DVD Spin Doctor

Blu-ray animation soars with 'Up,' 'Coraline'

Pixar's animated fantasy "Up" touches down on DVD and Blu-ray on Nov. 10, arriving in plenty of time for the family viewing season.

Disney home video is selling the hit feature in a four-disc Blu-ray set ($45.99 suggested retail) and a double-disc DVD edition ($39.99).

The colorful "Up" did good boxoffice in its 3D version, but so far there's no talk of a tri-di home video release. Curious, because the movie went out of its way to poke objects through the screen and such, in a bid to wow the folks wearing silly glasses. 2D audiences were left to wonder why the movie dwelled so on multilayered views of clouds.

The dark and delicious "Coraline," the year's best animated feature, came out a few weeks ago in DVD and Blu-ray sets packing both the 3D and 2D versions. Having seen both on Blu-ray, I recommend the 2D, which has plenty of pop and dimensionality without the anaglyph treatment's short-lived novelty.

Disney home video has been putting out tween-friendly content in 3D, so you have to wonder if the artists at Pixar were less than thrilled with the prospect of using anaglyph 3D. Or maybe it's a double dip.

"Up's" story of a Spencer Tracy-like codger who flies away to South America in his old house won't hold everyone's interest, but it's worth a look. There's a great love story for adults and a reasonably exciting (but predictable) adventure for the kids featuring an Asian American boy scout.

For imagination and verve, though, I strongly prefer "Coraline" (more below).

Pixar's fun and furry "Monsters, Inc." also debuts in the Blu-ray format on Nov. 10, porting over the old extras plus a bit more.

Here are some of the key extra features on the "Up" videos. As in becoming standard, the DVD and "Up" Blu-ray share tentpole content, although there is a more robust, interactive experience to be had in the HD package:

• Commentary by director Pete Docter and his co-director.
• "Dug's Special Mission" A new cartoon with the Asian American boy hero of "Up."
• "Partly Cloudy": The so-so short that movie audiences saw before "Up." It features, um, multilayered views of clouds.
• "Adventure Is Out There": A docu about the filmmakers' journey to the tepuis mountains of South America in order to research the design and story. 
• Various character studies, including "Geriatric Hero" Carl, the slobbering dogs, the wilderness explorer and the silly giant bird (Blu-ray only). 
• A breakdown of the moving scene in which the love story of Carl and his wife is done in fast-forward, "Citizen Kane" style (Blu-ray only).

"Up," of course, recalls the work of Japanese master Hayao Miyazaki, especially his "Howl's Moving Castle," which also features a flying structure. No surprise, since Pixar chieftain John Lasseter is a huge fan and disciple of Miyazaki, eagerly promoting his hero's work in the States. Lasseter has been known to screen Miyazaki's films for his animators as a cure for creative block.

Miyazaki's "Ponyo" opens in the U.S. on Friday (Aug. 14), in limited release. The animated adventure is distributed by Walt Disney, which also imported "Howl's Moving Castle" and "Spirited Away." (There's some irony there since Miyazaki winces whenever he's called the "Walt Disney of Japan.") Any opportunity to see a Miyazaki film on a big screen should be celebrated.

Disney also issued a decent series of Miyazaki DVDs about five years ago, including his best-known film, "Spirited Away." Here's hoping the Mouse House makes it a priority to issue Blu-ray versions of those magical Miyazaki films, and other works by him.

* * * * *

It's been a good year for animated fare on DVD and Blu-ray. Here are some of the titles I've been wanting to write up.

"Waltz with Bashir": The movie begins and ends with nightmarish scenes, one imagined and one all-too-real. This troubling and thoughtful work about Israeli soldiers in Lebanon could have easily been a feature documentary, but instead comes as a stylized animation. Filmmaker Ari Folman tells his story and those of his friends as soldiers in Israel's early 1980s misadventure in Lebanon. The movie tells of the veterans' later efforts to exorcise the horrors of urban warfare and ethnic cleansing. Sony's beautiful Blu-ray rendition of "Waltz With Bashir" comes with a strong director's commentary and examinations of the unusual animation scheme, in which the characters move about like standee cutouts at times. Looks like a graphic novel, feels like real life. Excellent soundtrack.

"Coraline": Neil Gaiman's tale of a girl who finds an alternate reality lurking in her new house gets back to the creepy days of early fairy tales, when awful things can happen to good kids. The director, Henry Selick, also made "The Nightmare Before Christmas," and while the film is similar stylistically, the storytelling is pure Gaiman. The Blu-ray from Universal Studios comes with a quartet of 3D glasses, but go with the 2D option for maximum visual impact. The famed graphic novelist Gaiman ("Sandman," "Mirror Mask") participates in the extras, expressing admiration for how his kids book was adapted -- and significantly changed -- for the screen.

"Max Fleischer's Superman: 1941-1942": People tend to think of sophisticated, noirish lighting schemes in cartoons as a product of modern times, but here's proof that some of the best stuff was being done almost 70 years ago. Warner Home Video's release of 17 theatrical shorts comes straight from the original masters, and looks it. These are highly formulaic adventures of Superman/Clark Kent, Louis Lane and the Daily Planet gang, so don't expect storytelling on the level of the incredible art. Two special features look at the cartoon series and the evolution of the Mensch of Steel.

"Peanuts: 1960's Collection": Warner has been cleaning up its Peanuts TV specials in recent years; here's a chance to get the two ageless classics and two new-to-DVD '60s specials. Includes "A Charlie Brown Christmas," "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown," "You're in Love, Charlie Brown," "Charlie Brown All-Stars" and the two debuting titles: "He's Your Dog, Charlie Brown" and "It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown." Disc 2 has a 40-minute featurette about the Peanuts music man, Vince Guaraldi. The Christmas special came out on Blu-ray last fall.

Blu-ray reviews: 'Sin City,' 'The Spirit'

SIN CITY -- Having spent the past couple of nights in Frank Miller's world, I can report that the place looks sensational bathed in digital Blu.

Miller, of course, is the graphic novel godfather whose "Batman: The Dark Night Returns" series popularized the gloomy, brooding superhero genre back in 1986. 

Miller's original employer, Marvel Comics, gave superheroes pimples and personal problems back in the 1960s, but this bleak tale of the Caped Crusader in middle age rewrote the rules that said comics were for kids and mouth-breathers.

Miller applied hard-boiled fiction, existentialism and the visual techniques of film noir to his story panels, dragging goofy old Batman into the post-modern era. Adults who loved comics as kids returned as consumers of pricey "graphic novels."

Miller's mentor, WIll Eisner, had created one of the first widely admired graphic novels in 1978 with "A Contract With God." "The effect on me and others like me was tremendous," Miller says today.

Out of that respect and friendship comes the movie "The Spirit," based on Eisner's half-dead cop character, who dates back to the 1940s. 

The late-2008 "Spirit" film came three years after Miller's wildly successful "Sin City," a stylistically similar adaptation of his comic book series. Expectations for "The Spirit" were high. They weren't met. The critics and fan boys were brutal.

The New York Times' A. O. Scott called it "a talky, pretentious stew of film noir poses and crime-fighter clichés." Uncharitable, since that applies to so many dramatic films out there, not just this campy exercise -- but true enough. "The Spirit," alas, is practically DOA, a mere shadow of "Sin City."

Still, this is Frank Miller's work. "The Spirit" has enough visual firepower and churning oddities to make it worth a spin, at least if you're interested in Miller or what's going on on the cutting edge of green-screen filmmaking. 

Lionsgate has released "The Spirit" on Blu-ray and DVD. The high-definition presentation is reason alone to watch -- it flirts with reference quality. Clear and crisp. The DTS HD Master Audio sprawls across eight channels, bullets flying everywhere.

Extras cover the history of the Spirit character and creator Eisner. Miller and the mentor shared a love of Manhattan and "sexy saucy women."

Was Miller walking on thin ice while messing with Eisner's famous character? "No, I'm stomping through the ice with big-soled boots," Miller says in one featurette. "Just like he would have done."

Miller does the commentary with his producer. They sound out of their element. Miller was a lot more interesting paired with his "Sin City" collaborator Robert Rodriguez.

The graphic novelist sits for a video interview on a Manhattan rooftop, "Miller on Miller." He chats about his career, his aesthetic and his city, Manhattan. It's a far better choice than the commentary. There's also an alternate ending that would have pooched the PG-13 rating. The Blu-ray also comes with a bonus digital-download disc. 

"The Spirit" uses the same mix of live action and graphic-novel visuals found in "Sin City" and "300." This time around, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson and Eva Mendes join star Gabriel Macht in front of the green screen. Louis Lombardi plays three identical henchmen, relatives of Uncle Fester, apparently, setting up some weird visual jokes and much-needed comic relief.

Armed with a fedora, red sneakers and cool tie, the Spirit chases after villains the Octopus (Jackson) and Sand Saref (Mendes) -- as well as anyone in a skirt. Miller's Spirit has the ability to heal himself from practically any injury, a new power that enables him to take savage beatings while enjoying Jackson's familiar rants. 

Instead of Miller's signature rain from "Sin City," we get non-stop snow. Perfect for this cold movie, full of technique but lacking a tell-tale heart.

Dimension, meanwhile, has unleashed "Sin City" on a double-disc Blu-ray set that does justice to the film's audacious visuals. This is urban renewal on a major scale.

Blacks, whites and grays seem to have endless variations. The blacks, as Miller points out, always have visual content behind them, no matter how subtle -- the HD allows this technique to show through while retaining a dramatic high contrast. When spot colors break through, they have plenty of 3-D pop. The letterbox provides an appropriately artistic frame for the 1.85:1 images.

The DTS HD Master Audio track pounds away in action sequences and delivers the sighs and whispers of Miller's noir city in quieter moments. The music rocks, especially the monster guitar riffs played over the menus.

The theatrical version of "Sin City" comes on one disc with the "Recut, Extended and Unrated" version on the other. This replicates the exceptional special-edition DVD release of 2005, but does not include the "Hard Goodbye" comic insert.

"Sin City" remains a hell of a movie entertainment, full of adrenaline, gore and sleeze. Watching it in chapters (on the second disc) yields a linear experience, enhanced with new footage, although the theatrical cut clearly is the movie of choice. 

Other than those Blu-ray exclusives, the extras are imports from the previous two DVDs. Co-director Rodriguez and Miller share a commentary track that pretty much confirms the veteran indie director was the man in charge on the project. 

They describe how Rodriguez sold the project to a wary Miller. "He just didn't want 'Sin City' turned into a movie -- but I had something to show him," the director says. That was the completed opening sequence with Josh Hartnett, demoed for an unsuspecting Miller on a laptop in a New York bar.

Rodriguez dominates the second tech-oriented commentary track, although Quentin Tarantino pops up as a "guest director" and star Bruce Willis makes a flyby.

The talk covers how Rodriguez "transcribed" Miller's comics work to the screen. Everything came together in the computer. Mickey Rourke and Elijah Wood never even met, he says, although they did an elaborate fight sequence.

Rodriguez heaps praise on star Rourke, saying: "He's a true tortured soul."

Rodriguez also offers his patented "15 Minute Film School" and a Tex-Mex cooking lesson, both continuations from other DVDs.

'Snow White' gets advance Blu-ray release

 

Disney plans to reawaken its 1937 classic "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" on Blu-ray, seven weeks before the rerelease of the DVD.

Walt Disney's first full-length animated film will be making its high-definition debut.

The Oct. 6 Blu-ray package does include a standard definition DVD, though, as Disney has been doing with its recent classic-catalog rereleases. The Blu-ray exclusivity period is a new twist for the studio that championed the high-def format.

The solo DVD version of "Snow White" comes out Nov. 24, two days before the family-friendly Thanksgiving holiday.

As with all of the classic Walt Disney titles, availability will be limited by design. "Snow White" last came out on DVD in 2001 and was discontinued, but third-party copies have long been available on Amazon, most recently priced at $17.50.

Other Disney Platinum Edition combo packs on the market are the classics "Sleeping Beauty" and the just-released "Pinocchio." 

With the combos, DVD buyers intending to upgrade to Blu-ray in the future are covered. The packs also provide insurance against a collapse of the Blu-ray format, unlikely in the medium term but conceivable. Another advantage that parents appreciate is having a less-valuable DVD that the kiddies can use/abuse for their multiple viewings while the Blu-ray remains pristine. And Disney, of course, gets to charge about $10 extra for putting a DVD in a package it was making anyway.

"Snow White" will unspool in widescreen (1.33:1) with 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. Disney didn't list the extras, but viewers familiar with the studio's home video presentations know pretty much what to expect. The combo lists for $40 while the double-disc DVD set is skedded for $30.

"Snow White" might be the fairest of them all in HD, but it'll have to top the excellent "Pinocchio," released in March as an HD-SD combo pack and double-DVD set.

DVD review: 'Wall-E,' 'The Pixar Story'

 

"Wall-E," no doubt, will be America's most popular Thanksgiving guest this year.

Set for release just in time for the most-familial of holidays, the animated adventure should make just about everybody happy during the post-feast screening. There's even a handy spot for extra-happy adults to nod off to, about 20 minutes into the film.

Along with the turkey leftovers, there are hours of extras to savor on the "Wall-E" DVD and Blu-ray, including some sharp featurettes about the movie's making and a surprisingly good documentary about the film's creator, Pixar. Kids get their own play area.

(The film comes in single- double- and triple-disc packages. This review refers to the three-disc Blu-ray of "Wall-E.")

The film looks and sounds up to Pixar and Disney's high standards for major releases. While the visuals seem too hazy and soft in the initial Earth sequences (compared with the theatrical's), director Andrew Stanton makes it clear that was the scheme all along:

"I wanted it overcast (on Earth), and then I wanted that cold, clean clinical (view of) space that you got in '2001,' " the director says in the extra features. Indeed, once Wall-E and EVA blast off, the sharpness and 3-D-like pop arrive.

The audio certainly delivers the high fidelity with the Blu-ray's 5.1 DTS-HD audio, but the surround mix is a disappointment, with the rear speakers too often doing secondary duty. Disney just did a magnificent, playful job on the sound-sphere for "The Nightmare Before Christmas" Blu-ray -- too bad the mix is so reserved here on "Wall-E."

The movie disc kicks off with a pair of cartoons. "BURN-E" is the made-for-DVD short, starring the welding robot that has a minor part in the movie. It's busy and mostly fun. "Presto" encores from "Wall-E's" theatrical run -- it left me cold in the cinema, but, to be fair, I was still in shock from witnessing the chihuahua trailer.

The making-of documentaries on disc 2 are short on rah-rah and long on good information and visuals.

In the short film "Imperfect Lens," Stanton talks about how he grew up with the space movies "2001," "Star Wars" and their many imitators. He sought to reproduce the anamorphic widescreen look of 70 mm films, using tricks with CG animation. 

"The goal here is to get all of the CG-ishness out of it," Stanton told the troops. He wanted a "very photographed look" with simulated anamorphic-style depths of field -- "not photorealism, but dimensionality."

Pixar brought in cinematographer Roger Deakins ("No Country for Old Men," "The Big Lebowski") to show the computer animators how lenses and lighting behave in live-action production. Visual effects master Dennis Mirren of "Star Wars" also joined the "Wall*E" party.

In "Captain's Log," the storytellers look back on the film's early days, when it was darker and dumber. The initial concept for the space ship's occupants was not exiled humans but otherwordly "moving blobs of Jello" ruled by a jiggly king and queen and served by downtrodden robots. When the humans entered the picture, they, too were gelatinous until someone came up with the winning idea of them as big fat babies.

The "Wall-E" deleted scenes fall somewhere between finished product and rough sketches, but all benefit from polished sound effects and music. The director introduces each cut scene and then returns to explain the logic in removing it. In the first, Wall-E and EVA play each other's parts in the spaceship garbage scene. Another depicts the captain as an idiot who doesn't know how to wear a cap.

A smart set of "BLN corporate shorts" flesh out some plot points. They'd be essential in a director's cut.

Director Stanton does a feature-length commentary for "Wall-e" and there's a there's a Pixar "Geek Track"-- both requiring Blu-ray players with "Bonus View." Other extras include a sound-design featurette and 3-D set fly-throughs that'll appeal to lovers of fantastic art. Disc 3 has a digital copy of the film.

* * * * *

The 90-minute documentary "The Pixar Story" (on disc 2) tracks the animation house via the story of creative chief John Lasseter. In part, it's also a history of computer animation in movies. Steve Jobs, George Lucas and Michael Eisner are among the major players.

Lasseter started at Disney upon graduation from the animation college it founded. He got the sack after stepping on execs' toes while pitching a partially computerized "The Brave Little Toaster." He landed at Lucas' computer visuals unit. Lucas later blessed the group's spinoff, saying their film plans required $40 million he didn't have. 

Apple founder Steve Jobs came to the rescue: "I ended up buying into (Pixar's vision), spiritually and financially." He was to lose $1 million a year for half a decade.

At Disney, Michael Eisner had taken the reins and wanted to make movies with Pixar. "It was the best thing that ever happened to us," Jobs recalls. But the first project, "Toy Story," was shut down by Disney execs after they saw the poorly focused storyboards. Pixar tried again, and the computer animated film went on to make $350 million worldwide.

More triumphs and failures followed, including another split and reconciliation with Disney. The docu ends after Disney bought Pixar and before "Wall-E" begins. 

"These people think differently than normal people," Pixar star Billy Crystal says. "They're strange, in a good way."

A great story, well told with some fantasic historic footage. The 1080p documentary was directed by Leslie Iwerks and narrated by Stacey Keach.

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DVD reviews: '101 Dalmatians,' 'Horton'

"101 Dalmatians" villainess Cruella De Vil would be welcome around my house these days. To deal with the incredibly big, impossibly loud dog next door.

The beast becomes mentally ill when anyone dares enter the neighborhood. Let's see Cruella pick on a pooch her own size.

Come to think of it, though, Cruella De Vil gets hers on the otherwise magnificent new "101 Dalmatians" DVD as teen star Selena Gomez butchers the character's theme song. (This pattern of Disney kid personalities doing "alternative" versions of classic Disney songs has really got to go.)

The restored images roll out confidently across a full screen (1.33:1). Just beautiful on an upscale machine. Audio choices are a new and fairly lively 5.1 mix and the restored theatrical 2.0.

"101 Dalmatians" proved a pivotal film in Disney animation's history for several reasons, primarily the contemporary setting, casual animation and the abandonment of the musicals format that had served and Walt and Co. for so long.

"Sleeping Beauty," in 1959, was the last of its kind. By 1961, singing princesses in old-style romantic animation were feeling creaky to most people over the age of 6. (The princesses would make a comeback; the animation would not.)

"The cool thing about (the movie) is that it's contemporary to this day," Pixar's Brad Bird says in the extras.

"Dalmatians" looked like no other Disney film. The city scenes of London felt European, reflecting the art movements of the post-war era. "It's Picasso coming to Disney," one animator says.

The characters were more realistic, felt more human than in the past. The new Xerox process inspired most of the animators, replacing the old lush ink and paint. (Walt Disney, who was off with his theme parks, didn't like the look of the film and held a grudge against the lead animator.)

Then there are all the visual puns with black-on-white sports. "Let's face it, if you're going to stylize a dog, what dog's more stylized than a dalmatian," Bird says. "It's practically a '60s magazine illustrator's magazine version of a dog."

The music felt more New Orleans than London, the jazz-tinged score coming six years ahead of "The Jungle Book." The big number "Cruella De Vil" came organically in the story, without the characters simply bursting into song. (Disc 2 has a half dozen songs, most not heard in the film.)

The story elements reflected new times as well: The newlyweds clearly had the hots for each other. Cruella smoked up a storm, emitting a foul mustard-gas smoke. Her minions were drunken homicidal types. The concept of playful puppies being skinned for their coats seemed a long ways from "Bambi." The movie was media savvy, with modernistic goofs on TV ads.

The "Platinum Edition" DVDs follow the Disney template. The FastPlay option pops up right after you select a language. This seems to suggest a direct path to the movie, but it unleashes the usual Disney marketing barrage. The advantage is moms can put on the disc and then walk away, knowing the movie starts automatically after the ads/trailers. The other option brings the wary directly to the DVD menu.

The extras for adults ("humans") and kids ("dogs") are segregated, as usual.

The extra not to miss is the making-of docu "Redefining the Line," on disc 2. Brad Bird and a swarm of Disney animators talk about the film and its influence on the Kingdom. "Cruella De Vil: Born to Be Bad" tells of the artists' duel that led to this infamous character. The runner-up Cruella looked a bit Picasso-crazy.

There's also a mostly audio dramatization of letters between Walt Disney and the British author Dodie Smith, who wrote the "101 Dalmatians" novel.

* * *

Dr. Seuss and Chuck Jones first teamed up in 1966 for the animated classic "How the Grinch Stole Christmas."

Classics by definition are not given to successful follow-ups, and that's the deal with their next effort, 1970's "Horton Hears a Who!" -- just rereleased by Warner as a movie tie-in. "Horton" debuted as a half-hour TV show.

Come to think of it, the idea of a CG "Horton" with Jim Carrey brings terror to the snowy little town hidden in this keyboard.

As with "Dalmatians, "Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who" utilizes some updated animation, not necessarily for the best. The more precise faces and detail don't align with the spirit of the Seuss book illustrations or the "Grinch" legacy.

Of course, expecting another "Grinch" (he makes a camero) isn't entirely fair. "Horton" manages to be a bit of a mess all on its own. Too complicated for tykes; too annoying for adults unless they're grooving. The songs are clumsy with a serious surplus of words.

The DVD offers three other short films: Ralph Bakshi's out-there take on "Butter Battle Book"; "Daisy-Head Mayzie" and the 1940s version of "Horton Hatches the Egg!" by Bob Clampett.

The main DVD extra, the 1994 fantasy documentary "In Search of Dr. Seuss," has its moments. It's the anti-"American Masters," with a nod to "Pee-wee's Playhouse." Kathy Najimy stars as a reporter trying to get the straight poop on the doc. There are various skits and clips, rioting colors everywhere and a lot of random energy.

'Juno' DVD due April 15; more Disney treasures

"Juno," this year's "Little Miss Sunshine" of the Oscar race, is coming to DVD on April 15. Fox Home Entertainment's double-disc edition of "Juno" comes with a generous pour of featurettes and deleted scenes.

Update! Read the complete "Juno" DVD review.

Meanwhile, Disney is buying up the tin for a "Wave VIII" of its collector-friendly Treasures collection.

Apple and Starbucks are in on the act: "Juno" rolls out on Blu-ray with Fox's new digital copy format, which should please the film's legions of iPod-toting fans. Starbucks, not surprisingly, will stock the "Juno" DVD in its shops.

The movie, directed by Jason Reitman ("Thank You for Smoking"), stars low-fi It Girl Ellen Page as a pregnant teen, supported in her delicate condition by the usual indie-style group of friendly oddballs. True to my old-frog demo, I was delighted by the performances of J.K. Simmons and Allison Janney as the parental unit but thought the movie was, well, a bit better than OK. My teenagers loved the whole thing and saw it multiple times.

"Juno: is a longshot for three Oscars: best picture, director and original screenplay, and in the running for best actress (Page).

Update: The indie film won for original screenplay.

The commentary is from director Reitman and the young writer Diablo Cody. There are 11 deleted scenes, two gag somethings, a "cast and crew jam" and screen tests. The double-disc edition adds featurettes on Cody, Reitman, and the lead characters. The Blu-ray beams up some footage from casting and the premiere.

The new Disney Treasures are two-disc sets due Nov. 11:

• "Destino" started in 1946 as a collaboration between Walt Disney and Salvador Dali, but it was shelved until 2003, when Roy E. Disney rediscovered the material. Comes with a documentary on the two great visual masters of the century's first half.
• "Dr Syn, Alias the Scarecrow” aired as “The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh" on the old Disney TV show. The DVD set includes the three original episodes and the theatrical that was created for England.
• "Chronological Donald, Vol. 4" brings more quackery from the period 1951-61. "All of Donald’s CinemaScope shorts will be presented in their original widescreen aspect ratio for the first time on video."

Disney has made tons of these numbered sets, packaged in cool metal cases, so it's hard to say how collectable they are from an investment standpoint, but as with the Beatles, eventually all Golden Age Disney fare has value. I would pass on a couple of sets from the series, but on the whole it's sensational stuff.

Check out this bit of weirdness from "Destino":

New DVDs: 'Shrek' and 'Close Encounters'

Pick of the week: Close Encounters
Dog of the week: Cougar Club

"Shrek the Third" the DVD plays a lot like the hit animated film series -- lots of familiar elements with a few new moves to keep things interesting. Why drain the bog when it's already good and fragrant?

We get the blooper reel (CG animation gone wild), some more story pitch sessions (zzz), the "Tech of Shrek" and a handful of games for the young fans. Click on the Shrek ears and you get a reprise of Donkey's bare-hoofin' musical numbers from the past two DVDs.

The best extra for big kids is the making-of featurette, which checks in with returning vocal stars Michael Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy and Antonio Banderas. The short gives equal time to newcomers Justin Timberlake, Eric Idle and the sassy ladies of "Saturday Night Live." Mixed in with the obligatory praise-a-thon is some interesting footage of these pros at work.

The DVD's audio and visuals are first rate, what you'd expect from this big-bucks project. The 5.1 audio fills the room, but there's not much going on directionally in the rear speaker kingdom. The pop songs sound great, particularly when the 5.1 throws down the funk on Sly's "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)."

The big releases this week include ""Close Encounters of the Third Kind"" on Blu-ray (review to come), Criterion's sprawling "Berlin Alexanderplatz" and Warner's revival of "That's Entertainment."

Don't overlook "Midnight Movies," one of the lower-profile releases of the week. The docu explores the theatrical phenomenon that started with "El Topo" and slithered on with "Pink Flamingos," "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" and "Eraser Head." The directors all roll out to thank the exhibition geniuses who kept the stoners off the streets and in the theaters. If any of these films bring back some fond hazy memories, be sure to stay up late for this DVD.

New and notable:
Amazing Grace (Fox)
Berlin Alexanderplatz (The Criterion Collection)
Blame It On Fidel (Koch Lorber Films)
Bloodhounds of Broadway (Fox)
The Girl Next Door (Fox)
With A Song In My Heart (Fox)
Christmas Time in South Park (Paramount)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Sony)
Golden Boy (Sony)
It's a Wonderful Life (Paramount)
La Vie En Rose (Warner)
Masters of Horror: Dream Cruise (Anchor Bay)
Melrose Place: The Third Season (Paramount)
Midnight Movies (Starz)
Ocean's Thirteen (Warner)
Perry Mason: Season 2, Volume 2 (Paramount)
The Princess Bride (MGM)
Shrek the Third (Universal)
That's Entertainment: The Complete Collection (Warner)
This Is England (Genius Products)
3000 Miles (Revolver Entertainment)
Welcome to the Jungle (Dimension Extreme)

Complete list of this week's releases on my pal Harley's site, onvideo.org

Top DVDs: 'Jungle Book' swings to No. 1

It was CG cool vs. old-men-school animation on the DVD sales chart, with Walt Disney's feral kid classic "The Jungle Book" ending up coiled in the top spot.

Fox Home Entertainment's "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" glided into second place for the week ended Oct. 7.

Last week's big winner, "Knocked Up," delivered a third-place showing for Universal Studios. The Stephen King creep show "1408" checked out the view from No. 4.

In rentals, it was "Silver Surfer," "Knocked Up" and "1408."

Sales (week ending Oct. 7)
1. The Jungle Book
2. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
3. Knocked Up
4. 1408
5. Entourage: Season 3, Part 1

Rentals (week ending Oct. 7)
1. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
2. Knocked Up
3. 1408
4. Next
5. We Are Marshall

New DVDs: 'Jungle Book,' 'Sarah Silverman'

Pick of the week: The War
Dog of the week: Entourage: Season Three (Part 2)

Jungle, jive and wail: "The Jungle Book" works its magic on adults as well as any Walt Disney film. It's hip, exotic, and a bit spooky. I'd watch it over the (mostly boring) "Fantasia" any day.

"The Jungle Book: 40th Anniversary Platinum Edition" replaces the limited "Limited Edition" of late 1999. The upgrades include a robost herd of extra features; the restored film in its theatrical aspect ratio (1.75:1, enhanced); and two audio tracks -- one for surround systems and the "original restored" version. (The 1967 movie was recorded in stereo but released in mono.) The film looks flawless, not the least over-amped.

The nicely paced commentary features Bruce Reitherman, the voice of jungle boy Mowgli (and the son of director Wolfgang Reitherman), as well as Richard Sherman, one of the brothers who wrote all but one of the songs.

The Shermans' jazzy songs sound sensational -- "I Wan'na Be Like You" with Louis Prima is the showstopper but also check out the snake's hypnotic, Ellington-inspired blue-noter. In the extras, there's an almost unrecognizable demo version of "I Wan'na Be Like You" along with a handful of composer Terry Gilkyson's other, lesser songs that Walt Disney wisely rejected in favor of a hipper score.

This double-disc set goes directly onto the list of the year's best DVDs.

Also playing in the DVD blog's theater: "The Sarah Silverman Program: Season One," which, like "Jungle Book," has karaoke sing-alongs. Unlike "Jungle Book," it has an soaring ballad about our hero pooping in her pants. The show was too shrill to thrill on TV, but I liked the six episodes a lot better the second time around. Your mileage may vary. A lot.

New and notable:

Bram Stoker's Dracula (Sony)
Criminal Minds: Second Season (Paramount)
Day Night Day Night (Genius Products)
Everybody Hates Chris: Second Season (Paramount)
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (Fox)
1408 ( (The Weinstein Co./Genius)
Funny Face (Paramount)
How I Met Your Mother: Season Two (Fox)
The Jungle Book Platinum Edition (Disney)
Metalocalypse (Warner)
Misery Collector's Edition (MGM)
The Ramones: It's Alive 1974-1996 (Rhino)
The Sarah Silverman Program (Paramount)
Shark (Fox)
Species Collector's Edition (MGM)
Species IV: The Awakening (MGM)
Star Trek: The Next Generation Complete Series (Paramount)
The War (Paramount)

Complete list of today's releases on my pal Harley's site, onvideo.org

'Shrek 3' DVD on menu for Thanksgiving

The not-so-jolly green giant makes his return to home video Nov. 13, DreamWorks Animation and Paramount Home Entertainment confirmed today.

"Shrek the Third" stomps in for the holidays on HD DVD and DVD. (This brings no joy to the Blu-ray kingdom; Paramount, as you recall, dropped Blu-ray.)

The HD DVD comes with Dolby Digital Plus Audio. The standard def discs come in widescreen (enhanced for 16x9) and in full screen (for those who must). Audio is your basic Dolby Digital 5.1.

DreamWords' video unit always treated "Shrek" like royalty. The first "Shrek" DVD was a state of the art at the time, bursting with exclusive content such as a terrific made-for-DVD musical number.

For the third DVD we have "the Donkey Dance" with comic step-by-step instructions; "Shrek's Guide to Parenthood"; "Big Green Goofs"; and Shrek and Donkey's "How to Be Green" environmental tips.

HD DVD-only interactives include "The Animators’ Corner" (storyboards); "Lost Scenes"; "The World of Shrek" guide to characters and the actors who voice them; "My Menus"; the pop-up "Shrek’s Trivia Track; and "Donkey’s Digital Coloring Book," which lets kids digitally paint scenes.

Reviews were respectful but mixed for this "Shrek" outing. But hey, who cares once the turkey's down to bones and the movie begins ...

Continuing the good olde time theme, MGM announced today The Princess Bride: 20th Anniversary Edition. The Rob Reiner comedy classic comes with "The Official Princess Bride DVD Game," which looks like a graphic novel; and a trio of new featurettes -- "Princess Bride: The Untold Tales," "The Art of Fencing" and "Fairytales and Folklore."

Another fun activity: figure out how many "Princess" DVD editions this makes. Versions for girls ("Buttercup") and boys ("Pirate") came out just last year, so this one looks like a ride-along for "Shrek 3."

The smart, fun and rousing live-action tale stars Robin Wright Penn, Cary Elwes, Andre the Giant and Billy Crystal. I'd watch it over "Shrek 3" every time. Is there a "Geezer" edition yet?