Book Of Secrets, Muppets In A Show And More On DVD Today
From Disney comes NATIONAL TREASURE 2: BOOK OF SECRETS and the third season of THE MUPPET SHOW, along with Volume 1 of the RICHIE RICH/SCOOBY-DOO hour and OBAN STAR-RACERS Vol. 2.
NATIONAL TREASURE 2: BOOK OF SECRETS
Walt Disney Pictures and action producer Jerry Bruckheimer (PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN) present a spectacular, star-studded race across the globe when NATIONAL TREASURE 2: BOOK OF SECRETS comes to DVD, two-disc Gold Collection DVD and Blu-ray Disc on May 20, 2008 from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment with vfx from Asylum VFX.
The missing pages of a diary hold a secret so explosive it could change the course of history in NATIONAL TREASURE 2: BOOK OF SECRETS. An irresistible blend of historical fact and fiction, the high-voltage adventure stars Academy Award winner Nicolas Cage (Best Actor; LEAVING LAS VEGAS, 1996) as Benjamin Franklin Gates, treasure hunter extraordinaire. A search to uncover the truth behind the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, is packed with breathtaking stunts, awe-inspiring backdrops and a lightning-paced international treasure hunt.
Oscar winners Jon Voight (Best Actor, 1979; COMING HOME) and Helen Mirren (Best Actress, THE QUEEN, 2007) head up an extraordinary supporting cast that also includes Oscar nominees Ed Harris (Best Actor, POLLOCK, 2001; and Best Supporting Actor; THE HOURS, 2003; THE TRUMAN SHOW 1999 and APOLLO 13, 1996) and Harvey Keitel, (Best Supporting Actor, BUGSY, 1992) as well as rising stars Diane Kruger (TROY) and Justin Bartha (NATIONAL TREASURE). The film is directed by Jon Turteltaub, who also directed the blockbuster original.
DVD Extras:
--Audio Commentary - Director Jon Turteltaub and Academy award winning actor Jon Voight provide exclusive commentary for the film.--Deleted Scenes - Jon Turteltaub introduces extended and deleted scenes including "Pursuit At Rushmore: The Unseen Chapter, " in which the intrepid group of treasure hunters makes its way into the Black Hills of South Dakota while doing their best to avoid the FBI.--The Treasure Reel - A collection of outtakes and bloopers from the set of National Treasure: Book of Secrets.--Secrets of a Sequel - Filmmakers Jon Turteltaub and Jerry Bruckheimer join the cast and crew to talk about making the follow-up to the phenomenally successful NATIONAL TREASURE.--The Book of Secrets: On Location - From the Black Hills and Badlands of South Dakota to London's historic Buckingham Palace, NATIONAL TREASURE: BOOK OF SECRETS was given unprecedented access to previously off limits locations. Go behind the scenes at the Library of Congress, Mount Vernon, Buckingham Palace and the Statue of Liberty in Paris.--Street Stunts: Creating the London Chase - Take a high speed tour of London's most recognizable landmarks as the film's unforgettable adrenaline-fueled chase scene is created in historic city streets.--Inside the Library of Congress - An informative feature about the workings of the nation's most important library provides an up-close look at precious national artifacts and the conservation techniques that safeguard these priceless pieces of American history.--Underground Action -The sets, the stunts and the action that create the film's powerful climax as the race to reach the lost City of Gold unfolds.--Cover Story: Crafting the Presidents' Book - A fascinating look at the propmasters and designers who created the legendary book central to National Treasure: Book of Secrets.--Evolution of a Golden City - A look at the Hollywood sets, CGI techniques and visual effects that brought the legendary City of Gold to life.--Knights of the Golden Circle - Who were the real Knights of the Golden Circle? A short documentary traces one of America's most mysterious and influential organizations to its roots, including interviews with KGC expert Warren Getler, the cast and crew.--Easter Eggs - Including a conversation about Beverly Hills High School with fellow alums Nic Cage and Jon Turteltaub, a look at the White House lawn scene as filmed in front of a blue screen and much more.
Blu-ray has all the same Bonus Features as the DVD plus these additional features:
--Book of History: The Fact and Fiction of NT2 -Is NATIONAL TREASURE: BOOK OF SECRETS historical fact or historical fiction?--Pop Quiz that tests people on the history, characters, places and events that took place in the movie. Find out which historical details in the film are true and which were invented with an exclusive pop up quiz. It is a fully-interactive in-movie experience.--Two Additional Deleted Scenes - With introductions by director Jon Turteltaub
The NATIONAL TREASURE 2: BOOK OF SECRETS DVD is priced at $29.99 SRP in the U.S. and $41.99 SRP in Canada and the Blu-ray Disc is priced at $34.99 SRP in the U.S. and $44.99 SRP in Canada. Feature run time: 124 minutes. Rated: PG. Bonus material not rated
THE MUPPETS SEASON 3
It's time to welcome back Kermit, Miss Piggy and the gang when all 24 irreverent and witty episodes of THE MUPPET SHOW: THE COMPLETE THIRD SEASON come to DVD on May 20, 2008 from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. Available on DVD for the first time, the complete third season of the Emmy Award winning comedy series comes in a special four-disc set with new behind the scenes bonus features and rare original skits every fan must own.
Season Three of this longtime audience favorite added the distinguished Peabody Award to THE MUPPET SHOW's impressive list of awards, which includes four Primetime Emmys. Highlights of Season Three include an unforgettable duet between Gilda Radner (SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE) and a giant carrot, as well as guest appearances by Sylvester Stallone, Liberace, Raquel Welch, Alice Cooper and Cheryl Ladd.
Created by legendary puppeteer Jim Henson and featuring the inimitable voice talents of Frank Oz, The Muppet Show introduces audiences to the ultimate puppet femme fatale, Miss Piggy, and also stars Gonzo, Fozzie Bear, Animal and a host of other iconic characters. The show's zany skits, hilarious gags, and upbeat musical numbers make it a true family favorite, slyly clever enough for the discerning adult and silly enough for the child in everyone. Digitally restored and fully re-mastered, THE MUPPET SHOW: THE COMPLETE THIRD SEASON features more of the magical moments that made Henson's plush puppets a worldwide phenomenon.
Bonus Features:
--A Company of Players - An all-new documentary that reveals the behind-the-scenes Puppeteers and how they make the Muppets come to life.--The Muppets on Puppets - An original documentary featuring Jim Henson and the original Muppet puppeteers--A Frog Is Born - Behind every celebrity's glittering facade is a tale of hard luck and harder work. This is Kermit's.
Already a well known television personality from his successful stint on SESAME STREET, Kermit the Frog launches an outrageous vaudeville-style variety show starring his Muppet friends and featuring a weekly celebrity guest star. Riding herd on the spirited Muppet troupe keeps Kermit on his toes as the camera goes backstage to document the rivalries and romances of his all star cast.
THE MUPPET SHOW: THE COMPLETE THIRD SEASON is priced at $39.99 SRP in the U.S. and $59.99 SRP in Canada.
RICHIE RICH/SCOOBY-DOO HOUR: VOLUME ONE
Consumers will experience living in the lap of luxury and traveling the world in the Mystery Machine when Warner Home Video brings the hit animated series RICHIE RICH/SCOOBY-DOO HOUR: VOLUME ONE to DVD for the first time on May 20, 2008. This two-disc collector's set will feature seven entertaining episodes and will retail for $26.99 SRP.
Two of the most enduring Hanna-Barbera characters, Richie Rich and Scooby-Doo were the stars of THE RICHIE RICH, SCOOBY-DOO SHOW, which originally aired on ABC. The one-hour program combined several shorts, each featuring either Richie Rich or Scooby-Doo, who starred in their own entertaining adventures.
Originally created by Harvey Comics, Richie Rich, the child of incredibly wealthy parents is the world's richest kid. He lives in a mansion in his hometown of Richville and has an allowance that is the envy of children everywhere. Richie is a kind and benevolent boy who has the luxury of going on globe-trotting adventures with his faithful dog Dollar, his best buddies Freckles and Gloria, butler Cadbury and robot maid Irona. Professor Keenbeen, director of the Rich Science Center often comes along for the ride, creating wacky inventions that either help or hinder Richie's exploits.
Scooby-Doo is the beloved, animated mystery-solving canine, who made his original debut on SCOOBY-DOO, WHERE ARE YOU! In this incarnation, Scooby-Doo is featured along with Shaggy and Scrappy. As a trio, they travel the world in the Mystery Machine often with comedic outcomes.
DVD Special Features Include:
"The Story of Richie Rich" - From comic book origins to animated depictions, a featurette covering everyone's favorite rich kid.
V FOR VENDETTA
From Warner Home Video comes the Blu-ray of V FOR VENDETTA with vfx from Cinesite, Double Negative, Framestore-CFC and Baseblack. Dan Glass (SPEED RACER) was production visual effects supervisor.
Set against the futuristic landscape of totalitarian Britain, the 2006 film V FOR VENDETTA tells the story of a mild-mannered young woman named Evey (Natalie Portman) who is rescued from a life-and-death situation by a masked man (Hugo Weaving) known only as "V." Incomparably charismatic and ferociously skilled in the art of combat and deception V ignites a revolution when he urges his fellow citizens to rise up against tyranny and oppression. As Evey uncovers the truth about V's mysterious background she also discovers the truth about herself - and emerges as his unlikely ally in the culmination of his plan to bring freedom and justice back to a society fraught with cruelty and corruption.
Extras include four featurettes ("Designing the Near Future", "Remember, Remember: The Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot", "England Prevails: V for Vendetta and the New Wave of Comics" and "Freedom! Forever!: Making of V for Vendetta"), the SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE digital short, Cat Power montage and theatrical trailers.
Producers the Wachowskis awarded the directorial duties to James McTeigue, their first assistant director on THE MATRIX movies, and selected Glass, also a veteran of the MATRIX adventure, as production visual effects supervisor. The filmmakers initially designed the film with remarkably few visual effects shots. "We set out with a plan to tackle 120 shots, but ended up with just shy of 500," Glass recalls. "Although a large increase, it was a naturally evolving process working with the director, and not a case of things spinning out of control. James was great to work with. At my first meeting with him, he produced a list of all the vfx moments he envisaged in the script, but, from there on, he left it all very much in my hands. The underlying stylistic approach was always to keep things very grounded in reality and to that end, achieve what we could in camera as a first resort."
Read more on VFXWorld's 2006 story here.
OBAN STAR-RACERS VOL. 2 "THE OBAN CYCLE"
Featuring all 13 uncut episodes in 5.1 Surround Sound, seamless 2D and 3D animation and chockfull of bonus features arrive on DVD May 20, 2008 from Shout! Factory. The satellite tournament on Alwas has been completed, and Molly and the crew of the WHIZZING ARROW have qualified to compete on Oban for the mysterious Ultimate Prize. Can young Molly outrun the competition, save Earth and win the power to bring her mother back to life? See this epic anime adventure which features spectacular mixed-media, combining 2D Japanese-animated characters with 3D animated ships and races.
To maintain the quality and originality of this project, creator and animator Savin Yeatman-Eiffel spent nine years on a personal mission to complete this series with no influence from outside investors. The final 13 episodes of the award-winning OBAN STAR-RACERS fly onto DVD in this thrilling 2-disc set for $19.99.
Already an international sensation, the award-winning, Tokyo-produced OBAN STAR-RACERS flies onto DVD in this thrilling 2-disc set featuring the final 13 episodes. U.S. audiences can finally experience the groundbreaking, seamless combination of 2D and 3D animation and the excitement, suspense and wonder of the OBAN CYCLE as it's never been seen or heard before -- in glorious 5.1 and completely uncut.
Special Features Include:--Star-Racer Profiles--Concept Art--Original MIPCOM Presentation--Full Opening Title Sequence