Secret of N.I.H.M in 16x9 OAR WS??? (1 Viewer)

[DaViD Boulet]

http://www.amazon.com/Secret-NIMH-Fa...04723&sr=1-309

It says "1.85" and "widescreen" in the details.

can it really be?!?

 

[yamiiguy]

Yes, it is
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/...d.php?t=255210

 

[Mark-P]

Hey, DaVid. The Don Bluth website confirmed some months back back that a the special edition was coming and would contain both WS and FF.

I already have the FF DVD. I've seen screencaps of the region 2 WS which I have compared to the FF region 1 and, for the most part NIMH was shot open-matte, with just the tiniest sliver being gained on the edges of the WS version while the top and bottom loses a huge amount. When it comes to animation (and only animation) I tend to prefer the camera-ratio rather that the theatrical, simply because I don't buy the argument that "too much of the artists drawings were captured in open-matte"

Here is a composite I put together:


At any rate I'm happy that BOTH versions will be on the new disc so that we can choose to watch it as it was originally rendered, or as it was theatrically shown. Disney should have done this with "Robin Hood - Most wanted edition"

 

[Stephen_J_H]

I too, am happy that both versions will be included. I'm not getting into the "artist's intentions" debate again, as it seems to be a dead end where no one is happy. I will, however, link to a forum discussion on open matte vs. widescreen which I have found to be useful :http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/...d.php?t=245078

 

[DaViD Boulet]

Mark,

good points about artist's animation. While "composition" could still compell me to watch it in WS... if the artists were planning for 4x3 monitors as well, naturally, as you allude, they didn't paint anything by accident.



Having a DVD with both options is a great thing.

I can certainly say that my Charlotte's Web DVD in 16x9 WS is a TRAVESTY in that it cuts off the *heads* of many of the singing characters! That just can't be right...

dave

 

[Patrick McCart]

An unmatted transfer often ruins sections, though. The old laserdisc and VHS of Yellow Submarine is peppered with shots showing cel edges (with unfinished painting since it's supposed to be matted). The same problem applies to NIMH from what I've read. They end up having to hide it on newer transfers, which means they zoom in. Most animated films require careful framing since cels tended to be inked and painted only as far as the STMPE frame would be concerned - after all, why waste time on sections that will never be on a theater screen? Of course, a lot of films are made safe for either framing, but more doesn't exactly mean better for everything.

 

[Carlo_M]

Aha! I was wondering why if NIMH was true open-matte, why some shots on the old DVD seemed to be cramped or zoomed in.

Can't wait for the new DVD. If only we could get it in BD...

 

[Mark-P]

That's certainly a fair argument to opt for the widescreen version. Once this comes out, I'm sure there will be people who will do extensive comparisons to find out if some scenes have been zoomed on the fullframe version.

 

[Radioman970]

I'll stick with the full screen version on this just because of what Bluth said. But I'm wondering if the film has been cleaned up a bit and the transfer looks better in this version. That will be the factor that has me double dipping or not. I won't buy the same film over and over just because it happens to be my #1 fav animation film. *kidding of self successful*

 

[DaViD Boulet]

Radioman,

you might want to wait until you can compare the FS and WS with your own eyes before getting too convicted about sticking to the 1.33:1.

Are you considering just keeping the older R1 DVD? It's *horrible*... some of the worst compression artifacting I've seen, chroma noise, and horrible detail. Looks very "laserdiscy" to my eyes.

Even if you ultimately decide to enjoy the 1.33:1 version, I'm sure you'll be much better served with the new disc... unless they've DNRed the thing to death. I'll be sure to find out...

 

[Mark-P]

This was posted yesterday by Gary Goldman here on the Don Bluth website:

Reply: Philip, Thank you for writing. Yes, NIMH has had a new master created and I was there to supervise the color fixes. I don't know anything about "deleted scenes" being in the extras. I don't recall any deleted scenes in our first film. We were on a pretty tight schedule, in fact our schedule was even cut by 2 months (from 30 months down to 28 months, because the financiers and MGM/UA marketing wanted a fourth of July release. So everything we had done went on the screen. We usually try to edit at the storyboarding stage, before we spend money animating. The new color looks rich and saturated. The new master is HD and has been digitally cleaned of film negative scratches and dust, however, a standard TV definition print-master has been created from the new digital master for this particular re-release and it is supposed to have a full screen and a 1:1.85 letterboxed version to choose from, plus a Don & Gary commentary and a short, on-camera interview. I'm not aware of a 10 minute "making of" section or 5 set-top games. 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment is distributing for MGM/UA and this first release is called the "Fox Family Fun Edition". Hopefully, when they release the 16X9 HD Blu Ray version, it will be titled 25th Anniversary Edition and not necessarily be geared towards kids. We sure would like to see the packaging art stand out among all those other "family films".Regards. Gary
Reply Posted: 04/19/2007

The original poster asked "Are we better off watching the FullScreen 1.33:1 version instead of the Letterboxed 1.85:1 (matted) version ??" Which Mr. Goldman apparently decided not to address.

 

[Radioman970]

Okay, bought.

Yes, I was just thinking about keeping that old release. But if there's a better version I'll grab it as quickly as possible. Thanks Mark, Sounds like that's just what we're getting. I'll wait for a good review (and when money appears for this purpose) but if it's a good'un I'm there!

I almost always prefer the OAR, which is usually WS. But if it's something like a Kubrick where the director prefers something other than OAR then I'll go with that. Sounds like full frame is the correct viewing ratio on this one. But you're right, best to compare. And it'll be awesome to have both to choose from.

 

[captainjoe]

Well I have the old R1 disc and when this new disc comes out I'll post comparisons between the old R1 the new fullframe R1 and the new widescreen R1 over at BnB forum. I'll make a link once it's up.

 

[Radioman970]

That would be excellent.

I always thought the material deserved more respect. Even a sequel that was actually watchable by fans of the original.

 

[captainjoe]

It's good to know the creators are involved with the new colour corrections and telecine mastering.

 

[AndrewR]

Bluth recently said that the OAR for all his films (with the exception of Anastasia & Titan A.E.) are 4:3. Disney films included.

I'll try and find that link.

EDIT: From the other Secret of Nihm thread:

 

[DaViD Boulet]

if that's true then let's hope (though it won't happen) that the Blu-ray version would have both the 1.85 and a separate 1.33:1 1080p version.

 

[Stephen_J_H]

Why wouldn't it happen? One would hope that MGM is doing legacy 1080p transfers of both versions.

 

[RomanSohor]

maybe I'll have to go out and pick up a copy of An American Tale after all....