Adventures Of Prince Achmed (1926/Milestone Blu-ray Set)/Incredibles 2 4K (2018/Pixar/Disney 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray w/Blu-ray)/Hey Arnold! The Ultimate Collection (1996 - 2004, 2017)/Rocco's Modern Life: The Complete Series (1993 - 96/both Nickelodeon DVD Sets)/Teen Titans Go! To The Movies (2018/DC Comics/Warner Blu-ray w/DVD)

4K Ultra HD Picture: A- Picture: B/B+/C+/C+/B & C+ Sound: C+/A/C+/C+/B & C+ Extras: B/B+/C+/C/C+ Main Programs: B/B/B/B-/C+

Here's a very wide-ranging set of new animated releases for your consideration....

We start with an animated classic made entirely out of paper being cut out and animated by hand, the director being Lotte Reiniger. We originally covered the Milestone DVD release of Adventures Of Prince Achmed (1926) years ago on DVD, a great release that many agreed returned a classic to its rightful place of availability. You can see that coverage at this link...

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/11283/Adventures+Of+Prince+Achmed+(192

BFI had been credited a being part of the restoration and reissue, so a few years later, they issued a Blu-ray/DVD set of the same film and as part of our occurrent import coverage, reviewed the British set here...

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/12312/The+Adventures+Of+Prince+Achmed+(1926/Anim

Now, Milestone has a double Blu-ray set of the same film and instead of featuring the short Reiniger made over the years in a documentary, they are now presented on their own in HD and look great. A lost of art that also includes other visual tricks, the theme of magic is greatly served by the endless possibilities animation can deliver. At 92-years-old and counting, this is pretty incredible for any age and looks even better than ever in HD. This is a serious must-see film for all serious movie fans and especially fans of animation.

Extras are those great shorts and include...

The Secret of the Marquise, 1921
The Flying Coffer, 1921
Dr. Dolittle: Lion's Den, 1923 (German and English versions)
Dr. Dolittle: A Trip to Africa, 1923
Dr. Dolittle: Cannibal Land, 1923
The Death-Feigning Chinaman, 1928
The Caliph Stork, 1935
The Magic Horse, 1953
Aladdin and His Magic Lamp, 1954
The Star of Bethlehem, 1956
The Lost Son, 1974

All in all, a real treat for families and children, The Adventures Of Prince Achmed is the kind of set that will surprise the person who seems to have everything they want, but do not. You might want to get it for yourself!

Disney and Pixar deliver yet another hit, and hit sequel, with Incredibles 2 4K (2018), a film that took quite a while to come to fruition surprisingly yet turned out pretty solid in the end. As with every Pixar movie, the animation is simply spectacular with many details to be seen in this new 4K UHD collector's edition that's packed with extras. It's a must have for the diehard Pixar fan that's for sure!

The film has an all star voice cast which includes Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Samuel L. Jackson, Huck Milner, Sarah Vowell, and Catherine Keener. Director Brad Bird (Iron Giant) comes back to direct this installment after a serious gap between films.

The Incredible family, Mr. Incredible (Nelson) and Elastigirl (Hunter) have three very powerful super-children, all of which save the world whilst trying to live normal lives. Now teamed up with Frozone (Jackson), the super human crew end up getting an enticing business offer that puts Elastigirl center stage and brings the family unbelievable wealth. While Mr. Incredible ends up taking care of the kids (and the Baby is discovered as having unusual super powers), they must battle a new foe that threatens to tear the family apart.

Special Features (per the press release) include...

All-New "Auntie Edna" Mini-Movie - When Bob Parr visits super-suit designer Edna Mode looking for help with his high-energy toddler Jack-Jack, Edna pulls an all-nighter designing a suit to harness the baby's seemingly limitless powers.

10 Deleted Scenes With Introductions - Suburban Escape, Kari Revisited, Return of the Supers, Chewed Out, Late Audition, Slow Day, Frozone and Honey, Restaurant Robbery, Fashion Show and Security Breakdown.

Super Stuff - From buildings and vehicles to costumes and props, every action movie requires a lot of really cool stuff. Meet the makers and learn what it takes to design and build such a uniquely incredible world.

Heroes & Villains - A collection of mini-docs about the backstory and major design ideas behind the "Incredibles 2" characters - featuring voice actors, director Brad Bird, and Pixar artists talking about the many elements that make these characters feel real.

Ralph Eggleston: Production Designer - This short piece explores the many ways a single production designer has influenced the look, feel and character of the Pixar universe, culminating in "Incredibles 2."

Strong Coffee: A Lesson in Animation with Brad Bird - Brad Bird's passion for animation dates back to his childhood and mentorship under Disney's Milt Kahl, and that enthusiasm and powerful insight emanates from every film he's made. Take a deep dive into Brad's early years at Disney Animation Studios and his time at Pixar.

Paths to Pixar: Everyday Heroes - At its heart, "Incredibles 2" is about family dynamics and the challenges of being a working parent. Meet the parents of Pixar as they discuss their personal connections to the film and their experience with stretching to balance work and family.

SuperBaby - A documentary/hip hop music video hybrid hosted by Frankie and Paige from Disney Channel's Bizaardvark. This piece explores how Jack-Jack came to life onscreen - from design to special effects to animation - all set to a hot beat.

Commentary - Get inside commentary from animators Alan Barillaro (supervising animator), Tony Fucile (supervising animator, story artist and character designer), Dave Mullins (supervising animator) and Bret Parker (animation second unit and crowds supervisor).

Theatrical Short: "Bao" - An aging Chinese mom suffering from empty nest syndrome gets another chance at motherhood when one of her dumplings springs to life as a lively, giggly dumpling boy.

Making "Bao" - Director Domee Shi shares her secret recipe for making an animated short - discussing how her rich cultural heritage, unique relationship with her mom, and her love of food all informed the making of the food-fantasy"Bao."

Outtakes & Stories - Raccoon Fight Story, Evelyn Animation Outtakes, Puppet Animator Interview, Outtakes Goofy Arms Story and SuperBaby Music Video.

And Character Theme Songs, Vintage Toy Commercial, TV Spots, Toolkit Montage and Global "Incredibles 2" Trailers

So, Pixar adds another impressively produced animated film to their resume with Incredibles 2, which is a fine sequel to its predecessor.

Next up are two deluxe DVD sets of two of the early hit Nickelodeon TV series that re still considered among the best shows they ever made. Hey Arnold! The Ultimate Collection (1996 - 2004, 2017) and Rocco's Modern Life: The Complete Series (1993 - 1996) have been issued in collectible, nicely packaged sets for fans to enjoy and find the complete outputs of both characters (to date) in one place. Both with leads who are a bit insecure and dealing with various troubles with and situations in life, it is more like what made the network great and popular versus just jumping on a bandwagon, going into action and being part of some organized team.

If anything, the troubles Arnold had in the series and recent revival are as true now as they have ever been, while Rocco (and his spiritual Nick cousins Ren & Stimpy for that matter) comically and lovingly shows the nervousness and wackiness too much technology, overload and non-thought out expectations can cause, thus the actually witty title of the show. Nickelodeon has had some trouble lately despite some good shows, but not enough with the fun or natural feel of these shows. The actual problems of late at the network have been beyond their control over mergers and corporate clashing, but that might finally be coming to the kind of end that would let Rocco get more sleep.

Extras on Arnold include the original series Pilot debut show before final changes were made, two telefilms, a claymation Arnold Escapes From Church short, a table read for The Jungle Movie, Drawing Arnold featurette and Unboxing The Original Jungle Movie Development Art. Rocco comes in a paper sleeve that imitates an old analog TV screen (younger viewers are likely to miss that one) and a new poster inside the DVD case.

Last but not least is Teen Titans Go! To The Movies, a comical 2018 DC Comics/Warner Bros. theatrical film release that is amusing, if a mixed bag playing it safe with its comedy. Some of it is not funny, some is, but the jokes (intended obviously for younger viewers) include the eternal question of if Robin will ever get respect and get out of Batman's shadow. In the DC Universe, the answer is an obvious yes, but since this is younger Robin (younger than he was in the original 1960s Teen Titans, by the way), the reality is: not yet.

This is not for fans of the 1960s version (for which a few animated segments were produced in the 1960s by Filmation from the comic books for TV) or the revival closer to the team we have now, so it is only meant to be taken so seriously. It is fine for its audience and what it was meant to accomplish, but its target is the Nickelodeon/Disney audience without a doubt and that's understandable.

Extras include 3 sing-a-longs, a music video, digital comic, Deleted Scenes, three featurettes an d digital, downloads for both the movie and its soundtrack (that last one is a nice touch).

As for playback performance, the 1080p 1.33 X 1 tinted/black & white digital High Definition image transfer on Achmed can show the age of the materials used, but this is far superior a transfer to all previous releases of the film and equal to the great BFI Blu-ray we reviewed, both coming from the same restoration. I also think most of the shorts look just as great, for their age, which are as recent a 1974 and the last few of which are in color!

The Incredibles 2 4K is presented in 2160p HEVC/H.265, HDR (10; Ultra HD Premium)-enhanced Ultra High Definition image with a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.39:1 and audio tracks in DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 7.1 lossless (48kHz, 24-bit) and English: DTS-HD HR (High Resolution) 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit) mixes, all of which bring out an impressive at home theatrical presentation. While we didn't review the first film on the 4K format to compare it too, the impeccable detail in the image (especially with HDR: high dynamic range), brings out the small details that aren't seen on the also included 1080p Blu-ray version. A digital copy is also included.

The Nickelodeon episodes are in original 1.33 X 1 framing centered in an anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image, the Arnold Movie in full anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1, while the equally good-looking Titans DVD is presented in an anamorphically enhanced 1.85 X 1 frame. They are as good as they can look in the format and the TV shows deserve eventual Blu-ray release, but Titans has a better-looking 1080p 1.85 X 1 digital High Definition image Blu-ray here that looks much better than the DVD and has nice color range and a solid presentation.

As for sound, after Incredibles 2 4K, Achmed has PCM 2.0 Mono that has music that is fine throughout, which can also be said about the shorts here. The last four shorts chronologically are sound films with some hiss, but sound good too. The Titans Blu-ray has DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless sound that has a consistently good soundfield and is the second-best sonic presentation on the list. Its DVD and the Arnold Movie offer lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 that are passable, but underwhelming as compared to lossless sound.

That leaves the Nickelodeon show episodes offering lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo sound that is fine for the age of the shows, but a lossless upgrade would be a plus whenever Blu-rays versions arrive.

- Nicholas Sheffo and James Lockhart (Incredibles 2)

https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/