General Evans Above Archive for Feb 25, 2018
Coco Blu-ray review
Feb 25, 2018 – permalink
Disney/Pixar’s heartwarming and heartfelt Coco was a hit with moviegoers and now you can take it home with you as Disney releases it in a Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD combo pack.
The disc’s 1080p AVC-encoded transfer is in the theatrical releases 2.39:1 aspect ratio. The video is amazing with rich textures and details everywhere from rough-hewn structures to wise old faces. The colour palette is wide and bold, and black levels are deep. Nothing is lost in the movie’s darker scenes. All in all, the video presentation is amazing.
On the audio side, your ears will be treated to an English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track as well as an English DTS-HD HR 5.1 track, an English Dolby Digital 2.0 track, a French Dolby Digital 5.1 track and a Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 track. Subtitles are available in English, English SDH, French and Spanish. Musical details are rich with great clarity that captures the strums of the guitars wonderfully. The surround tracks put you into the scenes and vocal clarity is never an issue.
Coco comes with a plethora of extras, from audio commentary by director Lee Unkrich, co-director Adrian Molina, and producer Darla Anderson to a series of featurettes focusing on music and animation development.
Coco is a film that the whole family can enjoy and adding this Blu-ray to your collection is a no-brainer.
Lady and the Tramp Blu-ray Signature Collection review
Feb 25, 2018 – permalink
Disney has now released a Signature Collection edition Blu-ray of their classic 1955 canine love story, Lady and the Tramp. If you already have the Diamond Edition Blu-ray, please note that the video and audio presentation is the same for that release and the difference is that there are a few new extras, a few missing extras and a migration of some extras to online access only. With that housekeeping out of the way, if you’re brand new to adding this classic to your collection, let’s jump into the details.
The combo pack gives you Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD version of the movie. The Blu-ray’s 1080p AVC-encoded transfer is in the theatrical release’s original 2.55:1 aspect ratio. The restoration work that went into this video presentation is nothing short of beautiful. Every hand-drawn detail of the animation is captured flawlessly and the painted backgrounds remind you of the genius that were at work in Disney’s animation studio. The colour palette is soft and delicate (like Lady) and the black levels deep. Given the age of this film, it’s as if the Blu-ray transfer was done at the same time the animation was freshly finished. Any digital issues, like banding or artifacts, are so rare that they never step on what is truly a great transfer from the source material.
On the audio side, you get an English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track as an English DTS-HD Master Audio 3.0 restoration of the film’s original audio for the purists. French and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks are also available. Subtitles are available in English SDH, French and Spanish. The music is presented well, dialogue clarity is always there and the 7.1 mix gives us some ambient surround and low frequency moments while still being faithful and respectful of the original mix.
The new extras include Walt & His Dogs, a look at the canine pals Walt Disney had, Stories From Walt’s Office, How to Make a Meatball and Other Fun Facts About Lady and the Tramp with Alexys Gabrielle and teen chef Amber Kelley, Sing-along versions of the songs, a Sing-Along Mode that allows you to watch the movie with the lyrics available, and a preview of the bonus features that have now been moved online. Online bonus features include deleted scenes, storyboards and some of the film’s trailers.
If you bought a the Blu-ray version a few years ago, then the decision to buy this one rests solely on the extras. If you’re new to collecting the Disney animated classics, then you’ll want to add the Lady and the Tramp Signature Collection to your library.