Walt Disney Animation Studios Short Films Collection Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

Walt Disney Animation Studios Short Films Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

The Walt Disney Animation Studios Short Films Collection can feel a bit scattershot at times. There are terrific, breathtaking, touching shorts. The Little Matchgirl. Paperman. Feast. There are also mini-sequels to recent feature films (Tangled Ever After, Frozen Fever), television special tie-ins (Prep & Landing - Operation: Secret Santa), theatrical shorts repurposed for home video laughs (How to Hook Up Your Home Theater), and a variety of musically-inclined hit or missers, some great, some not so great (John Henry, Lorenzo, Tick Tock Tale, The Ballad of Nessie, Get a Horse). But the one thing that unites them all is passion; passion for the animated short art form, for pushing animation to brave new places, for experimenting in ways feature films are often unable, and the passion of Walt Disney Animation Studios, who continue to produce animated shorts in an era that questions their value, relevance and importance.

• John Henry (10:19) - A musical retelling of the classic tall tale of John Henry, who, hammer in hand, races to build a railway tunnel against a steam-powered drill to prove man's dominance over machine. Directed by Mark Henn and written by Broose Johnson, Tim Hodge and Shirley Pierce in 2000. (Score - 3.5/5)
• Lorenzo (4:50) - A mean-spirited feline dotes over his tail, only to be cursed by a scorned black cat. Soon, Lorenzo's tail turns on him, leaving the fat cat desperate to be rid of his once glorious tail. Written and directed by Mike Gabriel, it debuted theatrically ahead of Raising Helen in 2004. (Score - 4/5)
• The Little Matchgirl (6:40) - Based on an 1845 Hans Christian Andersen tale, the short follows a young Russian girl struggling to stay warm with her last remaining matches, all the while remembering happier times with her deceased grandmother. Directed and co-written by Roger Allers, it originally appeared on The Little Mermaid Platinum Edition DVD in 2006. (Score - 4/5)
• How to Hook Up Your Home Theater (6:20) - Goofy survives the perils of home theater shopping only to turn his living room into a minefield of manuals, cables, speakers and screens. Co-directed and co-written by Kevin Deters and Stevie Wermers, the short was released in 2007 in front of National Treasure: Book of Secrets. (Score - 3/5)
• Tick Tock Tale (6:03) - The clocks in a quaint shop come to life when their owner leaves for the night. And it's quiet, until a thief breaks in. Now it's up to one slow-running clock to stop him. Directed by Dean Wellins, the short hails from 2010. (Score - 3/5)
• Prep & Landing - Operation: Secret Santa (6:55) - Elves Wayne and Lanny are sent on a top secret mission: to retrieve a box from a secret room hidden in Santa Claus' private office. Written and directed by Kevin Deters and Stevie Wermers-Skelton, the short premiered on ABC in 2010. (Score - 3/5)
• The Ballad of Nessie (5:32) - Billy Connolly narrates the tale of shy Nessie, a friendly creature who loses her beloved best friend, her rubber duckie. The short was co-directed by Kevin Deters and co-director/co-writer Stevie Wermers-Skelton and was attached to the theatrical release of Winnie the Pooh in 2011. (Score - 3.5/5)
• Tangled Ever After (6:29) - When ring-bearers Maximus and Pascal accidentally lose Rapunzel and Flynn's rings at the wedding, the brave animals have to recover the rings before the happy couple's vows are completed. Written and directed by Nathan Greno and Byron Howard, the short debuted ahead of the 3D re-release of Beauty and the Beast in 2012. (Score - 4/5)
• Paperman (6:35) - An accountant is separated from the would-be love of his life. Now, with the help of a fleet of paper airplanes, he just might have a chance to connect with her a second time. Directed by John Kahrs and written by Clio Chiang and Kendelle Hoyer, Paperman premiered alongside Wreck-It Ralph in 2012 and won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. (Score - 5/5)
• Get a Horse! (6:01) - Mickey, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and their 1920s animated friends break the fourth wall of an animated short, transforming from black and white traditionally animated drawings into 3D characters on a theater stage. Directed by Lauren MacMullan, it preceded Frozen theatrically in 2013. (Score - 2.5/5)
• Feast (6:12) - A young dog is treated to his master's food... until his master falls in love and gets married to a woman who doesn't share her husband's enthusiasm for treats. Will the little dog ever have tasty table scraps again? Directed by Patrick Osborne and written by Nicole Mitchell and Raymond S. Persi, Feast was attached to Big Hero 6 in 2014 and won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. (Score - 5/5)
• Frozen Fever (7:57) - More Frozen fun with the original voice cast as Elsa, suffering from a debilitating cold, works to prepare a birthday party for Anna. Written and directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, it played ahead of Cinderella in early 2015. (Score - 3/5)

Walt Disney Animation Studios Short Films Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Video quality for the Walt Disney Animation Studios Short Films Collection is, across the board, outstanding; without a dud in the bunch. The roughhewn sketch-work of John Henry has been perfectly preserved. The fluid, freeform explosiveness of Lorenzo is undeterred. The soft, color-drained beauty of The Little Matchgirl stuns. The grain How to Hook Up Your Home Theater is intact and untouched. The rich hues and absorbing shadows of Tick Tock Tale draws in the viewer. The vibrant red-and-green festivity of Operation: Secret Santa delights. The watercolor palette, crisp lineart and tartan patterns of The Ballad of Nessie are striking. Tangled Ever After is every bit as impressive as the Blu-ray presentation of Tangled. The CG-animated Paperman masterfully sells its illusion of traditional hand-drawn animation. Get a Horse! combines the sharp newness of CG characters with the aesthetic of a classic, golden age short. Feast dazzles, clinging to its filmmakers' every intention. And Frozen Fever is as impeccable as they come; colorful, vivid and wonderfully resolved. There are less than a half-dozen blink-and-you'll-miss-em instances of exceedingly minor banding, but it hardly amounts to an issue. Fans couldn't ask for a more flawless presentation of the shorts Disney has assembled here.

Walt Disney Animation Studios Short Films Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Each animated short in the Walt Disney Animation Studios Short Films Collection features an excellent DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, free from issues and distractions. Not every short offers the same foreign language options (see the track listing below), but in most cases it's because no dialogue is present (the English-only John Henry being the most glaring exception). Bottom line? All is well. Music is full and boisterous, light and playful, soft and somber... whatever the moment calls for. Likewise, voices are clean, clear and precisely prioritized within the already engaging soundscapes. The LFE channel delivers weight and heft reliably and confidently, and the rear speakers are continually brimming with lively directionality, convincing ambient effects, smooth pans and endless immersive touches. Nothing disappoints and no short is forgotten or left by the wayside.

The following is a breakdown of the audio tracks available for each short:

- John Henry - English DTS-HD MA 5.1
- Lorenzo - English DTS-HD MA 5.1
- The Little Matchgirl - English DTS-HD MA 5.1
- How to Hook Up Your Home Theater - English DTS-HD MA 5.1 and French, Spanish & Portuguese DD 5.1
- Tick Tock Tale - English DTS-HD MA 5.1, Spanish DD 5.1
- Operation: Secret Santa - English DTS-HD MA 5.1 and French, Spanish & Portuguese DD 5.1
- The Ballad of Nessie - English DTS-HD MA 5.1 and French, Spanish & Portuguese DD 5.1
- Tangled Ever After- English DTS-HD MA 5.1 and French, Spanish & Portuguese DD 5.1
- Paperman - English DTS-HD MA 5.1
- Get a Horse! - English DTS-HD MA 5.1 and French, Spanish & Portuguese DD 5.1
- Feast - English DTS-HD MA 5.1 and French, Spanish & Portuguese DD 5.1
- Frozen Fever - English DTS-HD MA 5.1 and French, Spanish & Portuguese DD 5.1

Walt Disney Animation Studios Short Films Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• @DisneyAnimation: The Short Story About Shorts (HD, 7 minutes): Big Hero 6 voice actor T.J. Miller hosts this much too... sigh... short behind the scenes Disney Animation roundtable, examining the continued relevance of animated shorts, the technological innovations involved, and the development of some of the studio's most beloved shorts.
• Introductions By the Filmmakers (HD, 10 minutes): In place of audio commentaries, each animated short features a brief introduction by key members of its production team. Intros include:
  
  
  • John Henry: Director Mark Henn
  • Lorenzo: Director/Writer/Production Designer Mike Gabriel
  • The Little Matchgirl: Artistic Coordinator/VFX Supervisor Dave Bossert, Music Supervisor Tom MacDougall
  • How to Hook Up Your Home Theater: Co-Director/Co-Writer Kevin Deters, Co-Director/Co-Writer Stevie Wermers-Skelton, Art Director Ian Gooding
  • Tick Tock Tale: Director/Writer Dean Wellins
  • Prep & Landing - Operation: Secret Santa: Deters, Wermers-Skelton, Producer Dorothy McKim
  • The Ballad of Nessie: Deters, Wermers-Skelton, McKim
  • Tangled Ever After: Director/Writer Nathan Greno, Producer Aimee Scribner, Story Head Mark Kennedy
  • Paperman: Producer Kristina Reed, Animation Head Patrick Osborne
  • Get a Horse!: McKim, Animation Heads Adam Green and Eric Goldberg
  • Feast: Reed and Osborne
  • Frozen Fever: Scribner, Producer Peter Del Vecho, Directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee

Walt Disney Animation Studios Short Films Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Though decidedly hit or miss, the Walt Disney Animation Studios Short Films Collection features a number of excellent animated shorts, chief among them Paperman and Feast. The only downside is that many of the shorts have been released on Blu-ray as extras with other titles, so Disney collectors and completists may already have most of these in their collection. Fortunately, there's not much to complain about in the AV department. However, commentaries or other more significant special features would have certainly gone a long way to boosting the value of the disc.