Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Olaf's Frozen Adventure Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman November 19, 2018

Disney has released a compilation disc, the second in just a few weeks following 'Celebrating Mickey,' themed around Wintertime and Christmas. The disc highlights the 'Frozen'-inspired short 'Olaf's Frozen Adventure,' and it is this short on which the disc's lone supplement focuses. Six additional films from the Disney vault are included featuring stars like Goofy and Donald Duck, ranging from the black-and-white 'Winter' from 1930 to the most recent, 1954's 'Once Upon a Wintertime.'

The Olaf's Frozen Adventure compilation collection contains the following shorts. They run a collective 1:08:27 but do not play individually when selected. Very brief Olaf-centric clips play between each short.

• Olaf's Frozen Adventure (2017): It is Christmastime in the kingdom of Arendelle. Anna and Elsa have planned a festive Christmas party for the entire kingdom. But when the townsfolk leave before the party even starts so they can go home and celebrate the season with their own family traditions, the girls are left on their own, lamenting that they have no Christmas traditions of their own. Olaf takes it upon himself to find the perfect tradition for Anna and Elsa but comes up short every time. Ultimately, it turns out Olaf may play a key part in their traditions after all.
• Polar Trappers (1938): Goofy and Donald are trappers (they don’t know why, but they bring them back alive!). While Goofy is forced to deal with a thieving walrus, Donald attempts to catch a penguin for a delicious lunch.
• Winter (1930): Various woodland creatures celebrate the winter season by skating on a frozen pond, sliding down snowy tree branches, and dancing across fields. One poor raccoon has a bad case of the sneezes, which results in a large pile of snow falling on top of him. It turns out they have all gathered outside the home of the “Weather Prophet,” Mr. Groundhog, who does not see his shadow, resulting in a festive celebration at the end of winter. But will the prophecy prove correct?
• The Hockey Champ (1939): Donald Duck can skate and play hockey...who knew?!? He's a former champion and he puts on some nifty moves for his nephews. Turns out the nephews are talented, too, though maybe at a slightly different brand of hockey.
• The Art of Skiing (1941): Goofy demonstrates the proper means of getting ready to go skiing. Once he finally gets his clothes and equipment on properly, he hits the slopes to illustrate the basics. Of course, much like his wardrobe struggles, Goofy doesn’t quite prove all that proficient in handling even the most simple of skiing fundamentals, never mind more advanced moves.
• Once Upon a Wintertime (1954): A break from the more comical Christmas and wintertime adventures, this short follows a young couple in love, a trip to skate on a frozen pond, and broken hearts. But a near-tragedy might prove to be just the thing to mend them.
• Pluto's Christmas Tree (1952): Mickey and Pluto set out to find the perfect Christmas tree. Chip and Dale wind up inside their tree and set out o make a mess of Christmas for the mouse and his dog.

Olaf's Frozen Adventure Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The opening Frozen short film, which was released in 2017 and the only one framed in a modern ration of 1.78:1, looks beautiful. It's crisp, colorful, and the digital source animation never misses a beat. It plays in fairly stark contrast to the vintage shorts to come, which span a period from 1930-1954 and are presented at an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, resulting in vertical "black bars" on either side of the HD screen. Five of the six are in color, and most are very impressive. Like the recent Celebrating Mickey compilation, the shorts found in Olaf's Frozen Adventure are by-and-large gorgeous. Right from the beginning of Polar Trappers, the image clarity, crispness, and color reproduction dazzle. The image maintains a fine grain structure which is accompanied by only the odd spot and speckle but it's generally very clean. Lines are crisp, definition is pure, and sharpness is maintained for the duration. The same holds true for The Hockey Champ. The grain field in The Art of Skiing is noticeably heavier and a little moire noisy-looking. The final two shorts are smoother and less filmic, the last in particular. Color remains a strength in both Once Upon a Wintertime and Pluto's Christmas Tree, but the winners amongst the vintage color shorts in the set are certainly Polar Trappers and The Hockey Champ. Winter is a black and white film prone to flickering, speckling, and the appearance of random vertical lines. The image is nevertheless pleasantly crisp and, again, fairly filmic and a pleasure to watch.

Olaf's Frozen Adventure Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Olaf's Frozen Adventure features a Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack across all seven shorts. The Olaf short offers, obviously, the most detailed track with its modern design and precisely engineered audio, but its a shame that the presentation, with its music and opportunity for more robust effects, is limited to the lossy two-channel presentation rather than a multichannel track that could take advantage of the surround speakers to support music and carry atmospherics. The vintage animated shorts fare well under the Dolby Digital 2.0 audio encoding. Dialogue clarity is fine as applicable, and music and effects stretch fairly far to the sides. Winter's opening music is scratchy and shrilly, as are its effects (blowing snow, howls). Nevertheless, the net sum is positive across the entire collection. The lossy 2.0 tracks carry the programs to respectable completion, with the only disappointment the lack of a more modern mix for Olaf and some age-related wear with Winter.

Olaf's Frozen Adventure Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Olaf's Frozen Adventure contains one extra: Olaf's Stocking Stuffer: Fun Facts, Easter Eggs & More (1080p, 3:22). This brief piece explores trivia from the film in rapid-fire fashion. This release also features a DVD copy of the program and a Movies Anywhere digital copy code. It all ships with an embossed slipcover complete with a Christmas gift tag, making it a pre-made stocking stuffer.

Olaf's Frozen Adventure Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Olaf's Frozen Adventure is in some ways similar to the recent Celebrating Mickey release. While this compilation features fewer films, the collection does include one modern short intermixed with a handful of vintage favorites. Also like Mickey, Dolby Digital 2.0 audio is the preferred method of audio delivery. The difference is that the modern film earned a 5.1 track on the Mickey release while the Frozen-inspired short is stuck with the Dolby Digital 2.0 track. Video ranges from good to mind blowing across the seven short films. Only one sort extra is included, which is one more than the Mickey collection. Recommended.