Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Pinocchio: 70th Anniversary Platinum Edition on DVD and Blu-ray


Disney's Pinocchio is a childhood classic that is based on the timeless book by Carlo Collodi. Today, Disney is celebrating the 70th anniversary of Pinocchio, and, to celebrate, they are releasing Pinocchio: 70th Anniversary Platinum Edition on DVD and Blu-ray!



DVD

The DVD's aspect ratio is full screen, as most classic Disney animated films are. It has a new sound mix which is in Dolby Digital 5.1, as well as French and Spanish audio tracks. The movie's image and sound quality is digitally restored, and looks and sounds beautiful.

Disc One includes, of course, the movie, as well as trivia, sing-along bonus features, and audio commentary by several notable historians from the film industry, including Leonard Maltin. Disc Two is loaded with great special features. Disc Two is a documentary, No Strings Attached: The Making of Pinocchio. But this is much more than a simple documentary; it includes footage from the production of the film, an alternate ending, a couple of never-before-seen deleted scenes, a featurette about Walt Disney and his "sweatbox" procedure, games, songs, and more! The second disc is very, very enjoyable, especially if you enjoy Pinocchio and Disney history.

Blu-ray

The Blu-ray edition of Pinocchio: 70th Anniversary Platinum Edition includes all of the above features dispersed among two Blu-ray discs which are in the beautiful hi-def format, as well as a normal DVD copy of the movie. This extra third disc doesn't include any features, which can all be found on the two Blu-ray discs. All Disney Blu-ray releases from now on will include this supplementary third disc that's playable in normal DVD players in an effort to boost Blu-ray disc purchases.



Pinocchio is one of my favorite Disney classics, and Disney doesn't disappoint with this DVD/Blu-ray release. The features are wholesome and wonderful, the video and audio are both beautifully redone without sacrificing anything from the original movie, the third disc is a very nice touch, and, as always, the Blu-ray format is very crisp and clear and makes for an even more fierce Monstro. I recommend getting the DVD or Blu-ray, as it will make a very nice addition to your DVD (or Disney) collection. Below you will find several videos that come from the DVD and its many bonus features (videos are from the DVD, but were originally posted at The Disney Blog):

"Transitions of Pinocchio"


"Rotoscoping"


"Sweatbox"

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