Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		4.0

Digimon Adventure 02: Hurricane Touchdown!! The Golden Digimentals Blu-ray Movie Review

Digimon Movie 3: Hurricane Touchdown is the third installment in the original Digimon Adventure film franchise. Created by Akiyoshi Hongo, Digimon Movie 3: Hurricane Touchdown is produced by Hiromi Seki (Ghost Sweeper Mikami, Digimon Adventure). Featuring animation by Toei Animation (Dragon Ball Z, Sailor Moon S), Digimon Movie 3: Hurricane Touchdown features voice performances by a cast that includes Ai Maeda, Aoi Tada, Chika Sakamoto, Junko Noda, Kae Araki, Kōichi Tōchika, and Mamiko Noto. Executive produced by Makoto Toriyama (Pecola), Makoto Yamashina (Junkers Come Here, Venus Wars), Tan Takaiwa (Cutey Honey Flash, Sailor Moon S: The Movie), and Tsutomu Tomari (Dragon Ball Z: Wrath of the Dragon, One Piece: Dead End), Digimon Movie 3: Hurricane Touchdown is one of the best in the Digimon film series.

The DigiDestined find themselves in for far more than they originally bargained for when the group of older generation DigiDestined find themselves being kidnapped by the Digimon Kokomon. Now the rescue mission is up to the new DigiDestined heroes, who are now working alongside Willis – an American DigiDestined. The goal is to rescue the kidnapped DigiDestined and stop Kokomon. Can the rescue mission go as planned?

The characters remain an essential part of the storytelling. The cast of characters carries Digimon Movie 3: Hurricane Touchdown and brings so much life to the story. The core cast are superb are add to the charms – with character designs by Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru (Digimon Tamers, Digimon Frontier) and Masahiro Aizawa (Gad Guard, Slayers Gorgeous) going a long way to enhance the filmmaking. An incredible achievement in design.

The animation in Digimon Movie 3: Hurricane Touchdown is top-notch and adds so much vibrancy to the production. Digimon Movie 3: Hurricane Touchdown features art direction by Shinzō Yuki (Dragon Ball Z: Broly - The Legendary Super Saiyan, Galaxy Express 999: Eternal Fantasy) and Takao Sawada (The Flower and the Phoenix, One Piece: Dream Soccer King!). Digimon Movie 3: Hurricane Touchdown also features chief animation direction by Masahiro Aizawa (Revolutionary Girl Utena, Slayers Gorgeous). The team of animators added so much to the style and energy of the filmmaking. The high-quality animation is one of the strengths of the Digimon theatrical film series and Digimon Movie 3: Hurricane Touchdown is a great testament to the enduring strength of hand drawn animation as a storytelling tool and type of filmmaking.

The cinematography by Takeshi Koyano (Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn, Sailor Moon S: The Movie) is impressive and provides ambition in spades. Koyano is a top-notch cinematographer – a fantastic magician of cinematography with a keen sensibility of visual flair and what works well for animation. Koyano brings a strong artistic voice and grace to the cinematography.

The score composed by Takanori Arisawa (Sailor Moon, Digimon Adventure) is top-notch and adds a lot of wonder to the filmmaking. Arisawa is a gifted composer and someone who brings talent and style. The music is an essential ingredient of the production. The score elevates the action and is a perfect accompaniment to the character moments.

Written by Reiko Yoshida (Digimon Adventure, Digimon Frontier), Digimon Movie 3: Hurricane Touchdown is an entertaining script. As the first Digimon feature-film to delve into Digimon Adventure 2 and the new generation of characters, the script has a wider ensemble of characters. As a result, the fun script balances original Digimon Adventure characters and those new to Digimon Adventure 2. A strong screenplay and one that has plenty of good character moments and fun action scenes.

Storyboarded and directed by Shigeyasu Yamauchi (Dragon Ball Z, One Piece), Digimon Movie 3: Hurricane Touchdown is a must-see for fans of the anime franchise. Digimon Movie 3: Hurricane Touchdown has a fun style and an exciting sense of adventure. Digimon Movie 3: Hurricane Touchdown is the first Digimon theatrical feature to not be directed by Mamoru Hosoda (Belle, Summer Wars). Even though one can tell it is not by Hosoda (who is a great auteur filmmaker) the directing by Yamauchi is still enormously entertaining. Yamauchi is someone with a talent for action and adventure (and a perfect match for the Digimon film franchise).

Digimon Adventure 02: Hurricane Touchdown!! The Golden Digimentals Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Discotek Media, Digimon Movie 3: Hurricane Touchdown is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high- definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 widescreen. The presentation is incredible. The high-definition video offers a superb presentation of the feature-film animation. Colors pop with considerable depth and the image looks crisp and engaging. The line art, background animation, and visual finesse of the production are first-rate. Discotek Media has provided excellent encoding for the feature-film.

Digimon Adventure 02: Hurricane Touchdown!! The Golden Digimentals Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: English uncompressed PCM 2.0 and Japanese uncompressed PCM 2.0 (with English subtitles). The lossless audio quality is a pleasing aspect of the presentation. The dynamics of the soundtrack impress and there are quality elements in spades.

Discotek Media did a great job with the English dub. A fantastic encode is provided, too. The audio provides good detail. The Blu-ray release by Discotek Media provides superb clarity overall.

Digimon Adventure 02: Hurricane Touchdown!! The Golden Digimentals Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There are no specific bonus features listed underneath a sub-menu for the feature-film. The Blu-ray release does include some supplements, though. The extras are included for the Movies 1-3 set as general supplements.

For more information, please refer to the overview page:

Digimon: Digital Monsters - The Movies 1-3 Overview

Digimon Adventure 02: Hurricane Touchdown!! The Golden Digimentals Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

 Digimon Movie 3: Hurricane Touchdown is an incredible adventure and a must-see gem in the Digimon film franchise. The sense of scale is enormous and the animation is ambitious. The filmmaking has fun exploring the characters of the original generation cast and the newcomers to the second series, Digimon Adventure 2. The Blu-ray release provides an excellent high-definition presentation and lossless audio. Highly recommended.