Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

Angry Birds Toons: Season One - Volume Two Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman April 16, 2014

Today's video game market isn't what it once was. In the good old days of cartridges, AA battery-powered handhelds, and wired controllers (scratch that last one; wireless controllers are the bomb), a quality game combined simplistic charm with addictive gameplay but not at the expense of depth and satisfaction of experience. Old classics like Super Mario World, The Legend of Zelda, and Final Fantasy demonstrated what gaming could be and in many ways these titles -- and others like them -- have influenced the direction the industry has gone, not only by spawning nearly countless new iterations of themselves but in the development of beautifully realized HD worlds in which sprawling, detailed actions takes place. Of course, some sectors of the game industry seem content to merely churn out one sequel after another, banking on a lucrative name and familiar mechanics to sell product (Call of Duty). Other companies superficially do the same but continue to perfectly blend together familiarity and innovation to create a truly addicting and satisfying experience that's more about fun and less about kill counts (Super Mario 3D World). But with all of these complex worlds overflowing with terrorists and Goombas, some game designers have taken the opposite approach, creating small, repetitive games that require only one or two basic actions and that can be digested on-the-go, in short spurts of play, all the while offering a captivating, satisfying gaming experience. Enter Angry Birds, the face of the anti-console (yet, due to market demand, also available on all major home and portable consoles...see, they really aren't dead yet) gaming experience, the poster child for the low-cost mobile gaming revolution, and one of the biggest things the industry has seen since Mario grew twice his size after ingesting a mushroom and Liberty City suffered its first killing spree.

Angry Birds is heating up!

The game's simplicity carries over to its episodic cartoon series. Though the Angry Birds franchise has exploded into nearly unparalleled heights -- particularly for a game without a name like Nintendo or Microsoft behind it -- and expanded into a number of non-game-related areas, it feels like it's mostly remained true to its roots, roots which take on further definition in the support cartoons. Like the game, the cartoons are easily digestible, each clocking in at exactly 2:47, about the same amount of time necessary to fling a few birds across the iPhone screen. Cheery and colorful, they're fun little companions that don't demand too much attention but that do find a good bit of story variety, setting, and mischief for such a brief experience. The fully wordless cartoons are completely reliant on visual storytelling and character and environment familiarity to entertain audiences, and the absence of dialogue allows for a greater creative flair to dictate pace rather than rely on the spoken word to set the stage. It's a smart choice for a franchise that prides itself on nuts-and-bolts mechanics accompanied by colorful characters and backdrops. The result is a fun, accessible cartoon for all ages and, certainly, all Angry Birds fans.

The potential problem, however, lies not so much with the content but instead how it's packaged and presented, at least on Blu-ray. While it's true of almost all content that the decision to purchase a Blu-ray rather than consume the entertainment (for free) on the Internet lies in the improved presentation and, for some, collectibility, Angry Birds presents a slightly different challenge considering the brevity of content and the wide availability of it on places like YouTube where one can watch in quality that's not drastically worse than home video. Even considering the product on a good sale, any price may seem steep to casual audiences on a home entertainment budget where that money might more be more efficiently spent elsewhere, particularly considering that watching, say, the latest Hobbit movie isn't quite so easy as punching its name into youTube or searching the Internet, at least not for the up-and-up law-abiding casual. Certainly, the Blu-ray represents the best possible method of catching Angry Birds all in one place with the best picture and sound (and a few bonuses) but, again, it may not be the most economical choice in a rather large sea of high definition entertainment possibilities.

The following episodes are included in Angry Birds Toons: Season One - Volume Two:

• Green Pig Soup
• Catch of the Day
• Nighty Night Terence
• Piggy Wig
• Pig Plot Potion
• Tooth Royal
• Night of the Living Pork
• King of the Castle
• Love Is in the Air
• Fired Up
• Clash of Corns
• A Pig's Best Friend
• Slumber Mill
• Jingle Yells
• El Porkador!
• Hiccups
• The Butterfly Effect
• Hambo
• Bird Flu
• Piggies from the Deep
• Oh Gnome!
• Shrub it In
• The Truce
• Operaton Opera
• Chucked Out
• Bomb's Awake

Angry Birds Toons: Season One - Volume Two Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Angry Birds Toons: Season One - Volume Two features a colorful and nicely defined 1080p transfer presented in a basic 1.78:1 HD frame. The series is abundantly colorful, from green pigs to red birds, from blue skies to a multicolored smorgasbord. The palette is bright and cheery, never failing to practically pop off the screen, particularly under brighter conditions. The 1080p resolution allows for a very crisp, well-defined presentation. The animation isn't too terribly complex, but aside from a few stray instances of ringing and jagged lines, it's very accurate and appealing. Audiences demanding the finest picture quality available will want to splurge on Sony's Blu-ray.

Angry Birds Toons: Season One - Volume Two Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Angry Birds Toons: Season One - Volume Two's Dolby Digital 2.0 lossy soundtrack is surprisingly effective considering its meager specs. Music plays with rather strong clarity throughout the entire range, finding crisp highs, a well defined midrange, and a decent low end, whether stringy cartoony score or more Pop/Rock inspired or regional beats (such as a few notes of Hawaiian music in episode two). It's nicely spaced across the front, too, playing with a wide, organic, enveloping feel. Various sound effects -- giggling and screaming creatures and random guttural sounds -- are accurately presented. A collection of random atmospheric effects are also nicely integrated and presented.

Angry Birds Toons: Season One - Volume Two Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Angry Birds Toons: Season One - Volume Two contains several extras.

• Easter Egg Hunt (HD, 0:41): An Angry Birds short.
• Meet the Characters (HD): Animated clips featuring Bomb Bird (0:38), Terence (0:45), Chef Pig (0:47), and Corporal Pig (0:43).
• Behind the Scenes (HD): A four-part supplement for the tech crowd that features Angry Birds Toons creators discussing Character Design (2:46), Producing, Directing and Coordinating (2:46), Compositing, Tools and Color Grading (2:47), and Sound Design, Voice Acting and Music (2:47).
• Previews: Additional Sony titles.

Angry Birds Toons: Season One - Volume Two Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Angry Birds didn't revolutionize gaming, but it did, arguably, revolutionize the mobile sector where low consumer cost and simple gameplay mechanics have overtaken the days of the portable console. The animated series, while not revolutionary, represents a solid companion to the gaming phenomenon, serving up all the series' favorite characters in rather simple and quickly digestible bits of motion entertainment. It is the perfect sidekick, an animated reflection of what the game series is all about. Yet audiences will have to decide if their entertainment dollar is best spent here or elsewhere, considering that all of these episodes are easy to find on the Internet, and for free, and without jumping through hoops or resorting to illegal activity. For those who want these episodes in pristine condition, however, Sony's Blu-ray release sports quality video and audio. A few bonuses are included. Recommended for the die-hard Angry Birds fan only.