Jonah VeggieTales...any DVD reviews of this 2 disc set? (2 Viewers)

[Neil Joseph]

Thanks, it is now in my posession.

 

[Edwin-S]

It blows me away that stuff like this gets A+ treatment, while a real animation masterpiece, THE PLAGUE DOGS, withers away in some crappy vault. WATERSHIP DOWN is another classic piece of animation that was given short shrift by Warner films. The extras on that disc were pathetic.

Oh well, I guess credit should be given to the studio that produced this disc. At least they actually thought enough of it to give some good background on the film in the extras.

 

[Stephen Orr]

Ediwin-S, you're right -- the studio is the final say so on what happens with these DVDs. Big Idea's DVD have always contained pretty good content, amusing commentary, and lots of other extras, even on their 30 minute programs. But again, they have creative control from the moment they decide put a production together.

BTW, the outtakes are ala Toy Story/Bug's Life, and much time is spent in the Larry and Mr. Lunt commentary on the idea that their CGI water is better because they mostly show it from the top, whereas in Finding Nemo, most of the action takes place underwater.

Oh, and Mr. Lunt claims they shot everything on George Lucas' digital camera system! The story of meeting Lucas at the laundromat, and what goes on at filmmaker's camp is priceless!

 

[millercv]

The Mr. Lunt and Larry commentary is definatley worth the price of admission alone and the funniest thing I've seen in a long LONG time.

I am a big Veggietales fan and thought the movie was good but could have been great if they would have made a couple of tweaks... There needed to be a better introduction to the Pirates WDDA in a big musical number

Anyway it is a Great DVD, now if we could only get them to release "Socks with Stripes" . . . . maybe they are still working on the wire removal.

 

[Bryan Tuck]

I saw parts of this when we had it last fall at the theater where I work, but I was finally able to see the whole thing this week, and I thought it was hilarious.

Although targeted at a decidedly younger crowd, there are plenty of gags for older "kids" as well.

One of my favorite lines:

Jonah: "Now I must throw myself into the sea!"

Pirate: "Oh, you don't have to do that; we have a plank."

Also, kudos to Artisan for such a feature-packed 2-disc set. And extra kudos for making sure to include a widescreen transfer.

I highly recommend this disc(s) to fans of animation. The balance of humor and morality is very effective, and the message is very non-preachy and nicely handled. And after all, there are certainly a lot worse things we could teach kids than compassion for others and the importance of showing mercy.

 

[Chad A Wright]

I picked this up finally and have only got to watch the first 30 minutes of it. I can't wait to view the rest and listen to the commentaries too. My son has already had time to watch it three times. Oh to be three again. If not for the Two Towers EE later this year, this could be in the running for DVD of the year.

 

[Brook K]

Picked this up last night but we're saving it for my son's birthday on the 25th. Hope I enjoy it as much as he will, sounds great from all the reports here.

 

[Dean_Jonesy]

It blows me away that stuff like this gets A+ treatment, while a real animation masterpiece, THE PLAGUE DOGS, withers away in some crappy vault.

I disagree. God deserves the A+ treatment with His story adaptations. He is the Almighty, afterall.

 

[Aaron_Brez]

Not gonna comment on that bit, Dean, since a flamewar is not what this forum needs.

I will say, however, that the fact that this is a labor of love (and apparently faith) by Big Idea is probably why we see so much content on the VeggieTales DVDs.

For the generic studio release, the DVD is generally merely a labor. They'll get away with as little as they think they can.

There have been cases, even with the independent companies like Anchor Bay, where filmmakers have gotten in touch with the DVD folks and offered to supply material free of charge, and been refused.

 

[Tommy G]

I caught this in the theater with the wife and kids. It gained a lot of its old charm back. It kind of lost it a little with Madame Blueberry and King George and His Ducky. I ordered it from Deepdiscountdvd because it beat B&M. Can't wait to catch the commentary.

 

[Edwin-S]

I disagree. God deserves the A+ treatment with His story adaptations. He is the Almighty, afterall.
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I apologize. I didn't realize that this was HIS story adaptation. Is HE named in the credits as the screenplay writer? Before you explode, I'm just funning you. I couldn't resist considering the way you worded the post.

I am glad that this movie has received the treatment that it has; however, I am annoyed that a relatively minor childrens film gets such good treatment, while a more mature animated film such as THE PLAGUE DOGS isn't getting any release in Region 1, whatsoever. I suspect when THE PLAGUE DOGS is released in R1, if ever, that it will receive only the most cursory of releases. The difference between THE PLAGUE DOGS and something like JONAH VEGGIETALES is that THE PLAGUE DOGS was an attempt to tell a completely drama- driven story, at a time when the only types of large scale animated films being made were things like the afforementioned JONAH VEGGIETALES.

THE PLAGUE DOGS is an adult animated film that relied on a "reality-based" narrative, not cheap thrills like so many of Bakshi's so-called "Adult" features. These are a few reasons why I consider it to be an animation classic, while something like JONAH VEGGIETALES, regardless of its biblical root, is just one more addition to the standard fare that has sustained the animation industry since its inception.

WATERSHIP DOWN is another classic animated film with "mature" themes and the release that it was given was totally pathetic. Yet, a minor movie like VEGGIETALES gets a premium release. It burns me up that the older non-Disney animated films are being treated with such contempt by their respective rights holders. I did commend the studio that released JONAH when I wrote this:

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credit should be given to the studio that produced this disc. At least they actually thought enough of it to give some good background on the film in the extras.
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I can only wish that the respective rights holders of older non-Disney animation would have respect for the movies they are entrusted with.

 

[Dean_Jonesy]

Sorry, I didn't realize I was on the brink of "flaming." :b And I apologize if it sounded condescending. That was not my intention.

I would also like to see a nice WATERSHIP DOWN release. I have been wondering why there isn't a nice edition out there. I have never seen PLAGUE DOGS though, and I am sure it also deserves a quality release as well. As VeggieTales being a newcomer to feature filmdom gets a loaded 2-disc set, I understand your frustration. But you are right, it all goes back to the studios and what they do with the rights. I think modern DVDs kinda raise the bar with features/ film transfer/ sound, etc. VeggieTales being a newer release they can reach for the sky with the DVD. Older flicks may not have the type of material available on hand to assemble into a loaded disc. We are now living in the age of DVD so newer films take that into consideration while they are making the film, thus a better DVD.

I wouldn't necessarily label "Jonah" as strictly a children's film. It holds truths that we could all learn from.

 

[Chad A Wright]

I wouldn't necessarily label "Jonah" as strictly a children's film. It holds truths that we could all learn from.

Plus, it's just darn funny. I'd recommend it to any of my adult friends. I just finished it at lunch, and I'm going to listen to the commentary when i get home.

 

[Stephen Orr]

The problem is -- Big Idea really cares about its product and how it is perceived by the viewing public, and if you know about their outfit, you know that money is not their primary motivating factor. Their DVDs, especially Jonah, reflect a real love for what they are doing. On the other hand, the studios that own the more "realistic" animation features could give a flip about giving that amount of attention to a DVD for "Watership Down" or "Plague Dogs."

Anyway, this was started as a review thread for Jonah, so let's just give up the love for such a wonderful package, and not turn it into a debate on how badly the other studios are treating their animation.

BTW, did you know that all of Tom Cruise's scenes on Minority Report were shot in one night while he was asleep? They used wires to make him act, according to Mr. Lunt. And his runaway eyes were really hush-puppies. Just a couple of the many behind the scenes factoids you'll hear on the Larry/Lunt commentary track. And remember the two most important words - wire removal.

 

[Aaron_Brez]

Sorry, I didn't realize I was on the brink of "flaming." And I apologize if it sounded condescending. That was not my intention.

Nah, my point was that my comment would have been flamewar material, because I am an insensitive (atheist) jerk. Your response was fine.

 

[Dave Miller]

My wife and I saw this in the theaters and loved it. Picked mine up at BB on Tuesday, but haven't got to watch it yet. Can't wait.

Peace,

DM

 

[Matthew R]

It's a great couple of discs, and I loved the hilarious features, but I do have a complaint. The film itself (at least the widescreen version-- I didn't check the pan & scan) is mastered from a 30fps interlaced source! As a result, my player has to use video-mode deinterlacing instead of film-mode, and the resulting aliasing can be a little distracting. Why couldn't they use a 24fps progressive source like any of the other recent CGI films (Ice Age, Monsters Inc)? They won't get any complaints from people with interlaced TVs, or even small progressive sets, but the difference is quite apparent on a large front-projection display. Very disappointing, when I was expecting Pixar-level picture quality.

--Matthew

 

[David_Jr]

Ordered mine from DDD and still haven't gotten it. anyone else have this problem with DDD on this title? My wife and kids are ready to make me walk the plank .

 

[Stephen Orr]

Hope you get it soon. We just watched it again, then went through about a third of the extras on the second disc. The digital dailies were a hoot. Also, when you go to Bonus Materials, do not be too hasty in selecting one of the choices. Instead, let the improvised dialogue of the Pirates Who Don't Do Anything run for a bit(over the Bonus Material menu). Extremely funny.

Popcorn shrimp are the roaches of the sea....

 

[Lars_J]

Yeah, I love the "dailies" featurette... LOL.

I am VERY impressed with what I have seen so far on this Disc.