Bambi:
Signature Collection 75th
Anniversary Edition
(1942/Disney Blu-ray w/DVD)/Sesame
Street: Elmo Loves Animals
(2017/Warner DVD)/Strawberry
Shortcake: Dance Berry Dance
(2017/Fox DVD)
Picture:
B+ & C+/C+/C+ Sound: B & C+/C+/C+ Extras: B/C+/C-
Main Programs: B+/B-/C+
Here's
more new child titles, including the reissue of an all-time
classic...
The
Disney classic Bambi
(1942) is back in a new 75th
Anniversary
Signature Collection
Blu-ray w/DVD set. Technically in playback, it is the same as the
last such set we reviewed at this link...
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/10825/Bambi+(1942/Disney+Diamond+Edition+Blu-ray
Now
back in print, one of the most important and successful animated
features ever arrives with an even larger saturation of CGI animated
films than ever, but more than holds its own in charm, class, hearty,
soul and art. The story of a baby losing its mother is as relevant
as ever, as is the case with the classics.
Extras
include previously released pieces like The Making of Bambi: A Prince
is Born running an hour, Tricks of the Trade, The Old Mill classic
short that was the first to use Tri-Plane
animated cell technology, an Original Theatrical Trailer, Inside the
Disney Archives, Deleted Song ''Twitterpatted'' has a title that
suddenly has a new context in the cyber era, and 2 previously seen
Deleted Scenes now joined by some new ones. Other new pieces include
Studio
Stories: Bambi
that includes how The
Old Mill
helped make the feature possible, The
Bambi Effect,
Bambi's
Fawn Facts
and the Oswald
The Rabbit
animated short ''Africa
Before Dark''
which Disney now owns after acquiring the Oswald films Disney himself
made from another studio. Celebrating
Tyrus Wong
is a digital-only supplement you have to get by downloading/streaming
it, though a lithograph connected to it is included in our copy
along with a Digital Copy of the film for the first time. That
leaves only a few extras left behind on the previous set.
Nice
to have this one back, while supplies last.
Sesame
Street: Elmo Loves Animals
(2017) is a 3+hours compilation release that is pretty much
self-explanatory from its title, but that also includes the short Old
MacDonald Had A Farm
as a 'Nursery Rhyme Remix' from Sesame Studios, the full-length
Dinosaurs!
and
Wild
Animals
episode of Elmo's
World.
Though it can be obvious, there is no overlap and it is on the
higher end of the many Elmo DVD releases we have covered to date, as
well as that of the classic series. Not bad.
Finally
we have Strawberry
Shortcake: Dance Berry Dance
(2017), the latest in the CGI revival series based on the older 1980s
doll toys and it is a weaker offering only running 88 minutes, only
offering so much new and one extra in Printable Coloring Pages via
DVD-ROM, though its not awful. It is child-friendly enough, but is
not much better or worse than previous entries we've seen.
The
1080p 1.33 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer of Bambi
is in a 1.78 X 1 frame bookened and is the same high quality transfer
from the previous Bu-ray reviewed, representing
the 35mm dye-transfer, three-strip Technicolor version of the film as
well as possible before we eventually see a 4K version when Disney
starts supporting that format. This could not be better in regular
Blu-ray with fine color range, detail and depth. I was not as
impressed as my fellow writer, but it is really good just the same.
The anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image on all three DVDs are
obviously going to be softer than the sole Blu-ray, especially one so
good, but they are passable if soft and about as good as they are
going to be in the format. Elmo
has some 1.33 X 1 footage too, but the credit on the back of the DVD
case saying it is only 'standard definition' is wrong and sells the
release short.
The
DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 7.1 lossless mix on Bambi
is as well mixed and presented as an upgrade of a theatrical
monophonic film from the early 1940s can be, but music seems to
benefit the most, while the DVD version has lossy Dolby Digital 5.1
at best that is not bad, but not great and not as good as the DTS-MA.
The other, newer DVD releases have lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
that sound as good as they can and can more than match the older
film, but expect the usual sonic limits from them too, as well
recorded as they can be.
-
Nicholas Sheffo
