Blu-rays offer Something Old, Something New, Something Furry, Someone Blue

Two recent Blu-ray releases show that just because a movie's old doesn't mean it has to look that way – and that just because a movie is new and state-of-the-art doesn't mean it'll automatically look great.

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I'm speaking of the Blu-ray version of Disney's Bambi and Dreamworks' Megamind, two animated films from different studios, different eras, and which offer distinctly different viewing experiences. Bambi looks absolutely spectacular, despite being about 70 years old, while Megamind looks 70 years old despite being a 2010 theatrical release. Go figure. Disney's 1942 classic could almost be considered a little bit "Fantasia" leavened with a little bit of "The Lion King." But at heart it's its own film, and it's a truly marvelous one. Disney's fifth full-length animated classic, Bambi is a delightful story that follows the life and growth of the "new prince of the forest" from birth to his ascension as the alpha buck. The gorgeous-looking transfer opens shortly after the birth of the young fawn named Bambi. Hailed, as mentioned, as the new "Prince of the Forest," the other forest creatures fawn over him (I'm certainly not about to let a chance for a pun like that pass by!) and, helped by such little friends as Thumper the rabbit, and Flower the skunk, he takes his first wobbly steps into the exciting world of the forest. It's a marvelous story in the grand Disney tradition, a lovely tale told through some fine classic animation and with fantastic – or "Fantasia-like" dialogue-free musical sections that almost make the movie look like a living and breathing work of art, a music video before there were music videos (except for Fantasia). The Bambi Blu-ray, which comes with a conventional DVD in the box as well, has been restored digitally for this presentation, according to the Disney folk. It shows, too. For a nearly 70 year old film, the 1080p/24 image, at its original "full frame" aspect ratio, is gorgeous, with rich colors and an ultra-clean transfer that shows no scratches or other garbage. Detail is so spectacular you can actually make out brush strokes and textures in the backgrounds! I was blown away. Even the 70 year old audio quality is good, though its remixed into dts-HD High Resolution – as opposed to the far more common lossless dts-HD Master Audio format. I can't remember seeing another dts-HD HR soundtrack and, while one might think using such a "lossy" format would affect the sound, it doesn't seem to here. Maybe the age of this soundtrack has something to do with it, but in the grand scheme of things "Bambi" sounds just fine. The soundtrack has been remixed into 7.1 channels, from its original mono, but most of the time there's no surround (though some surround effects creep in), nor is there even a lot of left/right use up front. But dialogue comes through beautifully and there's even a bit of low frequency effects channel use to provide a bit of extra oomph when needed. Dreamworks' Megamind, meanwhile, is a CG-animated superhero tale with a bit of a twist. It's also a kind of a coming of age, or turning your life around-type tale, with more than a casual resemblance to Pixar's great "The Incredibles," which is supposed to be coming out on Blu-ray disc later this year. I can't wait! Megamind takes an interesting look at the "nature versus nurture" debate, having one alien baby land in a loving home while the toddling Megamind lands in a prison and grows up in an atmosphere decidedly unfriendly to the mainstream of society. And, while it's a pale shadow of "The Incredibles," there's still quite a bit to recommend – including a few humorous moments, some great animated action, a terrific look, and some of the best CG animation I've seen in any computer-animated film. But it's no Bambi – and neither is the Blu-ray. The high def disc (my review copy also included a DVD) is presented in 1080p/24 widescreen, which is just as it should be. What isn't as it should be is the picture quality. CG features such as Megamind generally offer some of the best pictures you can get, absolutely popping off the screen at you. But, though I can't really put my finger on the problem because there's plenty of detail, the color is very good and all the elements for a great visual experience are there, Megamind's HD picture seems flat, with little of that great, "3D-like" look that makes so many Blu-rays so spectacular. It's a shame. The audio is up to snuff, though. Presented in Dolby TrueHD 7.1, it's dynamic and immersive – and that's just what you want from a movie such as this, one full of action, explosions, nifty sound effects and the like.  And here, all of your home theater's speakers will get a good workout, including the delicious ".1" low frequency effects channel. Crashes, explosions, crumbling buildings, etc. all rumble nicely, and since you're surrounded by a bunch of other audio channels that are working their little hearts out, it makes you feel like a real part of the action. It's reference quality stuff, except that few will use this disc like that because of its weak video.   Both the Megamind and Bambi Blu-rays also feature plenty of added content, from audio commentaries on Megamind to the "Disney View" feature on Bambi that fills in the black bars the old fashioned 4x3 aspect ratio picture leaves to the sides of the "narrowscreen" picture on a widescreen TV, using artwork designed to fit in with the movie's look. Disney View works well, especially if you have a TV that might suffer from burn-in, though the artwork on the Pinocchio and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Blu-rays fit in even better with those features. The substandard video quality on Megamind may not be a deal-breaker, and perhaps I'm overreacting a tad, but it's disappointing anyway because it could have – and should have – been even better than Bambi. The fact that it gets beaten by a film seven decades older should embarrass whoever was in charge of the Blu-ray transfer. Copyright 2011 Jim Bray
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