Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		2.0

The Seventh Dwarf 3D Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 24, 2015

Into the Woods took a famously revisionist (and some would argue post-modernist) look at various fairy tales, throwing a bunch of disparate “ingredients” (meaning characters and storylines) together into one unexpectedly organic stew. There’s something at least a little similar, albeit at a much less artistic level, going on in The Seventh Dwarf, a passably entertaining 3D animated film from Germany which attempts to weave together various tropes, largely (though not exclusively) from such well known stories as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Sleeping Beauty. Though few on this side of the pond will probably recognize it, this is the third film in a trilogy (thus far, anyway) which also includes 7 Dwarves: Men Alone in the Wood and 7 Dwarves: The Forest is Not Enough.

There’s nothing too revolutionary about The Seventh Dwarf’s basic plotline, one which follows the travails of a cursed princess and her would be Prince Charming. In this reimagined bit of “folklore,” it’s actually the prince (actually a commoner, but who’s counting?) who goes trekking off into the woods and meets up with the dwarves, including the titular seventh, a somewhat clumsy little guy named Bobo. Meanwhile the unlucky princess finds herself at the mercy of the cruel Dellamorta, an icy cold villainness who would have been perfectly at home in Frozen. A dragon named Burner (voiced by Norm MacDonald) provides some putative comedic relief in this predictable but colorful affair, one that obviously seems geared toward the younger tots of the household.

The Seventh Dwarf 3D Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Seventh Dwarf is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Shout! Factory with both MVC (3D) and AVC (2D) encoded 1080p transfers in 1.85:1 available on the same disc. This computer animated extravaganza has a somewhat textureless appearance a lot of the time, with most human characters looking almost rubbery, but occasional elements like chainmail offering decent precision and depth. The 3D iteration offers above average dimensionality even without a surplus of "in your face" gimmicks. Colors are bright and often quite bold, and the overall image retains suitable sharpness and clarity throughout the presentation.

The Seventh Dwarf 3D Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Seventh Dwarf's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 provides ample support and directionality for a pretty lackluster song score (one whose lyrical inefficiencies don't quite make the jump to English very well), as well as good placement of discrete sound effects. Dialogue is cleanly rendered and is always well prioritized. Fidelity is fine and dynamic range rather wide on this problem free track. Somewhat oddly for a German film, there are only English and French audio options included on the Blu-ray.

The Seventh Dwarf 3D Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Character Profiles offers a text based gallery of character bios.


• Fairy Tales with Peyton List and Norm MacDonald (1080p; 2:09)


• Sing Alongs:

  Cake (1080p; 2:15)

  Friend (1080p; 3:00)

• Royal Birthday Invitation, while listed in the Blu-ray supplements on the Blu-ray disc, is actually a file found on the DVD version of the film included in this set, accessible by inserting the DVD in a PC or Mac drive.

The Seventh Dwarf 3D Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Certainly nowhere near the brilliance of any number of Disney and/or Pixar outings, The Seventh Dwarf should still probably appeal to very young kids who haven't quite gotten their "curmudgeon" on yet. The film is decently paced and is certainly a bright and colorful affair, two aspects which should keep the tots distracted from the fact that the characters and plot are fairly hackneyed. Technical merits are generally strong for those considering a purchase.