Mosley (2019/Saban/Paramount DVD)/Ron's Gone Wrong 4K (2021/20th Century*/**)/Rick & Morty: Season Five (2020 - 2021 Steelbook/Warner Blu-ray)/Spidey & His Amazing Friends (2021/Marvel DVD**)/Who Framed Roger Rabbit? 4K (1988/*both 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray w/Blu-ray/**all Disney)

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

Now for a new group of animated releases....

Writer/Director Kirby Atkins' Mosley (2019) is a relatively new CGI tale about the title goat, who finds out he is not as 'mere barn animal' but something more and spends the film finding where he belongs and whom he is connected to. Years in the making (the writer made it for his daughter, but it took so long (a Chinese studio finally made it in CGI) that she is much older now. Though a few things here are nice, this has so many cliches, it just does not stand out much. Still, some younger children might like it, though this idea of not belonging can go on a little longer than some might like.

The anamorphically enhanced 2.35 X 1 image has some good color, but can be softer more often than I would have liked, which would likely not be the case if this ever was issued on Blu-ray. The lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 is better, but still is on the weak side and would likely sound better in some lossless form. The recoding is not bad otherwise.

Extras include a Making Of featurette, but that's it. Rhys Darby, Lucy Lawless and John Rhys Davies are among the English-language voice actors.

Sarah Smith and Jean-Philipe Vine's Ron's Gone Wrong 4K (2021) is a CGI production from Locksmith Animation (apparently inherited from Disney's Fox acquisition) about a young man named Barney who buys a digitally-connected robot toy that is supposed to be fun and take him into new sections of cyberspace easily when it malfunctions!

Not able to get a quick fix, he has to explore things the hard way and learn what it is like to not be so connected (like leaving your watch at home by accident, for you older analog-era viewers) and it is not unlike an 8-bit digital-graphics world expanded. With its ups, downs, cliches and a Mark Zuckerberg-like character, this is a little more hit than miss, but ultimately is only fun when you are still watching and despite some decent voice talent, just never totally clicked for me. However, I like the style and a break from the repetitive 'got to find our home' tales (like Morley above) that have become very tired. This is no Wall-E either, but is worth a look just to see what they did get to work here.

The voice cast includes Jack Dylan Grazer as Barney Pudowski, Zach Galifianakis as Ron, Olivia Colman as Donka Pudowski, Ed Helms as Graham Pudowski and Rob Delaney as Andrew Morris.

Now for playback performance. The 2160p HECV/H.265, HDR (10; Ultra HD Premium)-enhanced, 2.35 X 1, Ultra High Definition image has some very nice, wide-ranging color to go with its depth and 3D-like appearance, but it is not pure 4K and you can often tell, though not as much as you might think for a production that was probably upscaled for this release. It is good enough that is does outdo the regular Blu-ray's 1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image, which is good, but cannot handle the color or depth that the 4K edition does. It can look a little dim and limited by comparison in general.

The Dolby Atmos 11.1 (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 for older systems) is a good mix on the 4K edition, but like the DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 7.1 lossless mix on the regular Blu-ray, the sound is a little off and dialogue not as natural as it could sound. I don't know why, but despite still getting some good sonic moments, this is held back by that issue to some extent, so it is not up there with the best CGI productions sonically of late.

Extras include Digital Code, plus (per the press release):

• A Boy and His B*Bot: When Jack Met Zach: Zach Galifianakis and Jack Dylan Grazer, the voices behind Ron and Barney, sit down to chat about a fun assortment of topics. From social media to skateboarding, the two actors from two very different generations tell us all about when Jack met Zach.

• Making Ron Right: Join cast and crew behind the scenes as they reveal the skill, dedication and friendship it took to bring this film to life. From writing the script to the voice-over booth, Locksmith's artisans detail how they made Ron right.

• and ''Sunshine'' Music Video: Song from the motion picture Ron's Gone Wrong, performed by Liam Payne.
  
  

Next, Ricky and Morty fans will be happy to have this steelbook of Rick & Morty: Season Five (2020 - 2021) collection, now available from Warner Bros. The animated show features a mad scientist and his grandson who end up on hair-brained adventures that span time and space and involve other members of the family too.

Similar in some ways to the plot of Back to the Future, but with an edgier and more adult theme overall. Some of it works and some of it doesn't, in this reviewer's opinion. The sense of humor is definitely a bit more on the silly side, but sometimes the show just ends up to be downright gross or takes some jokes a bit too far. Still, the animation is pretty neat and it's worth checking out if you like Adult Swim style cartoons.

Episodes include Mort Dinner Rick Andre, Mortyplicity, A Rickconvenient Mort, Rickdependence Spray, Amortycan Grickfitti, Rick and Morty's Thanksploitation Spectacular, Episode 7, Ricketernal Friendshine of the Spotless Mort, Forgetting Sarick Mortshall, and Rickmurai Jack.

The show is created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon.

Rick and Morty does look pretty nice on Blu-ray disc (as was the case with the previous seasons we reviewed elsewhere on this site) with this 1080p high definition presentation that has an MPEG-4 AVC codec, a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.78:1, and a lossless English DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 mix, all of which are up to the standards of the format. This animation translates to disc fine and doesn't leave much to be desired in terms of presentation. I was a little surprised that it was only one disc, but given each episode half an hour they were able to make it work!

Special Features:

"Fighting Gravity": The Making of Season 5 (Exclusive to this set): In this deep dive discussion, co-creator Dan Harmon and the crew reflect on the challenges of completing this season in the middle of a pandemic and the creative process behind the story's biggest revelations.

"Inside the Episode": For every episode from Season 5

B-Story Generator Vol. 1: Co-creator Dan Harmon and writer Rob Schrab reach into their box of random ideas to conjure up hilarious side stories.

B-Story Generator Vol. 2: Co-creator Dan Harmon and writer Rob Schrab return to brainstorm even more ludicrous side stories.

Backgrounds: The show's artists give us a jaw-dropping look at the amazingly detailed environments packed into every episode.

Animation and Compositing: Crafting the show's visuals is a complex process and the crew is here to show us why

Coloring Rick and Morty: Get an in-depth look at how the crew uses vibrant color to create fantastic alien worlds.

Directing 'Mortyplicity': An inside look at the evolution of this ambitious and action-packed episode, from initial storyboards to final product.

Directing 'Rickmurai Jack': A behind the scenes look at one visualization of one of the most ambitious episodes in the series' history.

and Season 5 Hype: Dan Harmon and the writers give you a taste of what's in store for Rick and Morty's wildest season yet.

Rick and Morty is one of those 'love it or hate it' kinda series. This reviewer is a bit on the fence about it, but if you;re a fan then you will want to get this set for the clear presentations and the extras alone.

Spidey & His Amazing Friends (2021 and not to be confused with the still very popular Spider-Man & His Amazing Friends from a few decades ago that fans still talk about) is the new animated series aimed at a very young audience with child-friendly and safe versions of all the characters from the immediate Spider-Universe that is entertaining and not bad, as shown on Disney Junior.

This includes various villains and has short running times for each adventure so little fans can keep up. A little repetitive as a result, it is still apparently a hit and might just last a few seasons. I hope its success gets some of the older Spider-Man series to DVD and Blu-ray.

The anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image looks fine for the older format with good color and decent depth, while the lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 sound mixes on each episode are a little lite on purpose to be child-friendly, but are also articulate and well-recorded.

Extras include 11 extra bonus shorts even shorter than the regular shorts.

Finally, from the director of the Back to the Future Trilogy and Forest Gump, Robert Zemeckis' Who Framed Roger Rabbit? 4K (1988) has finally received the 4K UHD release that it deserves and looks and sounds fantastic. The film was a breakthrough in special effects by Industrial Light and Magic and the first real fusing of film cell animation (in a new 3D process for the first time ever) mixed flawlessly with live action performances, the highly inventive film still holds up many years later and continues to inspire filmmakers and entertain audiences.

The film stars Bob Hoskins, Christopher Lloyd, Joanna Cassidy, Charles Fleischer, and Kathleen Turner to name a few. The film is produced by Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy, and Frank Marshall, the ultimate Hollywood producing powerhouse at that time.

Essentially a film noir story, a Detective (Hoskins) is transported into the wacky world known as Toon Town and hired to investigate a murder involving a rabbit named Roger and his sultry wife Jessica Rabbit, and Judge Doom (Lloyd,) who vows to bring the rabbit down. Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a truly unique film and important in film history in terms of its creation.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit? 4K is presented in native 2160p ultra high definition on 4K UHD disc with an HEVC / H.265 codec, a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1, and audio mixes in lossless English Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 mixdown for older systems, both 48kHz, 24-bit,) and English, lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 (320kbps) Stereo. This is an HDR presentation of the film obviously and is much sharper than the 1080p high definition Blu-ray disc which is also included with the same sound mixes.

Special Features (most of which are likely carted over from the previous Blu-ray release and per the press release):

Filmmakers' Audio Commentary: View the film with Audio Commentary by filmmakers Bob Zemeckis, Frank Marshall, Steve Starkey, Jeff Price, Peter Seaman and Ken Ralston.

The Roger Rabbit Shorts (all originally issued in theaters):

Tummy Trouble: The accident-prone Roger Rabbit faces new perils when he is left to baby-sit for the mischievous Baby Herman.

Roller Coaster Rabbit: Mother takes Baby Herman to the State Fair, and leaves him with Roger Rabbit so she can visit the psychic (fortune-teller).

and Trail Mix-Up: Roger Rabbit returns in an all-new outdoor adventure that finds the irrepressible Toon star on a hilarious, disaster-filled camping trip.

Deleted Scene

The Pig Head Sequence: Judge Doom and the weasels teach Eddie Valiant a lesson in a way that only Toontown can. With intro by director Robert Zemeckis.

Who Made Roger Rabbit: A behind-the-scenes making of, hosted by Charles Fleischer, the voice of Roger Rabbit.

Before and After: Split screen comparison reveals the unbelievable talent of the live-action actors, animators and the special effects.

Toon Stand-Ins: Watch as the cast rehearse with life size stand-ins for the toons.

Behind the Ears: The True Story of Roger Rabbit: An in-depth, behind-the-scenes documentary.

and On Set! Benny the Cab: The making of a scene from the movie.

- Nicholas Sheffo and James Lockhart (Rick, Rabbit)

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