Toon Talk: Ratatouille and Pixar Shorts Collection Vol 1 DVDs
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by Kirby C. Holt
(c) Disney
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Ratatouille
and Pixar Short Films Collection Volume 1 Disney DVDs
MPAA Rating: G/Unrated |
Rat Tales and Short Stories
Pixar Animation Studio has proved themselves time and time again to be the leader in computer-animated storytelling for years now, and two new DVD releases show that not only do they still got it, they had it all along.
Now available for purchase (on both standard DVD and Blu-ray), this year�s Ratatouille and the Pixar Short Films Collection Volume 1 together offer an overview of the animation giant that will provide at least three hours or so of pure entertainment. I would have said the proverbial �hours of entertainment�, except the first title is shockingly sparse when it comes to the usual bountiful bonuses the studio�s DVD releases have been know for until recently.
Stripped of all but the basics, this Ratatouille disc does present the charming worldwide hit about a rat in a man�s world (click here for the original Toon Talk review) in pristine video and audio form. To insure that, the disc includes an extensive set up process to help you make the proper adjustments in seven easy steps. However, as far as the supplementary material goes, all we get is two animated shorts -- Lifted, the funny (if a bit one-joke) cartoon that accompanied the main feature in theaters, and Your Friend the Rat (more on that later), three deleted scenes and one lone, somewhat superfluous featurette.
That�s right: no audio commentary, no in-depth behind-the-scenes tour or �making of�, no art galleries, not even a blooper reel. What is most frustrating about this is that yes, some people (mostly parents buying this for their kids) don�t� want or need all these extra bells and whistles (just the movie, thanks) but we all know that they have that stuff. The solution is simple: don�t make us hardcore Disney/Pixar fans wait for the inevitable �special edition� we all know is coming eventually, just release the two-discer at the same time as the single. You would make us all a lot happier, believe me. (And while you�re at it, can you hurry up with the Lilo and Stitch collector�s edition already?) Cynics among us say they�re doing all this for the money (�Why only take they�re money once when we can take it twice?�), but I know a lot of people who have caught on to this �double-dipping� thing, and they�ll simply just wait it out for the whole enchilada. And I don�t blame them.