Cars 2
+ Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger
Tides (Disney Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy) + Winnie The Pooh (all 2011/Disney
Blu-ray + DVD)
Cars 2
Picture:
A/A/B+
Sound:
A/A/B
Extras: B
Film: B
Pirates of the Caribbean:
On Stranger Tides
Picture:
A-/A-/B
Sound:
A-/A-/B
Extras:
B-
Film: B
Winnie the Pooh
Picture:
A-/B
Sound:
B+/B
Extras:
C+
Film: B-
Here we
explore three very different films that are oddly very similar. Though one film is CGI, the next is live
action, and the final a classic 2D animated feature; all three embody the same
core. They are all sequels that do
little to further the mythos or already established storyline, but nevertheless
are well done and enjoyable.
Cars 2
Cars 2 attempts to recreate the same hype
and astonishment that the Toy Story
Sequels created and Monsters Inc and
Finding Nemo will apparently do in
the future. Sadly Cars 2 falls short of creating that classic Disney/Pixar wonderment
we have all come to expect. The film is
beautifully animated and has a storyline that is far from a Disney “straight to
video” sequel, but something about it lacks the heart and creativity of the
original. With that said (though I
enjoyed it) I was never one who sang TOO MANY praises of the original Cars.
Again it was beautifully animated and I could understand why others
appreciated it, but I just didn’t get the fascination with the cars and the
somewhat shallow storyline. Cars lacked the heart of say Toy Story and especially UP, so it is no wonder as to why I
would be somewhat skeptical about the sequel.
The story
takes fan favorites Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson) and Mater (voiced
by Larry the Cable Guy) across the sea to compete in the first ever World Grand
Prix. The Grand Prix is to determine the
world’s fastest car, but along the way Mater gets caught up in an odd adventure
of his own; and there is where the trouble occurs. Cars 2
makes the conscious and daring decision to switch gears (pun intended) and
focus the film on Lightning McQueen’s seemingly inept friend Mater. The film has Mater being mistaken for an
American spy and in turn gets wrapped up in a devilish plot of some forgotten
“lemon” cars to release their wrath upon the world. The film plays on Mater’s clumsiness and
somewhat “offensive” American ways; to the point where it is almost
insulting. The film is like a one trick
pony as it uses the “fish out of water,” case of mistaken identity shtick to
the max. I find Larry the Cable Guy
annoying in general, the unwavering “in character” model wearing thin, and
didn’t enjoy his participation in the first Cars that much more. So
needless to say the emphasis on his character in Cars 2 was less than welcome.
What does
work for the film is the homage to spy films, gathering aspects from a variety
of source material that the keen eye/ear will certainly spot. In totality, however, the film’s focus on
Mater was off putting and whereas I give props for creativity, the film is my
least Pixar adventure.
Pirates of the Caribbean:
On Stranger Tides
The Pirate films seem to be the cash cow
that Disney can keep milking; with a very solid success rate. The truth of the matter is that the films
were never expected to do so well (come on, they are based on an amusement park
ride!), but with the help of Johnny Depp, a great supporting cast, and an
excellent backdrop the films have been runaway hits.
The first
film was groundbreaking in this reviewer’s opinion and I have no doubt that it
will go down as a classic; the sequels, however, have been less than stellar. I will not say they were bad, but they
weren’t as inspiring as the original and lacked the creative insight the first
film embodied. The sequels relied
heavily on what was established by the first film and added layers of
fantasy. Like the Shrek films that just seem to dig up fairy tale characters that
haven’t been used yet, Pirates writers
must sit back and say “what pirate things haven’t we said?”
With all
of that said, I do enjoy the Pirate sequels;
they are good popcorn films through and through. Not all too deep, but thoroughly
entertaining. The fourth installment On Stranger Tides has Johnny Depp
returning as Captain Jack Sparrow and without the likes of Knightly or Bloom
(too pricey I guess). Jack Sparrow has
been enlisted (mostly against his will) to seek the fountain of youth in the
name of the British crown. The Spanish
are in hot pursuit of the fountain as they have acquired the journal of Ponce
De Leon in a strange set of events; and if that was not enough competition, the
evil pirate Black Beard desires the power of the fountain as well. The only one who does not seem to want the
treasure of eternal youth is Jack, who would rather just have his ship back and
be on his way.
Geoffrey
Rush returns as the disgusting nemesis of Jack Sparrow, Barbossa. Barbossa has found it in his best interests
to loan his services to the crown in exchange for protection and a ship; but
his disdain for Sparrow remains. A former
love interest of Jack’s surfaces as Penelope Cruz stars as Black Beard’s long
lost daughter; but as with most of Jack’s personal encounters, this one was not
left on good terms.
The film
is fun, adventurous, and presented on a very grand scale. It lends itself well to the 3D format and
though Johnny Depp’s once inspirational performance has turned into a
caricature of himself, he remains extremely talented and brings the film to
life.
Winnie the Pooh
Yes, the
title is confusing. This is not the
‘original’ Winnie the Pooh film re-released
or even a remake; it is a completely new film that has chosen to go with a very
dismissing title. Like that of the new Rambo film or Rocky Balboa, the film industry (even Disney) has gotten to the
point where they retrofit film titles as to make us either forget the errors of
the past or be so nostalgic that we will somehow flock to theaters. Sadly, the suckers we are, have done exactly
that.
Though
only a minor success in theaters the new Winnie the Pooh film (Winnie the Pooh)
takes the audience back to 100 acre woods for a new adventure. The whole crew returns with Rabbit, Kanga,
Roo, Tigger, Owl, Eeyore, Piglet and yes Pooh setting out to find Eeyore a new
tail. Owl puts this challenge upon our
old friends with the reward being a big pot of honey; while concurrently they
try to save Christopher Robin from the mysterious Backson.
There is
not much more to the tale than just that.
As in the past Winnie the Pooh embodies
a ‘child like’ simplicity that focuses more a heart warming tale of friends,
than of action or intricate storylines. This
film introduces Pooh and friends to a whole new generation, as younglings may
have seen the Disney favorite plastered all over this world of ours, but had
little idea where he came from.
Winnie the Pooh has an updated style of animation
that holds true to the classic animation structure, but updates it slightly
with cleaner colors and lines. The
voices are new (as most of the original cast has moved on) and John Cleese
narrates in an exuberant, entertaining way as only he can. The ‘hip’ music you will hear throughout the
film is from actress/songstress Zooey Deschanel; adding that new wave hipster
edge to the classic tale.
Technical Features
All three
films look amazing on Blu-ray, with Cars
2 and Pirates looking even more
stunning on Disney 3D Blu-ray. Unlike
recent releases of The Lion King and
Beauty & the Beast on Disney 3D
Blu-ray, Pirates and Cars 2 were both always intended for
the 3D format. The films in both 2D and
3D are nearly flawless in presentation; and whereas I feel Cars 2 is a picture of perfection in 1080p High Definition 2.39 X1,
Pirates live action is not always as
crisp, clean, and smooth as its CGI counterpart. Pirates
is presented in a 1080p 2.40 X1 format and has great light/dark balance
that never gets murky and concurrently has brilliant reds, blues, and
yellows. Cars 2 is demonstration material for sure and never disappoints as
all the colors of the rainbow explode from the screen and the crisp clarity are
unrivaled. The 3D image in both films is
well done and though not as restrained as The
Lion King or Beauty and the Beast
with lots of screen bursting moments, they do a solid job in entertaining
without cheap tricks or overuse.
Winnie the Pooh is Grade ‘A’ material and is a
pleasant return to classic Disney 2D animation.
The colors burst to life and the crisp clean lines demonstrate Disney’s
technological advances. Purist may argue
that the ‘grittiness’ that gave the Winnie the Pooh tales some depth and
character is stripped away, but I find it works just find and nothing
disappoints here in the 1080p 1.78 X 1 presentation.
The DVDs
included with all three of these films just seem to be throwaway discs at this
point, as they only cater to those fans who want to buy the “triple disc” sets
on Blu-ray even though they don’t have a Blu-ray player, with future thoughts
of getting one. It all seems rather
silly as they are clear quality downgrades as my rating of the discs reflect
above.
Extras
Cars 2
- Cars Toon: Air Mater
(available in standard and 3D)
- Hawaiian Vacation theatrical
short (another short adventure with the Toy Story 3 cast)
- World Tour (navigate through
different locations [Radiator Springs; London;
Paris; Tokyo]
- Deleted Scenes
- Documentaries
- Animation
- Director’s Commentary [here
we get a very good look into John Lasseter’s love for the franchise and
cars in general]
Pirates of the Caribbean:
On Stranger Tides
- Disney Second Screen (explore
extra features on your iPad and other devices as the film plays; very
distracting I found)
- Audio Commentary with Director
Rob Marshall and Executive Producer John DeLuca (the crew seems to have a
lot of fun and could make these films forever…God help us)
- Deleted and Extended Scenes
with introduction by Rob Marshall (neither add nor detract from the film,
but for time I understand as to why they were cut)
- Legends of On Stranger Tides
– Go Behind the scenes of the making of the film
- In Search of the Fountain –
Explore the Magical Place
from conception to mythical reality
- Under the Scene: Bringing
Mermaids to Life
- Johnny vs. Geoffrey – Depp
and Rush explore their inspirations for the characters and what it takes
to be a pirate
- Bloopers of the Caribbean
- Lego Animated Shorts: Captain
Jack’s Brick Tales
Winnie the Pooh
All the
extras here are a bit more ‘childish than informative, but fun never the less
and the youngsters will find them fun, as they are not as mind numbing as they
may seem at first glance.
- Winnie the Pooh and his Story
Too
- Sing-A-Long with the Movie
- 5 Deleted Scenes with
Director Intro
- “The Ballad of Nessie” Theatrical
Short
- Mini Adventures of Winnie the
Pooh: “Pooh’s Balloon Short”
So in the
end they all may seem like very different Disney ventures, but in reality they
all continue to propagate the seem Disney heart, soul, and ability to peak back
on old friends that audiences have come to cherish.
- Michael P. Dougherty II
