Pixar's 15th Anniversary 3-Pack: A Bug's Life / Toy Story / Toy Story 2: Anamorphic? (1 Viewer)

[Jeff_M]

Title just about says it all. I'm thinking about picking up this 3 pack but I'm wondering if all 3 titles are presented in anamorphic widescreen. I already have a non-anamorphic edition of Bugs life. I wonder how much better the anamorphic version will look!

 

[HenrikTull]

A Bug's Life is presented in non-anamorphic widescreen even on this release I'm afraid. :frowning:
My recommendation would be to buy the spectacular Collector's Edition and sell the old one.

 

[LukeB]

If you like the movies a lot, then The Ultimate Toy Box and Bug's Life CE are really the only way to go...

 

[Jeff_M]

What about the Toy Story/Toy Story 2 double pack? I'm not talking about the Ultimate Toy Box (I could care less about the extras). Is the double pack anamorphic?

 

[Rob Lutter]

indeed it is
(cmon... get the Toy Box... you know you want it It's one of the best DVD sets ever produced )

 

[Clint B]

I concur with RobLutter about The Ultimate Toy Box...it is fantastic! There are so many extra features on that disc that really delve into how the movie was made and really make you see what a technological achievement Pixar and Disney created. Also, there are features on both movies that are only available in the Ultimate Toy Box--they are not available in the "regular" versions of Toy Story and Toy Story 2.

 

[Steve_Tk]

How does Non anamorphic look on Widescreen RPTV's? Do you have to zoom in to make them fit the screen? does it not look as good? I was thinking about getting this set, it's around 35 bucks, the toy box is 55....

 

[Keith E]

Isn't the Bug's Life (Collector's Edition) out of print now?

I haven't seen it for awhile now, I purchased a copy last year at Best Buy, but haven't seen it since.

 

[Rob Lutter]

I think it may be. I picked it up at Costco about 2 months ago for $19.99... and I haven't seen it since. It is still active according to www.imageentertainment.com though... so it may just be between DVD pressings (or OOP). I saw it a couple of months ago at Best Buy for $27, but they are all out now.
Try Costco, they may still have some at the bottom of the pile

 

[MikeEckman]

The Collectors Edition of a Bugs Life is the only way to view this movie in anamorphic widescreen, and it does look excellent. Maybe 1 notch below Shrek in terms of quality, but I certainly would not want to watch a non-anamorphic version of this movie.

As for the supplements, ranking maybe second to the new Pearl Harbor set, I considered this to be one of the most well made special editions in my collection. The people at Pixar spent a lot of time going over every possible aspect of the making of the film. Everything from the original live action skit they filmed to try to get Disney's interest to making this film, to interviews with the voice talent, to storyboards, to the art department...its all covered here. And best of all, theres no fluff supplements.

Considering the price came down $10 about 6 months ago, there really is no excuse not to buy this film, unless you have no intention of watching it yourself and want it just for the kiddies.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

People keep thinking the Bug's Life CE is OOP. It's not. It's just that most retailers are not carrying $40 discs in large quantities

 

[Andy_MT]

Maybe 1 notch below Shrek in terms of quality

sorry, can't agree with this. Shrek had too many "ringing" and compression problems. dreamworks, please sort yourselves out, there's a love ...
why is anybody even considering the non16x9 version ??? that's crazy talk that is

 

[Scott Merryfield]

How does Non anamorphic look on Widescreen RPTV's? Do you have to zoom in to make them fit the screen? does it not look as good?

A non-anamorphic transfer will never look as good as a similar quality anamorphic transfer on a 16x9 TV, due to the loss of resolution. Your choices (without distorting or cropping the picture) for viewing non-anamorphic widescreen transfers on a 16x9 set are:

1. Watch the film with black/gray bars on all four sides of the frame. Since many 16x9 TV's use gray side bars, you may end up with gray bars on the side and black bars on top/bottom. You also be watching a smaller picture than your TV is capable of producing.

2. Use the zoom mode on your TV to eliminate the gray/black side bars. Depending on the aspect ratio of the film, you may still have smaller top/bottom black bars. You will lose resolution when you zoom the picture, but will get a larger image with no cropped picture.

3. Use a DVD player with a built-in zoom/scaling feature, such as the Panasonic RP-91. While the picture quality is not as good as a true anamorphic transfer, it is much better than the zoom mode on most 16x9 TV's. Quality non-anamorphic transfers such as The Abyss and Planet Of The Apes can almost pass as anamorphic.

4. Use an external scaler to accomplish the same thing as in #3.

Now, back on topic. I have owned both the non-anamorphic and anamorphic collector's edition of A Bug's Life. There is no comparision -- the CE's anamorphic transfer is superior to the non-anamorphic version.

 

[Richard Travale]

It's just that most retailers are not carrying $40 discs in large quantities

That's how much it is in the states? Damn, I should pick this up since that's how much it is here in Canada at The Futureshp($40CAD).