6.5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Tadeo Jones is a construction worker who dreams of becoming an archaeologist. A misunderstanding leads him to be mistaken as an expert of tombs and ancient cities and thus he embarks on an exciting adventure to Peru in the company of a diverse and unique group of friends.
Starring: Michelle Jenner, Miguel Ángel Jenner, Adam James (II), Fiona Glascott, Carles CanutFamily | 100% |
Animation | 95% |
Adventure | 86% |
Comedy | 39% |
Foreign | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 MVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Spanish: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Blu-ray 3D
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
One of the great pleasures of being a reviewer is getting introduced to fare which is lesser known and in some cases probably generally unheard of. Over the past several years, I’ve been fortunate to review a rather large slate of international animated releases. Some of these bear legendary imprimaturs, like Studio Ghibli’s From Up On Poppy Hill, but my hunch is that only a very few readers knew of a bunch of French releases (The Rabbi's Cat, Tales of the Night, A Monster in Paris 3D, The Painting) before our coverage went live. Spain’s Chico & Rita at least had the benefit of an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature to help it achieve some market renown, but its countryman Tad: The Lost Explorer so far “only” has a handful of Goya and Gaudi Awards to its credit, which may or may not be enough for it to gain any traction on this side of the pond. (It is worth noting that the film won Best Animated Feature from both the Goyas, a regional award, as well as the Gaudis, Spain’s equivalent to our Oscars.) That’s too bad, really, for Tad: The Lost Explorer is in many ways a very “American” feeling outing (probably by design), filled with some memorable animal (and/or avian) sidekicks and a rollicking adventure story that owes more than a bit to Raiders of the Lost Ark (currently available on Blu-ray as part of Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures). The film has been dubbed into English for this new Blu-ray release, and while that creates some occasionally unintended humor (the lead character’s surname is changed from Jones to Stones, evidently to keep the mouth movements in line with the phonemes while perhaps avoiding a lawsuit), this is an effort which actually makes the transition to a new language (and/or culture) quite easily. Some Western viewers are occasionally befuddled by the European or Asian ethos which permeates animated offerings from those regions, but in this case, Tad: The Lost Explorer is not lost in translation.
Tad: The Lost Explorer is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Gaiam Vivendi with AVC (2D) and MVC (3D) encoded
1080p transfers in 1.78:1. While this may not have quite the sophistication of the best Pixar outings, this CGI animated film
often looks spectacular in high definition, with fantastic fine detail in both characters and backgrounds. Tad looks a bit like a
character out of a Nick Park film, but the rest of the humans sport a variety of aesthetics and feature nicely rendered
expressions and clothing. The backgrounds are quite nicely done as well, including an ancient pyramid city and then, in the
film's final third or so, the cavernous interior of a hidden series of Incan caves. There's one interesting sequence toward the
first of the film where Professor Humbert relates the story of Paititi where the film goes into an aesthetic that is rather
reminiscent of Disney's The Emperor's New Groove.
The 3D rendering here is very well done, offering near consistent visual immersion which includes a nice little helicopter trek
through huge canyons in the opening sequence to a somewhat more claustrophobic but still deep looking set of caverns in
the film's closing sequence. Director Enrique Gato also exploits foreground objects very well in order to give a sense of
dimensionality and planes of vision. Sometimes these are quite obvious, like a big stone or bush placed front and center,
but at other times they're rather subtle, like in a train station, where he just slightly frames the foreground with a metal
trellis gate. Some viewers may experience just minor and transitory crosstalk in a couple of very quick pans where
characters are running, but otherwise, this is a really solid and enjoyable 3D experience.
Tad: The Lost Explorer features a nicely vivid lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix which offers great surround activity in both its nice glut of sound effects and its use of source cues (including a song by the ever popular One Direction). Dialogue is cleanly presented and well prioritized, and the entire track offers excellent fidelity and wide dynamic range.
No supplements are offered on this Blu-ray disc.
A lot of animated fare from foreign countries can seem odd to American audiences, as they frequently do not employ traditional three act structures and also often have a completely different aesthetic. Tad: The Lost Explorer is actually probably the closest to an American outing from the likes of Disney or Pixar that's come down the pike from a foreign country in some time, and while that actually may seem like a recipe for carbon copy disaster, it actually isn't. This is a brightly written and equally brightly designed family film that should delight younger kids and amuse their parents. While there are no supplements on this Blu-ray, the video and audio are excellent, and this release comes Recommended.
2013
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2012
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PIXAR
2016
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1990-1991
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Collector's Edition
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1961