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Doctor M

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Join date
1-Feb-2005
Last activity
22-Jan-2026
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2,553

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Post
#692921
Topic
Info: Recommended Editions of Disney Animated (and Partially Animated) Features
Time

I realized the guide needs a small update.  Apparently the 3D version of Chicken Little is inexplicably poor, which should be mentioned.

I know I haven't given comment to the recent Jungle Book (which seems to be as poor as expected).

Anyone have any other updates they want added or that I've missed?

Btw, just re-watched Chicken Little for the first time in 8 years and was shocked to find it enjoyable.  That wasn't my experience the first time.  No idea why, but it was worth a second look.

Post
#691624
Topic
Info: Recommended Editions of Disney Animated (and Partially Animated) Features
Time

I couldn't tell you what website I was reading that referred to the aspect ratio as family friendly for Winnie the Pooh.  It is 1.66:1 on BD though.  Correcting the guide.  Thanks for keeping me honest.

I also said the prior DVDs were 1.66:1 instead of 1.33:1.  I wonder if I was thinking about a different film when I wrote that.

While the case gives no dimensions, Many Adventures measures to 1.66:1. It's narrow enough for vertical bars to show up on the sides of a 16:9 television with overscan. It seems like a compromise between the 1.33:1 aspect ratio used on the film's two previous DVD releases and the 1.75:1 ratio exhibitors in 1977 were instructed to project it in. We lose some of the frame height from the "full screen DVDs" but not enough to throw off compositions. Since these cartoons were produced over eleven years, it's not even clear if they stuck to one consistent ratio. It would be nice for Disney to shed some light on these decisions instead of just leaving us to guess and then second-guess when they change their policies.
Post
#691413
Topic
Info: Recommended Editions of Disney Animated (and Partially Animated) Features
Time

TServo2049 said:

As I said, pre-CAPS animated features were clearly shot with a lot of "breathing room" so they could be presented matted anywhere from 1.66:1-1.85:1. The 4x3 releases may be slightly cropped because showing the extra side information visible in the widescreen transfers would also reveal unwanted vertical info, like cels that end within the frame - "floating torsos", etc.

Jungle Book wasn't theatrically exhibited in 4:3, so both ratios are valid. But I do like the idea of showing as much of the exposed frame as possible - there are a few 90s animated films (not Disney) where the widescreen and 4:3 versions each show unique picture info, indicating that they were shot at something like 1.66:1, and there is part of the frame that's never been seen in any transfers.

But that's probably not going to happen any time soon...

Sure, you'd expect some cropping.  But my point is that the anamorphic and wide releases of Jungle Book actually have more left/right information than the 4x3 releases.

If the 4x3 version is all the animation fit to be seen, the widescreen should ONLY be less on the top and bottom.  That is not the case.

Post
#690915
Topic
Info: Recommended Editions of Disney Animated (and Partially Animated) Features
Time

cms382 said:

I'd give the original Peter Pan LD the overall advantage for being able to withstand the most adjustments from a TV set compared to the other editions. 

The Jungle Book LD has some unique colors and better animation lines, but the contrast ruins it. It's the only 4:3 transfer with colors similar to the Platinum and Diamond transfer, so there's that. 

 Is that the '97 LD?  If so the Limited Issue DVD used the same master.

Edit: Sorry you do show '92.

Yeah, when animation is concerned, I prefer open matte.  If the animators bothered to draw it, I want to see it.

Jungle Book open matte should be 4x3.  Unfortunately, the home video releases are slightly cropped so you still aren't getting the full image on the 4x3 transers.

Btw, The Rescuers OAR is 1.66:1.  Both DVD releases are in that format.  They definitely didn't over restore the '12 BD/DVD.  They didn't even bother to do an all digital transfer of Down Under for that set.

If you don't like the image though, the Gold Edition sure isn't restored and should look better than the LD.

Post
#690322
Topic
Info: Recommended Editions of Disney Animated (and Partially Animated) Features
Time

cms382 said:

Hi, a few searches for this subject led me to this thread/forum. 

I ordered a few pre-Lowry laserdiscs, I'll see how they compare. 

The Jungle Book Blu-ray is the same restoration as the 2007 DVD (I'm sure there are a few minor tweaks but I no longer have the old disc for reference). The DNR'd line work doesn't hold up as well in 1080p compared to its non-Xerox based predecessors, soft shots are especially deteriorated. Color timing seems to be okay and doesn't have any glaring consequences because the film had flat lighting to begin with.

I'll post my thoughts on the 1992 laserdisc when it arrives. 

 Welcome.  We'd be glad to hear your impressions.  If you can post screenshots that would be great too.

It seems pretty clear that until Disney finds a new method, most of their films (and especially the Xerox era ones) are going to have lines that look like melting icicles.

Post
#688440
Topic
Info: Recommended Editions of Disney Animated (and Partially Animated) Features
Time

To be clear, open matte doesn't mean 4x3.  It also doesn't mean cropped (as the ebay picture might suggest).

It means that mattes have been removed to show more image.  In the case of TGMD, it was theatrically 1.85:1.  Opening the matte SHOULD give 1.66:1 if animated in those dimensions (it was shot on 35mm which is 1.66:1 but earlier animations were frequently drawn at 1.33:1).

But, as the 2010 release shows, 1.77:1 is actually open matte compared to the 2002 1.66:1 release.  That doesn't make sense either.  Based on that there should be more height to the image somewhere as well.

What Disney has actually done is pretty much a mystery.  The OAR is just unknown.

Post
#687441
Topic
Superman by Taolar (Formally: Son of Jorel) WORKPRINT AVAILABLE
Time

Yeah, there are some artifacts in the border area, but what caught my eye was when Clark threw the green crystal.

Just at the first explosion, there is a white screen but then the border type weirdness happens but full screen. (About 39:02).

I don't see that in the XviD version.  Nothing serious, it just made me wonder if one of the two was further along.

Post
#686738
Topic
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Extended and Enhanced by Doctor M (Released)
Time

I believe ADM was talking about working in HD, but I haven't heard much from him on the site lately.

The reason most of my HP edits are DVD5s are because the official DVD9 releases tend to be full of extras that can be stripped and are badly encoded to start with.  All the ones I worked with could be re-encoded OPV with Q values less than 10.  Yeah, the sources are that soft.  It's also why they look like crap on bigger HD screens.  I think it was done on purpose to push people into Blu-ray.

Will I do any HD HP edits?  Maybe eventually.  I'm just starting to transition to HD in general but haven't done any real editing in the format yet.  A computer upgrade would be required too.  So, not for a while.

Post
#686591
Topic
The Vaultbreakers Collection - Disney Preservations
Time

I was just doing some research on "The Emperor's New Groove" today and for the first time heard about the original version of the film under the name "Kingdom of the Sun". (Linky-poo)

While I was pleased to find out that Trudie Styler's documentary "The Sweatbox" has leaked, I was wondering if anyone has heard/seen/etc. if the "Kingdom of the Sun" Work-In-Progress has ever appeared in the wild?  It was apparently 50% complete and far enough along to show test audiences.  I'd assume it's probably something like the BatB WiP and with songs by Sting sounds 10x better than the final tENG film.

Anyone?

Post
#685955
Topic
Superman II and Superman III extended (Released)
Time

JayArgonaut said:

The KLF said:

well to be fair its off camera, the scene is shot from the robert vaughs sister characters bedroom (from memory) so all you hear is severe thumping, bunoing and groaning.

 

so the cameras on the evil sister and her expressions to all the noise

 

still, not really family entertainment

 IIRC, in the UK, that sequence was shown during the afternoon slots when ITV broadcast the extended version throughout the mid to late 80s. It's quite tame.

See for yourselves.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9F6fbtgJDrg

 Here I was expecting the unrated Hancock scene.