Digimon Adventure Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		4.5

Digimon Adventure Blu-ray Movie Review

Digimon Movie 1 – Digimon Adventure is the first Digimon theatrical film released in Japanese cinemas. Digimon Movie 1 became a major event for the Japanese anime franchise. Digimon Movie 1 – Digimon Adventure is a prequel to the original Digimon Adventure anime series.

Based on the original work by Akiyoshi Hongo, Digimon Movie 1 – Digimon Adventure is executive produced by Tan Takaiwa (Dragon Ball Z: Bio-Broly, Sailor Moon S: The Movie), Teruo Tamamura (One Piece: The Movie, Digimon Adventure), and Tsutomu Tomari (Digimon Adventure, Sailor Moon R: The Movie). Featuring production by Toei Animation (Dragon Ball Z, Sailor Moon), Digimon Movie 1 – Digimon Adventure features superb voice- performances by Kae Araki, Toshiko Fujita, and Chika Sakamoto. The DigiDestined have arrived. Fans will want to experience the first feature-film.

Digimon Movie 1 – Digimon Adventure explores the beginning of the DigiDestined and their first epic sight of Digimon. The story begins with the young Tai and Kari growing up together. The two young DigiDestined are surprised by their first experience with Digimon and the epic adventure begins. Parrotmon is encountered across the night skies and Greymon takes on a warrior’s role. Can a confrontation end with resolution or will the role of the DigiDestined only just begin?

The characters remain at the heart of Digimon. Digimon is a stellar anime because of the wonderful cast of characters. The main cast of characters bring heart, pathos, and emotion. These characters go on an epic journey and the team building and close connections between the characters – their comradery – strengthens the storytelling.

The character designs by Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru (Digimon Frontier, Digimon Tamers) are outstanding. One of the things most compelling about the first Digimon theatrical feature is the approach to the character designs. The designs are true to the original anime production but there are some slight changes due to the film being both a prequel and theatrical feature. So while there are some real variances when compared to the anime series it is interesting to compare the designs and see how faithful the art manages to be while still creating something that feels distinct to the feature-film. An excellent transition between television and theatrical and the character designs by Nakatsuru certainly add to the production and storytelling.

The animation is incredible and a sight to behold. The animation style for Digimon Movie 1 – Digimon Adventure is even more ambitious and sophisticated compared to the already beautiful anime series. The feature-film has a higher budget and the animators bring even more ambitious animation to the equation. Digimon Movie 1 – Digimon Adventure features art direction by Ken Tokushige (Digimon: Data Squad, Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn) and animation direction by Takaaki Yamashita (Wolf Children, The Boy and The Beast). The animators delivered in spades – the artistry on display is top-notch. A magical experience. The incredible hand drawn animation is so beautiful and evocative. There is so much joy in the film and its epic sense of scale.

The cinematography by Shigeru Andō (Dragon Ball Z: Wrath of the Dragon, Sailor Moon S: The Movie) is a beautiful highlight of the production. Andō is a wonderful cinematographer with an incredible voice. An outstanding cinematographer and someone with a great understanding of the language of film – Andō brings a theatrical style to the world of Digimon. Digimon Movie 1 – Digimon Adventure is a beautiful looking production and the art is darker and more brooding than the television series while remaining true to the original style.

The score composed by Takanori Arisawa (Digimon Adventure, Digimon Tamers) is one of the best qualities of the film. Arisawa is a talented composer and someone with a good understanding of animation and storytelling. Arisawa brings epic scale to the Digimon Movie 1 – Digimon Adventure production. The music in Digimon Movie 1 – Digimon Adventure has a sense of ambition and gravitas that is undeniable.

Written by Reiko Yoshida (Digimon Adventure, Digimon Fusion), Digimon Movie 1 – Digimon Adventure is a perfect feature-film adaptation picking up the mantle of the original anime and crafting a smart, entertaining, and thoughtful prequel. Yoshida wrote a great script and the lead characters have some fantastic moments to shine. The script is so well done and the dialogue is excellent.

Storyboarded and directed by Mamoru Hosoda (Belle, Mirai), Digimon Movie 1 – Digimon Adventure is an early work of filmmaker Hosoda. Hosoda has built a name and reputation for himself as one of the anime industry’s most talented and visionary voices. Hosoda is a genius and someone who has an incredible knowledge of anime filmmaking.

Digimon Movie 1 – Digimon Adventure is a classic. The filmmaking superb. Digimon Movie 1 – Digimon Adventure showcases the early signs of the auteur filmmaker honing his voice as a storyteller – there’s such ambition and scale to the filmmaking. Digimon Movie 1 – Digimon Adventure is one of the best anime theatrical films made in connection to an anime television series.

Digimon Adventure Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Discotek Media, Digimon Movie 1 – Digimon Adventure is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 widescreen. An outstanding high-definition presentation. The video quality is excellent and looks filmic. The crisp, beautiful, and filmic image enhances the presentation in spades. Colors are well-reproduced and animation line art looks crisp and detailed. Discotek Media did an excellent job with the encode.

Digimon Adventure 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 audio quality on the release is excellent. Dialogue sounds crisp and clear on the release. The score and soundstage are well reproduced. The English dubbing is also fantastic and a huge selling point for the release. Discotek Media did a great job.

Digimon Adventure Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There are no specific bonus features listed as accompanying the feature on the disc. No extras are listed on a movie-specific sub-menu. However, there are some supplements on the Digimon Movies 1-3 Blu-ray release.

For more information, please refer to the overview page:

Digimon: Digital Monsters - The Movies 1-3 Overview

Digimon Adventure Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Digimon Movie 1 – Digimon Adventure is a wonderful anime classic. The anime gem is one of the best anime films associated with a Japanese anime television series. One of the great things about the first Digimon feature-film is that is a perfect showcase for future auteur director Mamoru Hosoda (Summer Wars, Belle). Fans of the Digimon franchise will be thrilled with this incredible film. The animation is so stunning and engaging. The Blu-ray release provides an excellent high-definition transfer and lossless audio. Highly recommended.