6.9 | / 10 |
Users | 2.7 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.7 |
A street-smart dog returns from the dead to seek revenge on his killer, but soon finds a new purpose in life when he meets an orphan girl who can talk to animals.
Starring: Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise, Daryl Gilley, Candy Devine, Charles Nelson ReillyFamily | 100% |
Animation | 82% |
Musical | 38% |
Fantasy | 33% |
Adventure | 27% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0
French (Canada): Dolby Digital 2.0
English SDH, French
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 2.5 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Don Bluth adamantly believed "children can handle just about anything, so long as you attach a happy ending"; a sentiment that set him apart from his contemporaries, chief among them the animated filmmakers at Walt Disney. It's a sentiment that continues to set his films apart, even some twenty to thirty years after they first implanted themselves in our impressionable little minds. His most beloved classics -- The Secret of NIMH, An American Tail and the original Land Before Time -- remain darkly dreaming treasures that continue to challenge children as readily as each film warms their hearts. Sadly, All Dogs Go to Heaven doesn't resonate nearly as much as Bluth's best. A lesser dose of nostalgia, it has its bleak delights and winning characters, I'll admit. But somewhere between T.J. Kuenster and Charlie Strouse's uninspired musical numbers, its overt boundary-pushing, and a somewhat scattershot script, it isn't as remarkable or monumental a film as its now fully grown fans might remember.
Heaven has never looked so... dull.
MGM's 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer is a scruffy old mutt on its last legs. Bluth's ragtime N'Orleans palette, though far from dull, is dusty, ragged and worn. Contrast is dim, black levels are sickly, primaries are often muzzled, and the whole of the picture is fairly flat and lifeless. Worse, dirt, small scratches, white specks and print blemishes are prevalent, grain is intact but inconsistent, and telecine wobble jostles the image on occasion. If the film has undergone any recent remastering work, it was very, very minimal. Needless to say, no one will mistake this for a Disney presentation. That's not to suggest MGM's Blu-ray release isn't worth some consideration. As is the case with the BD release of The Secret of NIMH, dogged DVD owners will notice a number of marginal improvements: the image is crisper and more colorful than it's ever been before, the lineart itself is slightly sharper and a bit more refined, and the encode is quite proficient (grit and grime may interfere, but artifacting, aliasing and other unsightly technical distractions are held at bay). Ultimately though, those who count All Dogs Go to Heaven among their childhood favorites will be reasonably and rightfully disappointed with the results, even if this is the best the film has ever looked.
Heaven's decent DTS-HD Master Audio stereo mix is the highlight of MGM's release, but that isn't saying much. Dialogue is often thin and tinny, voices and effects don't always seem to rest on the same aural plane, and prioritization isn't as impeccable as it could be. Still, nearly every line is clear and intelligible, every backstreet crash and hellspawn roar is nicely represented, and Ralph Burns' swingin' music has all but been resurrected from the dead. As a two-channel mix, there's no LFE output, rear speaker activity, or soundfield to speak of, but as faithful stereo tracks go, it does a fine job handling what little comes its way.
The only extra the Blu-ray edition of All Dogs Go to Heaven includes is a theatrical trailer.
All Dogs Go to Heaven isn't Bluth's finest hour, nor is its Blu-ray release MGM's saving grace. Both the film and its high definition debut are afflicted with fatal flaws, and each one suffers accordingly. Its video transfer is cursed with dingy colors, diluted detail and a dusty old print, its DTS-HD Master Audio stereo mix isn't anything to write home about, and its barebones supplemental package is a missed opportunity. The Blu-ray edition may best its DVD counterpart, but any upgrade the disc affords fans will be overshadowed by its shrug-inducing AV presentation and squandered potential.
1996
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1992
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50th Anniversary Edition | DVD Packaging
1963
1981
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2009
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1996
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1953
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2006
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1940
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Peter Pan 2 | Special Edition
2002
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1950
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1994
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1951
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