Despite its lack of awards recognition from the vfx community, SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW was definitely last years boldest CG experiment. Shot entirely against bluescreen, Kerry Conrans homage to comicbook and film lore has arrived on DVD (Paramount Home Ent., $29.99).
On Jan. 25, 2005, ADV Films will release on DVD MARTIAN SUCCESSOR NADESICO: ESSENTIAL ANIME COLLECTION, VOLUME 3, the final volume of the animation series.
IDT Ent. Sales (IDTeS) and Imagine Ent. announced that Imagine will distribute several high profile IDTeS properties to the Australia/New Zealand markets on DVD and VHS. Titles will include a 3D animated INSPECTOR GADGET feature, two feature-length movies based on the popular REBOOT animated franchise and POPEYES VOYAGE: THE QUEST FOR PAPPY, (Australia only). All films were produced by Vancouvers Mainframe Ent.
In what ranks as the fastest move from theaters to DVD for a Disney/Pixar movie, THE INCREDIBLES (which has grossed more than $257 million domestically) will hits stores March 15. The special two-disc Collectors Edition (Buena Vista Home Ent, $29.99, presented in both widescreen and fullscreen) will be packed with plenty of bonus goodies, including the all-new short, JACK-JACK ATTACK.
For January 18, 2005, ADV Films will release SAIYUKI: REQUIEM, THE MOTION PICTURE and FARSCAPE: STARBURST EDITION, COLLECTION TWO.
A disappointment theatrically, CATWOMAN nonetheless is tailor made for home theaters with its vision of a skin-tight, leather clad Halle Berry as the feline superhero and director Pitofs pronounced visual style. The DVD (Warner Home Video, $27.95) hits shelves Jan. 18, 2004. VFX provided by ESC Ent., Frantic Films, Tippett Studio, Pacific Title & Art Studio, Christov Effects and Design and Matte World Digital.
Bonus features include:* Alternate ending
Thanks to the long-awaited GHOST IN THE SHELL 2 INNOCENCE, which continues Mamoru Oshiis acclaimed anime cyber-tech thriller, we can now view and analyze both movies on DVD, including a brand new GHOST IN THE SHELL Special Edition.
As a companion to its invaluable TREASURES DVD series, Disney has launched the first volume of the CLASSIC CARTOON FAVORITES collection on Jan. 11, 2005. The initial hour-long discs are devoted to Mickey, Donald, Goofy and Chip n Dale (Walt Disney Home Ent., $14.99 each).
* The Mickey shorts previously available but mostly out of print include: MICKEYS CIRCUS, MICKEYS GARDEN, ON ICE (1935); ORPHANS PICNIC and MOVING DAY (1936); HAWAIIAN HOLIDAY (1937); and THE LITTLE WHIRLWIND (1941).
M. Night Shyamalans latest thriller, THE VILLAGE, about a 19th community and its uneasy truce with scary creatures that live in the nearby forbidden forest, comes to DVD Jan. 11, 2005 in the deluxe Vista Series (Buena Vista Home Ent., $29.99). Digital vfx are kept to a minimum and are obviously transparent, but credit goes to Industrial Light & Magic, Illusion Arts Inc. and Steve Johnsons Edge FX Inc.
Bonus features include:* Deleted Scenes with director's introduction* "Deconstructing THE VILLAGE" -- a look at the making of the film
On January 11, 2005, Central Park Media will release TIME BOKAN and BLACK JACK: MUTATION on DVD each priced at $19.99. Both DVDs will have audio tracks in both English and Japanese with English subtitles.
TIME BOKAN pits teams of bad guys against each other to be crowned the meanest villains ever. To be a cartoon super villain, it takes a ruthless heart, a cunning mind and the most ridiculous mecha on the planet.
Universal Studios Home Video will premiere THE LAND BEFORE TIME: INVASION OF THE TINYSAURUSES on DVD and video Jan. 11, 2005. Featuring the voice talent of Oscar nominee Michael Clarke Duncan (THE GREEN MILE) and Camryn Manheim (THE PRACTICE), the new direct-to-video marks the 11th installment of the most successful feature-length children's video franchise of all time. The DVD and VHS are priced at $19.98.
The story follows Littlefoot, Ducky, Cera, Spike and Petrie as they meet a herd of mysterious tiny dinosaurs.
DVD Bonus features include:
Warner Home Video (WHV) announced at a press conference at CES 2005 that it plans to release more than 50 new and catalog titles, including selections from New Line Home Ent. and HBO Video, during the launch of HD DVD, the next generation digital video format, commencing in the fourth quarter of 2005.
ADV Films announced the release of NOIR, RAHXEPHON and FULL METAL PANIC! in high definition throughout 2005. Through the use of Windows Media High Definition Video (WMV HD), movies can now be viewed on computers with DVD drives, as well as on many new set-top DVD and digital media players, with amazing quality and resolution up to six times higher than that of today's standard DVDs.
The summer blockbusters continue to roll out on DVD with Warner Home Videos release of TROY ($29.95) on Jan. 4, 2005.
Coinciding with the Christmas release of Foxs FAT ALBERT feature, UrbanWorks Ent. (in partnership with Entertainment Rights) has released two volumes of FAT ALBERT AND THE COSBY KIDS for the first time on DVD: FAT ALBERT AND THE COSBY KIDS THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION ($49.99) and FAT ALBERT AND THE COSBY KIDS ($14.99). Both contain best of collections of the popular, Emmy-nominated animated TV series from Filmation that ran on CBS from 72-84.
DreamWorks Animation reported that the SHREK franchise has generated more than $1.6 billion in consumer home entertainment spending since its launch in 2001 with the record-shattering SHREK. SHREK 2 has sold more than 37 million units worldwide since its November release through DreamWorks Home Ent. That makes SHREK 2 the third highest grossing feature in U.S. history the number one home video release of the year.
The Original STAR TREK series continues to live long and prosper on DVD in newly remastered and complete series box sets. Paramount Home Ent. recently released the second and third season collections in time for the Holidays ($129.99 each).
Genius Products Inc. has signed of a licensing agreement with The Topps Company Inc., to create and distribute animated childrens and family oriented productions under the Bazooka logo. The first titles, acquired from Bogner Ent. Inc., are set to be released first quarter 2005, with titles such as BLACK BEAUTY, ALICE IN WONDERLAND, TOM SAWYER and TREASURE ISLAND. Each title in this new line will be hosted by Bazooka Joe and include a new Topps trading card with the box cover art on one side and a Bazooka Joe comic on the other, along with a stick of gum.
Now that I, ROBOT is in the running in the vfx bakeoff, its a good opportunity to check out this underrated action film with Will Smith on DVD (Fox Home Ent., $29.98), particularly Digital Domains first foray into 3D characters.
SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS THE COMPLETE 2ND SEASON is currently available on DVD (Paramount Home Ent., $49.99). Many find it superior to the first season in Bikini Bottom, and the three-disc set includes all 40 episodes. Slight on extras, no alternate ending for Shanghaied, but commentaries are with the animation crew rather than the cast this time around.
Special features:* Storyboards* Script viewer (ROM feature)* Around the World with SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS featurette* Nick DVD game demo
Disc 1:
The SIGGRAPH 2004 Conference on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques Presentations DVD-ROM set is now shipping. This highly anticipated six-disc box set features more than 400 presentations totaling more than 250 hours of content. Recorded sessions include: Papers, Sketches, Courses, Special Sessions, Web Graphics, Panels and Keynote and Awards. New features include: a custom search engine, links to additional online research and all live demos. For more information, visit www.siggraph.org/soma/s2004dvd/.
ADV Films has announced the release of its titles for Dec. 28, 2004. Titles include: NEON GENESIS EVANGELION PLATINUM: 04, ROBOTECH REMASTERED: NEW GENERATION COLLECTION 2 VOLUME 7, BUBBLEGUM CRISIS TOKYO 2040: ESSENTIAL ANIME COLLECTION, VOLUME 2 and WEDDING PEACH: BLACK HEART.
NEON GENESIS EVANGELION PLATINUM: 04 is the popular series -- directed by Hideaki Anno (NADIA: THE SECRET OF BLUE WATER, HIS AND HER CIRCUMSTANCES); produced by GAINAX (FLCL), NAS (YU-GI-OH!) and TV Tokyo (SERIAL EXPERIMENTS LAIN); and animated by Production I.G. (GHOST IN THE SHELL) and GAINAX.
InterActual has supplied an embedded virtual key that unlocks a special Website filled with exclusive online features THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING Special Extended DVD Edition (New Line Home Ent., $39.99). Called DVDKey, the technology from InterActual grants viewers access to content online when the DVD is placed in a PC and played back using an InterActual-compatible DVD player.
The online bonus features include:
THE SIMPSONS -- THE COMPLETE FIFTH SEASON came to DVD this week just in time for Christmas (Fox Home Ent., $49.98). The four-disc set includes all 22 episodes from '93 (when the series was firmly established as a cultural icon) along with the usual stellar commentaries and other mandatory extras: "Homer's Barbershop Quartet," "Cape Feare," "Homer Goes to College," "Rosebud," "Treehouse of Horror IV," "Marge on the Lam," "Bart's Inner Child," "Boy-Scoutz N the Hood," "The Last Temptation of Homer," "Springfield," "Homer the Vigilante," "Bart Gets Famous," "Homer and Apu," "Lisa vs.
KING ARTHUR: THE EXTENDED UNRATED DIRECTOR'S CUT bowed on DVD (Buena Vista Home Ent., $24.99) Dec. 21, 2005. From producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Antoine Fuqua, KING ARTHUR has been called BRAVEHEART light, with reluctant Roman leader (Clive Owen) having to go against the invading Saxons in England before he can peacefully return to Rome. A red-hot Guinevere (Keira Knightley), stripped down to S&M leather garb, adds to the revisionist fun. VFX were done by Cinesite (Europe).
