I'm Gonna WRECK IT!...The Review

Ok, so the term "completely and totally unequivocally awesome" may be over used these days (yeah, ok, I made that up), but it DOES apply to Disney's Wreck-It Ralph. When we first saw some unfinished footage of this film during the D23 Expo in 2011, we KNEW this would be one of those rare movies we would brave the theater crowds for...and we were not disappointed. Well, now The Walt Disney Studios has given us one of the greatest gifts of all: Wreck-It Ralph on DVD and Blu-Ray so we can enjoy it as often as we like, in the comfort of our OWN HOME (excuse me for a moment...I need to weep a bit). 

Weekly Meeting of Bad Anon

On February 5, 2013, Wreck-It Ralph was released on HD Digital Download. The early digital release marks a first for the Disney company. Then, on March 5, 2013, the HD Digital 3D formats will be released. 

Winner of five Annie Awards including Best Animated Feature, the Producers Guild Award, a Critics Choice Film Awards and National Board of Review for Best Animated Film, Wreck-It Ralph, as you may have guessed, brings to life the world of video games, where, after the arcade closes for the day, "Game Central Station" comes alive with characters from our favorite video games, including cameos from Sonic The Hedgehog, Q-Bert and more. 

Ralph (voiced by John C. Reilly) is the villain in 30 year old (but still fairly popular) arcade game called Fix It Felix. It's Ralph's job to wreck the apartment building the good citizens all live in, and of course, it's up to Felix (voiced by Jack McBrayer) to repair all Ralph's damage with his magic hammer. For 30 long years, Ralph has lived in Felix's shadow. Every night after the arcade closes, the good citizens celebrate Felix's heroism, while poor Ralph is banished to his rubble-pile home. Then, for the 30th anniversary of Fix It Felix, Ralph sees that the citizens have thrown a huge party for Felix, complete with CAKE, but have neglected to include Ralph - without whom there would be NO game. As Ralph attempts to crash the party, he's informed that he's the bad guy and will be nothing more. Of course, this does not sit well with our hero...err, I mean villain. 

Ralph In Action..HUGE hands!

So, Ralph decides he's tired of playing the role of bad-guy and takes matters into his own hands and sets out to prove everyone wrong, and he embarks on an action-packed adventure to prove to everyone that he is a true hero with a BIG heart! As he explores some exciting new worlds, he teams up with some unlikely new friends, including a feisty "glitch" of a program by the name of Vanellope von Schweetz (voiced by Sarah Silverman). And that's where things get interesting! Now, I'd go into deeper detail, but then, why would you have to see it for yourselves??? Besides...no spoilers here!

Ralph and Vanellope

Wreck It Ralph is without doubt one of the best movies we've seen in a long time. The animation is fantastic and seeing it on Blu-Ray is as beautiful as seeing it in digital 3D. As is usual, Disney paid so much attention to detail in this film that you almost forget it's animation - until Ralph knocks down a building! This film appeals to all ages really, and it's truly appropriate for everyone. The story is terrific, but beyond that, there is a touching and heartwarming message. It's about friendship, being true to yourself, to who and what you really are, and about sacrifice. 

Best Friends Come In All Sizes

Wreck It Ralph offers a great escape from the real world, if only for a short time (something Disney is absolutely perfect at giving us). Yet it also serves up some valuable lessons, not just for the young ones but for adults as well. Without realizing we've just been schooled, Disney has created a great portal to teach everyone the value of others, to look past what we see, and see others as they are deep down. And when a movie can make me feel good about learning something, AND entertain me...well, full endorsement from me!  And you thought it was just another cute cartoon!  

Director Rich Moore

Now, there are some pretty cool features that are exclusive to the Blu-Ray editions, and trust me, they ARE cool. When you pause the movie, instead of the boring old pause menu, you see a count-down to intermission pop up. Then, a new feature called "Disney Intermission: The Gamer's Guide To Wreck-It Ralph" begins! Hosted by Chris Hardwick (of Walking Dead/Talking Dead fame) this pause feature takes viewers through a series of 10 video segments offering an inside look at the many video game references, Disney references and other hidden surprises featured in the film! Now, I'm not going to spoil all of them, but for example, on the Fix-It Felix game, notice the high score of 120501. There's a very important significance to those numbers...think you can figure it out? And, there are at LEAST two hidden Mickey's in the film (but I'm not saying where!), and finally, director Rich Moore has a sort of...cameo in the film. See if you can spot him! Oh, and be sure to watch until the VERY end of the movie, you'll notice some pixelated code that some of you out there may be able to decipher! 

Disney's Wreck-It Ralph will be available on Tuesday March 5, 2013 on the following formats:

• 4-Disc Blu-Ray Combo Pack
• (Blu-Ray 3D + Blu-Ray + DVD + Digital Copy)
• MSRP $49.99 in the US and $56.99 in Canada
• 2-Disc Blu-Ray Combo Pack
• (Blu-Ray+DVD)
• MSRP $39.99 in the US and $46.99 in Canada
• DVD
• MRSP $29.99 in the US and $35.99 in Canada

All the Blu-Ray versions come with the following Features:

• Bit by Bit: Creating the worlds of "Wreck-It Ralph"
• The short takes viewers into Game Central Station with the artists who brought Sugar Rush, Hero's Duty and Fix It Felix, Jr to life
• Alternate & Deleted Scenes
• Video Game Commercials 
• Viewers can check out the commercials created for the video games featured in the film!
• "Paperman" 
• This Academy Award Winning short showcases first time director John Kahrs' minimalist black and white style with his story about a lonely young man in mid-century New York City, who relies on his heart, imagination, a stack of papers and a little luck, to change his destiny and win the girl of his dreams!

The DVD version has the feature "Paperman". 

You can buy Disney's Wreck-It Ralph just about anywhere, or, you can help out Tales From The Mouse House and purchase it from our Tales Amazon Store (just click the link)

Bottom line is, there are many, many films out there that are entertaining, moral, teaches a decent lesson, and visually beautiful, but there are very few that have all of these qualities. Disney's Wreck-It Ralph definitely has all of them! A must have for any movie fan! 

Frankenweenie...The Tales Review

Disney's Frankenweenie

You know the story old story, the one that goes like this: Boy loves his dog. Dog loves his boy. Boy plays fetch with dog, dog gets run over by a car. Boy is sad. boy brings dog back from the dead. Ok, so maybe it's not your TYPICAL "boy and his dog" story, but Disney's Frankenweenie is without a doubt a testimony to love and devotion, and how it's possible to look past one's oddities and see the real person inside.

For those of you who haven't seen Tim Burton's latest masterpiece, we'll try not to spoil too much here. 

In 1984, 25 year old Tim Burton co-wrote and directed a live action short film called Frankenweenie. Produced and distributed by Buena Vista Distribution (a Disney Company), Frankenweenie was both a parody and homage to the classic 1931 film Frankenstein (which of course was based on the story of the same name by Mary Shelley). Burton's version of the classic Frankenstein story introduced a young boy named Victor Frankenstein, who loses is beloved friend and dog Sparky in an automobile accident. A very distraught Victor learns, through is school science class, all about electrical impulses in muscles, and formulates a plan to use said electricity to bring his best friend back to life. As you can well imagine, the newly resurrected Sparky causes quite the commotion and mayhem in the neighborhood, resulting in a very dramatic and climatic ending. Burton's original live action Frankenweenie, shot in black and white for effect, ran for only 30 minutes. 

Flash forward 28 years. Tim Burton has enjoyed a wonderfully creative career with movies like Edward Scissor-Hands, Beetlejuice, Alice In Wonderland, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and stop motion animation films such as The Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride. Mr. Burton has all but pioneered the art of stop motion animation films, and continually creates vivid and oddly heartwarming stories, through his signature style: dark, sometimes ghoulish visuals, macabre humor combined with a sort of twisted morality that can at times be difficult to define. However, in October, 2012, Tim Burton released a large budget remake of his 1984 Mary Shelley homage Frankenweenie that proves that not only is Tim Burton the absolute master of stop motion, but that he can deliver a touching, heartwarming film with veritable ease.

Tim Burton and Sparky

In this latest telling of Frankenweenie, Burton tells us pretty much the same story he did in 1984, however the characters are more developed and he's added several players to the telling. In this stop motion masterpiece (yeah, I said masterpiece) Burton has made young Victor more of an outsider - not really fitting in with his classmates (although his classmates are a little...odd as well), and more of a science wunderkind. As in the original, Victor's best friend is his beloved dog Sparky. They do everything together, including making their own homemade monster movie. And of course, keeping to the original, Sparky meets his demise fairly early on leading Victor on the same crusade as his real-life predecessor. As the story unfolds, Burton adds "life" to the film by creating a pretty impressive sub-plot involving his classmates, electricity and some deceased pets. I won't get into these to preserve at least SOME spoiler-free moments for those who have yet to see the movie. 

Victor Frankenstein and Sparky

We truly enjoyed Frankenweenie, it epitomizes Tim Burton at his very best. Every aspect of the movie is outstanding - from the lighting to the smoothness of the stop motion. In fact, there are times in the film that I found myself forgetting this was animation! The black and white medium Burton chose was perfection to say the least. Perhaps this style helps with the actual "feel" of the film, it sets the mood if you will as well as screams homage to monster movies of the good old days. The voice talent in Frankenweenie is nothing less than what we've come to expect from Tim Burton. Catherine O'Hara, Martin Short, Winona Ryder, the great Martin Landau and Charlie Tahan (Charlie St. Cloud) bring amazing life to the characters they play. The suburban neighborhood Burton puts the Frankensteins in is no less a visual feast than the neighborhood Edward Scissorhands resided in. Bringing everything together is yet another terrific score by legendary composer Danny Elfman, who's collaborations with Burton are as impressive as Burton's movies. 

Puppets From The Traveling Exhibit

Although touted as a "family film", there are some themes and scenes that may be a little disturbing to the younglings, so be cognizant of that fact. Also, the pure fact that it is in black and white may put off some younger viewers, but I promise, what Frankenweenie lacks in Technicolor it more than makes up for in story. 

Frankenweenie is definitely a must have for all Tim Burton fans, as well as for anyone who loves a good, heartwarming story with a lot of humor, action and many unexpected twists.  Frankenweenie is available now on DVD (SRP $29.99), 2-Disc Blu-Ray Combo Pack (SRP $39.99) and:

Disney BluRay3D+BluRay+DVD+Digital Copy 

        4-Disc Blu-Ray Combo Pack (Blu-Ray, 3D Blu-Ray, DVD   
        and Digital Copy-SRP $49.99) includes:

• All New Original Short: "Captain Sparky vs The Flying Saucers" - an exciting all new short featuring Victor and Sparky's home movie
• "Miniatures In Motion: Bringing Frankenweenie To Life
• "Frankenweenie" Touring Exhibit - Allows audiences to explore the artistry of the film's puppets, sets and props in a showcase that's traveling the world
• The original 1984 live-action Frankenweenie short
• Music Video - "Pet Sematary" by the Plain White T's

Frankenweenie can be purchased everywhere DVD and Blu-Rays are sold, or from our Amazon Affiliate Store at Tales From The Mouse House Amazon Store. This way, you'll get a GREAT movie and you'll be helping the Tales cause!! Enjoy and remember...electricity is our friend! ~~ Al & Joyce

        

Click Here For Some Frankenweenie Fun With Science

Finding Nemo...in High Definition!

Available Now!

Jelly dude!!! Ok, so hopefully by now, at least MOST of you out there have seen the  incredibly entertaining 2003 Disney/Pixar film Finding Nemo. If not...well, here's a waring: THERE BE SPOILERS AHEAD ME MATEY'S!

In 2003, Walt Disney Pictures released the fifth film produced by Pixar Animation Studios called Finding Nemo. This heartwarming adventure film told the story of an over protective clown fish (let's face it...we ALL know clown fish...they CAN be quite over protective, right?) named Marlin. Now, Marlin goes a bit overboard (pun intended) with the way he's raising his son, Nemo, but in his defense, Marlin IS a single parent. See, Nemo's mom was - gulp - killed off at the beginning of the movie! So, like most rebellious kids, Nemo decides to put his fin down and teach his dad that he's too grown up to be treated like a guppy! But of course, while attempting to show is independence, Nemo is "captured" by a diver and brought to live in a dentists (P. Sherman, Sydney) aquarium, with the "Tank Gang", a motley crew of assorted sea life, led by the crafty and overly ambitious Moorish Idol (yep, a type of butterfly fish!) named Gill. Once Marlin discovers Nemo is missing, well, the fun begins! Marlin sets out, without regard to his own safety, to find his beloved son, and, with the help of a good hearted, optimistic Regal Blu Tang (uh-huh, another type of fish!) named Dory (who by the way suffers from short-term 

Dory and Marlin 

memory loss), Marlin encounters adventure after adventure, in his quest. 

In true Disney fashion, Finding Nemo is a highly entertaining film, that does appeal to kids of all ages. The story, while not completely original (the theme has been done before), is presented in a way that is incredibly beautiful and immersive. Although an animated film, I found myself actually forgetting the characters weren't real! Yes, there is a message in this film, as in just about all Disney films, but it's not preachy. In the end, the moral of the story is pretty complex and applies to both parents and children: for parents, the moral is to listen to your kids, understand that there will come a time when they need some independence and yes, they MUST learn from their mistakes, good or bad. And for kids, listen to your parents for although you may doubt it, they do know what they're doing (at times), and be patient with them. Remember, for the most part this is all new to THEM as well! 

Finding Nemo with High Definition!

On December 4, 2012, Disney/Pixar released Finding Nemo on Blu-Ray and 3D Blu-Ray for the first time. Yeah I know...you’ve seen it on VHS, you’ve seen it on DVD so what’s the big deal? Well, let me tell you! Finding Nemo was awesome on DVD - very fluid (yep, that was a pun). But as visually appealing as it was on DVD, Blu-Ray transforms Finding Nemo into an incredibly stunning high definition feast for the eyes! What could possibly be better than that? Well, SOOOO glad you asked! Finding Nemo in Blu-Ray 3D! WHOA!! Now, we do own a Sony 3D Blu-Ray player, but unfortunately we don’t own a 3D capable television, which you do need to enjoy this awesome film in all it’s 3D sensory glory, but from what we’ve heard from friends who have seen it in 3D...well, let’s just say that when Bruce the shark come up to Marlin and Dory...yeah...so real they had to mop up the water on the floor! 

3D....YIKES!

Finding Nemo is awesome on Blu-Ray. This hi-def format and enhanced audio creates an incredible experience that, in our opinion, was even better than seeing it on the big-screen. So much more depth to the film, highlighting much more detail than ever before, enabling you to truly appreciate the unbelievable skill the Disney/Pixar animators bring to the table. 

Not only does this release mark the debut of Finding Nemo in high definition, but it also includes some pretty gnarly bonus content, such as 3D and 2D virtual aquariums, CineExplore© (an awesome option that allows you to expand on the viewing experience with pop-up behind the scenes photos, production art, etc), A Filmmakers’ Roundtable and much more! Finding Nemo Blu-Ray is available as  5-Disc Ultimate Collector’s Edition (2 Disc Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray 3D, DVD and Digital Copy) for $49.99 SRP,  3-Disc Collector’s Edition and Blu-Ray for $39.99 SRP, Blu-Ray 3D for $25.00 SRP and Blu-Ray for $19.50 SRP. Of course, you can always visit the Tales From The Mouse House Amazon Store to purchase your very own copy! 

Blu-Ray So Totally ROCKS Dude!

Finding Nemo has always been one of our favorite Disney/Pixar films. The story, the visual beauty, everything, just adds up to one terrific way to spend 102 minutes! But add the extreme make-over of Blu-Ray or Blu-Ray 3D...well, as my good friend Crush would say....It So Totally Rocks!