Fulvue Drive-In.com
Current Reviews
In Stores Soon
 
In Stores Now
 
DVD Reviews, SACD Reviews Essays Interviews Contact Us Meet the Staff
An Explanation of Our Rating System Search  
Category:    Home > Reviews > Animation > Comedy > Animals > CGI > Environment > Fantasy > Magic > Myth > Literature > Angry Birds 2 Movie 4K (2019/4K Ultra HD Blu-ray w/Blu-ray*)/Go Fish (2019/Lionsgate DVD)/Swan Princess: 25th Anniversary (1994/Blu-ray/*both Sony)

Angry Birds 2 Movie 4K (2019/4K Ultra HD Blu-ray w/Blu-ray*)/Go Fish (2019/Lionsgate DVD)/Swan Princess: 25th Anniversary (1994/Blu-ray/*both Sony)



4K Ultra HD Picture: B+ Picture: B/C+/B Sound: B+ & B/C+/B Extras: C+/C-/C Animated Films: C+/C/C



Now for a few more child animated releases...



Thurop Van Orman's The Angry Birds 2 Movie 4K (2019) has the task of trying to continue the simple, but family safe, franchise as another feature film following the first one and a TV series we've covered a few times on the site. I honestly cannot keep up with the characters as they are only so memorable, but am amused by some of what I see and on that level, the new film succeeds.


Green 'piggies' and birds who cannot fly are fighting with each other still, thus the 'angry' part, and the feud is now in a new stage as that could threaten the island home of both, so characters from both sides team up to stop the insanity. We get a peace and pro-environmental message in all this and again, some of this is entertaining, but only expect so much and know this is still primarily for young children and other fans.


That also makes it an interesting choice for 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, but all kinds of titles should be in the format and to be honest, this is one of the netter looking and sounding CGI releases in 4K we've seen, if not the very best. Also making this more watchable is the voice work by Jason Sudeikis, Peter Dinkage, Rachel Bloom, Leslie Jones, Josh Gad, Danny McBride, Awkwafina, Bill Hader and Sterling K. Brown, whose energy matches the colorful animation. Those interested should try it out.


Extras (as explained in the press release) all appear on the Blu-ray and most on the 4K edition and include:


ALL NEW MINI MOVIE! - 'Live Stream': When Silver attempts her first livestream, Red is the ultimate Angry Bird while the adorable Hatchlings get into mischief.

  • 6 Classic Hatchling Mini Movies

  • DIY Family Fun!:

    • 'Hangry Birds: Popcorn Balls': No need to be angry or hangry with this simple, fun cooking tutorial. Follow along to make Red's go-to comfort food and enjoy these tasty popcorn balls at home.

    • 'Smarty Birds: Crafty Volcano': From the volcano on Eagle Island, Zeta plots her sinister plan and sends her lava balls flying. But why should Zeta have all the fun? Build your own volcano and watch it erupt combining crafts and science in this brainy how-to video!

    • 'Crafty Birds: Pig Snot!': Ready to roll up your sleeves and get a little messy? It's time to mix a few ingredients and create your very own pig snot (slime!). Just make sure to keep it away from Bomb... he likes to drink it. (Eeeew!)

  • 'Bird Watching': In this hilarious "birds-eye" view of the real-life species that inspired the artists, we take a trip to the LA ZOO to get up close and personal with real-life Mighty Eagles, Blue Birds, Toucans, and more. With fun reactions from the cast intercut throughout the piece - get ready to laugh, learn and meet some amazing avian friends

  • 'Meet The New Birds & Pigs': Join the returning cast and meet the unique new cast members giving voice to the hilarious characters in Angry Birds 2. In exclusive BTS recording sessions and interviews, we'll see how Leslie Jones, Rachel Bloom, Eugenio Derbez, and Sterling K. Brown bring these unforgettable characters to life.

  • 'Hatching the Hatchlings': The Hatchlings are soooooo cute! And in Angry Birds 2, we get to join them on their very own adventure! Meet these mischievous little troublemakers as we talk to filmmakers about the creation of the Hatchlings and their expanded storyline in the film, and hear from cast members about their love for these adorable baby birds.

  • 'Flocking Together: Making The Angry Birds Movie 2': Go behind the scenes with the flock of talented artists who worked together to make The Angry Birds Movie 2.

  • 'Happy Thanks-pigging': Zeta is not a fan of the traditional Thanksgiving menu!

  • 'Jingle Birds: A Holiday Song From The Cast of Angry Birds 2': Sing along with Rachel Bloom and Jason Sudeikis with a new twist on this holiday classic.



Sean Patrick O'Reilly's Go Fish (2019) is also a CGI animated release with a much lower budget, involving another world of fish (cannot escape the Disney/Pixar Finding films) with a fish named Alex always wanting to be a superhero and maybe having the opportunity to do so when some kind of dark black oily goop starts to show up on their coral reef home. With some friends in tow, he goes to find out what is going on and it might be worse than they expect.


Mark Hamill and Ron Pearlman back someone named 'iJustine' as part of the voice cast and this is not great, but I could see a few young children enjoying this one. At a short 75 minutes, it is not too long, though I don't know if it would hold up in repeat viewings. Still, you could do worse.


Trailers are the only extra.



Finally we have Richard Rich's The Swan Princess: 25th Anniversary (1994) and it is finally the original film we get to cover after a few more sequels than you would expect. A princess has been turned into a swan and only a prince can bring her back in what turned out to be one of the last hand-drawn animated feature films before CGI took over, though it was even starting to already show up in some hand-drawn feature films, so it gives you an idea of of what was produced here.


The style is in the older Disney style (used in hand-drawn films all the way to Titan A.E.) and that is not really used in the CGI era. Some will find this dated, others 'cheap' or the like, but this was not cheap to make and now, in the onslaught of CGI, some might find this a charming relief that does not try so hard. Sandy Duncan, Jack Palance, Steven Wright and John Cleese are among the voice actors and you might want to try it out just to see what you think.


It never stayed with me, but it is at least ambitious, to its credit.


Extras include 3 sing-a-long songs, a vintage Making Of featurette and newer one done on its 23rd anniversary.



The 2160p HEVC/H.265, 1.85 X 1, IMAX-enhanced, HDR (10; Ultra HD Premium)-enhanced Ultra High Definition image on Birds is easily the best-looking release here with superior color range, if not the greatest detail in CG animated history, but I liked the solid look and this is one of the only not IMAX titles in 4K I know of to get this treatment. No one can complain about grain being overly cleansed, though the 1080p 1.85 X 1 digital High Definition image on the regular Blu-ray version is good, if not great. In comparison to the 4K, it has poorer color and a less-enjoyable image.


The 1080p 1.85 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer on Swan can show the age of the materials used, but this is superior to what I have seen of the film before, though it also shows its flaws. Color is not bad, though.


The anamorphically enhanced 1.85 X 1 image on Fish is colorful, but not nib a high definition level, but it is decent for the animation we get.


Sound is also not bad all around with the 4K Birds getting DTS: X (a DTS-HD MA (Master Audio ) lossless mix for older system) having its moments and nicely designed overall. The regular Blu-ray offers only DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 7.1 lossless sound.


The lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 on Fish is just fine, if not great, but I wonder if it would sound a little better in a lossless edition.



- Nicholas Sheffo


Marketplace


 
 Copyright © MMIII through MMX fulvuedrive-in.com