INKHEART, PINK PANTHER 2 and WALTZ WITH BASHIR make their DVD and Blu-ray debuts on June 23, 2009. Also out: TOM AND JERRY: THE CHUCK JONES COLLECTION on DVD.
INKHEART on DVD and Blu-ray
When Mo Folchart reads a story, the characters leap off the page. Literally. And that's a problem. Mo must somehow use his special powers to send the interlopers back to their world, and save ours. If ever a task was easier read than done, this is it. Mo and his daughter Meggie, aided by friends real and fictional, plunge into a thrilling quest that pits them against diabolical villains, fantastic beasts and dangers at every turn. Brendan Fraser (THE MUMMY series, JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH) leads a splendid cast (including Academy Award winners Helen Mirren and Jim Broadbent) in an all-fun, all-family film of Cornelia Funke's bestseller. Follow Mo and Meggie into adventure more exciting than any ever read. Because it's adventure they're going to live!
Given the nature of the story, vfx played a key role in the production of the movie, a mission that was overseen by Visual Effects Supervisor Angus Bickerton and VFX Producer Crystal Dowd. "We started with about 260 shots," Bickerton recalls. "It went all the way up to 689, and then down to 594 shots in the final cut. We had approximately five months of post-production. Director Iain Softley is very aware of visual effects and was always keen to seek a real practical alternative, or if vfx were inevitable, that they be as real as possible. He has a keen critical eye and pushed for photographic realism. Although we finished with a lot of visual effects, the aim was always to create a believable world and not stray into a realm that was too fantastical. We didn't want the film to have an unreal visual effects veneer."
Read more at VFXWorld.com.
Special Features Include:
-- Behind the Story-- A Story from the Cast and Crew-- From Imagination to the Page: How Writers Write-- Eliza Reads to Us-- Deleted Scenes
Blu-ray includes:-- BD Live
PINK PANTHER 2 on DVD and Blu-ray
Inspect the unexpected when Steve Martin springs back into action as the blundering French police officer, Inspector Jacques Clouseau, in THE PINK PANTHER 2 available on Blu-ray with Digital Copy June 23 from MGM Home Ent. Co-starring Oscar-nominees John Cleese and Andy Garcia, Yuki Matsuzaki, Emily Mortimer and Bollywood sensation Aishwarya Rai, THE PINK PANTHER 2 is the side-splitting sequel to the worldwide hit THE PINK PANTHER, based on the 1964 original starring the legendary Peter Sellers. After a thief known as "The Tornado" allegedly steals a variety of precious items, including France's beloved pink panther diamond, an "international dream team" of detectives band together to crack the case. Slowing down the process is the team's leader, Inspector Clouseau, the highly unintelligent officer who has a way of missing the obvious until he somehow stumbles onto the truth.
THE PINK PANTHER 2 Blu-ray includes a three-disc version of the film with bonus disc featuring 27 PINK PANTHER cartoons and Digital Copy for portable media players. Fully loaded with all-new bonus features including a gag reel, exclusive behind-the-scenes featurettes, and more, THE PINK PANTHER 2 will be available to own on Blu-ray for $39.99 U.S. / $49.99 Canada and as a two-disc set with bonus cartoons disc for $29.98 U.S. / $43.48 Canada.
Three-Disc Blu-ray Special Features Include:Disc One-- Gag reel-- Drama is Easy... Comedy is Dangerous-- A Dream Team Like No Other-- Master Thief-Global Crime Showdown!
Disc Two --Digital Copy File of THE PINK PANTHER 2 for portable players
Disc ThreeBonus disc featuring 27 PINK PANTHER cartoons-- The Pink Phink -- 1964 Academy-Award winner for Short Subjects, Animated Films-- Pink Pajamas -- We Give Pink Stamps-- Dial 'P' For Pink-- Sink Pink-- Pickled Pink-- Pinkfinger-- Shocking Pink-- Pink Ice-- The Pink Tail Fly-- Pink Panzer-- An Ounce of Pink-- Reel Pink-- Bully For Pink-- Pink Punch-- Pink Pistons-- Vitamin Pink-- The Pink Blue Print-- Pink, Plunk, Plink-- Smile Pretty, Say Pink-- Pink-A-Boo-- Genie With The Light Pink Fur-- Super Pink-- Rock A Bye Pinky-- Pinknic-- Pink Panic-- Pink Posies
Two-Disc DVD Special Features Include:
Disc One-- Theatrical version of THE PINK PANTHER 2
Disc Two-- Bonus disc featuring 27 PINK PANTHER cartoons
TOM AND JERRY: THE CHUCK JONES COLLECTION on DVD
The distinct artistic style of legendary animator Chuck Jones is the focus of Warner Home Video's (WHV) latest release of classic TOM AND JERRY cartoon shorts which will be available on DVD June 23, 2009. Titled, TOM AND JERRY: CHUCK JONES COLLECTION, this must-have collector's set will feature all 34 dazzling theatrical shorts produced by Jones along with bonus material. This DVD will retail for $26.99 SRP.
The Chuck Jones era of TOM AND JERRY cartoons began when the famed animator was engaged to head a newly formed animation department at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1963. This new chapter in Jones' career followed his nearly 30-year tenure at Warner Bros. where he honed his very distinctive style of art and comedy, creating some of the most memorable films of all time. His new arrangement with MGM led to several prominent projects including HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS, the feature adaptation of THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH, and 34 theatrical short subjects featuring the studio's most popular animated characters, Tom and Jerry.
Jones brought his own unique sensibilities to the characters of Tom & Jerry, giving the cartoons a contemporary feel, and relying more on subtlety and satire for comedy vs. the more traditional slapstick gags of the earlier Tom and Jerry cartoons. This collection from WHV brings these shorts to DVD, together for the first time, completely re-mastered in their original theatrical widescreen format for stunning picture and sound quality. The 34 shorts will be available in a two-disc set, featuring new collectible slipcase packaging and two new bonus documentaries; TOM AND JERRY... AND CHUCK as well as CHUCK JONES: MEMORIES OF A CHILDHOOD.
Shorts Include:
Penthouse Mouse (1963)Jerry-Go-Round (1966)The Cat Above and The Mouse Below (1964)Love Me, Love My Mouse (1966)Is There a Doctor in the Mouse? (1964)Puss 'n' Boats (1966) Much Ado About Mousing (1964)Filet Meow (1966)Snowbody Loves Me (1964)Matinee Mouse (1966)The Unshrinkable Jerry Mouse (1964)The A-Tom-inable Snowman (1966)Ah, Sweet Mouse-Story of Life (1965)Catty Cornered (1966)Tom-ic Energy (1965)Cat and Dupli-Cat (1966)Bad Day at Cat Rock (1965)O-Solar Meow (1967)The Brothers Carry-Mouse-Off (1965)Guided Mouse-ille (1967)Haunted Mouse (1965)Rock 'n' Rodent (1967)I'm Just Wild About Jerry (1965)Cannery Rodent (1967)Of Feline Bondage (1965)The Mouse from H.U.N.G.E.R. (1967)The Year of the Mouse (1965)Surf-Bored Cat (1967)The Cat's Me-ouch (1965)Shutter Bugged Cat (1967)Duel Personality (1966)Advance and Be Mechanized (1967)Jerry, Jerry, Quite Contrary (1966)Purr-Chance to Dream (1967)
WALTZ WITH BASHIR on DVD and Blu-ray
An Academy Award-nominee for Best Foreign Language Film, WALTZ WITH BASHIR will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on June 23, 2009 from Sony Pictures Home Ent. The winner of the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film, WALTZ WITH BASHIR was written and directed by Ari Folman. This Sony Pictures Classics film will be available for an SLP of $39.95 for Blu-ray and $28.96 for DVD. Special features on both versions will include an English language version of the film, Director's Commentary, a Making-Of Featurette, a Q & A with Director Ari Folman and Animatics-Building the Scenes.
Based on actual events, WALTZ WITH BASHIR is a powerful and groundbreaking animated feature that follows one man's personal experience with the 1982 invasion of Lebanon. In addition to its Academy Award nomination and Golden Globe win, WALTZ WITH BASHIR was nominated for the Palme D'Or at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival and was a 2008 official selection at the New York Film Festival, the Toronto Film Festival and the Telluride Film Festival.
Inspired by actual events, WALTZ WITH BASHIR chronicles one man's descent into his own half-forgotten past. Filmmaker Ari Folman, an Israeli veteran of the First Lebanon War, encounters an old friend suffering from nightmares of the conflict. Ari begins to wonder why his own memories are full of gaps. In an effort to uncover the truth, he reconnects with old friends and dares to confront the horrors of war. Hailed by the L.A TIMES as "innovative" and "devastating," WALTZ WITH BASHIR fuses animation and documentary to create an experience unlike anything you've ever witnessed.
Just as several other contemporary documentarians have done, Folman set out on a quest for the truth, with himself on camera as the protagonist. However, unlike others, Folman turned to animation, the most unreal form of filmmaking -- but one perfectly suited to fill in the missing pieces of an emotional jigsaw puzzle. The result is WALTZ WITH BASHIR, a CITIZEN KANE-style recounting of Folman's search and what he discovered. The animated feature is replete with phantasmagorical imagery and surreal dream sequences; the film opens with an unsettling depiction of his friend's canine nightmare. The movie's overall look and feel is dreamlike in its own right, thanks to a unique combination of conventional, Flash and CG animation together with a carefully chosen color palette and bold character design.
Special Features Include:
-- English language version of the film-- "Making-of" Featurette-- Animatics -- Building the Scenes-- Q & A with Director Ari Folman-- Director's Commentary
The Blu-ray version of WALTZ WITH BASHIR is BD-Live enabled, allowing users to get connected and go beyond the disc via an Internet-connected Blu-ray player. Download exclusive content, register for rewards, give feedback through their survey and more.
