We're gonna take a quick break from the horror titles we're talking about this month to cover four great titles from the House of Mouse. Two of which are considered Disney classics and two new movies.
We'll start first with a seminal Disney classic making its debut on Blu-ray in a wonderful 70th Anniversary edition.
Dumbo
Special Features: Digital Restoration, Disney View - Expanded Viewing Experience, Cine-explore experience, Never -Before-Seen Deleted Scene, Never-Before-Heard Deleted Song, Taking Flight: The Making of Dumbo, The Magic of Dumbo: A Ride of Passage - A Heartfelt Look at Disneyland's Most Popular Ride, Audio Commentary, Featurettes, Art Galleries, Animated Shorts, Games, Trivia and more.
70 years old and Dumbo still has a strong grip on the hearts of millions of people and now with this excellent blu-ray set the film can be seen in gorgeous high definition. Disney has really done a wonderful job with this restoration. I'm not sure why it isn't part of their Diamond edition because it seems like they treated it like one of those releases.
The disc is jammed with special features. Behind the scenes, pictures, games, and more deliver a wealth of supplemental material that is sure to satisfy any fan of the film. You really get a lot of cool stuff, not the least of which are the deleted scene and song.
The digital restoration is stunning. Disney has given us Dumbo looking and sounding better than ever. It looks almost brand new and really makes the movie even better.
The story holds up as good as it always was. Touching, funny, heartfelt and exciting, Dumbo delivers even better on blu-ray.
Pop Culture Beast rating: 9/10
Next up, is one of my all time favorite Disney films.
Special features: 4 Never-Before-Seen Deleted Scenes, Never-Before-Seen Bloopers, Deleted Song, The Morning Report: Extended Song, Pride of the Lion King, the Lion King: a Memoir - Don Hahn, Disney Sing Along Mode, Interactive Blu-ray gallery, Plus classic DVD features.
The Lion King finally arrives on Blu-ray and it is glorious. A beautiful film in both story and picture with laughs, tears, great songs and a great cast.
Disney has really releases a gorgeous set here. The picture and sound are nothing short of stunning. The colors are bright and the sound is crisp and deeply immersive. It really is a beauty to watch. The blu-ray has such a good picture that you would swear it was in 3D. Just stunning.
The special features are good, if not a little underwhelming. The bloopers aren't as funny as they could have been but still a clever idea. The deleted scenes are interesting but nothing mind-blowing. It's no secret that the real star here is the film itself. No amount of extras could really measure up to the film anyway. Still, Disney did a decent job. I might have liked a little more considering this is a Diamond Edition.
Out of the four titles on this list, The Lion King is the only MUST OWN of the bunch. Were I you, I'd be clicking HERE and buying it right about now.
The Lion King Pop Culture Beast rating 10/10.
Next up is the wildly successful sequel...
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Special Features: Disney Second Screen, Audio Commentary with Rob Marshall and John DeLuca, Bloopers, and a Lego Animated Short
Johnny Depp returns (and not for the last time, the 5th chapter is rumored to lens next summer) as Captain Jack Sparrow in the fourth entry of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise: On Stranger Tides. This time, Jack sets sail with a new director, Rob Marshall, and Penelope Cruz. Plus, a completely unnecessary B story involving a mermaid and a love lorn priest, and a great but underused villain.
It didn't get the best of reviews, but I enjoyed the film. Sure it fell short in a few places but it was nowhere near as convoluted as the previous entries. Sure the entire plot with the priest falling in love with the mermaid was a complete waste of time and really had nothing at all to do with the plot or even brought any enjoyment whatsoever to the movie and sure Blackbeard kinda just fizzled out in the end. It's still Johnny being Jack and we love that.
Don't waste your money on the 3D version of this. You don't need it. No one needs it. It's silly and does nothing for the movie. Which, incidentally, looks magical on blu-ray. There are a lot of dark scenes in the film and they really look great here. No muddy at all. I was pretty satisfied with that as I kinda thought it might get a little lost in the picture. I am proud to say I am wrong.
Of course the sound is off the charts. The battle scenes fill the air to the point that I was struggling to keep myself from looking behind me to see if I was missing anything. Really crisp clear and deep sound.
Special features wise we get a little bit of the shaft. You get the second screen option if you are into that, commentary, some bloopers that are pretty funny and a Lego animated short. Nothing to interesting or worth writing home about.
Overall, an entertaining, if not a little underwhelming, On Stranger Tides will please most fans of the series. Others though might find themselves wanting something with a little more dep(p)th.
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Pop Culture Beast rating 7/10.
Last but certainly not least...
Winnie The Pooh
Special features: Exclusive featurette, Sing Along, 5 deleted scenes, "The Ballad of Nessie" theatrical short, Mini Adventures and a DVD copy of the film.
Winnie the Pooh is back in a (thankfully) 2-d animated adventure that feels just like the old classic. It has all the heart and laughs you'd expect from a Pooh film. There are really only two complaints about the movie. It suffers from "wrong sounding muppet" syndrome and it is about 20 minutes too short.
You can't watch the film without noticing the voices. They aren't bad or anything they're just not right. Eeyore specifically, who I was convinced (wrongly) was Ed Asner. You get used to it eventually but its still a little saddening to know that some of the original voices won't be heard again.
Another problem is the run time. It clocks in at just over an hour. That is a short amount of movie to justify a $25 price tag. I was enjoying the film and could easily have enjoyed another 15 minutes or so. I think kids watching would feel the same way. It's just too short.
Still, it is a fun family film that all will enjoy. The artwork is beautiful and the film is a clever little gem that really stays true to the Winnie the Pooh story. It really looks gorgeous on blu-ray. There aren't any major bombastic scenes to make the great sound stand out but it is a nice soundtrack,
Special features are decent enough. There are deleted scenes that leave one wondering why they were taken out at all considering how short the movie is but still worth watching. The features are mainly for the kids. there are no real historical features that parents might be interested in. Nothing really all that in depth.
In the end, Winnie The Pooh is a charming little tale that is just a bit too short that will definitely leave you wanting another trip into that magical world of the 100-Acre Wood.
Winnie The Pooh Pop Culture Beast rating 8/10
Dumbo, Pirates 4, Winnie The Pooh and The Lion King are all available now!
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