Abel’s Island/Dancing Frog + The Marzipan Pig/Jazztime Tales (The Films Of
Michael Sporn/First Run Features DVDs)
Picture:
C+/C Sound: C+ Extras: C+
Main Programs: B-
First Run
Features is back with more of The Films
Of Michael Sporn with four more works on 2 separate DVDs: Abel’s
Island & Dancing Frog and The Marzipan Pig & Jazztime Tales. For more on Sporn’s previously released work
on DVD, try these links:
Hans Christian Anderson
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/5546/The+Films+of+Michael+Sporn
Whitewash/Champagne/The Talking Eggs/Hunting of the Snark
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/479/Films+of+Michael+Sporn+(Volume
This
time, we get Abel’s Island from
Shrek creator William Steig, about a mouse who gets stranded on an island for a
year (with voices by Tim Curry, Lionel Jeffreys and Heidi Stallings) and The Dancing Frog (with Stallings and
Amanda Plummer doing the voices) of a team of performers who travel the world
to great success until their retirement in an alternate take on the Warner
Cartoons Michigan J. Frog short. It is a
good set.
The Marzipan Pig (narrated by Curry from the
Russell Hoban book) as the title character gets lost behind a sofa, while Jazztime Tales (narrated by Ruby Dee)
is about two young ladies, one black 7 one white in 1919 Harlem who become best
friends. It is set to the music of “Fats
Waller” and is as well rendered as the rest.
The 1.33
X 1 color animated image on Island
is good in all cases, but for whatever reason, the Marzipan set has softer transfers in all cases. The Dolby Digital 2.0 sound is adequate (and
somewhat stereophonic at best) in both cases.
I would love to see all of these on Blu-ray. Extras include stills, animatics and Inside
The Animation Studio short on both discs. You cannot go wrong with any of these
releases and all are recommended.
- Nicholas Sheffo