Photo of Peter Schneider, Roy Disney, and Jeffrey Katzenberg from 'Waking Sleeping Beauty'. Courtesy Walt Disney Home Entertainment.
Waking Sleeping Beauty
Criticize This! Pick of the Week – In Don Hahn’s amazing documentary Waking Sleeping Beauty we get an inside look at Walt Disney Studios between 1984 and 1994 as they went from almost closing down their animation department to leading the charge of the next wave of great animated films and filmmakers. With interviews from big shots Michael Eisner, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and Roy Disney, as well as animators like Glen Keane and John Lasseter, there is more than enough to keep you interested as the story unfolds (fans of Tim Burton will be interested to see background footage of him when he was a young Disney employee). This is recommended viewing for lovers of animation as well as business and film students.
Special features on the DVD include audio commentary with Hahn and producer Peter Schneider, deleted scenes, extended featurettes on the players involved, studio tours, and more. Film **** DVD *** (out of 5 stars).
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (Blu-ray)
– After Merlin (yes, the wizard) is killed in 740 A.D. by his disciple Maxim Horvath (Alfred Molina) and the witch Morgana le Fay (Alice Krige), Balthazar Blake (Nicolas Cage), another of Merlin’s disciples, is tasked with finding the “Prime Merlian” — a sorcerer as powerful as Merlin who will be able to defeat Morgana and Maxim once and for all. After years of searching, Balthazar finds Dave (Jay Baruchel) — the chosen one — in Manhattan. Evil soon follows and as Dave is just starting his training and accepting his destiny, he’s pitted against Maxim and Morgana to battle for his life.
While not as good as any of the Harry Potter movies or even Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is actually not that bad a film for the pre-teen crowd it’s aimed at. The effects are decent and fellow Canadian Jay Baruchel holds his own against the mighty Nic Cage just fine. There’s even a great scene that pays homage to the original Mickey Mouse segment from Fantasia, which inspired the film.
The Blu-ray release sports an excellent 1080p picture, but I found I had to keep adjusting the sound as it was either too loud or too quiet. Special features include making-of featurettes, outtakes, deleted scenes, and more. A regular DVD of the film is also included. Film *** Blu-ray *** (out of 5 stars).
Parks & Recreation: Season Two
– The second season of Amy Poehler’s hilarious documentary-style comedy Parks & Recreation (or just Parks & Rec if you will) continues the antics of the Indiana public works team and delivers 24 great episodes (compared to the measly six episodes of the first season this is a gold mine of entertainment). Along with Poehler, show regulars Rashida Jones, Aziz Ansari, Aubrey Plaza, and Chris Pratt return to deliver some of the best comedic TV being produced these days.
Special features on the DVD include audio commentary on select episodes, a blooper reel, a sneak peek at season three, and more. Show **** Season Two DVD *** (out of 5 stars).
Also available on DVD and Blu-ray this week:
Fantasia/Fantasia 2000 (Blu-ray
)
Valhalla Rising (DVD
)
The Boys: The Sherman Brothers’ Story (DVD
)
Walt and El Grupo (DVD
)
Going the Distance (DVD
/Blu-ray
)
Knight & Day (Blu-ray
)
Twilight: Eclipse (DVD
/Blu-ray
)
Vampires Suck (DVD
/Blu-ray
)
