Blaze
and The Monster Machines: Robot Riders
(2018*)/Dr. Seuss' The
Grinch 4K (2018/Universal
4K Ultra HD Blu-ray w/Blu-ray)/Peppa
Pig: When I Grow Up
(2018/EOne/Fox DVD)/Peter
Rabbit: Springtime Collection
(2013/*both Nickelodeon DVDs)/Scooby
Doo! and the Curse Of The 13th
Ghost (2019/Warner DVD)
4K
Ultra HD Picture: A Picture: C+/B/C+/C+/C+ Sound:
C+/B+/C+/C+/C+ Extras: D/B/D/D/C- Main Programs:
C+/B-/C+/B-/C
These
next child/family releases are reissues or continuations, but one os
a remake that really impresses...
Though
I don't see or hear much about it, Blaze
and The Monster Machines
apparently is hanging in there as a hit show for the Nickelodeon
Network and the new
Robot Riders
(2018) DVD is 91 minutes of shows meant to capitalize on the
Transformers
films and the Bumblebee
spin-off that did better overseas than here. It is not any direct
tie-in to those films or that franchise, but the reference on the
cover art is very obvious. That is only four episodes, but it
apparently will suffice for fans.
No
extras.
Next
up is the computer animated feature film Dr.
Seuss' The Grinch
(2018), the third major version of the classic book and second hit
feature film in a row from Universal, on a roll with the Illumination
Animation Studios. Especially after the Boris Karloff/Chuck Jones
version alone, it takes a real love of the book and some serious guts
to try and revisit such cherished material, but despite some overlap
with the earlier versions, I was surprised how all out this new
version co-directed by Scott Mosier and Yarrow Cheney.
The
graphics are in the Seuss mode with little compromise or change,
while the use of detail and especially of an advanced range of full
color are impressive, but really tipping the balance is the new take
on the title character, voiced by no less than the ever-great
Benedict Cumberbach, who takes drollness into its own new space. His
comic timing is great, there are some very funny moments here,
including smart ones (one involves a great joke about the classic hit
song and now-standard ''All
By Myself''
that has one of the film's very best jokes. Too bad the captioners
forgot to identify the song for those who might not know it because
it is that good. I would recommend you play the song for any children
who have not heard it before and before seeing the film. You might
want to give it one more listen yourself for maximum laughter impact.
There
is also a few surprises in voice casting and Danny Elfman turns in
one of his more interesting movie scores of late. No, you have seen
some of this before, but the makers have added a new fun and vibrancy
to the now-classic material that makes it fun and even fresh,
building out the WhoVille world in a way that is more extensive than
ever. You can get lost in it in a good way and besides knowing they
would be compared to the previous takes on the book, it seems the
makers ha plenty of other holiday classics in mind and even the
underrated CGI holiday feature film, the underrated Arthur
Christmas
(reviewed elsewhere on this site).
The
film is very three-dimensional and a Blu-ray 3D edition has been
issued, but we got the very impressive 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray/standard
Blu-ray set and the performance is often stunning, which we'll get to
below.
Extras
are plenty, especially for this 4K set and include Digital Copy,
Who's
Who in Who-ville
(interactive map) which does play like a pop-up book and (as the
press release explains) "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch"
Lyric Video - Tyler, The Creator puts a modern spin on the Seussian
Christmas classic.
There
are 3 mini-movie including Yellow
is the New Black
- Before they all make their big escape from prison in Despicable
Me 3,
a couple of lucky Minions get a taste of freedom as they break free
with the help of one of their fellow human inmates, Dog
Days of Winter
- Max braves the harsh winter weather and an uncooperative Who to
bring a sick Grinch his favorite hot tea and Santa's
Little Helpers
- Fan favorites the Minions are back for another adventure! Having
been accidentally dropped off at the North Pole, our Minion pals make
the most of the situation by trying to become elves. All in regular
1080p HD.
That
still leaves The
Making of the Mini-Movies -
Mini in size but not in heart, these short films are fan favorites.
From
the Grinch and Max to the Minions
- you'll explore the themes of each of the mini-movies through the
eyes of the filmmakers who made them. From
Green to Screen
- It takes a lot to bring grumpy green to your home screen. This
inside look at the making of Illumination's Dr.
Seuss' The Grinch
features interviews and behind-the-scenes moments with the cast,
filmmakers and artists whose hearts have all grown three sizes
bringing this classic tale to life. Illuminating
THE GRINCH
- Using filmmaker and cast interviews, concept art and progression
reels, we take a behind-the-scenes look at how the characters evolved
from initial sketches to fully realized characters. My
Earliest GRINCH Memories
- The cast and filmmakers of Dr.
Seuss' The Grinch
reveal their earliest memories of the grumpy green character and the
enduring appeal of this Christmas curmudgeon's journey to redemption.
Grinchy
Gadgets
- From his body-size blow dryer to his moving mechanical chair, from
his catapult to his dog drone-rig and more... you'll get to explore
the wondrous world of Grinch's gadgets. "I
Am The Grinch" Lyric Video
- A stylized look at Tyler, The Creator's original song created just
for the film. Songs
From His Little Heart
- Take a deep dive into the toe tapping beats of Dr.
Seuss' The Grinch.
From score to specialty songs, you'll hear from the film's A-list
musicians on what it took to create the music behind the movie.
X-Mas
Around the World
- Every culture practices Christmas in a slightly different way.
We'll highlight some of the more fun permutations of the holiday
around the globe. Cindy-Lou's
Yule Log
- Nothing says the holidays quite like an animated fireplace blasting
fake heat from your living room television. Just in time for winter,
we'll recreate Cindy-Lou's living room on Christmas Eve for all to
enjoy. Production
Babies
- A celebration of the babies born to the filmmakers during the
production of Illumination's Dr.
Seuss' The Grinch.
AND...
Any Who Can Draw
- Hosted by an Illumination artist and head of story Mark O'Hare,
you'll see step-by-step how to draw some of your favorite characters
from this beloved holiday classic; Grinch, Max and Fred!
Peppa
Pig: When I Grow Up
(2018) is a too-short 12-show set (the box will not even list the
62-minutes-long playback length) that remains charming, but still
makes one wish for more episodes and extras in the face of yet
another basic-only release. At least the quality of the show is
consistent and as good as just about any of its contemporaries, but
its vague-if-smart theme is the only thing to distinguish it from
other such basic DVDs of the many we've seen by now.
No
extras.
The
Peter
Rabbit: Springtime Collection
(2013) simply combines the two basic Nickelodeon DVDs we already
covered elsewhere on the site: Peter
Rabbit
and Spring
Into Adventure.
Apparently, a new release connected to the franchise is on the way,
so we'll see how that works. In the meantime these are as
child-friendly as Peppa
Pig
and safe for all ages.
No
extras.
Lastly
we have the disappointing Scooby
Doo! and the Curse Of The 13th
Ghost
(2019) with the premise that they caught 12 ghosts and forgot the
last one, now coming back to haunt them figuratively and literally.
With the legendary single-episode closure of every entry in franchise
history, this is far fetched and I did not buy it, plus it seems like
almost an insult to fans and the characters.
The
voice work is not bad, but this rough-edged animation style is my
least favorite approach to bringing these characters to life, so this
is for die hard fans only. I was very bored often and all involved
can do better than this!
Two
episodes of one of the more recent Scooby
series (To
All The Ghouls I'Ve Loved Before,
Horror-Scope
Scoob)
are the only extras.
The
2160p HEVC/H.265, Dolby Vision/HDR (10; Ultra HD Premium)-enhanced
2.35 X 1 Ultra High Definition image on Grinch
is among the best anywhere on home video today, with superior color
range, variety, grading and superior pallet that make this s amazing
a CGI animated feature visually as anything on 4K disc or otherwise
and is good as any CGI film produced to this day. Illumination has
pretty much caught up with Disney/PIXAR and with DreamWorks Animation
mostly out of the picture, that leaves only Sony Animation (we'll see
the new animated Spider-Man
soon) so the pool of CGI feature films will only get more
interesting.
Grinch
in 4K looks so good that only the very best 4K feature films, usually
shot in larger than 35mm film or larger than 4K cameras, can match
it. Think Kubrick's 2001,
Dunkirk
or Branagh's Murder
On The Orient Express
remake among the elite 4K releases to demo the best video screens
anywhere to match this. That's how high a level the 12-bit color is
here and will stun just about anyone.
The
1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image on the regular Blu-ray
is not bad, but it is a far cry from what you get in the 4K edition,
though both discs offer high quality, well-recorded Dolby
Atmos 11.1 (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 mix for older systems) lossless mixes
that are sometimes a match for the image, but the sound design does
not go overboard either. Like
Sing
(also in 4K from Illumination and Universal, also reviewed on this
site), the music choices are superior, so that adds to how great a
demo the 4K edition is.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image on all the DVDs are fine for
the format with few issues or flaws as they stand. The lossy Dolby
Digital 5.1 in Scooby and Blaze have a little more kick that the
lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo on Peppa and Rabbit, but they are as
well recorded, resulting in pretty much as sonic draw as well among
the DVDs.
-
Nicholas Sheffo
