 "MUST OWN" | 2009-10-06 |
| - Reviewed By User: A218DE0ANBL67Z |
| The only thing i have to say about this amazing Pixar flick is go and buy it now!!!!!!!!!! You wont be displeased i guarantee it |
| |
 "+Digital Copy DOES NOT = DVD COPY!!!" | 2009-10-02 |
| - Reviewed By User: A16HY8LH6UEUAE |
| While the BluRay disc is excellent, I had initially purchased this version so that I would have one for the house and a regular DVD for use in the Mini-Van. However, the +Digital copy is not a DVD you can play in your car, it's a copy you can install with a code to your Windows or Apple computer. So much for not having to buy one BluRay and one regular DVD for use in the car. Just don't get fooled. If you want a copy for your computer, this is great, but not what I was expecting. |
| |
 "wish I had a movie to review" | 2009-09-10 |
| - Reviewed By User: APHOCX165OPZ6 |
| I've seen the movie before, so I know it's a good one, but I never received my order and ended up having to get Amazon to refund my money. It's not the first time this has happened, either. There are a lot of dishonest sellers out there. |
| |
| "A visual treat" | 2009-09-01 |
| - Reviewed By User: A17SUSWN64RA8J |
| Make no mistake about it, this is one of the best animated films you are ever going to see. Disney/Pixar like to boast that 'not a pixel is out of place' with their blu-ray transfers and that is so true about this blu-ray. It is simply brilliant. There are absolutely no faults in the transfer. Pixar may have done better with their animation in later CGI classics, but a Bug's Life is still a remarkable feat of the imagination. It appeals equally well to both kids and adults. There's plenty of humor too. This is one of those discs that you should own if you have a blu-ray player. I have seen the DVD of this movie, which was very good, but the blu-ray simply blows it out of the water. Highly recommended. |
| |
| "Even better on Blu-Ray now since I'm older." | 2009-08-23 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2A8O0GE6CAQZL |
"A Bug's Life" tells the story of ant colony trying to make food for the greedy grasshoppers. Flik, unfortunately, lazy as hell destroys the food pile which gets the grasshopper leader, Hopper, very, very angry. Hopper plans on arriving to Ant Island (which is the name of the colony) after summer vacation. Yet again, the Queen needs to train Princess Atta to become Queen soon. On Flik's side there is Princess Atta's sister, Dot, who admires Flik. Dot believes in everything Flik says. Flik has the idea that maybe the island needed bigger bugs which turned out to be circus bugs.
I have been a fan of Pixar films for a very long time. Ever since the release of "Toy Story" in 1995, Pixar has been the only seminal animation studio to produce the greatest of all animated movies. In fact, Pixar is the only animation house to date that can make good animated movies. All Pixar movies are good in their own way rather than good and bad and there are some that are better than others. For me, my least favorite is this one and my two favorites are "Finding Nemo" and "WALL-E." Even the worst ones like this, "The Incredibles" and "Cars" are even the greatest of all animated films.
Now, the only thing Disney that I tried to appreciate 10 years ago was "Toy Story." I was really into the modern classics of animation. When I first heard of "A Bug's Life," I thought that movie was just geared towards people who aren't in to "Toy Story," but when I saw it, I initially didn't care for it as much as I cared for "Nemo." But since I'm getting older I'm getting use to each Pixar film to each his own.
I wouldn't necessarily call "A Bug's Life" a phenomenon but a good movie nonetheless. And the experience of this film got even better on Blu-Ray.
The Blu-Ray features everything that the DVD featured when it was released in 2003. What I notice was something different was that there was a Disney Silly Symphony "The Grasshopper and the Ant" which tells the story of a musical grasshopper that befriends an ant. The ants hibernate during winter and the grasshopper is lonely and needs to find a home. It's a very interesting story and it was very touching for an early Disney cartoon. Other than that, the sneak peeks are okay with a pointless "Monsters, Inc." Blu-Ray which was also suppose to be released on the date of this Blu-Ray (but later got postponed to Nov. 10th in time for "Up").
Bottom line is that the Blu-Ray release of "A Bug's Life" made it in time for the new Disney/Pixar movie "Up," and now I can't wait till "Up" comes on Blu-Ray with "Monsters, Inc." and a re-release of "Cars." Pixar fans should like it. |
| |
| "Fun for the whole family." | 2009-07-31 |
| - Reviewed By bmaniii |
To start off I'm going to tell you that so far I have liked all the pixar movies I've seen so far.
Also this is going to be a review of the blu-ray version of A Bug's Life and not the movie itself.
With that said let's get to why you want to get it on blu-ray.
Video 5 out of 5.
The video quality of this release is in full 1080p using the AVC MPEG-4 codec on a BD-50 in the 2.35:1 aspect ratio. I never imagined that an early Pixar film could come close to the same video quality on their more recent titles to hit blu-ray, but it does just that.
An obvious field of depth is consistent basically through out the entire feature, with amazing perspectives from exactly the film's title; a bugs life. In the development of the film, animators and production members where so serious about creating an environment as seen by an insect, they actually used a small camera they could maneuver under on the ground under blades of grass, clovers and such, to see just what needed to be created to make the most realistic visual atmosphere for the story.
This technique is conveyed superbly with the CG animation, with perfect transparencies of angles looking up through the foliage, and realistic detail of the scenery. The mostly outdoors daylight scenes make for bright colors coming across even more vibrant than they are in nature, and have excellent shading thanks to a very solid black level. The CG created lighting adds yet another level of realism to the visual detail of this film, with perfect shadows, especially those of the light that cascade through the foliage onto the scene at hand.
Close-up shots reveal a huge amount of detail which are sure to leave you sitting there with your jaw to the floor, regardless of age. Also I'm happy to report that there are no signs of any compression, artifacts or any problems what-so-ever for that matter. This Hi-Def transfer seems 100% pure "Computer Generated Eye Candy" and "Reference Material" when you want to show off blu ray.
Audio Quality on this release is presented in DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio. This sounds amazing in 5.1. The amount of rear channel and bass presence found here is astounding. Some great examples of rear channel use include the cheers and rambles of the crowds of ants, filling the soundscape thoroughly, the score, and many of the sound effects, that are of created from scratch for animated features. In part of the amazing bass presence, nearly every scene involving the grasshoppers, especially when they take flight, is filled with the intense vibrations of the subwoofer, making for an even more ominous presence of these bad guys.
Bass is sometimes used as a sound effect in other scenes as well, such as the rainstorm in the final quarter of the film, that has a sort of realistic intensity, just as it would sound similarly huge and overwhelming to an insect. Dialogue is delivered perfect throughout, sometimes making use of multiple channels in scenes crowded with the extra characters, such as the ant colony or the bug bar, and the original music (Score) done by Randy Newman sounds wonderful in the surround soundscape of DTS-HD MA.
Special features 4.5 out of 5
Bonus Materials are a combination of the original DVD ports and some new exclusive material to the Blu-ray Disc release. These are presented in a variety of both High Definition (HD) and Standard Definition (SD) video using Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo sound.
*BD-Live is included on this Disney Blu-ray Disc release which allows users on a "Profile 2.0" capable Blu-ray Disc Player and internet connection to access online content and interact with friends and family. Features include: Movie Chat, Movie Mail, Movie Challenge, Movie Rewards and Avatars.
*Digital Copy is included of the film which is compatible with both iTunes and Windows Media, MAC & PC.
*Introduction by Director John Lasseter (HD) is exclusive to this 10th Anniversary Edition of "A Bug's Life" on Blu-ray Disc.
*Audio Commentary with Director John Lasseter is included, taken from the previous DVD release.
*"Filmmakers Round Table" ( HD) is a new exclusive featurette featuring the filmmakers discussing the film. The folks at the table include John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Darla Anderson and Kevin Rehar. This proves to be a definite Must-Watch for anyone who is a fan of Pixar or just the film itself.
*"A Bug's Life: The First Draft" includes an optional "Story Treatment Intro by John Lasseter" (HD)
*"Geri's Game" (HD) is an Academy Award-winning short film by the folks at Pixar. This features Dolby Digital 5.1 sound.
*"A Walt Disney Silly Symphony Cartoon" called "Grasshopper and the Ants" (HD) from 1934. Disney fans will absolutely love this little treat which includes an introduction from Director's John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton discussing the cartoon.
"The Original DVD Bonus Materials" are also included, listed below.
*"Pre-Production" is split up into the following sections:
"Fleabie Reel" (SD) with optional intro.
"Story and Editorial" (SD) with optional intro.
"Storyboard-to-Film Comparison" (SD) with optional intro.
"Abandoned Sequences" (SD) with optional intro.
"Research Documentary" (SD) with optional intro.
*"Design" includes an optional Intro by John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton (SD). This feature is comprised of a still gallery of images from the original design of the film itself.
*"Production" is split up into the following sections:
"Behind the Scenes of A Bug's Life - Production Feature Documentary" (SD)
"Voice Casting" (SD)
"Early Tests" (SD)
"Progression Demonstrations" with optional intros are included. They are made up of "Storyreel" (SD), "Layout" (SD), "Animation" (SD) and "Shaders and Lighting" (SD).
*"Sound Design" (SD) is a featurette with the sound designer and future Pixar Director Gary Rydstrom discussing his work on the film.
*"Release" is split up into the following sections:
"Posters / Ad Campaigns" which is a still gallery.
"Trailer #1" (1:02 - SD)
"Trailer #2" (2:35 - SD)
"Character Interviews" with optional intro (2:00 - SD)
*"Outtakes" is split up into the following sections:
"The Story Behind the Outtakes" ( SD)
"Original Outtakes" (SD)
"Alternate Outtakes" (SD)
Overall, the bonus materials we get here are pretty impressive. Given we have the Blu-ray Disc exclusives like the new "roundtable" retrospective chat, the "Silly Symphony" cartoon in Hi-Def for the first time, a Digital Copy of the film and all of the original DVD bonus materials ported over. The only thing obviously missing here is a DVD of the film.
A Bug's Life tends to get ignored in Pixar discussions. Which is a shame since the film features an ambitious plot, colorful characters, and breathtaking animation. That same animation is reproduced stunningly on this Blu-ray Disc along with a near perfect soundtrack.
The two additions to this set are well-made and add quite a bit of value even with the all the other features collected here. For anyone who's never owned a copy of the feature, this Blu-ray is the way to go.
Those who own either version of the DVD Collector's Edition might want to hold onto those for completeness' sake, but are encouraged to pick this new edition up for the leap in quality and new supplements. |
| |
Expedited Available
