LEGO
DC Shazam!: Magic and Monsters (Warner
w/Toy)/Trolls World Tour:
Dance Off Edition
(Universal/both 2020 Blu-ray w/DVD sets)
Picture:
B & C+/A- & B- Sound: B & C+/A- & B- Extras:
B-/B Films: B-/C
Now
for two new high profile animated releases...
First
we have LEGO DC Shazam!: Magic and Monsters (2020) which tries
in only 81 minutes to add the title superhero (no longer known as
Captain Marvel, though we get an in-joke about this) beginning with
his origins, then how he gets to be introduced to all the DC
Superheroes and maybe become a Justice League member, lay out his
origins then (awkwardly) introduce Black Adam!
This
is meant to be silly and does have its moments, but was more
convincing at time than the live action hit revival of the character.
Of course, it is not the great 1940s Fawcett Comics, legendary
Republic live action movie serial or underrated live-action 1970s
Saturday Morning TV series hit. It is not even the smart, mature,
adult revival comic book series form a few decades ago, but it is
ambitious considering what it is doing and is as interesting as any
recent character-based LEGO home video release we have seen in a
while.
With
all that info., it might be a little bit much for younger viewers,
but they can watch a bit at a time. I hope this also means that
future LEGO releases are going to continue to be this ambitious.
Most of them have been fine, but they did tend to have some overlap
and the obvious rules/jokes of the LEGO world become obvious quickly.
Definitely worth a look for fans.
Extras
include a LEGO figurine of Shazam you can put together yourself,
while the discs add a trailer for this release and three episodes of
two other TV shows in HD, including (inexplicably) two of Unikitty!
(Spoooooky
Game
and Pool
Duel)
and Teen
Titans Go!
(Little
Elvis).
Trolls
toys came out in the 1990s and were a passing pop culture sensation
much like the beanie baby. (Nowadays, Funko Pops have pretty much
taken the mantle.) For some reason, a decade and some change later,
in 2016 Universal Studios and Dreamworks Animation decided to make a
digitally animated Trolls movie that became a sleeper hit with young
audiences.
Now
out on Blu-ray, Trolls World Tour (2020) is the sequel that is
a mix of modern musical and goofy cartoon feature cut from the same
mold as the original. A bit too kiddy for teens and up, the little
ones are more prone to enjoy this sort of faire. Everything aside,
this movie still made major bucks on VOD even with theaters being
closed for the coronavirus pandemic. This means, folks, that these
cuddly Trolls aren't going anywhere anytime soon (for better or
worse.)
Trolls
World Tour features an all star voice cast with Anna Kendrick,
Justin Timberlake, Kelly Clarkson, Jamie Dorman, James Corden, Ozzy
Osbourne, George Clinton, Sam Rockwell, and Rachel Bloom to name a
few. The film is directed by Walt Dohrn (Shrek Forever After).
Six
Troll tribes are discovered, each one representing a different style
of music. Rockers Queen Barb and King Thrash threaten to destroy
these tribes, while the good Trolls (lead by Poppy and Branch) decide
to instead unite them in a massive, uhm, troll dance party...
Universal's
animation here is similar to the Despicable Me films, but not
as vivid as most of Pixar's work. The film is quite colorful
obviously due to the subject matter and these colors are more defined
on the Blu-ray than the DVD (and would especially be improved on the
4K UHD). The music is a mixed bag with some newer artists and some
recognizable classics thrown in to appeal to the adults in the
audience.
Special
Features on this Dance Off
Edition are vast and include:
Dance
Party Mode - learn dance moves and sing along while you watch the
film
Exclusive
Short Film - Tiny Diamond Goes Back To School
Feature-Length
Audio Commentary with Director Walt Dohrn, Producer Gina Shay, and
Co-Director David P. Smith
Deleted
Scenes
Trolls
World Tourist Map
Trolls
Dance Academy
Trolls
Perfect Harmony
and
Trolls World Tour Backstage
This
is fine for a kids film and packed with bonus features, but its pure
bubble gum fare that the older crowd is likely to be more annoyed by
than anything.
The
1080p
1.78 X 1 digital High Definition image on Shazam
is one of the best animated LEGO and DC Comics releases we have seen
as far as color and definition is concerned with the widest range of
color and several metallic colors throughout that make this even more
fun to watch. Too bad we do not have it in 4K, but I had to try it
on a few systems because there are odd flaws and problems with the
picture at points on the disc. The
DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless sound mix is just fine though.
The
anamorphically enhanced DVD image is a little softer than I would
have liked and does not do justice to the color range, while the
lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 is weak too and does not have the warmth or
impact of the lossless Blu-ray DTS.
Trolls
is presented in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray disc with a
widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and a lossless Dolby Atmos mix that
is clear and impressive. Also on the disc is an English DTS-HD MA
(Master Audio) 7.1 lossless mix, standard for the format. Also
included is an anamorphically
enhanced standard definition DVD of the film with a more
compressed presentation and a lossy 5.1 Dolby Digital mix, a French
5.1 mix, DVS (Descriptive Video Service) and a digital copy. We hope
to see the 4K version inevitably.
-
Nicholas Sheffo (LEGO)
and James
Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
