On March 2, Disney will release Ponyo on both DVD and Blu-ray. The hand-drawn Ponyo, inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid, tells of the story of a five-year-old boy and his magical goldfish, who becomes a girl. The film’s “star-studded voice cast” includes Cate Blanchett, Matt Damon, Tina Fey, Liam Neeson, and Betty White, although the children are new voices Noah Lindsey Cyrus (Ponyo, the fish-girl) and Frankie Jonas (the boy). Ponyo DVD Special Edition Ponyo Blu-ray List […]

Here’s another piece of evidence for studios trying to shove the Blu-ray format down the customer’s throat: I just got notified that, when it comes to review copies of the upcoming Disney release Pinocchio 70th Anniversary Platinum Edition, the company will ONLY provide the Blu-ray version. Disney is shipping a standard DVD copy of the movie with all of their Blu-rays these days. As their press materials put it, this “allow[s] viewers the opportunity to enjoy Pinocchio on a standard […]

I knew studios were pushing the Blu-ray format hard in their product announcements, but I was surprised to see them stacking the deck when it comes to release dates. Normally, DVDs are released for sale on Tuesdays. On March 24, Disney’s Bolt will be available in a one-disc edition at $30 or a two-disc version at $33. The second disc contains these extra features: “I Thought I Lost You” music video. The recording of the song. “First-time directors Chris Williams […]

Here’s the sad story of American Dog. Chris Sanders, co-director of Lilo & Stitch, my favorite animated film, originally developed American Dog for Disney until he was fired. Under John Lasseter, AD then became the current Bolt. (Thus guaranteeing I won’t see it.) The last straw, according to the link above, is that original creator Sanders is nowhere mentioned in The Art of Bolt coffee table book. In response, that site has posted their own art gallery of concept art […]

According to today’s NY Times, Warner will be releasing a straight-to-DVD animated movie tentatively called Tales of the Black Freighter five days after Watchmen opens in theaters. It “follows a side Watchmen storyline about a shipwreck… The DVD will also include a documentary-style film called Under the Hood that will delve into the characters’ backstories.” The story postulates these kinds of promotions as a way to attempt to reverse soft DVD sales — last years’ figures declined for the first […]

Out Tuesday on DVD was the live-action version of Honey and Clover (subtitled). I’m curious about it. I enjoyed reading the manga, but I suspect seeing the characters “in person” would make them even easier to relate to (and distinguish). The plot is the same — college students find love and make life decisions while pursuing their art. However, in the manga, the childlike Hagumi appears elfin and blonde. Based on pictures, in the movie, she still looks young and […]