Up Arises on DVD, Blu-ray

Tuesday, November 10, 2009
By: Thomas J. Mclean

Up rises to the top of this week’s animation releases arriving this week on DVD and Blu-ray.

The acclaimed Pixar-Disney film (Disney-Pixar, $29.99 DVD, $39.99 Deluxe Edition DVD, $45.99 Blu-ray Combo Pack) arrives with a plethora of features, including a commentary from director Pete Docter and co-director Bob Peterson, the new short film Dug’s Special Mission and the short film that played with Up in theaters, Partly Cloudy. The Blu-ray edition contains additional special features, including a Cine-Explore visual montage of concept art, clips and documentary coverage that illustrates the directors’ commentary; an extensive series of featurettes on developing the characters and making of the film, and a Global Guardian Badge Game.

Disney-Pixar also is bringing its 2001 classic Monsters, Inc. to Blu-ray for the first time Disney-Pixar, $39.99 Blu-ray), with new features including a filmmakers round table, a look at the making of the Monstropolis attraction at Tokyo Disneyland, and a Roz’s 100 Doors Challenge interactive game.

To whet your appetite, here’s a look at the roundtable bonus feature and the clip “On the Job” discussed therein.

Superhero fans also will be digging deep into their wallets for Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut (Warner Bros., $43.87 DVD, $59.99 Blu-ray), a new version of the Zack Snyder film that incorporates the animated Tales of the Black Freighter material directly into the film.

Meanwhile, Justice League: The Complete Series (Warner Bros., $99.98) collects all 91 episodes of Justice League and Justice League Unlimited, while Batman: The Brave & The Bold, Vol. 2 (Warner Bros., $14.98) offers four more episodes of the series.

Similar to the recent Transformers set, comes G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero — The Complete Series Limited-Edition Collector’s Set (Shout! Factory, $179.99). Also out are Dragon Ball: Season 2 (FUNimation, $49.98), Huntik Secrets & Seekers Vol. 2 (Media Blasters, $16.99), Naruto Shippuden: The Movie (VIZ, $24.92) and Xavier, Renegade Angel: Seasons 1 & 2 (Warner Bros., $19.97).

Younger animation fans have for their viewing pleasure Jay Jay The Jet Plane: Jay's Christmas Surprise (E1 Entertainment, $12.98), Sesame Street: 40 Years of Sunny Days (Genius Products, $29.93) and SpongeBob SquarePants: Truth or Square (Paramount, $16.99).

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