5.6 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
It's the first holiday season since the gates reopened and Anna and Elsa host a celebration for all of Arendelle. When the townspeople unexpectedly leave early to enjoy their individual holiday customs, the sisters realize they have no family traditions of their own. So, Olaf sets out to comb the kingdom to bring home the best traditions and save this first Christmas for his friends.
Starring: Josh Gad, Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff (II), Chris Williams (IX)Family | 100% |
Animation | 87% |
Fantasy | 55% |
Comedy | 54% |
Musical | 38% |
Holiday | 15% |
Short | 8% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1, 1.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1, 1.33:1
English: Dolby Digital 2.0
French: Dolby Digital 2.0
Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0
Chinese: Dolby Digital 2.0
Korean: Dolby Digital 2.0
English SDH, French, Spanish, Korean, Mandarin (Simplified), Mandarin (Traditional)
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Digital copy
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
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 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 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 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 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.
The Ultimate Edition | + Halloween Is Grinch Night / The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat
1966
2008
Deluxe Edition
1970
Deluxe Edition
1969
Dance Party Edition
2020
2000
2014
2023
PIXAR
2015
2017
2014
2013
2013
Anniversary Edition | The Signature Collection
1989
2021
2003-2011
1963
2012
2018
2016