen sets you built?

KR: They are deceivingly simple looking but the placement of all of the green props and elements were lined up exactly to the detailed CG designed sets developed by production designer Rob Stomberg. We also had to clothe stunt people, technicians, mechanical effects crew and anyone who was visible in frame but not a principal cast member in green. We shot on 2 large sound stages where portions of sets were constructed. And the green screen also had extensive reference markers so we could track the cameras and know where we were in space.

Dave, were there any traditional camera tricks that helped as shortcuts in the animation process?

DS: There weren’t really any camera tricks that we could get away with on a film like this. The typical tricks that you could pull off in 2D would be revealed in 3D. For example, if you discover that a character is floating off the ground in your render, you could always cheat that contact with a contact shadow in the final comp. Since we are dealing with stereo cameras, all of those cheats reveal themselves in 3D; so we can’t get away with too many camera “tricks.”

THE FACES AND PERFORMERS OF UNDERLAND

DS: In addition to the obvious “fanciful” characters, we also animated all of the animals – really all the “non-human” characters in the film. While we have a lot of creative freedom for the “fanciful” characters (like the Cheshire Cat, March Hare, Caterpillar), animating realistic animals always presents a challenge since everyone knows precisely how a horse, or a dog moves… There is less wiggle room for a creative stretch and if it isn’t right, the animation stands out like a sore-thumb.

Which character was the most difficult to animate?

DS: Each character had it’s own unique challenge. From a technical perspective, Stayne was incredibly tricky, since every shot required an animated CG body underneath a photographic element of Crispin Glover’s head. Creative challenges were the Cheshire Cat and getting the essence of the “creepy” nature of a cat and what that all meant from Tim Burton’s perspective. “Creepy, quiet and …STILLNESS (not over-animated)” was the directive.

Could you explain the technical challenges regarding the animation process of the “staring”, Cheshire Cat?

DS: The eyes and mouth were certainly the biggest challenges. The eyes are so prominent, and we were able to control all of the dilation attributes to make them as real as possible. Also, the smile was a challenge since it spanned from ear-to-ear. The inner palette had to deform as well so that the teeth tracked along with the mouth through it’s full arc.

What about the concept behind the Blue Caterpillar? What was the overall goal for animators with that character? Were there any early ideas that were axed?

DS: The caterpillar performance was truly dictated by how Alan Rickman voiced the character. You don’t even need to see the reference of his performance to feel the disdain in his voice. As with all of the animated characters, the goal was to tone the “animation-knob” way down. Tim wanted to impart an extreme level of subtlety in the performances so that the characters reside in the same world as their live-action counterparts. Again, we took our cues from how Tim directed his actors on set. Nothing is over-dramatized, and if a performance can be sold with absolute “stillness”, with a perfectly timed little dart of the eyes, that’s exactly what Tim wanted to capitalize on. That was a common theme for all of these characters – and the frogs come to mind in that regard as well.

The animation of Bloodhound is incredible and realistic, did you use any special technique or is it just the talent and rigging magic of the animation artists?

DS: Rigging talent and magic of the animators! Indeed, the realistic characters and real animals are surprisingly the most challenging. It needs to be loaded with subtlety and nuance in order for the performances to ring true. Once the animators delivered the performance, the shots went through a “shot-finaling” process where a skin-simulation (including ears and jowls) was applied that gave him that extra level of believability with his saggy, baggy Bloodhound skin.

How much training was involved in putting the actors on stilts?

DS: They spent several days hobbling around the set trying to get the hang of it. The primary reason for putting them on stilts was to get the eye line right on set. You’ll notice that the movement of an actor on stilts LOOKS like an actor on stilts, so those performances were really used as a point-of-reference for animation. The animated version of the Tweedles for example has a different feel about them than what was actually shot. That was a stylistic choice that evolved with Tim over the course of the show.

Ken, which of the actors was presented with the greatest challenge to achieve an effect, over the course of the shoot?

KR: Mia (Alice) probably was presented with the greatest challenge. Mia had to carry the weight of performing opposite many, many characters that were not at all visible on the set as you see them in the movie. It was also her first film like this, so she had a huge learning curve. She did fantastically.

What all went into the epic climax of Alice in Wonderland?

KR: The end battle was shot entirely on green screen. We designed the Jabberwocky as an homage to Ray Harryhausen’s work. There is a tremendous amount of animation and compositing. The sequence is full of many effects and animation tricks – fog, dust, debris – many, many small details that blend together to add a reality to the scene.

David, Could you please name your favorite wonderland inhabitant, maybe one that matches your own character.

DS: My favorites changed through the entire process. You develop close attachments to characters as they develop, but it seemed like each sequence brought new and different challenges and new favorites. Cheshire Cat was probably the first favorite that I could identify with. By the end of the show I was clearly the March Hare – completely frazzled!

Ken, Alice came up with more than 1.700 VFX-Shots! How important was the whole pre-visualization process to cope that massive project?

KR: There wasn’t as much pre-visualization of the project as you might expect. Only the action sequences, like the Bandersnatch chasing Alice, and sequences with less actor input were the ones that could be pre-visualized. The nature of this project was that we had simple versions of the environments available on the set, which allowed Tim and the actors to have the flexibility to create the scenes and action on set.

THIS THING CALLED 3D

Ken, this project mixes old and new techniques. Are there any new filmmaking technologies on the horizon that you’re excited about or that you think will change the game in a big way?

KR: I don’t know there is something on the horizon that will change the game as much as it is about applying the best technique to get the director’s vision onto the screen. Thank you for recognizing that we used a great variety of techniques. Change actually happens somewhat slowly in visual effects. Each film builds on what we learn from the last. While it may seem that certain films are a stunning breakthrough, the imagery is often the result of a steady progression accomplished over many years and through many films. Our technologies are continuously evolving.

Alice was filmed in 2D and then post-produced in 3D… and that this was Burton’s idea from the beginning… Where do you stand in all that controversy between movies filmed in real 3D and those that aren’t?

KR: To me, the style of the movie dictates the approach that you take. It is not so much one or the other. It is what is right for the movie and the director’s style and intention. In the case of ALICE, shooting in 2D facilitated our CG post-production.

David, did the decision to take the film 3D in post take you back to square one in terms of your preparations?

DS: No. We always knew that this film would be done in 3D, so preparations were made to accommodate that from the beginning. In essence, it is only the live action characters that need to be “photographically” converted to stereo. Everything else in Underland is CG (characters and environments), so most of that could be rendered in stereo from our synthetic 3D world. We did not have to make a lot of concessions for the 3D aspect, and really focused on making the story and characters hold up as a 2D film… then the 3D was icing on the cake at the back-end.

Could you explain the 3D animation process a bit for those who may not know that there are animators who add that 3D element to the experience? And how happy are you with the 2D version of the film even though there was that effort done by your 3D team?

DS: When we are inside of our CG world – and if all of our characters were CG, then the process of animating in 3D is really no different than it would be on a 2D film. In the end, the scene is rendered through a left-and right-eye camera. It is a virtual world and everything is already set up with depth relationships. The tricky part is when we integrate live-action elements into that world – like Alice, for example. Before the CG characters can be animated in a scene with her, Alice must first be given “volume” so that the other characters can interact in a believable depth-relationship with her. Basically, a stunt-double version of Alice must be created and animated to match the performance as seen from the camera, then the photography is projected back on to that geometry to give her depth. With regard to “making” a 3D movie, we really only think in terms of 2D (for the most part), and make it the best 2D movie that it can possibly be. The 3D aspect adds depth and places Alice inside this weird and wacky world of Underland… but hopefully people aren’t thinking too much about the effect, but enjoying the ride instead. The goal is to make everything blend seamlessly.

Have the animations been created for 2D and then taken to 3D with the whole movie process, or have they created directly for 3D?

DS: The live-action characters (like Alice, the Red Queen, Mad Hatter) were converted to 3D, while the CG character were native 3D in our virtual worlds. From an animation perspective they were animated like any other CG character then rendered through left-and right-eye cameras. The tricky part comes into play when a CG character is interacting with a live-action character. The photographic element of the live action character must first be “rotomated” in the scene (essentially a CG stunt-double) so that photography can be projected back onto that character. Once a 3D representation of that character is in the scene, the CG characters can interact with that live-action character – keeping depth registration in mind. We now need to take into account the Z axis – not just X and Y like in a 2D film.

Ken, which cameras have been used and which is the source, digital only or also 35mm negative?

KR: It was the Genesis camera, digital only, for any of the Wonderland sequences. And the live action bookends were shot on film.

The Genesis Camera used for Alice In Wonderland has a CCD with a resolution higher than 4K, do you think a 4K 2D re-release of the movie could be possible in future?

KR: While I can’t comment on any release plans, technically, it is possible. Everyone is always advancing the technology to get the best image possible.

Were you satisfied with the use of 3D in the film? What was your favorite scene?

KR: I was very satisfied with how 3D helped us immerse Alice into the world of Wonderland. As for a favorite scene, I love when Alice meets the Cheshire Cat. It works on so many levels.

Have you been surprised by the speed with which 3D has become the norm for blockbuster releases?

KR: Maybe a little surprised but it has been clear for some time that there was a growing appetite. The success of AVATAR really demonstrated the potential of 3D and also accelerated the availability of 3D equipped theaters.

David, you’ve mentioned the small tricks you couldn’t get away with. Do you find it frustrating as an audience member then to see the films that are converting to 3D with far less attention to detail?

DS: Sure. I would hate for the quick-conversions to give the stereo medium a bad wrap. If the audiences get turned off by the experience of a few poorly executed conversions that could be enough to change the course of the future of 3D (stereo).

Alice has – possibly unjustly – been lumped in with a number of other blockbusters that have ‘upscaled’ to 3D in post. How do you feel about the rush to the new technology? Do you feel some of the other films undermined what you had achieved?

DS: We can always hope that the standards remain high. Of course there is always the possibility that the work turned out over the next couple of years will dictate how the industry goes as a direct result of how audience react to the 3D conversions currently underway.

THE ANIMATION INDUSTRY AND CAREER PATHS

Ken, you post quite the impressive resume, a lot of these being American classics. Could you tell me a little bit about your involvement or what you had a hand in with the Back to the Future and Star Wars franchises?

KR: Star Wars was my first feature film and I did motion control camera work on the first film. Ultimately, I became visual effects supervisor, one of 3, on Return of the Jedi. I was visual effects supervisor on all of the Back to the Future films and they were the first times I worked with Bob Zemeckis.

Having worked with Zemeckis, how successful do think mo-cap is as a solution to animation problems, and are you happy with the speed at which it’s growing use in the industry?

KR: Motion capture has a place in specific types of movies. It is one of many available tools. On Alice, we only used motion capture as a reference. All of the characters and animation were actually done through traditional key frame techniques.

Was there ever a moment where you couldn’t achieve what was being asked for, or is that a thing of the past?

KR: Sure – for a variety of reasons, there are always shots that either don’t live up to the initial intent or due to schedule, physical resources or cost have to be re-envisioned. But overall, on this film, what you see on the screen came together even more robust than we first imagined.

David, I know the L.A. area is considered to be the heart of American animation, are there any other U.S. cities that are doing interesting things in animation?

DS: Albuquerque, NM! I’m not kidding. Sony Imageworks has a facility out there, and a large chunk of this work was done out there. We are all connected via video conferencing, and remote desk-top dailies. We have also opened up an office in Vancouver that will operate in the same way – using ABQ as the model since it worked so well. More and more studios are going this way to take advantage of the tax
incentives that are being offered. I love the idea – and I look forward to the day when animators can work remotely from anywhere. And as for LA… yeah, that would get the traffic off the freeways!

Ken, where are the best visual effects companies in the world? Is all the best work done in the US, or are there great boutique effects houses elsewhere?

KR: A lot of the best are in California. However, there is great work being done all over the world. There is a fabulous global community of visual effects and animation artists.

David, how did you first get interested in animation generally and what do you recommend for students looking to begin a career in your area of expertise?

DS: I’ve always had an interest in animation – for as far back as I can remember. Originally it was Saturday morning cartoons, but later it became the Disney classics. I was the kid that drew flip-books in the corner margin of my math book and was always doodling or fiddling with 8mm film projects of my own. My advice to any aspiring animator is to dive in head-first and get involved. There is really no better way to get good at this than to do it. Take every opportunity and make the most of it. There are some great schools out there, and we are seeing a lot of great talent coming our way as a result. In the end it really is about your reel, and a demonstration of your talent that makes an impression. The artistry is what matters, regardless of your particular education. But all that education certainly helps.

Many colleges still offer traditional 2D animation degrees, is there any place for 2D animators in today’s studios or should they go back and study CG?

DS: When it comes to animation, it is the performance that reins supreme – whether it is pencil on paper or hand on a mouse! The VFX world (and films like this) is certainly dependent on CG tools and if that is the realm that a student is interested in, then it is best to focus in that area. But in the end, all of these tools are exactly that – just tools. Choose your medium.

Ken, there is seemingly more work out there with so many films that up the ante as far as fantasy and fan boy movies continue to roll out of Hollywood, but in reality studios keep closing, how tough is it really out there for animation and FX houses?

KR: It is challenging business. The effects films that do well support the idea of these kinds of big movies. And you are right, the ante is continually upped. We are all very conscious of economics and delivering a quality product within the limitations of schedules and budgets.

As technology has advanced to the point where basically anything you can think of can be created on screen, do you think audiences are suffering from “CGI fatigue?” How do you continue to wow audiences who have, in some ways, seen everything already??

KR: CG is a tool like any other tool in making a movie. It can be used correctly or abused. When used correctly, it can enhance the film’s illusion and the audience experience. It is less about the technique and much more about how it is used. When used effectively to enhance a story, stunning visuals and the opportunity to explore something you have not seen is a rewarding experience.

DS: The most important thing is to wow audiences with great stories and great performances. Yes, if a film hinges on spectacular VFX in order to keep the audience’s attention, then it is very easy to get “CGI-fatigue” on a grand scale. Everything we did in this film was in support of the story, and bringing Tim’s vision to life. It was never about creating some spectacular effect that no one had seen before… but the upside is that I think we ended up with some pretty unique things in the film that audiences have in fact not seen before!

Ken, has the Blu-ray image quality forced you to be more meticulous with visual effects in any way?

KR: The Blu-ray image is actually equal to the resolution at which we work. So what you see on Blu-ray is the same as what you see on the big screen and the same as what we see here at Imageworks when we are viewing dailies and making the shots. We are trying to produce the most perfect image and Blu-ray maintains that image quality.

David, Blu-ray technology can bring to new life the old masterpieces of the past, do you think old Disney classics will look as exciting in 2K resolution as to be appreciated as much as new animation movies?

DS: I think the remastered Disney classics look AMAZING on Blu-ray! The level of detail that you see on the old cels is phenomenal – you can even see the shadow of the cel against the background. It brings you up-close and personal to that amazing artwork that has been so hidden in low-resolution renditions.

What’s more satisfying for you Ken, working on a film that makes a Visual FX leap in advancement, or working on something with a such a distinct visual style that defines the overall impression left by the film? I think Alice achieved both of these in spades (pun intended).

KR: It is both. First comes the look of the movie and the requirements of the story. If that leads us to a technical advancement, that is a bonus. But it takes terrific films like ALICE to do all that.

What’s the best visual effect you ever did that no one realizes was a visual effect?

KR: There are many. CONTACT was a movie that had many of these kinds of invisible shots. For example, the mirror shot, in which Jodie Foster as a child runs up the stairs, down a hallway and reaches into a medicine cabinet, is a complicated blending of elements that you have to look hard at to realize that what has occurred is impossible.

What’s your favorite visual effect of all time, one that you did not do, but really admire?

KR: Excellent question. The Skeleton Fight by Ray Harryhausen seen in “Jason and the Argonauts” is my favorite visual effects sequence. This scene, more than any other, stands out as one of the greats of all time.

Did you learn anything unexpected during the massive production-process?

KR: Nothing was really unexpected. After doing these kinds of movies for so long, I was able to anticipate many things and be prepared. It is great when a plan, especially a big complicated plan like this, comes together. I had a great team of super geniuses backing me up at every turn.

Any final thoughts on Alice?

KR: Alice was definitely one of the best experiences I have ever had in my career. Working creatively with Tim Burton was incredibly satisfying. There were many challenges and we had a brilliant team that worked well together. I am very proud of the work and most importantly, it was fun.

DS: This experience on Alice was truly the most creatively fulfilling experiences of my career. It was a huge pleasure to work with Tim Burton, and an amazing opportunity to give life to the characters of Underland. It was also a crew of the most talented animators that I ever had the pleasure to work with – professional and talented on every level. While the schedule was grueling – 9 months in animation from start-to finish, we all realized we were a part of something special. You don’t get such wonderful opportunities very often, so everyone pulled together and gave it everything they had to make the best of this special time that we had. It was great to see the work pan out the way it did, and great to see audiences enjoying the wild and wacky world of Underland!

And be sure to check out the Alice in Wonderland blu-ray and my review to see both Ken and David’s work on the film. If you haven’t already, make sure you visit the big round table interviews with Alice in Wonderland’s costume designer Colleen Atwood and conceptual artist Dermot Power. Click Here for that article.

Year: 2010
Running Time: 109 Minutes
Rated: PG
SRP: $ 39.99
Studio(s): Disney
Release Date: June 1, 2010

Film/Feature: C+
This Alice in Wonderland is a reaches a bit to be a “sequel” of sorts, but doesn’t do much to deviate from the conventional structure of what alice is about, except this time she’s older, more independent, sharper and has a nasty wit about her. Alice (Mia Wasikoawska) is free thinker in her day and she’d be cast as an outsider trying to fight the system of arranged marriages and all that is Jane Austen. Spurred by a marriage proposal, Alice has visions of another world, but are they dreams or memories? She follows a rabbit from her dreams down a fifty-story drop in the forest only to be confronted by the “Eat Me” and “Drink Me” concoctions that will make her fit into the spastic world of Lewis Carroll.

Pale as a frequent blood donor, Alice believes “Underland” is a dream, while the everyone she meets is skeptical that she is their savior. There’s the Tweedle twins (Matt Lucas), the March Hare (Paul Whitehouse), the Absolem (Alan Rickman) and the Cheshire Cat (Stephen Fry). Her reluctance and failure to remember this world goes against the Oraculum a prophecy scroll that shows what’s to come, and Alice is depicted killing the menacing Jaberwocky with the Vorpal Sword; thus resolving the land of the war between the kingdom’s patriarchal sisters: The hot-headed (and bulbous) Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) who has stolen the crown from her younger sibling, the aloof pacifist, White Queen (Anne Hathaway). The creatures of Underland need Alice to remember who she is and grow some courage quick. Once she does, she can steal the sword from the Bandersnatch, find the White Queen and lead an all out attack of the Red Army. That’s not too much to ask from someone who appears to be suffering from amnesia, is it?

While many waited to see Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, it’s been too soon since Sweeney Todd and even Depp played a deranged and spaced out Hatter isn’t as special as it could be. Depp played up the mad angle since many hatters back in the day went crazy from the glue used in the industry. Wasikowska is a surprise treat, portraying such naïvety and sweetness and is contrasted by the vitriolic Carter as the Red Queen stealing every scene she’s in. Hathaway is too bohemian, but Crispin Glover as the Red Queen’s Knave is just right.

The problem with Alice, well actually Wonderland, is that it’s not bizarre enough. Gothic, yes, but such dark and twisted re-imaginings have become run-of-the-mill for Burton, and truth be told, it’s almost mainstream these days. It’s a byproduct of Burton’s success and long tenure as a filmmaker. With Emily the Strange and Twilight gone mainstream, Burton’s goth have become like a passé. It’s odd, I know. Burton walks the fine line of what I consider style over substance. One film he’s just off, the other he’s just on. In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Sweeney it was just enough Burton, too much in Planet of the Apes and Sleepy Hollow; but it’s so perfect in Ed Wood, Big Fish, and Nightmare Before Christmas so he’s earned the benefit of the doubt.

On a visual and technical level, I have no problems with Alice, I only wish Underland and the darker concepts were taken further and deeper story-wise. Some of the visuals will be permanently etched in such insidious ways, like the Red Queen’s moat. But I should catch myself, since this is a Disney, PG film, so we’re not going to see them go crazy. If only the story had a much more luxurious travel to the end perhaps I wouldn’t have been so content with Alice ‘s decision at the end. It all just felt a bit rushed, like they were trying not to be late to the tea party. If Alice’s adventure was supposed to be like a dream then it worked, just like the dreams where you wake up way too early.

Video: A+
I’ve seen my fair share of blu-rays this year and few can boast a better transfer than Alice in Wonderland’s 1080p AVC-encoded transfer in 1.78:1 aspect ratio. Close ups reveal detail of the white, caked makeup on Johnny Depp’s face. Every strand of the Cheshire cat can be plucked if only you could reach into your screen. One impressive scene of note is the tea party when Alice reunites with the Mad Hatter. There’s layers upon layers of fog billowing in and out each frame and the depth perception is phenomenal. There is a wide scope of colors of eye-bursting hues like the orange in Mad Hatter’s hair, the blood crimson of the Red Army, and there’s a wide spectrum within the range of grays and browns too. In between are clothes with a pastel color palette. It’s stunning that there’s this level of detail, texture, shadow delineation and atmosphere considering most of the film was shot in front of a green screen. It should be interesting to see just how well this picture holds up when the eventual 3D version comes out for the new televisions.

Audio:A+
Not to be overshadowed is the blissful 6.1 English DTS-HD audio track, an active and at times knockout soundtrack that is full of swirling sound effects, a Danny Elfman score and just the right amount of bass during the action scenes to help make you feel as if you were standing next to Alice fighting dragons. Dialogue holds true in each scene, is clear and is never too faint to hear. Disney knows how to Other audio selections include: 2.0 English Descriptive Video, and 5.1 French and Spanish Dolby Digital tracks and subtitles are available in English, English SDH, French, and Spanish.

Extras: C
Blu-Ray Exclusive: Living Menus This is no extraordinary extra but it is a cool detail piece. I’ve always felt that blu-ray menus have taken a step back compared to DVD menus in the early 2000′s. The menus here connect to BD Live: and upon loading up, you’ll see your local weather as well as be greeted by a part of the Oraculum that mirrors your local weather. I was able to sample this on a cloudy day and sunny day and confirm these do change with the weather. Readers out there with snowy or rainy weather feel free to post comments if you see different images. I won’t get too many chances in California.

Wonderland Characters HD (27:56) features a selection of characters and their quirks Finding Alice, The Mad Hatter, The Futterwacken, The Red Queen, Time Lapse: Sculpting the Red Queen, The White Queen.

Making Wonderland HD (19:29) is a general making-of extra that focuses on primarily the post-production part of Alice in Wonderland including Scoring Wonderland, Effecting Wonderland, Stunts of Wonderland, Making the Proper Size, Cakes of Wonderland, and Tea Party Props. I’m a sucker for anything that involves scoring films, but the bits about the effects and Alice’s changing proportions could have been longer. The cakes and props featurettes are fun too.

DVD Copy a great option for those with DVD players in their cars or portable players for the vacation trips.

Digital Copy another option for those who can stomach watching full-length feature films on tiny mobile devices or on their computer and is compatible with iTunes and Windows Media Player.

Overall Shock Value:B–
Alice in Wonderland pushed the edges of Lewis Carroll’s story but it could have been shoved much further. It’s not to take away from the film’s success, but it’s just knowing there was potential for meatier story that keeps it from being a landmark film. What one has to remember is that it set out to be a family film first, and I think it achieved that well enough. The extras department was underwhelming considering the artistry and craft in Alice; it’s certainly one of the most visually memorable films of 2010 so far and a cargo full of supplemental material would have supported that. Despite those shortcomings, this is a visual show-stopper, and the sound is splendid. I’m going to recommend Alice in Wonderland with a Rent It stamp of approval, but it might be a keeper for film students and parents of gothic children who want to see a fairy tale they can stand behind.

And please check out Ernie’s other Alice in Wonderland articles including a lengthy Q/A interview with Ken Ralston and David Schaub, two of the wizards behind the visual effects of Alice in Wonderland, and a two roundtable interviews with costume designer Colleen Atwood and conceptual artist Dermot Power.

Year: 2010
Running Time: 137 Minutes
Rated: R
SRP: $39.99
Studio(s): Paramount
Release Date: June 8, 2010

Film/Feature: B–
Shutter Island explores 1954 when the world of psychology and psychiatry came at a crossroads. Three methods of treatment to those deemed insane were being widely debated. Psycho-surgery (AKA lobotomy), talk therapy and the advent of pharma-therapy, a method some say is being abused today. This psychological thriller is based on the book written by Dennis Lehane novel of the same name is set in this time period.

Set on an isolated island in Boston Harbor, Ashecliff Hospital is known to hold the worst of the worst criminally insane patients with only one way in and one way out. It’s a prison and hospital at the same time. Dr. Cawley (Sir Ben Kingsley) is trying to pioneer new methods in treating his patients with more talk therapy instead of methods of lobotomy, which even in its time, was just beginning to be considered barbaric. He hopes that through alternative methods, he can reach patients easier and leave drugs and psycho-surgery as last resorts. Dr. Naehring (Max von Sydow) represents the other side of psychiatry who would rather lobotomize all of the patients and save the time and effort that feels is being wasted on cases so far gone who can’t be reached, when the mind has completely taken over the body.

Our story begins when two U.S. marshals, Edward “Teddy” Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his new partner, Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo), arrive to Shutter Island to investigate the disappearance of Rachel Solando (Emily Mortimer), a patient who is thought to have vanished from her locked quarters. She allegedly killed her three young children and is a widow thanks to World War II. Teddy leads an all-out interrogation of staff and patients while feeling very close to Solando’s case and is haunted by his own history. Just as he is about to break the case open, he is blocked by the hospital to pursue his intuitions and that’s when he becomes suspicious of those in charge at Ashecliff. But this story is just a front for a much larger story; an emotionally-cleansing journey for the U.S. marshall. To find out the truth, Teddy must look within, and confront his secrets and lies before it’s too late.

Lehane’s novels have inspired two other heavily talked-about films, Mystic River and Gone Baby Gone, and as in those stories, Shutter Island presents odd folk, trapped in a precarious situation. There is something sinister and ominous here, helped by stark, atmospheric settings, peculiar characters and good old-fashioned camera work. It won’t take long to begin suspecting what’s at play, but it’s how the film evolves from this inauspicious point is what ignites conversation between viewers, not the twist. Only when Shutter Island is fully revealed, does one see the complexity of Shutter Island. It’s a successful translation with the direction of Scorsese, and screenwriter, Laeta Kalogridis whose task was to adapt this narrative for the big screen.

An inevitable second viewing allows the viewer redemption to properly soak in Scorsese’s tapestry. Once again, DiCaprio is dominant in every scene he is in, but Michelle Williams who plays Teddy’s wife Dolores, is equally moving (and tragic); while character contributions by Kinglsey, Ruffalo, Jackie Earle Haley, and von Sydow hit the mark.

If you’re expecting a classic, violent Scorsese film, Shutter Island won’t meet those expectations. Nor will it satisfy those looking for a large supernatural element that could be expected from what I feel were misleading trailers. It’s instead a search and rescue film, of a character disparately needing help. In the backdrop, is the world of psychiatry, during its questionable infancy and is the apt villain as Teddy’s traverse into his lower depths while trying to solve his case.

Shutter Island is a wolf in sheep’s clothing; masquerading as one thing but being something different. Its slow spots restrain the film from being something magnificent, and its secret is thinly shrouded, but the eventual resolution will undoubtedly challenge the audience, but most notably, the rest of the film that precedes it.

Video: A
Paramount put out a fine 1080p AVC-encoded transfer in 2.35:1 aspect ratio reflecting the film’s classicism and noir roots. In period pieces, art direction and set production are what makes a story of this kind believable, and shortcuts and shoddy work can be detected in high definition, but this is a Scorsese film, and this film looks near flawless. Whether it was rain-drenched wool or the tweed of a two piece suit, textures look highly accurate and colors are full-bodied, rich, and warm. With such a level of detail, depth perception is tremendous in crane and aerial shots. Also, DiCaprio on a closer look, is no longer the smooth-skinned young man in Titanic. Wrinkles, freckles, and stubble on his face, Ruffalo’s, and other cast members cannot hide from the picture clarity. The drab, real world colors stabilize each scene with the exception of an occasional sunny, outdoor shot that display the lush greens and gardens of the Ashecliff compound. Blacks are extremely solid and stable, with no glaring signs of crush, and are especially impressive when Teddy enters Ward C, that’s full of darkness and prison bars that create artful, shadowed stills with each frame. It’s so nice to see a classic director shoot wide, and capture so much information and spotlight the set designs.

Audio: A
Shutter Island doesn’t resort to predictable music and effects cues to get you out of your seat, but it does have a strong, 5.1 English DTS-HD audio track that serves as the driving force of the audio of the film. Music, sound effects like thunder, are sent to the rear channels, while flashbacks to concentration camps are full of bullets spraying all around you. The movement of sound is accurate and flawless no matter the direction, and the dialogue is balanced at a comfortable level with the rest of the audio. Nothing too booming or bombastic from the LFE .1 channel, it’s just right where it needs to be but the sound design had room to be more dynamic. The score, not originally composed, was rather selected parts of composed pieces, and is heard throughout all five channels. Other audio selections include: 5.1 French, Spanish, Portuguese Dolby Digital tracks and subtitles are available in English, English SDH, French, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Extras: C
There are only two featurettes to explore after the film, so I can’t give Shutter Island a high grade for an abundant amount of supplement material. The film is in of itself, an extra because you will want to see the film on repeat viewings. But what extras are on the disc, do explain enough about the film that doesn’t take away from the experience, and avoid redundant information that can come with repeating similar EPK interview pieces. Both featurettes are in high definition and stereo sound.

Behind the Shutters HD (17:10)
Author and Executive Producer of Shutter Island, Dennis Lehane
Kingsley waxes poetic about the cast and their qualities
Scorsese shares how he and Robbie Robertson used composed musical pieces and strategically place parts of them in the film.

Into the Lighthouse HD (21:11) is the best extra of the two and talks about being both violent and mentally ill. Dr. James Gilligan served as a psychiatric consultant to the film and was the director of psychiatry at the former Bridgewater prison mental hospital which the model for the film. Gilligan talks about his efforts to transition Bridgewater into more humanistic and humane methods over the primitive and horrifying practices of old school psychiatry. Lehane also explains further why he picked 1954 as the setting and the pivotal time in psychiatry.

Overall Shock Value: B–
Shutter Island is slow to get to where it’s really interesting, but the film finds its direction about 45 minutes in. This is a film that should inspire some debate or discussion amongst friends and for that alone, it’s worth the overall gloomy experience. Technically, Paramount put out a strong blu-ray disc with a near spotless transfer that preserves the Scorsese’s artful eye and a sound stage that should take a bow. Shutter Island should easily get two or three viewings, and with just two extras on the entire blu-ray, that’s just enough to get a solid Rent It recommendation while Scorsese fans may just want to add it to their expanding library.

Year: 2009
Running Time: 162 Minutes
Rated: PG-13
SRP: $39.99
Studio(s): 20th Century Fox
Release Date: April 23, 2010

Film/Feature: C+
In case you haven’t heard, there’s this film called Avatar, and it’s kind of a big deal because it made more money than Hollywood could ever imagine and now we have 100 3-D films in the pipeline as a result. I’m kidding of course, sort of, and in the same way the Matrix sold DVD players, Avatar will do the same for blu-ray. Both successful and controversial, Avatar quickly comes to consumers in this stripped down movie-only release and is sure add to director James Cameron’s legacy of money-making blockbusters.

Avatar is about a paraplegic Marine veteran named Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) who enlists in the Avatar Program and infiltrates the Na’vi a sentient race of giant blue-skinned warriors who are connected with everything that lives on the moon Pandora in the Alpha Centauri star system. Pandora is full of hostile creatures but also beautiful things humans can only dream of. It is also full of rich resources like unobtanium that can be mined out and be worth millions back on Earth. Jake is serving two purposes, one for the science exploration and understanding of the Na’vi and the military strategic angle because underneath their home base, Hometree, is the largest known mineral deposit of unobtanium.

Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver) leads the Avatar Program and has been trying to bridge a peaceful truce with the Na’vi to learn of their culture and Pandora’s ecosystem. It is under her command that Jake is taken in by the Na’vi, and is the first human to truly be accepted into the Omaticaya clan of the Na’vi. What she doesn’t know is that Jake is gathering information for Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) and Administrator Parker Selfridge (Giovanni Ribisi) in exchange for treatment that will restore mobility in his legs. Selfridge is leading the mining expedition, is unsympathetic to the lives they’re trampling on with their mining machines. Jake gets in with the Na’vi under the tutelage of Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) and is of course suspected by others in the tribe to be trouble as all outsiders are and Jake must prove to them that he is indeed true of his word. Once it is discovered that there is no way the Omaticaya clan will work with the humans or desire anything they can offer, Quaritch and Selfridge decide to take the area by force.

To get it out of the way, let me just say that Avatar is not an original story. I’ve heard all the comparisons to Dances with Wolves. Personally, it reminds me of the wonderful but sad 1986 Rolad Joffé film, The Mission starring Robert DeNiro and Jeremy Irons, about peaceful Jesuit missionaries trying to save South American tribes from being enslaved and forced out of their lands by of Portuguese and Spanish plantation owners. That film was based on the events revolving around the Treaty of Madrid in 1750, Avatar is undeniably influenced by George W. Bush and Dick Cheney’s invasion of Iraq as well as humans’ assault on mother Earth with industrialization and pollution.

Avatar’s pop culture significance stems from our current environmentally consciousness (hence its release on Earth Day), paying respect to few remaining indigenous tribes still left on this planet (and those that have been wiped out completely), and showing the crime of razing native civilizations from their land for the extraction of natural resources for capital gain. The fact that this story remains relevant, shows that no one has learned the lessons of it being told before, again and again. We have gotten to a point where we have forgotten the past sins. It’s no more “white guilt” as some have called it, than it is human history. One group of people trying to impose their will on the other for no other reason than personal gain and to exercise power.

Does that make it a good film, or more importantly an enjoyable film? That’s debatable and left to be discussed by film buffs, James Cameron-ites, and those who come out to see a film three times a year. I’d have loved to have seen Cameron not rest so much Avatar on what he’s done in the past; echoes of Aliens ring throughout from Sigourney Weaver’s Dr. Augustine character resembling Ripley, Michelle Rodgriguez’s Trudy Chácon to Jeanette Goldstein’s Vasquez, and Ribisi’s slimy Selfridge to Paul Reiser’s equally despicable Burke. If not for the awesome and creative world that was put before us by the countless animators and artists, the story of Avatar would leave you wanting much more. A special nod goes to Zoe Saldana for giving one of the most convincing and emotional performances as an animated character in recent years. By the end of the film, I cared about what was happening to these overgrown smurfs.

It’s not what you tell, but how you tell it, as they say, and Cameron keeps finding new ways to get us into theaters. Based on the box offices, and the recent numbers on Blu-Ray and DVD sales, Avatar appeals to the masses and I’m not here to convert anyone into liking the film; you either do or you don’t. (I did, but recognize it’s trite shortcomings.) I am here to tell you that it looks fantastic on blu-ray, which brings me to the analysis of the disc.

Video: A+
This will be the most high scrutinized part of the blu-ray because everyone who saw this in the theater will attach their 3-D experience to the film. There’s no possible way this looks good on 2-D, right? Wrong. The 1080p AVC-encoded transfer in 1.78:1 aspect ratio looks damn impressive with brilliant colors and loads of high-detailed depth. That high definition in conjunction with the depth in many scenes makes it appear almost three dimensional. There’s not that polarized or stereoscopic three-dimensional feel, but all I can say is that it is a completely different experience and I mean that in a good way. Look, I enjoyed the 3-D moments as much as the next person and when this gets its eventual 3-D release I will understand the need to recreate that original experience but this blu-ray release shows how magnificent a high definition 2-D image can benefit a film that was intended to be seen in 3-D. I could truly ramble on about this at great lengths, but just know that the depth on this film is as good as I’ve seen on any film and is in now way a lesser experience. The size and quality of your television, however, may lessen the visual impact, but everything else is golden. Blacks are immensely deep, primary and neon colors explode on the screen. There are no moments of digital artifacts, halos, or moments when the picture breaks down despite the high speed action. Textures remain true and stable and the gradual swirl of colors in the skin of the Na’vi are reproduced wonderfully. The detail in reflections, strands of hair, the vines of the Tree of Souls, and any scenes where the living plants show their neon colors/energy make for dazzling light show that will light a fire in your senses. I had a feeling it would look good, but not this good.

Audio: A
I can see Avatar being many folks’ first experience into blu-ray. Who knows, maybe it will inspire people to step up to a surround sound set up and for the first time in their lives, experience high definition audio as well. If so, they’ll be greeted to a 5.1 English DTS-HD master audio track. This soundtrack is aggressive and full of home theater audio moments where front-to-rear and side-to-side sound effects will turn heads all around. It has a punchy bass but I’ve heard films that go to the extremely far end of trying to blast your family room apart. Avatar won’t do that. In some instances I think it holds back. I was expecting a resounding thud when Hometree topples to the ground. There was another scene early when machine guns are spraying bullets and instead of being a directional sound moment, it got pushed to the center channel. Dialogue is distinctive, clear, and easy to understand. It sounds good where it needs to sound good, but I’d be lying if I said it was perfect. Other audio selections include: 5.1 English Dolby Digital, 2.0 English Descriptive Audio, and French, Spanish, Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital tracks; subtitles are available in English SDH, French, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Extras: D

Avatar DVD Avatar in standard definition. Yeah that about sums up the extras. But this does allow you to easily take Avatar on the go, in your van, and on your portable DVD player. I must point out the differences in the two formats because it’s hard to explain unless people have both formats available to compare with.

So here’s a quick run down of the DVD experience. It’s like night and day. With the added clarity of the blu-ray there’s not much that separates the foreground and the background. That’s why even on a 2D level, the blu-ray at times gives the perception that a 3D image is still there.

All of that is absent in the DVD. You still get the story, and some of the technical wonder, but it’s a noticeable step down. And you can live with that with a movie shot on traditional film stock and then transferred, where there’s that acceptable level of grain we’ve all come to love. Avatar though, is rich with technical and visual wonder, extreme color and levels of detail that you want as clean an image as you can get. Should you bring this home, you’ll be able to see the difference.

Now, this is not a shot at DVD, because that technology is great. For this instance though, the experience between DVD and blu-ray is incredible. This disparity is magnified by the type of film visually, that Avatar sets out to be. That gap may be much closer with a film that’s not designed to be as clean, and as detailed, one with much more intended grain. That variance in film to film, transfer to transfer is why I tell people that blu-ray maintains the intended look of the film, preserving how the film was meant to be seen.

There’s also a $25 coupon for Panasonic Blu-Ray disc players or entertainment systems to be used in conjunction with the purchase of the Avatar Blu-Ray or DVD.

Overall Shock Value: B
Avatar is one of those films that achieves such delight on a technical level that it overcomes the been-there-done-that story. There’s going to be a lot of speculation at how the Avatar experience is going to translate at home. I’m here to say that it translates beautifully. I can’t endorse how the film looks on DVD, because this is one of those films where the high definition experience needs to be preserved as close to the original as possible. If it the capacity of one entire blu-ray was needed for the film alone, then that effort was not wasted.

With only the movie and no extras, I’d say it’s hard to be completely immersed into Pandora outside of the nearly two and half hour running time. If you want to wait for extras, then you’ll have to wait this November. They are pricing this release as an affordable purchase for those who want to take the Avatar experience home ASAP, and for those who have been missing out, with a new blu-ray player and see what all the buzz is about.

So whether it’s an impulse buy or just to hold you over until the fall, Avatar on blu-ray is worth a Buy It recommendation if you can score a great sale, or if all you want is the film. Otherwise, plan for the collector’s release this Thanksgiving.

Year: 1994
Running Time: 81 Minutes
Rated: G
SRP: $ 39.99
Studio(s): Disney / Pixar Studios
Release Date: March 23, 2010

Film/Feature: A+
It’s hard to imagine that its first feature film, Toy Story has just been released in high definition this past March. For many people, Pixar’s films inspired many to go out and buy a DVD player or soon after a DVD Player was accepted as a gift, a Pixar film brought home was a common ritual, soon to follow. And now the same thing could be said about blu-ray since Pixar films easily show a night and day comparison, ensuring that jump to high definition is well worth it. But Toy Story isn’t all about cutting technology in animation, there’s a great story about a young boy named Andy and the toys he loves to play with, or make that, loved to play with. If the toys could speak, what would they say? What would they think about? What would they fear most?

Toy Story believes that toys fear being forgotten. It sounds logical when you think about it. Every birthday and holiday when children are given a newly wrapped box, their old toys shake in fear that what’s inside is a toy so cool that all of their insecurities come out. Andy and his baby sister have a Mr. Potato Head (Don Rickles), a Slinky Dog (Jim Varney), Bo Peep (Annie Potts), a Tyrannosaurus Rex (Wallace Shawn), Hamm the Piggy Bank (John Ratzenberger), and an army of Little Green Men (R. Lee Ermey) amongst dozens of other toys stuck in a chest. Word has it that the family they belong to is moving, so like any concerned toy, they are worried about being left behind. But before they can worry about that, Andy’s favorite toy is was Woody (Tom Hanks) but for his birthday this year, he opens up the hottest toy amongst boys, Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen). Buzz is so new that he doesn’t realize that he’s a toy. Nothing more and nothing less. While the rest of Andy’s toys are enamored by him, Woody is unimpressed and does not hid his jealousy well. While Andy is stuck on going to “Infinity and Beyond” Woody does whatever he can to stay in the picture, even if it means compromising his good name among the rest of the toys. Woody’s plans begin to backfire on him while Buzz comes to grips that he’s nothing more than a pre-programmed toy with gimmicky bells and whistles.

The two of them get separated from the rest of the pack and eventually they find themselves trapped by the neighbor’s kid, Sid, who does has very destructive tendencies. This is what I love about Pixar, they have this great hook of a main story and then bring in this interesting character study. Sid reminds you of all of those kids who would do awful things to pets, pull the wings off of insects and do unspoken things to his toys. Buzz and Woody have to escape his grips before they’re blown to smithereens and at the same time get to the moving truck before Andy, his family, and the rest of their toy friends are gone forever.

What Toy Story accomplished with their first film and established from that point on is create adventures; ones that opened the mind of creativity and amazement in the inner child in us all. These qualities that often escape most films, regardless of who they’re aimed at. There’s nothing forced or contrived, this is just unfiltered fun. But Toy Story understood that it’s the details that count, the concepts that have to easily communicable, and the story needs to be flawless and that sums up what Toy Story and ultimately Pixar have since become.

Video:A+
What would the jump to blu-ray be, if there wasn’t a leap in picture quality and boy is there ever one here. Toy Story comes equipped with a 1080p AVC-encoded transfer in 1.78:1 aspect ratio. Two things jump out on this blu-ray, first the color looks ravishing. Blistering hues will scream off of your LCD screen or plasma television. I could list off a grocery list of scenes that looks better than the standard definition transfer but I’ll save time by saying that it all looks better. The other thing I want to note is the details in the texture. Plastic looks like shiny plastic, metal looks like metal (Slinky Dog), and fabric is well, you get the picture. Denim (on Woody), shine (on Buzz), lace (on Bo Peep); all look as if they existed in real life instead of being fabricated on a computer. I know there are some skeptics out there who think that the Toy Story DVDs are not chopped liver, but I’m sorry, but those of you who adore this film, need to see it in high definition because in this case, the DVD is a severely inferior product.

Audio: A+
Just because you can blow the roof off your building with an amazing audio mix, doesn’t mean you have to. Toy story picks its spots to show off its 5.1 English DTS-HD master audio track. When the film opens with all of the toys scrambling to organize a townhall meeting, there’s lots of surround sound chaos. Sound just whizzes by your head, and closing your eyes you can imagine what scene is happening where. And then Toy Story just lulls you with dialogue while the story sets in with front-heavy activity, until Buzz and Woody end up outside the house. The last half hour of the story plays out superbly in 5.1. Dialogue and Randy Newman’s score are also expertly mixed so as not to drown out or overpower any other sound or audio. Other audio selections include: French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital EX tracks, English DTS-HD 2.0, English DVS 2.0 and subtitles are available in English SDH, French, and Spanish.

Extras: A+

When the 10th Anniversary DVD came out a few years back, it was chock full of extras, and the fine folks at Pixar packaged that and much more exclusive stuff for the blu-ray to make it worth buying again.

BLU RAY EXTRAS

Audio Commentary by Director John Lasseter, Co-Writer Andrew Stanton, Supervising Animator Pete Doctor, Art Director Ralph Eggleston, Supervising Technical Director Bill Reeves, and producers Ralph Guggenheim and Bonnie Arnold. A brand new commentary track by many of the main cogs of the Pixar machine. Even though the room is jammed with speakers, Pixar commentary tracks are always informative, light in tone and full of insight into the animating and storytelling processes.

Toy Story 3 Sneak Peek HD (2:02) A little of the story is leaked out about what the third installment is about.

Buzz Lightyear Mission Logs: Blast Off HD (3:27) A look into Buzz’s latest adventure into NASA’s space station up in orbit.

Path to Pixar – Artists HD (4:49) a few introductions of some of the cool people who work at Pixar and what they do now and when the started their careers at the famed animation studio.

Studio Stories: John’s Car HD (1:27) a story about John Lasseter’s humble beginnings and his method of transportation.

Studio Stories: Baby AJ HD (1:38) another story from the animators about a Halloween costume contest at Pixar.

Studio Stories: Scooter Races HD (2:16) one last story from the old Pixar studio vault.

Buzz takes Manhattan HD (2:13) Buzz Lightyear finally gets to fly, in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

Black Friday: The Toy Story You Never Saw HD (7:34) Lasseter tells the story about the first reel shown to the Disney execs who wanted Toy Story to have a hard edge to it and why it didn’t work. In fact it nearly ended the film.

CLASSIC DVD EXTRAS
For those who never got the 10th Anniversary DVDs, those extras have been ported over in their entirety. They are in standard definition, with may of them in 4:3 full frame and 1.85:1 widescreen.

Filmmakers Reflect (16:56) The four main heads of Pixar (Joe Ranft, John Lasseter, gather around and reflect back over the past ten years and Toy Story and creating an environment to create fun films that everyone would enjoy. They paint a picture of what it was like making Toy Story and beginning what would be the studio that couldn’t do wrong.

Making Toy Story (20:17) Is a step-by-step telling how Toy Story came together from concept to finished film and using the computer as a tool along with the creative human process in making a great story.

The Legacy of Toy Story (11:41) is a series of interview clips from animators, actors, filmmakers, and those associated with films discussing the impact of Toy Story on the film and animation industries.

Designing Toy Story (6:12) detailing the textured world of Toy Story.

Deleted Scenes (18:50) Nine deleted scenes

Design are 11 Galleries of the different set designs (14:03), seven galleries on 3-D Visualizations (5:41), three galleries on the storytelling device of Color (7:54).

Story (13:56) Pixar’s unique and organic storyboarding and script review process is shown in three different scenes and has since been followed in each of the studio’s subsequent films.

Production (13:41) explains the animation process from the storyboards, layouts, animation, to the finished product. And as a bonus is a short reel of Toy Story in the various languages it was translated.

Music and Sound: Randy Newman Demos (17:30) is a collection of songs Newman created for the film. They can be heard one-by-one, or altogether. They are as follows: Plastic Spaceman 1 (3:18) and 2 (3:16), Strange Things (2:58), The Fool (2:09), I Will Go Sailing No More (3:32), You’ve Got a Friend in Me (2:17).

Publicity SD (10:14) a series of promotional Trailers, TV Spots, Posters, and much more.

Sneak Peeks for Disney Movie Rewards, Toy Story 1 and 2, The Princess and the Frog, James and the Giant Peach Special Edition, and Beauty and the Beast.

Toy Story 3 Coupon included is a $8.50 off a single admission ticket for Toy Story 3 which adds a little incentive for anyone who thinks they’ve bought this film enough. Gotta make sure to use it, though!

Overall Shock Value: A+
Chances are you already have the DVD of Toy Story, but as it was an early reference title for DVD technology, it has the same value for Blu-Ray. Looking even better in high definition, Toy Story is a justifiable double dip worth every single penny and you can give your old DVD to someone who doesn’t already have it and won’t make the leap to high def anytime soon. While it is already beginning to look outdated as far as computer-animated films is concerned, Toy Story holds up extremely well because of how good the story still is and there’s plenty of new bonus features and incentives to Buy It again!

Year: 2009
Running Time: 87 Minutes
Rated: PG
SRP: $ 39.99
Studio(s): 20th Century Fox
Release Date: March 23, 2010

Film/Feature: A –
If there a were ever an animated film that would be best seen with a glass of beer, Fantastic Mr. Fox would be it. Anthropomorphic animals are always fun, as long as it’s not live action, and especially if they are set in a world created by Wes Anderson (Royal Tennenbaums) and Noah Baumbach (Squid and the Whale). Actually, the story stems from a story by the late Roald Dahl, who authored James and the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. But both Anderson and Baumbach are like two peas in pods, who love making films soaked in dry wit and memorable chatter, odd character idiosyncrasies and set designs as memorable as a timeless photograph. They took Dahl’s short story and put their fallen-aristocrat spin on it.

In their adaptation, the hierarchy of animals and humans exist, but this gathering of wild animals can talk and be understood by humans. Even though they live underground and in the fields and forests, they’ve evolved to to running law firms, schools, newspapers, real estate firms, and more, yest still adhering to their “natural” tendencies every once in a while.

George Clooney voices Mr. Fox, a compulsive chicken thief who makes a deal with his partner-in-crime and wife, Mrs. Fox (Meryl Streep) that he will find a new line of work if they are able to escape the clutches of an enraged squab farmer who has just caught them in the act of a heist. She reveals her pregnancy and convinces a safer line of work should be on order.

The Foxes did escape and Mr. is no longer fantastic, he is just a bored family fox, working as a community reporter for the local rag, putting those tendencies behind him and earn an honest wage. He seeks a better life for himself, his wife and son and longs to live above ground in a high rise pine, but settles for whatever local variety tree is in his price range. His son Ash (Jason Schwartzman), now a teenager, is a short and uncoordinated cub and is everything Mr. Fox is not. Ash looks up to his tall and agile father despite being ignored, but is going through the awkward stages of fpuberty and accepting his short-comings. After moving to higher ground, the family takes in Mrs. Fox’s nephew, Kristofferson (Eric Anderson) and is everything his son is not. Mr. Fox bonds instantly with Kristofferson, admiring his natural abilities and unknowingly creates a rift between he and Ash.

Prior to purchasing his new home, Mr. Fox’s attorney, Badger (Bill Murray), of Beaver, Beaver and Badger advises him not to move into the area because the tree resides near three farmers, the meanest of which is a hard Cider tycoon, Franklin Bean (Michael Gambon). Mr. Fox is tempted by his primal predilections and plans to break into each farm for one last heist. He convinces his possum superintendent Kylie (Wally Wolodarsky) to help him, but when the stakes get higher and the farmers come after him and his family, he puts everyone in danger.

Fox tries to rally those in his community, to accept their nature and do what animals do, be faithful to their Latin names, and not be afraid to embrace those gifts. It’s a cute and valid notion, if living in the wild. Yet the three pieced suits, landscape paintings, and patterned wallpaper tends to contradict all of that. The farmers and their workers, act more like animals than the animals, and therein lies the conundrum. Call it the evolution of the tale of the Tortoise and Scorpion. (Look it up.)

But back to that glass of beer, while I don’t believe it’s a film that’s aimed at youths, the script makes sure that they can safely view it too replacing every swear word with the word, “cuss” adding another whimsical detail in a fully-accessorized world that would put Barbie to shame, down to every piece of miniature china. Not all films that are animated should be aimed at kids or as seen in Where the Wild Things Are, some material is best suited for those who have lived a bit. Animation though, is just another way to tell a story, simple as that.

Aesthetically, by using the stop-motion technique of animation and puppeteering, Fantastic Mr. Fox achieves a hybrid, nostalgic look of the original King Kong and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Every now and then there’s a wave of movement in the fur of the animals, a blustery flap of the collar, or coy shrug of the shoulder that signals Fantastic Mr. Fox is an Anderson film first even though it features the work of endless hours of work done by fabulous countless animators. Clooney is extraordinarily good as the lead (when isn’t he?), Anderson gets the most out of Murray and Schwartzman yet again, and even surprise voices like Willem Dafoe as Fox’s adversary The Rat, and Owen Willson as Coach Skip will tug at the corner of your upper lip. Anderson and Baumbach always makes the droll and cynical perspective so interesting and well, for the lack of a better word, fantastic, wait, scratch that, fun, and that’s why we hang on every single word and take in every single scene like pieces of baroque bark so that packrats like myself can add them to my internal movie scrapbook.

Video: A+
This film is all about texture! Every single texture was captured on this 1080p AVC-encoded transfer in 1.85:1 aspect ratio so well that you could see the type of knit in the floor mats, wool looked like wool, and every strand of animal fur could be counted by pausing the screen. The Nikon D3 was used to make this film and it’s a great advertisement for that camera. As heard on the extras, green and blue were, for the most part, taken out of the color palette leaving just the warm reds, oranges, violets and golden amber hues along with lots of brown to convey an autumn feel. For instance, Farmer Bean’s Cider storage is completely lit by passing light through the cider-filled bottles. There’s a lot of detail in the 150 different sets full of miniatures and neatly organized clutters and not a single piece or strand is missed.

Audio: B+
Fantastic Mr. Fox owns a 5.1 English DTS-HD Master Audio track. I was a bit underwhelmed by the amount of surround movement initially as a lot of what I would think would comes from the front, but as the film continued into the later stages, there was much more activity than in the first half. Bass has a balanced thrust in a handful of scenes, more than you’d expect, less than what you desire. Dialogue is clear to understand, even at low levels and as expected, a Wes Anderson film wouldn’t be complete without a moody, eclectic score composed by Alexadre Desplat and a soundtrack that includes the Beach Boys, Art Tatum, Burl Ives. Other audio selections include: French, Spanish, and Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital tracks and subtitles are available in English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, and Chinese-Mandarin.

Extras:C+
Lots of potential is wasted here but the best we get here is a lengthy and fairly comprehensive Making of and lots of empty room on the disc that could have held some more substantial extras. I know that there has been less emphasis on menu design, but this is about as dull as it gets, folks. One still shot that shows a bit spoiler, no music, or animation. Also I have to take them down a point or two for not having any subtitles for the extras. Hey, deaf people want to be able to enjoy the extras too.

Disc One
Making Mr. Fox Fantastic HD (44:48) is broken into six parts but can be viewed all together as well. They are:

The Look of Fantastic Mr. Fox (8:12) – See how Roald Dahl’s books and Donald Chaffin’s concept art influenced the set designers and puppeteers, in addition to Wes Anderson’s meticulous aesthetics.

From Script to Screen (7:00) – taking Dahl’s one act story into a three-act film.

The Puppet Makers (8:21) – See the step-by-step process of how the puppets are made and how they move.

Still Life (Puppet Animation) (7:23) – the difference in feel of a stop motion film as opposed to a traditionally animated film is explained such as communicating through body language with characters that are covered in fur. The look they were trying to achieve was a bit of the original King Kong look where there was real-looking fur that would ripple in the wind so it’s not as smooth as say how Coraline looked. Also these animators rely on storyboards so much more because there’s a “one take” attitude.

The Cast (6:34) – Not just your typical rundown of the cast, this bit sees how the actors filmed scenes out for the recording of the audio with all of the actors in one shot acting with each other as opposed to recording different audio tracks. In a sense the full movie was shot like a film just to capture that audio for a different sound quality and feel.

Bill and His Badger (7:37)Bill Murray gets to know his character, Badger better and learns a thing or two about stop motion animation.

A Beginner’s Guide to Whack-Bat HD (1:12) In case you missed it in the film, here’s another quick rundown on Whack-Bat.

Fantastic Mr. Fox: The World of Roald Dahl HD (3:00) Wes Anderson takes you on the tour of Roald Dahl’s life with his Dahl’s wife, Felicity and his estate where Anderson visited to write the screenplay. Dahl’s other books include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, and Mathilda. His quirks and personality made their way into the film after Anderson took a deeper look into the man he was. Sadly, this feature seems like it’s been pulled from the Making of instead of a separate, more substantial biography would have been more desirable here honestly.

Theatrical Trailer HD (2:27)

Disc Two
Included in this combo package is the DVD of the film and I can’t praise this option enough as a consumer who uses a variety of electronics at home and on the road.

Disc Three
As stated above, included is yet another way to view the film and that’s by digitally downloading the film onto your iPod or media player and you’re given a sheet with a code that’s valid for the file transfer.

Overall Shock Value: A–
Here’s the most important question: Do you like Wes Anderson films? If you answered “yes,” then you will enjoy this film. It has all of the charm of his past films, from the title cards in the Futura font to the obligatory Rolling Stones song. It’s hard not to crack a wide grin from the opening credits to the close, because every single minute is likable and so much amusing that I wanted to watch it over and over, and I can, now that it’s on blu-ray. I just wished there was more extras than what we were given. The featurette on Dahl was practically borrowed from the bigger feature, and missing was a Wes Anderson commentary which I’ve grown accustomed to. My recommendation? Cuss Yes Buy It!

Year: 2009
Running Time: 98 Minutes
Rated: R
SRP: $ 39.95
Studio(s): Magnolia Pictures / Magnet
Release Date: February 2, 2010

Film/Feature: A-
I don’t know if I’m ready to believe that Tony Jaa is the “baddest mofo” martial arts actor on the planet but in his age bracket, he doesn’t have many peers. After breaking onto the scene with Ong Bak, he starred in Tom-Yum-Goong (AKA The Protector), a cookie-cutter chop-saki films that instead felt like a continuation of Ong Bak, switching out Buddha statues for pet elephants as the driving motivation. I love watching Muay Thai or “Elephant Boxing” as much as the next guy, but I feared Jaa would be a one-trick pony. So when Tony Jaa decided to go back to the Ong Bak franchise to do two sequels, I didn’t know what to expect, but it wasn’t this.

No connection can be made between Ong Bak 1 and 2 other than they star Tony Jaa, elephants and buddha statues. I know what you’re thinking, Jungle Book is in this kid’s future. The story is set in ancient Thailand and Jaa’s character, Tien, is the son of nobleman Lord Sihadecho (Santisuk Promsiri). Lord Rajasena (Sarunyoo Wongkrachang), an unruly tyrant is trying to take control of Asia and plans to take over Sihadecho’s provinces. Rajasena orders for Sihadecho, his family, and army to be wiped out. Young Tien (Natdanai Kongthong) escapes and is captured by slave traders. For entertainment they then throw the young Tien into a crocodile pit and is saved by the Pha Beek Krut, a gang of guerillas who are well-versed in all forms of martial arts. Pha Beek Krut’s leader, Cher Nung (Sorapong Chatree) takes Tien under his wing to tap his destiny and make him the greatest warrior Thailand has ever seen. Vengeance motivates a now adult Tien (Jaa) to eventually confront Rajasena and his army in an all-out barefoot brawl.

The climax takes place at the Raiders’ Village, and is an awesome sequence that features several more fighting styles than Muay Thai boxing (Ninjitsu, Indonesian Harimau Silat, Wing Chun, Hung Ga to name a few) and that’s a nice change. Credit must be given to Jaa (who serves as co-director and producer) and company to provide a fresh experience that celebrates a variety of different fighting style and more jaw-dropping moments where you have to take an extra breath–as if throwing a young boy into a muddy pool with a live crocodile isn’t thrilling enough.

One fight scene involves Jaa jumping on and all around a stationary elephant that left my mouth open the entire time. There’s also an earlier scene where Jaa is running on the backs on a moving pack of elephants with no safety. This film is all about the variety of weapons in each style from the three-segment staff, staff fighting, kaili, swords, Thai boxing, Chinese boxing, samurai swords and that’s a bit of a deviation away from contemporary kung fu films with are hand-to-hand battles or some sword play. The story, while a bit too convoluted, even for a martial arts film, does require Jaa to find his emotional side which really only a slight change from the man-of-action Jaa. But if you can keep it all straight, it’s a much stronger attempt at a real story than in any of Jaa’s previous films. Not previously-knowing there would be sequel, I was stunned by the abrupt ending which offers no closure except that Tien is not successful in his attack and is sent to endure a torturous ending. Don’t let that scare you away, Ong Bak 2 is easily Jaa’s most exciting film to this date and it’s only halfway done.

Video: A
After watching Ong Bak on blu-ray and its disappointing video transfer, Ong Bak 2 leaps far beyond with a fine looking1080p VC-1 encoded transfer in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio. Colors are flushed with more than adequate saturation, blacks are nice and heavy, deep and ink black. I do however think some of the night scenes offer not enough contrast or are lit sufficiently because it’s hard to distinguish what’s going on, but that’s the only complaint in an otherwise sharp looking film. Each frame of action is full of depth and detail and clarity. This shows the improvement in equipment and high definition transfer that Sahamongkol Film International Co. Ltd. has done with their films.

Audio: A
From the very beginning Ong Bak 2 proudly shows off its highly active and perhaps a little over-aggressive 5.1 Thai DTS-HD Master Audio track. Thankfully the main effort is the original Thai track, dialogue is clear and surround sound effects are plentiful. Action scenes and music are given a lot of attention, and I admire the effort to give the film a real dynamic push, even if it’s not always accurate. I don’t ever recommend English dub tracks but it’s there for those who refuse to hear it in its original format. Other audio selections include: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track and subtitles are available in English, English SDH, and Spanish.

Extras: C+
The extras that accompany the film are in high def, but have that promotional, EPK feel to them which usually means that they’re lazy, uncreative, repetitive or are too short. In this batch, there’s a little of all of the above.

Alternate Cut HD (88 Minutes) is ten minutes less than the theatrical cut. It’s been edited more, some scenes taken out. One is particularly stronger than the other but I think I like the pacing and flow of the shorter cut, personally.

The Making of Ong Bak 2 Featurettes HD (21:07) has three chapters, The Story and Character of an Epic, Revealing the Majesty and The Art of War, go into the films themes, characters and influences of who and what Ong Bak is striving for. It’s solid “Making of” affair but nothing to really write home about.

Behind the Scenes Featurettes HD (17:50) There are three featurettes Capturing a Warrior, The Kingdom, and The Community each showing that everyone is in fact doing their own stunts and a lot of cameras behind cameras type of footage.

Interviews with Cast and Crew HD (25:21) Eight interviews with different members of the cast and production teams including Jaa, Prachya Pinkaew (Producer), Panna Rittikrai (Co-Director/Producer), Sorapong Chatree (Chernang), Santisuk Phromsiri (Lord Shadecho), Sarunyu Wongkrajang (Lord Rajasena), Niruth Sirijunya (Master Bua), Primrata Det-Udom (Pim). These are a bit more meatier but also very dry. One camera on the subjects doing typical question and answers. If you watch the Making of, then you’ve also seen some of this material, so a bit too much repetition for my taste.

HD Net a Look at Ong Bak 2 HD (2:53) Village Voice’s Robert Wilonsky gives an introduction for the film for On Demand, and is a nice intro for an American audience.

Ong Bak 3 Exclusive Footage HD (1:34) is an unofficial trailer of sorts showing the next installment in the Ong Bak trilogy which picks up right where that ambiguous ending left off which is scheduled to be released later this year.

International Trailer SD (3:50) seems to be a bit more clearer on what the story is about than the US trailer and breaks down some of the various styles of martial arts that are showcased in the film. It’s a long trailer, but unfortunately, this is in standard definition.

US Trailer HD (1:39) is a much more ambiguous trailer that just shows all of the highlights of the action sequences and doesn’t offer much else. I’ve always cried out to trailer makers to keep them shorter

Trailers HD Included are previews for John Woo’s Red Cliff, District 13 Ultimatum, Bronson, Warlords, and HD Net.

No this is not the Jungle Book, just another Tony Jaa film.

Overall Shock Value: B+
Ong Bak was a novelty, a great showcase of Tony Jaa as a newcomer in the martial arts movie genre, but outside of the action it was pretty putrid. By embracing that, and having that room for comedy, Ong Bak’s appeal still outweighed the negatives. In the sequel, which begins a new two-film epic, Tony Jaa and his fellow filmmakers do elevate the action to a new level with a variety of fighting styles and broke the trend of predictable Muay Thai action scripts. I can’t say that this is the cup of tea for every movie viewer, but if you appreciate the martial arts genre and all of its warts, you can’t walk past this film. The choreography and action is a buffet of thrills, with hair-raising stunts, non-stop weapon-fu and noticeable nods to the greats that will leave that grin on your face, ear-to-ear. Even though the plot is a tad convoluted, its an ambitious attempt by Tony Jaa to do something that requires more thought and emotion. The extras aren’t necessary and at times repetitive, but they are in high definition and validates that Tony Jaa can run on top a stampede of elephants. Add that with a lovely video transfer, Ong Bak 2 on blu-ray is a definite Buy It recommendation for Jaa and martial arts fans alike.

Year: 2003
Running Time: 105 Minutes
Rated: R
SRP: $24.99
Studio(s): Magnolia Pictures
Release Date: February 2, 2010

Film/Feature: A–
When Ong Bak opens, around two dozen villagers run up a gigantic tree, maybe three or four stories high. All of them caked with mud, shirtless or wearing very thin clothing. It’s a race to the top where the fastest up the tree to retrieve a flag and down is crowned the village prideful champion warrior. Using martial arts and acrobatics, each man tries his best to leaping limbs, fending off other aggressors, and kicking and clawing their way to the top. Most didn’t make it falling anywhere from 10-20 feet to the ground, clipping a giant branch on the way down. No safety nets, no padded clothes, and no wires. These poor bastards experienced real pain. Stuntmen can’t act that good. From the opening scene, I knew this was going to be a film I’d talk about for years.

Ong Bak is the story of a Nong Pradu village hero/warrior, Ting (introducing Tony Jaa) who is sent to Bangkok to locate and return the head of their stolen sacred Ong Bak statue which is believed by the tribe to keep balance. Rain, food, and livestock were all plentiful until their statue was defaced. A city crime lord in a wheelchair, sporting a talk box, is stealing ancient Buddah statues for gobs of money and selling drugs in exchange for the country’s sacred culture. No this is not starring Roger Troutman. Ting sets his relentless pursuit to the city and seeks out the help of a former Nong Pradu villager and cousin, Humlae (Petchai Wongkamlao) who now goes by the name of George and has since renounced his country life. He along with his lady friend, Muay Lek (Pumwaree Yodkamol) have been running street scams and have piled up a large debt by the time Ting runs into them. George refuses to help his countryman at first, looking out for only himself, until he realizes that Ting is an amazing Muay Thai fighter. Trying to exploit his cousin and half-heartedly helping him find his beloved Ong Bak, George forces Ting to fight against his will to make money, knowing the fighting will lead Ting to his man.

I’m not going to sugar coat Ong Bak for anyone. It’s a terribly weak story with one goal in mind: get Jaa in action. The melodrama with Ting in his home village could have been wiped out altogether and saved us all at least 15 to 20 minutes of time, and it would have been a much tighter film (see Jaa’s second film, Tom -Yum-Goong AKA The Protector). Everything else though, is pure jubilation. One fantastic fight scene follows another and stunt scenes will have you high-fiving with your boys. Jaa is so amazing that each acrobatic sequence is shot at multiple angles and repeated in slow motion to show that it is indeed Jaa, not a stuntman, and that no wires were used. When bodies go limp, it’s because they were really hit. The action is lightning fast, full of brutal blows, splitting skull caps, and jaw-dropping moments that will make you rise out of your seat. And credit must be given to Petchai Wongkamlao, who is equally good in the comedy department.

I’ve probably watched Ong Bak at least a dozen times and every time I do, it’s with a different set of friends who have never seen it before. They all experienced that same rush of excitement I got when I first saw it. It’s all about Jaa and there’s no shame here for loving it for that reason, but a fulfilling story, it’s not. I only hoped subsequent Jaa films would aim higher (which has… sort of happened in Ong Bak 2). Seriously? Who the hell watches martial arts films for story. Still, Ong Bak remains a classic that shines a spotlight on the fighting style of Muay Thai with dizzying display of fight choreography and introduces us all to Tony Jaa. A necessary film for any martial arts fan.

Video: D+
The disc has a special note to say that this “new, digital transfer was created from an original 35MM internegative of the film. Color correction, image stabilization and digital cleaning were facilitated at Deluxe Postproduction Toronto to restore the film and present it in high definition.” I can say though that the 1080p encoded transfer in the original 1.85:1 aspect ratio really went to waste here. One would wonder what the buzz is all about high definition if this is the first blu-ray someone decides to purchase. Picture quality is just terrible, fuzzy, colors are dull and muddy. Speaking of mud, I expected that opening scene to be brilliantly clear and see the levels of dirt clay packed onto the stuntmen’s skin, but nope; all of that detail is lost somewhere in a blurry, non-distinct mess. There’s black crush, and some pixelation of the image in spots. If you’re eyes are used to seeing high def films, seeing this is an embarrassing step back into the dark ages. It’s a lazy transfer for sure, and not worth the upgrade if you already have the DVD.

Audio: C
Thankfully, the original dialogue can be heard through the 5.1 Thai DTS-HD audio track. I had hoped the taxi chase scene would be a more exciting since it had one of the only explosions in the film but it’s another disappointing effort that doesn’t really improve on the sound any more than what the DVD showed. I think the one stand out scene for me in terms of directional sound is when Ting defeats an onslaught of brawlers in an underground fight bar and patrons pay respect to him by raining down money at him. There’s not much of an immersive sound field that’s created and the sound suddenly wakes up whenever the soundtrack kicks in with hip-hop beats and tracks. Aside from the hip-hop, the music is real cheesy, almost laughable (see taxi chase) but is also the most consistent thing that’s sent to the surrounding channels. Other audio selections include a English 5.1 DTS-HD track (shudder) for those of you who can’t read and watch at the same time, and subtitles are available in English, English SDH, and Spanish.

Extras: D+

All of the extras from the original DVD release have been ported over, but there are no blu-ray exclusives. All of it’s fluff and continues the odd marriage of hip hop and modern martial arts. None of the extras have been transferred to high definition, so that’s another big disappointment.

Live Tony Jaa and Stuntmen Performance before French Auditorium Audience HD (2:34) See Jaa strut his stuff in front of a live audience.

The Movements of Muay Thai SD (1:43) is a demonstration of some of the basic attack and defense moves of the Thai martial art style

French Rap Music Video with Tony Jaa SD (4:03) It’s a rap video that starts out in English with Reed the Weed but shifts to the French rap duo of Tragedie. All of it happens in a boxing ring with footage of Jaa as if he was battling the french rap duo.

Making of Music Video HD (7:14) goes behind the scenes of the Tragedie music video to see the filming process and interviews the director.

Selected B-Roll HD (2:33) audiences get to go behind the scenes and see some additional three scenes Taxi Stunts, Legs Ablaze Fight Sequence, Arena Fight Sequence (Missing Audio at end)

Promo Video Featuring the RZA SD (1:00)

Trailers SD (:) Teaser (0:52), Thai Teaser French Teaser (0:58), French Trailer (2:07), Thai Teaser (1:31) Thai Trailer (1:31), Trailer featuring the RZA (1:44).

Overall Shock Value: C–
I have to say that this is one of the more disappointing high definition transfer of a catalog film. Ong Bak continues to have its special place in my large martial arts library, and so I was excited to really see what would be done to bring this film to blu-ray. Sadly, I was let down in every category, most importantly the technical aspects because it’s being presented as a blu-ray but is feels like an expensive DVD. If you don’t have this film already in your library, then I cannot recommend this release at all. But if you have never seen Tony Jaa in action and missed out on this Muay Thai classic, then it is a mandatory purchase, but wait for it to be on sale.

Year: 2009
Running Time: 98 Minutes
Rated: G
SRP: $44.95
Studio(s): Disney Studios
Release Date: March 16, 2010

Film/Feature: A–

You’re never too old to enjoy a Disney film, and if you find yourself at that place, then you may have lost your ability to have fun. Luckily for Disney animation, they haven’t lost their touch in making family films to lose yourself for an hour or two and let your inner-kid enjoy itself. In a brave move, Disney went against the grain and made a new hand-drawn animated feature going back to its roots to put their spin on another fairy tale. This time it was the Brothers Grimm tale of The Princess and the Frog.

Tiana (Anika Noni Rose) is a young and independent woman raised by a hard-working parents (Oprah Winfrey and Terrence Howard) and is saving up to open her own restaurant. She has been childhood friends with Charlotte, who was raised in a well-to-do aristocrat family and has taken the “wishing upon a star” literally. Tiana on the other hand, thinks good will only come to those who work for it.

Fifteen minutes in, and you might look at the cover of the box and wonder if you bought the right film. Disney’s twist of the Princess and the Frog fairy tale finally takes form when Prince Naveen (Bruno Campos) and his servant, Lawrence arrive to look for a rich suitor because they are broke. Charlotte’s father gets wind that a prince is in town and gets whatever his little girl wants and throws a big ball for his daughter to meet the prince. However, New Orleans is a town of opportunists like Dr. Facilier (Keith David), a voodoo magician who promises to fulfill their wishes before showing up to the ball. But the servant has taken the form of Prince Naveen, and Naveen has been turned into a frog. Naveen is able to convince Tiana that he is a prince, and all she needs to do is give him a kiss and he’ll revert back to his human form.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t work out that smoothly and Tiana is instead turned into a frog and the leap into the swamps and bayou with the help of Louis (Michael-Leon Wooley), a trumpet-tooting alligator and Ray (Jim Cummings), a romantic ragin’ Cajun lightning bug to find Mama Odie (Jenifer Lewis), a good witch who they hope to have some answers for them. If they remain in frog form too long, they could stay that way forever. The story is light road tale of perseverance, but has enough plot elements that keep pulling along your interest throughout.

It’s impossible to avoid the attempt Disney is making to fill a lacking hole in their library of films that would appease the African-American audiences. Tiana becomes the first African-American princess that Disney has ever revolved a story around and they did it successfully with a talented cast headed by Anika Noni Rose whose strong voice and cheerful spirit fit her character’s design of a strong-minded and head strong woman. Keith David plays Dr. Facilier, a conniving conjurer, and toned-down version of the popular folklore occult Shadow Man. His voice has prominence, a chilling ring, and David’s singing chops aren’t bad either.

There’s still a gap in how much this story can touch you as opposed to what comes out of Disney Pixar Studios but that’s the difference in working off a fairy tale and doing something completely original. The Princess and the Frog’s message of ‘not just wishing and a star and waiting, but also doing something about it’ is clear enough to not feel like it’s a one-note story, and so is its other lesson of ‘not working so much you forget to have fun.’ There are themes of class, work ethic, small business, and much more. Fun characters and music by Randy Newman solidify this release as a must-see for young, old, girls and boys; and there should not be any questions one whether or not everyone will enjoy this.

Video: A+
Disney’s triumphant return to drawn animation is supported by this terrific high definition 1080p AVC-encoded transfer in 1.85:1 aspect ratio. Backgrounds have layers of painted detail, characters have loads of vibrant hues and color that are as visually stunning as some of the very best Disney films. Nice touches like opaque reflections in water, the amber glow of an oil lamp and smoke from a shotgun have no banding or signs of artificial enhancement. I want to call to attention three chapters which make for good visual tests of this blu-ray (as well as audio). Chapter 4 is Tiara’s first big musical number and the animation goes from the “Disney” style to 1940′s deco art full of bright oranges and yellows only seen on gerber daisies. Chapter 5 is Dr. Facilier’s introduction and his lair is full of the occult and voodoo magic. Rich purple hues and psychedelic imagery that are reminiscent of a Victor Moscoso painting. Every scene has something much deeper to look at and other good stuff like deep blacks and smooth gradient color will impress. And shadow delineation, accentuated by the shadow monsters have clear definition.

Audio: A+
Accompanying the strong visuals is the equally impressive 5.1 English DTS-HD master audio track. The music reflects each of the delicious flavors of the southern creole cooking pots. From the dixie jazz, to the gospel chorals, and the rhythm and blues will have you snapping your fingers, clapping your hands and shaking your thang down Bourbon Street. Your ear will be able to place where the instruments were from the drums to the sharp brass section. Dialogue is flawless as distinct accents don’t make the words any less difficult to hear but instead make them that much more memorable. Mama Odie and Louis for example, have subtle but very different accents that help distinguish not only who they are, but what region of New Orleans they’d be from. The shadow monsters have an eerie and haunting sound that swirls all around. Ray’s buzzing moves around the room as he moves on the screen and every musical performance is over-the-top with highly active sound movement, native surround effects heard in the swamps and a well-balanced mix of it all. Again, pay attention to Chapters 4, 5, and 11 offer up some of the very best this blu-ray has to offer. Other audio selections include: French, Spanish, Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital tracks and a English 2.0 DVS track; subtitles are available in English SDH, French, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Extras: B
I’ve got to knock Disney a few on their extras department which left lots to desire. First of all what’s on the disc is very short. We’re talking about a family film which should have a wealth of material, that will not only consume time, but shed a lot of light on the film. For being one of the first hand-drawn films in a long time, most of the featurettes could have been grouped together for one sitting or allow the option of playing them individually instead of forcing to view it in two-to-five minute segments. Another thing I have to take down on is for a Disney musical film, where are the Sing-a-long extras? A big-big-big misstep there. When I compare these to say, a Disney Pixar film and the hours of material there, I wonder why so little was given to The Princess and the Frog.

Disc One
Audio Commentary by Co-Directors John Musker and Ron Clements and Producer Peter Del Vecho is a scene-specific, on point track that covers a variety of subjects from Randy Newman’s musical contribution, the setting of New Orleans, and creating a brand new story, with new characters with the Disney twist of a classic fairy tale. All three men contribute equally, do not talk over each other and give a fine diversion for budding animators or Disney loyalists.

Work in Progress Track HD Here’s a neat blu-ray exclusive track which allows you to view the film alongside in-progress storyboards, pencil layouts, and rough animations as a Picture-in-Picture feature. I think what would have made this even better though would have been the ability to view this during the commentary. In fact, they should have fused the two tracks as a CineExplore commentary, often seen on other family films.

Deleted Scenes HD (11:43) There are five deleted / alternate scenes in storyboard form with different voices that were cut before animation and voices were recorded. The reasons they didn’t make the cut were mainly due to time constraints.

Music and More HD (4:04) Here’s where I really took issue with the extras. In this section there is only one option, so I’m not sure where the “and More” comes into play, but this is just the music video for “Never Knew I Needed” by Ne-Yo, which is only used on the closing credits. Where are the extras on the songs, the musical elements of the film? This is where a sing-a-long extra needed to be placed, a usual staple of classic Disney releases.

Bringing Life to Animation HD (8:08) Two scenes, “Dig a Little Deeper” and “The Proposal” are broken down with live action sequences used as visual references for the animators, a technique that was used throughout the golden age of Disney. They show different angles and choreography, along with commentary by Musker and Clements.

Magic in the Bayou: The Making of a Princess HD (22:11) John Lasster joins the production party to discuss the creative energy behind The Princess and the Frog and the universal buzz among the cast and crew that a new hand-drawn animated feature was pumping through the veins of the Disney offices, as well as the all of the major themes and elements of the film.

The Return to Hand Drawn Animation HD (2:43) The excitement of the return to a 2D film lit a fire under the animators because it’s what brought so many people to work at Disney in the first place. The animators of the film talk about wanting to continue the art of Disney filmmaking.

The Disney Legacy HD (2:31) A look at the great animators of Disney and their impact on the current animators who were able to work with people who worked alongside Walt Disney.

Disney’s Newest Princess HD (2:51) The attention swings to actress Anika Noni Rose and the 1920′s inspired character, who is a strong and independent woman who little girls can aspire to.

The Princess and the Animator HD (2:26) The supervising animator for Princess Tiana, Mark Henn talks about creating another strong princess character for Disney having worked on Ariel, Belle, Mulan and Jasmine.

Conjuring the Villain HD (1:50) Animators and Keith David talk about the story’s villain, Dr. Facilier.

A Return to the Animated Musical HD (3:13) a short featurette about the musical score for The Princess and the Frog involving Randy Newman’s composition of jazz, gospel and the blues.

Art Galleries Peruse a number of the developmental, conceptual, and design art for the film including Character Design, Visual Development, Layouts and Backgrounds and Storyboards.

What do you See: Princess Portraits is a guessing game where images are created by fireflies and you have to guess which Disney princess it is. Hosted by Mama Odie, after ten tries

Disc Two: DVD
The DVD includes the full film, deleted scenes, audio commentary, the Princess Portraits game, and the music video by Ne-Yo. If you have a family and you have outfitted your fan or travel packs with the ability to watch DVDs on the go, you will love this added option. However, to those thinking that the DVD version will suffice, the digital sound and vision of the blu-ray is unmatched.

Disc Three: Digital Copy Disc
Take The Princess and the Frog with you on the go to watch it on your laptop, desktop computer, or portable media player.

Overall Shock Value: A–
As a fan of all types of animation, Disney’s hit it our of the park with another musical twist on a classic fairy tale and presenting an enjoyable film that should connect with plenty of families on family night. There some real delightful performances especially by Keith David and Anika Noni Rose both in their acting and singing. The visuals are splendidly classic but also has that jolt of high definition pop. The Princess and the Frog offers a diverse option for families who want to expand from the classic Disney canon with a great message and a infectious blend of music ranging from jazz, gospel and blues. A definite Buy it! especially with every format imaginable is available in one package.

Don’t let Ben Stiller have all the humiliation. Start painting yourself blue for the anticipation and arrival of the Avatar Blu-Ray and DVD in the US and Canada, which will coincide with Earth Day on April 22, 2010. I’m eager to see how Cameron’s latest epic film looks and sounds in the home theater. Na’vi willing, PCS will get the blu-ray to tell you what that ideal high definition experience will be before it comes out.

Around the rest of the world, the release dates will vary. Sorry, Italy.

FRANCE – April 21
BELGIUM – April 21
NETHERLANDS – April 21
SPAIN – April 21
CHINA – April 22
BRAZIL – April 22
RUSSIA – April 22
NORTH AMERICA – April 22
GERMANY – April 23
JAPAN – April 23
SWITZERLAND – April 23
MEXICO – April 23
UK – April 26
DENMARK – April 27
NORWAY – April 28
SWEDEN – April 28
NEW ZEALAND – April 28
AUSTRALIA – April 29
FINLAND – April 30
ITALY – May 6

Year: 2009
Running Time: 89 Minutes
Rated: PG-13
SRP: $ 39.95
Studio(s): Disney Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Release Date: January 25, 2009

Film/Feature: C
If you haven’t had enough science fiction films about human-like cyborgs, then you may room for Surrogates, a Jonathan Mostow-directed film that’s based on the 2005 Top Shelf comic by Robert Venditti and Brett Weldele. In a not-too-distant future, humans have the ability to live life through a surrogate robot/cyborg model of themselves. The surrogates are idealized versions of humans, and by living life through a remote control life-sized action figure there is less crime, no racism, and life is seemingly lived better. That is until the story begins and FBI Agent Tom Greer (Bruce Willis) arrive on the scene of a murder scene. A surrogate turns up terminated and when it’s found out that it is a college boy named Jerod Canter was in control they discover his human body was terminated simultaneously. Canter is the son of Dr. Lionel Canter (James Cromwell), the man who originally created surrogate technology.

The investigation turns to Greer and his partner Jennifer Peters (Radha Mitchell) who follow a lead to the Prophet (Ving Rhames) leading a cult known as the Dreads, who choose to live a surrogate-free lifestyle and clue them in on a weapon that was used to carry out the murders. When Greer gets too close to the truth, he is nearly zapped by the weapon. He is temporarily discharged by his superiors and to take some time off and spends the rest of the film up out of his surrogate chair to reconnect with his wife, Maggie (Rosamund Pike), who is all too comfortable in her virtual world to go back to what she had with Tom. When it seems like he’s lost her to her virtual life, he pursues his investigation and discovers a plot to rid the world of all surrogates but also those humans connected to them.

I realize that Surrogates is about a robot world replacing live flesh, but that does not mean humans should act like robots as well. Willis shows no charisma or everyman charm he normally brings with him. He plays the tormented soul just fine, but not much else. The idea behind Surrogates are that they allow people to play idealized versions of themselves, how they want to be known, and frankly, there’s not much difference between Surrogate Tom Greer and his human counterpart. Willis’ role is the focal point and he doesn’t give much reason or hope for a non-surrogate world. In turn, this road block helps make The Surrogates a run-of-the-mill science fiction thriller that borrows from films like A.I., The Matrix, iRobot, but falls short of giving us something truly unique.

With its short run time (which is counter productive in this genre), there’s not enough here to connect to or be sold that this world could exist, never-mind being asked w In fact, I’d sooner warm up to the idea of a Surrogates TV show instead of a film so that the ideas in this story could be given some proper pacing and seasoning. Surrogates and the idealistic visions of their original purpose were not without good intentions but somewhere along the way their execution fell flat, and that’s exactly the way I’d describe the film as well.

Video: A–
The Surrogates blu-ray gets a strong1080p AVC-encoded transfer in 2.40:1 aspect ratio. and it’s a fine representation of what the film was intending to do. There’s a subtle difference in skintones between humans and surrogates. Give credit to the extras playing surrogates like over-botoxed models, but the makeup crews must be given their props as well as those slight differences help distinguish most of who are surrogates and who are humans. It’s that fine attention to detail that’s on display here as well as the full range of colors whether it’s the gritty and gray industrial wasteland where the anti-surrogates live. Their barracks area looks like a concrete jungle that’s been bombed repeatedly. Then in the nightlife which is all lit in neon colors and backlit sign, the screen is filled with savory hues. Mostow and company shot some scenes in a soft glow purposely and do not reflect any visual defects or digital artifacts that would mar the overall visual experience.

Audio: A
There are enough shootouts and chase scenes to make the 5.1 English DTS-HD Master Audio track show its strength. Lots of directional movement and subwoofer activity will please the audiophiles, and the dialogue sounds superb even during the story’s most quiet moments. The balance can sound and at times a bit too much oomph, but technically, Surrogates has nothing to be ashamed of. Other audio selections include: French, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital tracks and subtitles are available in English SDH, French and Spanish.

Extras: C+
Audio Commentary by Director Jonathan Mostow features a calm and almost soothing dialogue, that is a scene specific track delving into the subtext of the film. I believe that Mostow does a fine job filling in what the audience was asked to fill in for themselves if they were paying attention. He calls attention to small details in the art production and points out where additional shooting was needed because the original cut left much for the audience to piece together. Even though he’s by himself, Mostow is concise, knowledgeable and is not dry, nor is he boring. He’s definitely proud of the effort that was put forth and he expresses the enthusiasm for the material well, but don’t expect a lesson in film school. There are subtitles available for the commentary.

There are four Deleted Scenes HD (5:15) which can be viewed separately or all at once.

A More Perfect You: The Science of Surrogates HD (15:08) The technology behind Surrogate robots and how that tech is thriving in our modern-day world. This is probably the star featurette in the picnic basket. It tickles that curiosity bone and ties into the technology used in the film to the point where at least the science was plausible.

Breaking the Frame: A Graphic Novel Come to Life HD (6:39) Robert Venditti and Brett Wedele are briefly interviewed in the middle of a motion version the comic playing out. It starts to really take a good look at the comic but halfway through turns into your typical Hollywood EPK.

To finish off the extras is a standard definition version of the ”I Will Not Bow” Music Video SD (3:49) by Breaking Benjamin which is the usual mash-up of sexy band clips sandwiched in between scenes from Surrogates.

Overall Shock Value: C+
The origins of Surrogates lie in a good graphic novel, that plays with the story-telling devices on a sequential, visual medium, so there will be plenty of curiosity to see how it was adapted to the big screen. The concept lays a good endoskeleton for a solid science fiction film but there’s not enough meat to flesh out a memorable fictional world. I don’t know many memorable science fiction films that run under 90 minutes because there’s so much that normally needs to be established and while plenty has been done to create the world of surrogacy, we are only given bits and pieces of the antagonist, and never truly make a connection with his cause. The disc itself has no real deficiencies, this blu-ray just suffers from the story not going for it all. I wanted to like it more, but I am likely to let my Surrogates recommendation stay with just the comic. However, I do respect the curious, and caution those cats to Rent It first and go from there.

Year: 2009
Running Time: 482 Minutes
Rated: Not Rated
SRP: $ 59.99
Studio(s): 20th Century Fox
Release Date: January 12, 2010

Film/Feature: C+

The first 12 seasons of the Simpsons crawled out on DVD with phenomenal extras and are great archive editions of probably the best years of the show, but they’ve always been behind in getting them out as compared to what the current season is on television. For the 20th season, Fox oddly rushed out this set on DVD and for the first time, blu-ray bypassing those in between. The episodes are as follows.

Disc 1
Sex, Pies and Idiot Scraps
Lost Verizon
Double, Double, Boy in Trouble
Treehouse of Horror XIX
Dangerous Curves
Homer and Lisa Exchange Cross Words
Mypods and Boomsticks
The Burns and the Bees
Lisa the Drama Queen

Disc 2
Take My Life, Please
How the Test Was Won
No Loan Again, Naturally
Gone Maggie Gone
In the Name of the Grandfather
Wedding for Disaster
Eeny Teeny Mata, Moe
The Good, the Sad and the Drugly
Father Knows Worst
Waverly Hills 9-0-2-1-D’oh
Four Great Women and a Manicure
Coming to Homerica

After twenty years, I have to admit that the well hasn’t run dry, but the water doesn’t taste as fresh as it used to be. There are some episodes where I found myself going an entire segment without laughing or even forcing a laugh out because I still enjoy this world. I’ve always attributed the golden years of the Simpsons as seasons 4-10, and the quality slowly grades down from there. It’s the episodes with a strong central focus that’s carried throughout the entire show that leaves the best impression. But after that golden era of the Simpsons, the show seemed to take on a formula of putting the three most unrelated stories and find a way to string them together, oh and let’s see just how dumb Homer can be, what cause will Lisa take on or what threat does Marge and Homer have in their marriage. It’s gotten to the point where the only must-see show is the annual Treehouse of Horror episode.

Every now and then they do hit a nerve or two that are timely like taking on all of the DaVinci Code-like puzzle films in “Gone Maggie Gone,” satirizing Apple nation “Mypods and Boomsticks,” and taking the kids out of Springfield elementary and placing them in “Waverly Hills 9-0-2-1-D’oh.” “How the Test Was Won” is another stand out episode that reminds longtime viewers that this show can still put it all together. For a show where the characters never age, never develop or barely remember what happened to them prior, The Simpsons require no cliff notes and after 20 seasons, that’s a good thing; but like a long running game show, you still find ways to enjoy it despite a change in host, some modification of the games and change of the set, and most times forget it’s still on.

I agree, Bart, but this blu-ray set could use some more work.

Video: C+
For the first time, the Simpsons television series was put on blu-ray and I figured that it would be a something to make note of, but I didn’t expect this at all. The episodes are split into two discs featuring a 1080p AVC-encoded transfer. The first disc shows the episodes in 1.33:1, while the second disc of episodes are in 1.78:1 widescreen. The split signifies the change in broadcast when the original broadcast went high definition in the middle of the season. The result is two entirely different viewing experiences. The full frame episodes have noticeable banding and aliasing, wonky contrast, and lacks the crispness seen with other cel-animated features on blu-ray. The episodes in widescreen appear to be closer to what you’d expect when you watch the Simpsons on HD TV when it airs on Fox. Colors stand out more and the subtle changes in tints of color for shading is more prevalent. I have no idea why this season was put together the way it was, but it comes off as lazy in my opinion. I’d expect something like this on the first season, but the 20th?

Audio: B
The Simpsons have always been designed as a standard television show in stereo 5.1 English DTS-HD Master Audio track. There is rarely a peep that will come out of your surround channels as almost everything comes from your center and front channels. There’s nothing really to complain about, but those are the facts. The dialogue comes in clear and that’s the biggest hurdle for this show. The rear activity, and sound movement is so unspectacular, keeping it at a 2.0 Stereo mix would have been better. Maybe then there would be more room for some extras (see below). Other audio selections include: French, Spanish, Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital tracks and subtitles are available in English SDH and Spanish.

Extras: D-
Audio Commentary by _____ Wait, what? No audio commentaries? You can’t put audio commentaries on every season box set, rush this one out on blu-ray and DVD, skip over eight other seasons and give a poor effort on the extras department. Seriously, this a bad move that I don’t think will make any Simpsons diehard thrilled.

The one lone (snicker) extra is a Teaser for Morgan Spurlock 20th Anniversary Simpsons Documentary Special HD (4:00) which aired prior to the release of this box set. The teaser is great, it’s wonderful, it makes you want to see this special, which Spurlock looks to be an intense fan, but I’ll be reserved to hunt for this online. Would it have burdened Fox to put the darn special on this box set? There’s not much else to take its space.

If there’s one thing you can expect out of a Simpsons box set, it’s the extras, and this has all the signs of rushing out a product, (especially with the inconsistent aspect ratios) and not making it as good as it can possibly be before sending it out.

Overall Shock Value: C
I never thought I’d ever give a Simpsons season set such a low grade but as much of a fan as I was of the first 15 years of the show, my interest has waned, and if I catch episodes at their original air date, it’s by pure luck. It doesn’t nearly have the magic and fun it once had, but it’s still better than 75% of what’s on television. I was curious to see if the format change to blu-ray would make any difference but unlike Family Guy’s Something Something Something Dark Side, the Simpsons looked quite ordinary on high definition. Add the lazy effort on the extras and you have a Rental at best.

Year: 2009
Running Time: 112 Minutes
Rated: R
SRP: $39.95
Studio(s): Sony Pictures
Release Date: December 22, 2009

Film/Feature: B +

This past summer, science fiction movie fans got introduced to one of the more interesting characters that have come in a long time. Wikus Van de Merwe (Sharlto Copley) works for Multinational United AKA MNU, a large corporation who tries to come up with a way to move a race of aliens from a shanty are of Johannesburg, South Africa to a secluded camp where they can be closer monitored and be kept away from the human race. Wikus plays the villain, the victim, and then the hero of District 9, a film that uses a gritty sci-fi environment to remind us of the history and xenophobia of South Africa.

District 9 begins as a documentary, interviewing citizens of Joburg who express their opinion of the co-habitation. Through their words, we are led to believe that the aliens in the film are hostile, are an aggressive threat and a despicable nuisance. Then it turns into a handheld trailing of the story’s main character, Wikus. Expanding on short film called Alive in Joburg, District 9 is co-written and directed by Neill Blomkamp. An alien aircraft is shipwrecked on Earth, right over Johannesburg, South Africa in 1982. Most of the more intellectually advanced beings on the ship died off from either a sickness or injuries, leaving just mostly workers. Humans eventually infiltrate the ship and force its survivors into exile in a cramped shanty town called District 9. The aliens look like insects or “prawns,” which is a possible reference to a cricket species that are considered a plague in South Africa. There is no friendly integration with the human race as we are genuinely afraid of them. After years of inhabiting District 9, humans want to move them further away from society asking them to vacate so that they may be put into tighter quarters where they can be better monitored.

And this is where Wikus comes into the story. A corporate lackey, Wikus is sent into District 9 to give the aliens a choice. Either move to a new cramped “camp” or be extracted out the area by military force headed up by Koobus Venter (David James). Not only are they issuing this notice, but MNU is also destroying any signs of eggs and technology the refugees may be developing. Wikus does his job with little grace and in the sweeping of one house finds a capsule which releases a mist of liquid on his skin beginning a chain reaction in his body. That capsule was the key to an escape attempt by one of the remaining intelligent aliens, renamed Christopher Johnson (Jason Cope) and Wikus goes from being the company man to the most wanted commodity on the planet. His body undergoes the start of a transformation, and to MNU, that’s valuable to them because he becomes the first person to be able to use the alien weapons which were confiscated from the ship. The weapons only work with prawn biology so MNU wants to use him and his body to work the alien weapon technology and ultimately use his DNA to create a new army. In another conflict, Nigerian gangs has scrapped up enough alien technology by swindling the prawns trading cat food for weapons. The gangs are astonished by Wikus because they believed that they could work the weapons if they ate the carcasses of dead prawns. Wanting to restore his true body, Wikus seeks out Christopher to help him, but only for selfish reasons.

Was his efforts enough to sway your opinion of him? Would any of you try to make those same compromises to make things as they were? We’re not supposed to know much of the Prawns. Their elite beings on the ship were stricken with an illness that put caused them to float to Earth’s atmosphere in a “life raft” as Blomkamp succinctly puts it in his commentary. They have no culture, no means to defend themselves and fight to survive in a very real scenario where the humans invasive nature, gets its comeuppance.

Now there’s no possible way to avoid the significance of staging a science fiction story about alien genocide set in Johannesburg, where the racial and political climate is always a hot topic as is the crimes of apartheid. District 9 is about two races that square off with each other. One is definitely trying to wipe the other out, one is definitely trying to take all of the others’ weapons away, and even though there are these wonderful metaphors to what we as humans have done to each other in history, this film is able to entertains enough that it’s not weighed down by the underlying themes of the film.

The segregation of two races has always been a problem in the country of South Africa, practically in every country, but racism and xenophobia are so ingrained there that it makes Johannesburg the perfect setting for District 9. The spaceship is a constant backdrop hovering above, a reminder, like a big cloud or burden over the city. It is obviously inspired by when South Africa was under apartheid (1948-1994) and District Six, the inner-city area in Cape Town, South Africa whose 60,000+ citizens were forced to leave in that regime.

While it’s simple and easy to get stuck on that hurdle, District 9 is about Wikus. I believe we’re not supposed to like him and as he realizes that MNU just wants him for his biology he takes great leaps at trying to bridge that gap. Sure he helps Christopher Johnson and his child, but only because of selfish reasons. He’s a bit of a despicable character who shows no care or concern for the aliens until he finds out that only they can help restore his body.

District 9 challenges the audience to take a love/hate approach to a polarizing protagonist, torn by the inhumane treatment of his employer and his numerous selfish acts. Does Wikus really make a change in character, or does he remain true to himself, or at least his human self all the way to the end? Can a person really change who they are just because their biology changes? These questions and others that stem further are the reasons I like the film. This is not the mother of all science fiction films, far from it as the third act degrades to familiar shoot-out conventions. But it does satisfy that exploitative urge to see things blow up in such gross beauty. District 9 has an ending but a lack of real closure leaves the door wide open to an eventual sequel; but Neill Blomkamp gives us a beautifully designed world, a fascinating character, and through a fresh take on alien/human co-habitation, he also presents a commentary of contemporary South African culture.

Video:A+
The world of District 9 is filled with a gritty, filthy garbage-ridden world captured on a 1080p AVC-encoded high definition transfer in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio. Colors are mostly real world-based, ranging in the muted browns and other dusty colors, sun starched landscapes as piles of trash, salvage, and destitute go endlessly as far as the eyes can see. Blacks are inky and are bottomless. The detail of those heaps of scrap, in the machinery, the scenery, paint a vivid picture of the world of District 9. On rare occasions, like the alien prawns themselves feature bright colors in their bodies, much like the insects their patterned after. These colors are juiced and provide great contrast to the rest of the prawns’ moving body parts. The intricacies of textured material like the dirt-filled scraps of detritus that make up the shanty town, the dust in the air, sweat on the skin or hair, or the polyester in MNU’s workers’ suits are all well-defined. There are two styles of filmmaking going on, the documentary style and the cinematic action. Both are seamlessly woven into a coherent and visually harmonious display of chaos unfolding.

Audio: A+
District 9 is heard on blu-ray via a 5.1 English DTS-HD Master Audio track. Wow, was this an enjoyable audio experience! Not in the sense that the audio made it feel like your home theater was being destroyed; there was just a lot of activity sent to the rears to add to the atmosphere of scenes like in the chopper, you’d hear the conversations between the helicopter pilots, gunfire bounces all around you, and when the mothership fires up its engines, you’ll feel that ignition and the wind that’s blows through Joburg. Dialogue is crystal clear and the LFE output is generous. Other audio selections include: a French DTS-HD Master Audio and an English Audio Descriptive track; subtitles are available in English, English SDH, French, and Hindi.

Extras: A–
Cinechat allows users to watch the movie simultaneously with a friend over the net (who also has the blu-ray) and enables a chat screen with which to have an on-screen chat as a BD-Live feature.

God of War III Playable Playstation 3 Game Demo Obviously for people who have a PS3 but for those who have never played God of War are in for a treat. This is the first of the trilogy designed for the PS3 and there are noticeable improvements in game play and speed which utilizes the strengths of Sony’s dream machine. Kratos has new weapons including the ability to turn his fists into stone gauntlets and shoot them out and swing them like a mace as they are still attached to his arms by chains. To see the game played at that speed and that high definition was an awesome sight and there’s enough game to whet your appetite when it eventually comes out later this year. And yes, it’s as bloody violent and victoriously fun for those itching for the sequel.

If you finish the demo, (and GoW vets will) a Making of featurette is unlocked that talks to the game designers about the abilities in jumping to the PS3 by making weapons that rely on more dramatic lighting, the increased grappling abilities and just the speed of the game play to make more complex animation and battle sequences.

Audio Commentary by Director Neill Blomkamp is talkative track filled with Blomkamp’s breakdown of the film, regrets as a first time filmmaker. There’s a slight bit of repetition from when you start digging into the extras but I’m impressed to see Blomkamp’s enthusiasm to make sure the track has no dead spots.

Innovation: The Acting and Improvisation of District 9 HD (12:05) Copley acting without being able to see the aliens.

Conception and Design: Creating the world of District 9 HD (13:18) is a feature in coming up with the look basing it off of the landscape of Joburg and the shanty housing.

Alien Generation: The Visual Effects of District 9 HD (10:18) shows the way the film was shot with a documentary style and the utilization of motion capture.

Joburg From Above: Satellite and Schematics of the World of District 9 Interactive Map: is a series of interactive Maps and technical illustrations and schematics of the alien mothership, MNU Headquarters, and District 9 with live information feeds, and MNU HD Updates.

Deleted Scenes HD (23:38) there are 22 cut scenes that can be viewed individually or in one sitting.

Metamorphosis: The Transformation of Wikus HD (9:52) Wikus’ physical change is all practical effects so Copley talks about getting into that mode mentally as an actor while his body undergoes prosthetics, body casts and makeup.

The Alien Agenda: The Filmmaker’s Log SD (34:19) that dissects the a much more satisfying, making-of special split into three parts: Envisioning District 9, Shooting District 9 and Redefining Distict 9. The film was born out of the failed Halo film and working with Peter Jackson and Philippa Boyens and how it developed into a much bigger, but budget-constrained project. In the second part, Blomkamp talks about the more technical side of shooting the film, the types of cameras that were used that gave different parts of the film different looks. Blomkamp also talks about filming on location in a nuclear house for weapons. His choice of an unconventional film made for an even more difficult filmmaking process and the third section of this diary goes over what Blomkamp would have done different, sound editing, and post-production.

Overall Shock Value: A–
District 9 is solid film that’s packaged nicely on blu-ray, with near flawless video and audio treatment, and bountiful extras. There’s plenty here to keep fans busy long after viewing the feature and the inclusion of the God of War 3 Playable Demo is smart marketing by Sony. I imagine that there are going to be sequels in line for District 9, and the appreciation of this film may grow in time, especially with how it fits in with future chapters that may or may not see fruition. In the truest sci-fi nature though, it stands on its own just fine as a film that is certainly influenced by real events but also gives our world a harsh image of how we easily turn on our own and how cyclical the sins of the human race are and how short-sighted our civilization can be for the sake of profit and greed. District 9 isn’t the best science fiction film this year, (that distinction goes to Moon) but it is one of the many that has shown how strong the genre has been supported this year. Buy it!