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Saturday, September 17, 2011

Blu-ray Review - Dumbo

About the Blu-ray

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment invites audiences to let their spirits soar with the release of the beloved animated classic Dumbo, for the first time ever in high definition as a 70th Anniversary Edition, coming on September 20, 2011. The Academy Award®-winning (1942, Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture) favorite will take flight for the first time with a premium restoration in stunning Blu-ray™ high definition featuring pristine 7.1 Digital Theater System High-Def Surround Sound, allowing fans to see more, hear more, interact more and share more of this timeless adventure about believing in yourself.

Dumbo: 70th Anniversary Edition will be available for purchase as a 2-Disc Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack (with the suggested retail price of $39.99 U.S./$44.99 Canada), a 1-Disc DVD (with the suggested retail price of $29.99 U.S./$35.99 Canada), High Definition Movie Download (for the suggested retail price of $39.99 U.S./44.99 Canada) and/or Standard Definition Movie Download (for the suggested retail price of $29.99 U.S./$35.99 Canada). All versions come packed with a variety of special bonus features including such features as deleted scenes, interactive games, audio commentary, behind the scenes details and more.

Faced with the daunting task of restoring the film to its original pristine condition, the Walt Disney Studios Restoration Team turned to the US Library of Congress who store the original 70 year old nitrate camera negative in their film vaults, and for reference, to an original 1941 ‘release’ print, held by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Using this rare nitrate “dye-transfer” Technicolor print for color reference, the team was able to restore Dumbo to the color settings most likely approved by Walt Disney himself, which will be seen in their full splendor for the first time in 70years, on the Blu-ray debut. In addition, the rare film print (housed as part of the UCLA Film and Television Archives collection) proved to be the earliest surviving generation of the original audio for Dumbo which provided a unique source from which to build the new Disney Enhanced Home Theatre (DEHT) mix for the Blu-ray release.


Released theatrically in 1941, Dumbo, Walt Disney’s fourth animated film, was an immediate success with audiences and critics alike. In addition to its Academy Award® for Best Music, Dumbo was also Oscar®-nominated for Best Song, for the haunting lullaby, “Baby Mine.” Additional songs from the film, written by renowned composer Frank Churchill and lyricist Ned Washington, have become popular standards. They include the infectious “When I See an Elephant Fly,” sung by a chorus of hip crows who befriend Dumbo and his friend, Timothy Mouse, and “Pink Elephants on Parade,” which accompanies Dumbo’s feverish dream-sequence.

Film Synopsis

In celebration of this landmark film’s 70th anniversary, experience the daring adventures of the world’s only flying elephant with a dazzling all-new digital restoration and brilliant Disney Enhanced High Definition Theatre Mix Sound. The inspirational tale of Dumbo, the courageous baby elephant who uses his sensational ears to soar to fame with the help of his clever best friend Timothy Q. Mouse, will thrill and delight audiences of all ages. And now, the award-winning music and empowering messages about friendship and belief In yourself reach new heights in this must-have Blu-ray high-definition presentation of Walt Disney’s classic Dumbo!

Bonus Features

DVD:


  • Deleted Scene – “The Mouse’s Tale
  • Deleted Song – “Are You a Man or a Mouse?”
  • Taking Flight: The Making of Dumbo – A journey back to the origins of the film as everybody’s favorite baby elephant takes wing.
  • The Magic Of Dumbo: A Ride of Passage – Witness the excitement and magic of Disneyland’s most popular ride through the eyes of a child.
  • Audio Commentary with Pete Docter, Paula Sigman and Andreas Deja
  • Sound Design Excerpt from The Reluctant Dragon
  • Original Walt Disney Television Introduction


Blu-ray:

Everything on the DVD plus:

  • Cine-Explore
  • Disney View
  • “What Do You See?” Game
  • “What Do You Know?” Game
  • “Celebrating Dumbo” Featurette
  • Animated Short: “The Flying Mouse”
  • Animated Short: “Elmer Elephant”


Movie Download (Standard Definition & High Definition Versions):


  • Deleted Scene – “The Mouse’s Tale”
  • Deleted Song – “Are You a Man or a Mouse?”
  • “Celebrating Dumbo” Featurette

STREET DATE: September 20, 2011
Feature Run Time: Approximately 64-minutes

Rated: G (Bonus material not rated)

Blu-ray:

Aspect Ratio: Fullscreen (1:33:1)

Sound/Language Tracks: 7.1 Digital Theater System Hi-Def Surround Sound

Subtitle: English/French/Spanish

Suggested Retail Price: 2-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack (Blu-ray + DVD): $39.99 U.S./$44.99 Canada

DVD:

Aspect Ratio: Fullscreen (1:33:1)

Sound/Language Tracks: 5.1 Disney Enhanced Home Theater Mix (DEHT) English 5.1

(DEHT) French and Spanish Language Tracks

Subtitles: English SDH, French and Spanish Subtitles

Suggested Retail Price: 1-Disc DVD: $29.99 U.S./$35.99 Canada

Disney’s FastPlay: Disney FastPlay enabled (Technical specifications may only apply to feature)

Movie Download:

Suggested Retail Price: High Definition Movie Download = $39.99 U.S./$44.99 Canada; Standard Definition

Movie Download = $29.99 U.S./ $35.99 Canada.


About Disney Blu-ray Combo Packs (Blu-ray + DVD in a single package):
To provide consumers with unprecedented quality, value and portability of their favorite Disney classics, in 2008 Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment pioneered the Combo Pack – a Blu-ray Disc plus a DVD in a single package. To date, the company has released almost all their films as Combo Packs. Classic Disney titles released as Combo Packs include Sleeping Beauty, Pinocchio, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Beauty and the Beast and Fantasia.

My Take on the Blu-Ray
This was a great movie when I first saw it, but now that they have brought this movie back out of the vault onto blu-ray, they have brought the best of the movie out for all to see. They have done a great job at bringing vivid colors, sound and animation to both new and old audiences. This was probably one of the most emotional movies that I remember seeing from Disney in my opinion. Some people talked about this movie being a bit dark. This is not what I experienced, but there are some topics that might be harder for younger audiences to understand. Overall though this movie was great and one that I would highly recommend.

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

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