ATHF:
Aqua Teen Hunger Force: The Complete Collection
(2000 - 2015/Adult Swim/Warner DVD Set)/Checkered
Ninja
(2018/Synergetic DVD*)/The
Old Man Movie
(2019/Unearthed Blu-ray/*both MVD)/Minions:
The Rise Of Gru 4K
(2022/Universal 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray w/Blu-ray)
4K
Ultra HD Picture: B+ Picture: C+/B-/B+/B Sound: C+/C+/B+/B+
Extras: B-/D/C+/C+ Main Programs: B-/B-/C+/C+
Now
for a new group of animated releases, some of which you likely have
not heard of before...
We
start with one of the most popular and successful of all Cartoon
Network and Adult Swim original series, ATHF:
Aqua Teen Hunger Force: The Complete Collection
(2000 - 2015) which is a show that fans and other people still talk
about. Its dark satire holds up and even if you are not a fan or big
fan of the show (including myself, who catches some of it on
occasion, but was never into its post-modern comedy) and this new set
is the ultimate chance to catch or catch up again with it.
To
give you an idea of the kind of series it is and how it works, here
is our coverage of several of the past DVD releases by one of our
writers who is a huge fan of the show:
Season
Five
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/6573/Aqua+Teen+Hunger+Force:+Season+5+(Warner+D
Volume
Six
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/8027/Aqua+Teen+Hunger+Force:+Volume+6+++Metaloc
Volume
Seven
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/10040/Aqua+Teen+Hunger+Force
and
the Adult
Swim In A Box
DVD set that includes Volume
Two
and many of the other hit shows that were on the network at the same
time:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/9358/Adult+Swim+In+A+Box+(Sealab+2021:+S.+2/Meta
Needless
to say that some of the ideas and points the show makes along the way
are as relevant now as they ever were and it makes you wonder if the
show could be made today or greenlit in a way that would not cut back
on any of its cutting edge side. This clam-shell-like case nicely
houses 20 DVD discs and repeats all the many extras the previous sets
kept adding and adding over the years. I do wish this were on
Blu-ray and the animation looks good enough here in 1.33 X 1 and
solid color, while the sound is lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo for
the first six sets, then goes to lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 for the
remainder of the series. I am not expecting DTS: X or Dolby Atmos if
this ever goes to Blu-ray, but a lossless 5.1 mix could work for the
whole show should that happen. As it stands, it looks and sounds as
good as it ever will in this format.
The
Checkered Ninja
(2018) is
a fun Danish animated film that isn't necessarily for kids as it's
pretty violent and heavy on language as well. The film opens in a
Thailand toy making factory where a rich man is shown toy progress at
the hands of children workers. When one of the kids uses a checkered
scarf for a ninja doll he gets beaten to death and killed. (This is
in the first few minutes of the movie and sure to surprise anyone who
was expecting this to be a kid's movie.)
The
Checkered Ninja is reincarnated via a lightning bolt with the soul of
the boy who died and he escapes to the mainland via a delivery truck.
Soon, he becomes in the hands of a young nerdy boy who ends up
befriending the smart mouthed checkered ninja doll who teaches the
boy to stand up for himself at school and to confront his longtime
crush. However, unlike many other animated stories in a similar
vein, the friendship between the Ninja Doll and the boy is rocky as
the Ninja Doll is pretty unpredictable and constantly gets the boy in
one crazy mishap after another. Can the two work together to find
the deranged man who killed the Checkered Ninja originally? And what
if that man happens to be the daughter of the boy's crush?
The
film stars Anders Matthesen, Alfred Bjerre Larsen, and Emma Sehested
Hoeg.
The
animation is pretty solid for this 2018 production and you can tell
it had some budget behind it. All in all, I would say this is a
PG-13 animated movie. Presented here in standard definition on DVD
with an anamorphically enhanced, widescreen aspect ratio of 1.78:1
and a lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo surround mix, the film doesn't
look or sound as good as it would even on Blu-ray. However, you can
see how nice the animation is even from this dated transfer.
No
extras.
While
it would be okay for teenagers, but not young children, The
Checkered Ninja
is worth checking out if you like coming of age animated tales... or
ninjas. Or both.
The
first title in the Unearthed Animation series, The
Old Man Movie
(2019) is a stop motion animated Estonian film that's pretty out
there and funny. I would recommend it to fans of weird animated
comedies like what you would see on Adult Swim with shows like Aqua
Hunger Teen Force,
as covered above.
The
film is set in an Estonian village, where three kids spend a summer
at their Grandfather's farm where his prized cow goes rogue. As the
cow (full of the milk the Farmer so desired) goes out into the
wildness, the Old Man gets what's left of his wits together and goes
out to find the cow before the ''milk-apocalypse'' happens and the
backed up cow explodes.
The
film stars Mart Avandi and Marilyn Else and is directed by Oskar
Lehemaa and Mike Magl.
The
Old Man Movie is presented in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray
disc with an MPEG-4 AVC codec, a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.35:1
and lossless English sound in both DTS-HD MA (Master Audio 2.0 Stereo
and PCM 2.0 Stereo mixes with English subtitles. The film looks and
sounds as good as it can on the 1080p Blu-ray format and even though
the film doesn't have the most detailed characters or world, the
animation itself is pretty impressive.
Special
Features: Old
Man
Short Films, a New English Dub, and Trailers
Last
but not least, the sixth movie in the ongoing hit films that started
with Despicable
Me
films and is as huge a hit as any of them to date! Minions:
The Rise Of Gru 4K
(2022) continues the 'so bad they're good' adventures of the most
popular new animated characters in current animation (a real coup for
Universal, especially as Disney or Warner are the ones who usually
pull this off) and it is more of the same, but it is just more
elaborate fun for young fans who watch the films in order, building
up to this one. I just wonder where they'll go next.
Gru
started out as a 12-year-old back in the 1970s, but is now part of
the supervillain gang The Vicious Six and the ruler of the Minions.
However, other group members push him out of the organization (!!!)
and the Minions decide to save him, even if it means they all have to
take up martial arts!
Yes,
it is that silly, yet has echoes of a Suicide Squad tale, albeit more
coherent and a little more effective and consistent. No doubt this
takes advantage of the popularity of the Superhero genre and the many
supervillain films that have mostly made a mint, no matter how bad
they have been. However, this also has as interesting a use of older
hit songs, a solid instrumental score and in its biggest coup, no one
can ever go wrong by ending their film with a brand new song by no
less than Diana
Ross, who sounds as terrific as ever.
Yet,
this was not the greatest animated feature I have seen lately, though
it is not a musical, so it was able to stay on course with its
soundtrack-driven non-musical approach. Cheers to the makers for
taking a few risks here and there, but they are coasting a little
because they know the huge love of the fans and are definitely
appealing to them without being condescending or smug. For fans and
those very interested, it is worth a look.
Now
for the playback performance. As many Minion and 4K fans know, the
4K release of the first Minions film Despicable
Me,
was the first-ever Dolby Vision release and that is now the high
watermark for Ultra High Definition playback. The 2160p HECV/H.265,
2.35 X 1 image on this 4K disc continues that feature, with Dolby
Vision/HDR (10; Ultra HD Premium)-enhanced Ultra High Definition
image that looks as good as any fo the films in the series and even
has some moments that rate above my letter rating. Color range is
great without overdoing it, though sometimes, I wish they had gone
further in some scenes.
Still,
it is impressive and much more effective than the still decent 1080p
2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image on the regular Blu-ray, but
that disc just lacks too much of the visual action the 4K version
offers.
Both
discs have lossless Dolby Atmos 11.1 (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 mixdown for
older systems) has some fine moments, though it is not always as
active or effective as I had hoped for, but it has some fun moments,
the money is in it and it is certainly a state-of-the-art soundtrack.
Extras
include Digital Code Copy, while
the discs (per the press release) add:
POST
MODERN MINIONS (MINI MOVIE): Experience one Minion's rise and fall as
an artistic genius when he sneaks into a 1970s post-modern art
gallery with a fellow Minion and unintentionally creates an explosive
new art form that is declared by a snooty art critic as the greatest
art he's ever seen. When the critic moves onto the next new artist,
our Minion tries everything to get back in the spotlight, which
accidentally leads to his next unexpected career.
MINIONS
AND MONSTERS (MINI MOVIE): Follow a newbie Minion as he joins three
more experienced Minions in playing a 1970s fantasy role-playing
game. After struggling to gain the skills needed to master the game,
the newbie unexpectedly rises to the occasion and saves the day,
earning him the magical crown and the appreciation of his buddies.
EXTENDED
SCENE
OUTTAKES
CHARACTER
PROFILES
GRU
WILD
KNUCKLES
BELLE
BOTTOM
MASTER
CHOW
THE
VICIOUS 6
BIKER
GRU-VY
ANIMATION: Join Steve Carell and the directors as they take us
through the animation process. From Concept Art, through
Storyboards and on to the Final Film, with every Gru-vy step in
between explained in fun and fascinating detail.
THE
'70s - FASHION, FOOD & FUNK: A behind the scenes look at the
1970s through the lens of MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU. From fashion to
music, cultural phenomenon and back, the cast and filmmakers are
bringing the 1970s to a whole new generation.
MINION
MARTIAL ARTS: In this 1970s inspired martial arts movie throwback,
we hear from the film's directors about their inspiration, how they
created authenticity in animation, the role the many martial artists
in the cast played to bring it to life and how you teach a Minion to
fight.
HOW
TO DRAW (& ANIMATE) WITH BRAD ABLESON: Co-director Brad Ableson
shows us how to draw all of our favorite characters.
MINION
YOUNG
GRU
KUNG
FU STUART
LAIR
FLAIR: MAKE YOUR OWN MINION HIDEOUT: The Minions aren't the only
ones who can build a secret lair: now you can, too! (And yours
doesn't have to be built under Gru's bed.)
THE
LAIR
DISCO
BUBBLES
JET
PACK
SUPER
STYLE SHOP: The Minion uniform of overalls and goggles is timeless.
Simple yet functional. But sometimes Minions have a casual day out
and can abandon their work attire for something more fashionable.
Here's how can create fresh new fashion for YOUR Minions!
-
Nicholas Sheffo (Minions
4K,
Hunger)
and James Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
