Bears
(2014/DisneyNature Blu-ray w/DVD)/LEGO
Ninjago Rebooted: Battle For The New Ninjago City, Season Three, Part
One (2014/Warner
DVD)/Peppa Pig: The
Balloon Ride (2003/E1
DVD)
Picture:
B & C/C/C+ Sound: B & B-/C+/C+ Extras: C/C-/D
Main Programs: B-/C/C+
Here's
a new set of child-aimed titles that are at least child-friendly if
not spectacular...
Alastair
Fotherfill's Bears
(2014) is the latest DisneyNature release with the case of the
cutesies that runs a decent 78 minutes (quitting while its ahead?)
and does a decent if not overwhelming job of looking at the title
animals in their habitat. John C. Reilly as narrator is a great
choice and plus for this release, delivering fun, empathetic comments
throughout. This is not a serious IMAX science film, so don't expect
that, but it is well done enough and I can see the appeal. It just
did not stay with me.
Extras
include Digital HD Ultraviolet Copy for PC, PC portable and iTunes
capable devices, while the DVD adds a Music Video and Blu-ray adds
four Behind The Scenes featurettes.
After
The LEGO Movie
(reviewed on Blu-ray elsewhere on this site), LEGO
Ninjago Rebooted: Battle For The New Ninjago City, Season Three, Part
One (2014) seems a bit
subtle and limited by comparison and slow moving for a martial
arts/fantasy show for kids, but it is at least quality-consistent if
nothing else. I guess you had especially start at the beginning to
get everything going on here, but even the makers are aware they are
in deep continuation mode. The single DVD has four episodes in all
and trailers are the only extras.
Fairing
a bit better is Peppa Pig:
The Balloon Ride (2003)
delivering 12 shows that fill an hour and continue to be as charming
as they are amusing. This is as good as any of the singles we have
covered just about, but I am expecting the characters to expand into
more fun and this to pick up as a franchise unless the makers just
want to keep things the way they are. Not bad at all, it is as good
a place as any to start if you have not seen the show before.
There
are no extras.
The
1080p 1.78 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer on Bears
may have a little motion blur and some shots look better than others,
but that is enough for the sole Blu-ray on this list to look the best
of all the releases, but the anamorphically
enhanced DVD version ties the anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image
ion the LEGO
DVD as the poorest and softest entry on this list. The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image on Peppa
is better, the best of the DVDs and is consistent with nice color and
clarity for the format.
The
DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix on the Bears
Blu-ray is also the best-sounding here and very well recorded
throughout, while the lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 DVD version has the
second best sonics, leaving lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo on the
other DVDs which is fine for what it is, but they are quiet and
limited in nature. LEGO
claims Pro Logic surrounds, but they are very limited.
-
Nicholas Sheffo
