I've got a problem with Comedy Central calling the DVD an “uncensored director’s cut.” None of the swearing is bleeped out. But the Imaginationland episodes remain the same. The studio added in a couple of older bonus episodes probably to up the DVD’s running time. But why not slip unused ideas back in? That would’ve been a more imaginative way to add in extra time. As it stands, the disc doesn’t deserve the title.
The Imaginationland Trilogy isn’t bad. Singling it out for a DVD release, however, over-exaggerates its quality. The parodies weren’t the most humorous and the story wasn’t controversial enough. Personally, I think other 11th season episodes were better.
The Imagionationland Trilogy comes in a 1:33:1 fullscreen format and features Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround and Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo audio. You can breeze through the special features. Storyboards for the opening “leprechaun spotting” scene and “welcome to Imaginationland” scene are included. It just would’ve been nice to access the storyboards for the entire trilogy. Also, you can catch up on the older South Park episodes “Woodland Critter Christmas” and “Manbearpig.” The title characters of both appear in Imaginationland. Otherwise, you can skip it if you’ve already seen them or don’t care because you have the season DVDs.
Finally, we get a South Park commentary track that is longer than five minutes. This one is worth listening to. Creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone go into detail about how the ideas for the story came together and how they watch TV dramas like 24 to learn how to become better writers. They sound very observant and not like the total college fratboys they sometimes come off as being. If you’re like me, you’ll be fascinated at hearing more of their opinions on movies and directors.
But is it worth buying? Twenty dollars is a high price for what you get. If you like the show, I’d pick up the season box sets. However, Trey and Matt’s full-length commentary is a rarity that likely won’t appear in the season 11 set. Personally, I’d still rent it.
Grade: B
Extras Include:
- Bonus Episodes: Episode 814 – “Woodland Critter Christmas,” Episode 1006 – “Manbearpig”
- Commentary by Matt and Trey
- Storyboards
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