Home video releases for September 23 include SHREK THE THIRD and MADAGASCAR on Blu-ray, the DVD and Blu-ray release of football comedy LEATHERHEADS, plus PEANUTS and ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS holiday gift packs and more.
SHREK THE THIRD On Blu-ray
In SHREK THE THIRD, from Paramount Home Ent. and DreamWorks Animation, when Shrek married Fiona the last thing he had in mind was becoming the next King of Far Far Away. But when Shrek's father-in-law, King Harold, suddenly croaks, that is exactly what he faces. Unless Shrek (with the help of his trusted companions Donkey and Puss in Boots) can find a suitable King for Far Far Away, the Ogre could be stuck with the job. The most promising candidate, Fiona's cousin Artie, an underachieving Medieval high school slack, proves to be more of a challenge than he bargained for.
"Overcast lighting was hard on SHREK 2, proclaimed production designer Guillaume Aretos. "Global illumination [throughout the pipeline] was key in making it easier. Aretos collaborated with art director Peter Zaslav in adding 65 new locations for
SHREK THE THIRD , in which the iconic green ogre prepares for fatherhood and encounters a gawky teenager named Artie, who eventually becomes the legendary King Arthur. The sets are moodier and, for the first time, the artists could animate overcast skies with no direct light for the funeral of King Harold.
"CG is still in its infancy," Zaslav added, but technology is fairly pushed at DreamWorks. Lighting is very controlled and global illumination is used with a bounce card as a tool, not an end in itself. It's close to live-action cinematography."
Special Features include:
--The Animators' Corner
--Shrek's Trivia Track
--The World of Shrek
--Shrek's Guide to Parenthood
--Meet the Cast
--Lost Scenes: The Fauxly Grail, Hot Lunch, Cyrano De Artie, Doppelgangers
--Tech of Shrek
--Donkey Dance
--Big Green Goofs
--My Menus
--DreamWorks Animation Video Jukebox
--DreamWorks Kids: Merlin's Magic Cystal Ball, Learn the Donkey Dance, How to Be Green
MADAGASCAR On Blu-ray
A pack of not-so-wild animals experience some serious culture shock when they move from the Big Apple to the Mighty Jungle in this computer-animated comedy from Paramount Home Ent. and DreamWorks Animation. Alex (Ben Stiller) is a lion who enjoys a charmed life as one of the leading attractions at a zoo in New York City's Central Park.
While Alex and his pals Marty the Zebra (Chris Rock), Gloria the Hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith), and Melman the Giraffe (David Schwimmer) are happy with their lot in life, they occasionally have a certain curiosity about the outside world, and when the zoo's penguins decide to make a break for it, Marty follows them into the city. Alex, Gloria, and Melman set out to find Marty before he gets into trouble, but they're a bit too late, and soon the zookeepers have decided that the animals are restless and need to be returned to the wild. Soon the critters find themselves living on the coast of Madagascar, where they quickly discover they aren't quite suited for living in the wild. MADAGASCAR also features the voice talents of Cedric the Entertainer, Andy Richter, and Sacha Baron Cohen (aka Ali G).
MADAGASCAR, the latest animated comedy from DreamWorks, was directed by Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath, and written together with Mark Burton and Billy Frolick. Darnell, who previously directed ANTZ, relates that production began four-and-a-half years ago, when hand-drawn animated features were still in vogue.
When MADAGASCAR was developed, "I don't think it was pitched as any particular medium," he said. "That kind of stuff, at least in those days, came out of development as what made the most sense, with the story that we were telling. Once I got involved (my own interest is in CG), it was easy for me to motivate it and steer it in that direction."
MADAGASCAR marks McGrath's debut as a feature director. "With my background, there's a little bit more to 2D," he said. "The CG realm was all new to me. I learned a lot from Eric as well as PDI [Pacific Data Images, officially PDI/DreamWorks]. Eric really wanted to tell the story in a fantasy world that actually was tangible, that you could step into. That's one of the things that CG can offer. The advancements that PDI's had since SHREK, we were able to take this world, stylize it and actually use the aesthetics of 2D in a 3D world, so you get the best of both worlds."
Special Features Include:
--Commentary with Directors Tom McGrath and Eric Darnell
--Mad Trivia Pop-Up
--Penguins in a Christmas Caper
--Mad Mishaps
--Meet the Wild Cast
--Behind the Crates
--The Tech of Madagascar
--Penguin Chat
--Enchanted Island
--DreamWorks Animation Video Jukebox
--Trailers
--DreamWorks Kids: "I Like to Move It, Move It" Video, Learn to Draw
THE GODFATHER Collection -- The Coppola Restoration DVD And Blu Ray
From Paramount Home Ent. comes the full 4K digital restoration of THE GODFATHER trilogy supervised by Robert Harris and done by Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging, whose team was led by TD Jan Yarbrough, which used Baselight software.
THE GODFATHER (1972):
Francis Ford Coppola's epic masterpiece features Marlon Brando in his Oscar-winning role as the patriarch of the Corleone family. Director Coppola paints a chilling portrait of the Sicilian clan's rise and near fall from power in America, masterfully balancing the story between the Corleone's family life and the ugly crime business in which they are engaged. Based on Mario Puxo's best-selling novel and featuring career-making performances by Al Pacino, James Cann and Robert Duvall, this searing and brilliant film garnered ten Academy Award nominations, and won three including Best Picture of 1972.
THE GODFATHER PART II (1974):
This brilliant companion piece to the original The Godfather continues the saga of two generations of successive power within the Corleone family. Coppola tells two stories in Part II: the roots and rise of a young Don Vito, played with uncanny ability by Robert De Niro, and the ascension of Michael (Al Pacino) as the new Don. Reassembling many of the talents who helped make THE GODFATHER, Coppola has produced a movie of staggering magnitude and vision, and undeniably the best sequel ever made. Robert De Niro won an Oscar, the film received six Academy Awards, including Best Picture of 1974.
THE GODFATHER PART III (1990):
One of the greatest sagas in movie history continues. In this third film in the epic Corleone trilogy, Al Pacino reprises the role of powerful family leader Michael Corleone. Now in his 60s, Michael is dominated by two passions: freeing his family from crime and finding a suitable successor. That successor could be fiery Vincent (Andy Garcia), but he may also be the spark that turns Michael's hope of business legitimacy into an inferno of mob violence. Francis Ford Coppola directs Pacino, Garcia, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, Eli Wallach, Sofia Coppola, Joe Montegna and others in this exciting, long-awaited film that masterfully explores the themes of power, tradition, revenge and love. Seven Academy Award nominations for 1990 were the result, including Best Picture.
Special Features Include:
--Godfather World
--The Masterpiece That Almost Wasn't
--...when the shooting stopped
--Emulsional Rescue Revealing the Godfather
--THE GODFATHER on the Red Carpet
--Four Short Films on THE GODFATHER: GF vs. GF Part II, Cannoli, Riffing on the Riffing and Clemenza
--Commentary by Francis Ford Coppola
--Additional Scenes
--Storyboards
--A Comprehensive Documentary on the Making of the Godfather Films
--Featurettes: Filming Locations, Cinematography
--The Corleone Family Tree
--The Music of THE GODFATHER
--THE GODFATHER Historical Timeline
--Profiles on the Filmmakers
--Photo Galleries
LEATHERHEADS On DVD And Blu-ray
Oscar winners George Clooney and Renee Zellweger match wits in
LEATHERHEADS , a rapid-fire sports comedy from Universal Studios Home Ent. with vfx by CIS Hollywood. Clooney plays Dodge Connolly, a swaggering, aging football hero who is determined to guide his team from bar brawls to packed stadiums. But after the players lose their sponsor and the entire league faces certain collapse, Dodge convinces a college football star to join his ragtag ranks.
Welcome to the team Carter Rutherford (John Krasinski), a golden-boy war hero, with dashing good looks and unparalleled speed on the field. But if Dodge thinks this new champ is too good to be true, then Lexie Littleton (Zellweger) can prove that's the case. A cub journalist playing in the big leagues, Lexie is a spitfire newswoman who sniffs holes in Carter's war story. While she digs, however, the two teammates become off-field rivals for attention. As the hilarious rivalry grows, Dodge fights to get the girl while he tries to keep his guys together. One thing is certain for Connelly, he knows that you always keep one final play from the defense.
Sole visual effects vendor CIS Hollywood completed 237 effects shots on the 1920s-era film.
Tom Smith, visual effects supervisor, CIS Hollywood, was on set during most of the North and South Carolina shoots.
"The bulk of our work included stadium extensions, crowd replications, and environmental clean up to match the period," Smith said. "It was great working with George Clooney and producer Grant Heslov. They welcomed our input and trusted us to come up solutions that were fairly authentic recreations of fan-filled stadiums and playing fields that are very much an integral part of the story."
The story progresses from early professional football to the final game at the end of the movie where 30,000 fans pack a stadium. Four playing fields and stadiums introduced throughout the film that were either enhanced or created: a Princeton college game, the first pro game played in a Duluth cow pasture, Ennis Field with 15,000 fans and Chicago Field stadium with 30,000 fans.
Smith added, "We worked closely with the production designer, Jim Bissell, who created detailed 3D renders of the stadium extensions that we ultimately used as a basis for our photo real environments. We also took great care to photograph many of the extras in their period clothing so that the final digital crowd scenes would look very authentic and match the existing extras."
Special Features Include:
--Deleted Scenes
--"Football's Beginning: The Making Of LEATHERHEADS": An inside look at the making of the film featuring interviews with George Clooney, Renee Zellweger and John Krasinski.
--"No Pads, No Fear: Creating The Rowdy Football Scenes": This bonus feature focuses on the preparation and execution of the film's intense football moments, featuring footage from the actors' training camp.
--"George Clooney: A Leatherheaded Prankster": This bonus feature shows one of the set's most elaborate and hilarious pranks orchestrated by director George Clooney.
--Visual Effects Sequences: A side-by-side comparison of scenes with and without their visual effects.
--Feature Commentary With Director George Clooney And Producer Grant Heslov (also available on Blu-ray)
Blu-ray Only Special Features:
--U CONTROL: U-Control puts viewers one click away from going deeper into the making of the film without ever leaving the movie.
--Picture In Picture: Enjoy a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film while watching the feature.
ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS Classic Holiday Gift Set On DVD
This DVD set from Paramount Home Ent. includes three discs: "Trick or Treason," "A Chipmunk Christmas" and "Alvin's Thanksgiving Celebration."
"Trick Or Treason" DVD includes five adventurous and hilarious Halloween themed episodes from the classic ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS TV series.
--"Trick or Treason"
--"Babysitter Fright Night"
--"Theodore's Life as a Dog"
--"Nightmare on Seville Street"
--"No Chipmunk is an Island"
"Alvin's Thanksgiving Celebration" includes:
--"A Chipmunk Celebration (Thanksgiving)"
--"Food For Thought"
--"Cookie Chomper III"
--"Dave's Getting Married"
"A Chipmunk Christmas" features three adventure and music-filled episodes, including the classic Chipmunk song, CHRISTMAS DON'T BE LATE.
--"A Chipmunk Christmas"
--"Merry Christmas Mr. Carroll"
--"Dave's Wonderful Life"
Also from Paramount Home Ent. comes the single disc of ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: "Alvin's Thanksgiving Celebration," including episodes "A Chipmunk Celebration (Thanksgiving)," "Food For Thought," "Cookie Chomper III" and "Dave's Getting Married."
CAILLOU'S WINTER WONDERS On DVD
From Paramount Home Ent., join CAILLOU as he explores everyday life, where ordinary daily events spark his and your child's imagination. Your child will be inspired by Caillou's pretend play, and they will join in the role-playing fun where beds become boats, a garden becomes a jungle and Caillou and your child can become anything they can imagine.
Special Features Include:
--Interactive Games
--Character Bios
--Parents' Information
--Coloring Pages
PEANUTS Holiday Collection On DVD
Good grief! Charlie Brown, Peppermint Patty, Linus, Snoopy, Woodstock and the rest of the PEANUTS gang are back to celebrate your favorite holidays when Warner Home Video releases the PEANUTS Holiday Collection in a three-DVD collector set that will include A CHARLIE BROWN THANKSGIVING, A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS and IT'S A GREAT PUMPKIN, CHARLIE BROWN Peanuts TV classics on September 23.
Since 1950, PEANUTS, created by Charles M. Schulz has been one of the most beloved comic strips in the world. Soon thereafter PEANUTS holiday TV specials became instant hits and secured Charlie Brown's position as a pop culture icon.
The PEANUTS Holiday Collection contains everyone's favorite PEANUTS holiday titles in one set with the all-new deluxe editions. The collector's set includes A CHARLIE BROWN THANKSGIVING Deluxe Edition, A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS Deluxe Edition and IT'S THE GREAT PUMPKIN, CHARLIE BROWN Deluxe Edition with the new re-mastered episodes as well as all of the bonus features.
In addition to new packaging and the all-new Deluxe Editions, the PEANUTS Holiday Collection will also include a CD with songs from the original soundtrack by Vince Guaraldi. IT'S THE GREAT PUMPKIN, CHARLIE BROWN Deluxe Edition has the gang in the spooky spirit, dressing up to go trick or treating and to crash Violet's spooktacular Halloween party. While the crew goes out to collect their candy -- Charlie Brown in a ghost costume (with more eyeholes cut out than needed), Lucy dressed as a witch and Snoopy in a World War I flying ace costume, Linus decides to hold vigil in the pumpkin patch as he awaits the Great Pumpkin. The Halloween special includes a documentary focusing on the myth and tradition of the Halloween staple television program.
A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS Deluxe Edition features the re-mastered Christmas special in an updated look that still maintains the integrity and feel of vintage Peanuts. The Emmy and Peabody Award winning classic features Charlie Brown who has the Yuletide blues. To get into the holiday spirit, Lucy advises Charlie Brown to direct the Christmas play and put up a great tree. Charlie Brown takes the advice, but the tree he finds is short, spindly and not very green, prompting everyone to make fun of him. However, the real meaning of Christmas works its magic on the Peanuts gang and they all end up in the holiday spirit.
The Deluxe Edition contains bonus features including:
--A new featurette: "A Christmas Miracle: The Making of A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS" – An in-depth look at how the producers brought a newspaper comic strip to animated life in a new medium. Under tense pressure and with many doubters, the show creators were able to create Peanuts in a new medium and make the show a smash success.
--Digital downloads of two songs from the popular soundtrack
--A bonus episode: IT'S CHRISTMASTIME AGAIN, CHARLIE BROWN
A CHARLIE BROWN THANKSGIVING originally aired on TV in 1973 and won an Emmy Award for its incredible animation and heartfelt message. The fun begins when Peppermint Patty invites herself and her pals to Charlie Brown's house for a really big turkey party. Good grief! Is Charlie Brown doomed? Will Thanksgiving be the same without turkey, cranberries and pumpkin pie? Thankfully, Linus, Snoopy and Woodstock all chip in to save the Thanksgiving day. With such good friends, Charlie Brown -- and all of us -- has so many reasons to be thankful. This Remastered Deluxe Edition with improved picture and audio is guaranteed to bring on that grateful glow and contains great bonus features including:
--A new featurette: "Popcorn & Jellybeans: Making a Thanksgiving Classic" -- A look at the final installment of the Peanuts holiday trilogy and what it meant to its creators and to us.
--Digital downloads of two songs from the popular soundtrack
--A bonus episode: MAYFLOWER VOYAGERS
SCOOBY-DOO & THE GOBLIN KING on DVD
Spirits will rise and consumers will be spellbound this Halloween season with Warner Home Video's release of the delightfully spooky SCOOBY-DOO & THE GOBLIN KING, the new original movie coming to DVD September 23. Featuring a star-studded line up of celebrity voices, SCOOBY-DOO & THE GOBLIN KING tells the story of Shaggy and Scooby-Doo as they embark on a magic quest to save the Mystery Inc. gang from the spell of a wicked warlock.
SCOOBY-DOO & THE GOBLIN KING follows that lovable Great Dane Scooby-Doo and his pal Shaggy as they try to stop a second-rate, carnival magician named the Amazing Krudsky (Wayne Knight) from turning everyone into horrible Halloween monsters, after he steals the light magic from Princess Fairy Willow (Hayden Panettiere). Scooby-Doo and Shaggy board the Grim Reaper Railroad, which is bound for the fantastic world of Halloween land to retrieve the powerful Goblin scepter from the Goblin King (Tim Curry), before Krudsky can.
Along the way, the Mystery Inc. crew encounters several enchanting creatures such as the infamous Headless Horseman, the helpful Jack O'Lantern and a frisky broomstick that take them on the ride of their life. The film also features the voice talents of Jay Leno, Lauren Becall, Lary Joe Campbell, Wayne Knight, Wally Shawn, Russi Taylor and Thom Adcox.
Special Features Include:
--"Scooby-Doo You Believe in Magic?" Featurette: Viewers learn the secrets behind some cool magic tricks they can perform for family and friends.
Aside from its debut on DVD, the SCOOBY-DOO & THE GOBLIN KING has also been scheduled for national broadcast in the fall of 2008 on Cartoon Network.
THE TRANSPORTER Two-Disc Special Delivery Edition With Digital Copy On DVD
From Twentieth Century Fox Home Ent., Frank Martin (Jason Statham) is the best as what he does: transporting dangerous or illegal goods with no questions asked. But his last shipment, a beautiful young woman kidnapped by international slave traders, brings deadly complications to his delivery plans. Now Frank must kick into overdrive in a nonstop action-packed fight to save his precious cargo -- and his life. The 2002 theatrical release had vfx by Eclair Numerique.
Disc 1:
--Action Sizzle Consumer Montage trailer with I, ROBOT and AVP
--Inside Look
--TRANSPORTER 2 Trailer
--Making of TRANSPORTER 2
--Actor Jason Statham and Producer Steven Chasman commentary
--Behind the Scenes of THE TRANSPORTER
--Storyboard/Film Comparison
--Extended fight sequences with optional commentary by Jason Statham, Steve Chasman and Cory Yuen)
--Wall Street's Housecontainer Fight
--Bus Station/Oil Fight
--Original Theatrical Trailer
--Original Making of Featurette
--Trailer: ONG-BAK THE THAI WARRIOR
Disc 2:
--Digital Copy
