Blu-ray Review: Bee Movie - Page 2

Part of: The Wild Blu Yonder

For kids, with the exception of an odd suicide pact conversation (which is funny, but the little ones will be very confused), the colorful environments and likeable lead character will probably get them through this. After that, it’s right back to Pixar.

Bee Movie is everything you’d expect from computer animation in HD. Colors are stunning, depth is remarkable, and detail is unmatched. The transfer is as sharp as it possibly can be, and the black levels maintain a perfect level of contrast. There’s not a glitch in this transfer.

The TrueHD audio mix isn’t quite as spectacular, but it’s still special in its own right. The audio cleanly tracks motion through every speaker. The stereo channels are used often and every time you expect them, the surrounds kick in as well. If there’s any complaint, it’s that the bass isn’t always consistent, but when it’s at its peak, it’s room-shakingly good.

The film comes to Blu-ray with an extensive set of extras. A commentary from Jerry Seinfeld and five of the filmmakers (including co-directors Steve Hickner and Simon J. Smith) is loaded. Lots of pop-up features are here, including the Animator’s Corner, a picture-in-picture that has storyboards running along with the film. Barry’s Trivia Track is a self-explanatory PiP feature, providing general factoids.

World of Bees digs into the characters and the characters that play them through an overlay menu. Deleted scenes, including a load of alternate endings and an optional commentary, run 20 minutes. None of the scenes are finished. There’s an entire section for the kids, plus loads of funny promotional trailers. Various featurettes focus on the cast, the animation, and other behind-the-scenes stuff.

Many of the pre-release trailers for the movie are worth watching. Thankfully, they’re included on the disc. Steven Spielberg makes a cameo in one of them, directing a live action version of Bee Movie with Seinfeld stuck inside a bee costume.

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Article Author: Matt Paprocki

Matt Paprocki is a 12-year movie and game critic. He currently freelances for Blu-ray review site DoBlu.com and video game site MultiPlayerGames.com.

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