Little
Mermaid 4K (1989*)/P.J.
Masks: Butterfly Brigade
(2019/eOne/Fox DVD)/Ralph
Breaks The Internet
(2018/*both Disney 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray w/Blu-ray sets)/Shimmer
& Shine: Flight Of The Zahracorns
(2019/Nickelodeon DVD)/Wheely
(2018/Umbrella Region Free PAL Import DVD)
4K
Ultra HD Picture: B/B+ Picture: B/C+/B/C+/C+ Sound: B/C+/B+ &
B/C+/C+ Extras: C+/D/C+/D/D Main Programs: C+/C+/B-/C+/C
PLEASE
NOTE:
The Wheely
Import DVD is now only available from our friends at Umbrella
Entertainment in Australia, can only play on Blu-ray, 4K and DVD
players that can handle the PAL DVD and can be ordered from the link
below.
Here
are the latest child/family releases to know of....
Disney's
Little
Mermaid 4K
(1989) is one of the first of the classic animated films in the new
Ultra HD format from the studio that still has its following, as the
review of this 2D/3D Blu-ray set will show...
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/12389/The+Little+Mermaid+%E2%80%93+Diamond+Edit
That
also has a link by the same writer to the previous, older DVD
release, so no doubt the film is a success, but I am in the school of
persons who think it is overrated, not looking so good, never looked
great, was a big commercial step backwards for better and worse and
liked Oliver
& Company
the previous year better. That actually had better art design, is
underrated and holds up better than many will admit. Oh well.
But
back to this release. I don't know what else Disney can do with the
film now that it is out in every possible format, but fans should be
pleased by all the choices and diehards will buy them all. Of
course, we get extras and they again are slightly varied from the
previous editions, this time including...
BLU-RAY
& DIGITAL
Alan
Menken & the Leading Ladies Song - From the voice of a mermaid
to the tunes of a muse, the music of Alan Menken has scored the
soundtrack for some of Disney's most iconic leading ladies. Join
Alan, Jodi Benson (Ariel), Paige O'Hara (Belle), Judy Kuhn
(Pocahontas
Singing Voice), Lillias White (Calliope) and Donna Murphy (Mother
Gothel) as we celebrate the music of their films in honor of the one
that started it all ''The Little Mermaid.'' In this discussion, the
ladies will share their memories of musically creating their
characters with Alan, discuss what it means to be part of the Disney
Princess/leading lady legacy and create new memories as they sing
with Alan around a baby grand piano.
Stories
From Walt's Office - Gadgets & Gizmos
- Like Ariel, Walt Disney was a collector of many different things
from miniatures to early mechanical characters that inspired the
invention of audio-animatronics. We take a look at some the
collections that Walt kept in his office in the third episode of
this series.
DIGITAL
EXCLUSIVES
''Part
of Your World'' - A 30-Year Retrospective - Songwriter Alan Menken
and Jodi Benson, the acting and singing voice of Ariel, sing the
epitome of Disney ''I Want'' songs ''Part of Your World'' and
discuss its impact since it was first heard 30 years ago.
Classic
Bonus Features - Over 3 additional hours of previously released
classic bonus features including Deleted Scenes, Easter Eggs, Music
Videos and more, which you can read more about in our previous
review coverage.
P.J.
Masks: Butterfly Brigade
(2019) is simply a set of more episodes of the hit show (six his
time) with no extras or other ideas for the very young superhero-type
show that is not bad, but might be not getting the dull support it
needs. Why no bonus material or anything else exciting? With
superhero films so big, this is bad oversight.
Ralph
Breaks The Internet
(2018) is the sequel to the surprise hit Wreck-It
Ralph
(2012) that we covered with great surprise in this 3D superset...
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/12077/Wreck-It+Ralph:+Ultimate+Collector%E2%80%99s
Now
comes the sequel in a new
4K Ultra HD Blu-ray/Blu-ray set and it serves the sequel well with
its improved animation (by so much) as Ralph (John C. Reilly in
perfect casting) and Vanellope (Sarah Silverman holding her own) go
in search of a new game, but it may lead to a lost friendship and
other troubles neither of them ever imagined... so Ralph will do what
he can to make sure none of that happens.
Thew
jokes are in line with the pervious film and nothing new here struck
me as hilarious, but it is a decent follow-up and fans should be
happy. However, a little of this can go a long way for some, so go
in with standard expectations and you will not be disappointed.
Extras
are decent and break down in an unusual way as this press description
explains...
Blu-ray
& Digital:
How
We Broke the Internet
- Go behind the scenes at Walt Disney Animation Studios to get an
in-depth look at how the filmmakers brought a world to life that
billions of people visit every day but never actually see - the
internet. Take a front-row seat as the team reveals the
inspirations for the story and what it took to bring it to the
screen. Discover all that went into developing the characters of
the film including netizens like KnowsMore as well as characters
like Double Dan. See the lengths the team took to create the car
chase scenes in Slaughter Race and much, much more.
Surfing
for Easter Eggs
- Surf the web for the near-countless Easter Eggs, inside jokes and
references hidden throughout the movie.
The
Music of Ralph Breaks the Internet
- Take a look at the music of Ralph Breaks the Internet with
appearances by Imagine Dragons, Julia Michaels, Alan Menken, Sarah
Silverman and more.
Deleted
Scenes - Five deleted scenes with intros from directors Rich Moore
and Phil Johnston. Scenes include Into the Internet, Opposites,
Domestic Hell, Bubble of One & Recruiting 'Grandma.'
BuzzzTube
Cats - Many videos were created by the animators to fill the screens
of the Internet world... and lots of them are of cats! Check out
the BuzzzTube to watch this hilarious cat compilation.
Music
Videos - ''Zero''
by Imagine Dragons and ''In
This Place''
by Julia Michaels.
Digital
Exclusive:
DVD:
Shimmer
& Shine: Flight Of The Zahracorns
(2019) is sadly just another basic DVD from Nickelodeon offering
seven episodes of the show and nothing else unfortunately as the
automatic pilot releases of the show continue with barely a theme to
hold them together. This might be fine for children, but I think it
is underselling to its audience and lacks enthusiasm for them an the
show.
There
are no extras.
Finally
we have a CG animated feature that did not make it to the U.S., Carl
Mendez's Wheely
(2018) which is set in a world of cars and resembles the Disney/PIXAR
franchise (especially its first film) just a bit too much for its own
good. It is not very memorable either, while its animation looks
dated and lacks character, but it is made to try and find a child
audience.
Umbrella
in Australia has issued it as a Region Free PAL Import DVD that at
least does some justice to the presentation, but the participants are
mostly unknowns and this is only for the VERY curious.
There
are no extras.
The
2160p HEVC/H.265, HDR (10; Ultra HD Premium)-enhanced 2.35 X 1 Ultra
High Definition image in Ralph
is easily the best performer on the list with its decent detail and
rich color scheme, but a few shots look a little off and a few others
are a bit better than my rating. The 1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High
Definition image on the Blu-ray is decent, but it cannot deliver the
improvements the 2160p 4K disc does, especially as compared to the
slight improvements in animation versus the first film.
The
2160p HEVC/H.265, HDR (10; Ultra HD Premium)-enhanced 1.85 X 1 Ultra
High Definition image on Mermaid
looks good for what it is, but while color improves over the 1080p
1.85 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer on the Blu-ray, there
are new flaws you can see that were not evident on the Blu-ray 2D or
3D versions. It is the best that can be hoped for for a film this
old with its limited budget.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image on the three DVDs look good
for the format, but nothing too impressive is here beyond that.
The
Dolby Atmos 11.1 lossless mix (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 mixdown for older
systems) on Ralph
is easily the best sonic presentation here and on the 4K version,
often fun, but more dialogue/joke-based than many other animated
films. Mermaid
also has a Dolby Atmos 11.1 lossless mix (Dolby TrueHD 7.1) upgrade
on the 4K version only, but the film was an old analog Dolby System
release, so it shows its age, limit and is not as engaging.
The
regular Blu-rays of Ralph
and Mermaid
offer DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 7.1 lossless mixes that are not bad,
but Ralph
loses some detail while Mermaid
does not suffer at al being so old.
The
DVDs all have lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 mixes, save lossy Dolby Digital
2.0 Stereo on Masks,
but the sound is all the same and nothing really stands out. They
are adequate for what they are and lossless versions would likely not
be much better.
To
order the
Umbrella import Wheely
DVD, go to this link for it and other hard to find titles at:
http://www.umbrellaent.com.au/
-
Nicholas Sheffo
