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
