AVS Forum banner

James and the Giant Peach - Special Edition (Blu-ray) Official AVSForum Review

6K views 8 replies 8 participants last post by  MacinMan 
#1 ·


The Review at a Glance: (max score: 5 )

Film:


Extras:


Audio/Video total rating:

( Max score: 100 )

83






Studio and Year: Disney - 1996
MPAA Rating: PG
Feature running time: 79 minutes
Genre: Family/Animation/Adventure

Disc Format: BD-50
Encoding: AVC (MPEG-4)
Video Aspect: 1.66:1
Resolution: 1080p/24


Audio Format(s): English DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio, French/Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Starring: Pete Postlethwaite, Miriam Margolyes, Paul Terry, Joanna Lumley. Voices of: Susan Sarandon, Richard Dreyfuss, Jane Leeves, Simon Callow, David Thewlis
Directed by: Henry Selick
Music by: Randy Newman
Written by: Karey Kirkpatrick, Jonathon Roberts, & Steve Bloom based on the book by Roald Dahl
Region Code: 1

Blu-ray Disc release Date: August 3, 2010







"Marvelous things will happen"



Film Synopsis:


After the daring rescue of a spider, a young boy named James gains possession of some magic crocodile tongues. When James spills them in the garden, out sprouts an enormous peach! Climbing inside, he meets an astonishing cast of characters and embarks on a magical odyssey full of thrills and adventure. Voiced by an all-star cast, including legendary actors Richard Dreyfuss, Susan Sarandon, Simon Callow and Jane Leeves, and featuring the celebrated music of

Randy Newman, this classic story is delicious entertainment for the whole family!




My Take:


James and the giant peach is a film adaptation based on the beloved 1961children's book by Roald Dahl. The film combines a mix of live-action, stop-motion animation and computer-generated special effects to create the world featured in the story. James Henry Trotter is a happy little boy living near the sea with his parents who tell him of the wondrous trip they are all going to take to the best place in the world, New York City. His life drastically changes when his parents are killed by a monstrous rhinoceros that appears from the clouds. Afterward he goes to live with his two evil aunts who mistreat him at every turn. One evening in his room, he befriends a spider and must daringly save its life when his aunt's try to kill it. While setting it free he meets an old man who gives him a bag of magic boiled crocodile tongues. James accidentally spills some of them in the yard which later sprouts an enormous peach from a tree in the garden. James ventures into the giant fruit were he finds and befriends a group of insects Mr. Old Green Grasshopper, Mr. Centipede, Mr. Earthworm, Miss Spider, Mrs. Ladybug, and Glowworm (who are all human size) who are also in search of an ideal home. Using the giant peach they band together and follow through on James' dream of going to New York.

I haven't seen this film since my kids were little. I remember that it was sort of dark from a thematic standpoint. Watching it now, especially the segments that take place prior to James entering the peach, I felt much the same. Here is this little boy that first loses his parents and is then subjected to living a life of drudgery at the hands of his two evil aunts. Things look up when he meets his new found family inside of the peach. Their adventure together is meaningful and the outcome is magically rewarding although I couldn't help but long for him to see his parents again. The filmmakers do a nice job blending the live-action, stop-motion and CGI which adds to the story's distinctiveness. I didn't take umbrage with the liberties taken with the story and thought that it worked fine. James and the giant peach isn't an especially heartwarming tale but it's affecting, simple, and timeless. The story contains thematic material and some frightening imagery that may bother younger viewers but this film can predominantly be enjoyed by the whole family. This marks its debut in high definition and fans can revel in this Blu-ray release as it has never looked or sounded better.



Parental Guide:


The rating is for some frightening images.





AUDIO/VIDEO - By The Numbers:
REFERENCE = 92-100 / EXCELLENT = 83-91 / GOOD = 74-82 / AVERAGE = 65-73 / BELOW AVERAGE = under 65

**My audio/video ratings are based upon a comparative made against other high definition media/blu-ray disc.**


(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)


Audio: 88


  • Dynamics:

  • Low frequency extension:

  • Surround Sound presentation:

  • Clarity/Detail:

  • Dialogue Reproduction:




Video: 78


(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)

  • Resolution/Clarity:

  • Black level/Shadow detail:

  • Color reproduction:

  • Fleshtones:

  • Compression:

James and the giant peach comes to Blu-ray Disc from Disney featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 36 Mbps and lossless DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio sound that has an average bitrate of 4.2 Mbps.

From a technical perspective this is a solid video presentation. The film uses a mix of live-action, stop-motion animation, and CGI. The live-action segments have a drab and grainy aesthetic that leaves it looking soft and lacking the depth and lucid clarity that is generally associated with genre films like this that come to Blu-ray. This improves with the animated/digital based elements which exhibit improved resolution perception and enhanced dimension. The shading and lighting used results in a dimensionally satisfying image despite a reserved level of contrast. Black levels are consistent over the course of the presentation but are rarely engaging in terms of depth and dynamic range. Colors consist of a limited and softer palette that is most decidedly a stylistic choice that mates well with the source in a satisfying way. I saw no signs of video related artifacts or image degrading noise reduction. While this presentation lacks polish and eye catching definition it appears to be a faithful rendering from Disney that clearly outshines its standard definition counterpart.

James and the giant peach contains an impressive surround mix that is complimented by this lossless DTS-HD Master Audio encoding. Dynamics are defining without being strident or edgy. Dialogue is rendered with refined clarity and expressive tonal character. The fidelity inherent in the original recoding is definable and appears fully intact. Soundstage integration and imaging is excellent which provide the multitude of ambient and directional sounds with deep room penetration, detail perception and appropriate near field placement. This enriches the aural presence in the instrumentation of Randy Newman's wonderful music score. Low frequency effects have solidity/weight with tangible extension that can be felt throughout the listening area. This is an invigorating audio presentation that mates well with the source material and sounds terrific.



Bonus Features:

  • Blu-ray Disc exclusive: Spike the aunt's game - Interactive feature where you spike the aunt's with the rhino's horn to score points.


  • Original DVD features:

  • Production featurette - 4 minutes

  • Good News music video by Randy Newman

  • Still frame gallery

  • Original Theatrical trailer

  • BD-Live access

  • Bonus DVD of James and the giant peach



Final Thoughts:


James and the giant peach is a film adaptation based on the beloved 1961children's book by Roald Dahl. It's an affecting, simple, and timeless story that translates positively from one generation to the next. It makes its debut in high definition on Disney Blu-ray featuring faithful video quality and terrific lossless DTS-HD Master Audio surround sound. The original DVD special features are included along with the Blu-ray Disc exclusive spike the aunt's interactive game, BD-Live access and a bonus DVD of the film. If you haven't seen James and the giant peach this two disc special edition release from Disney is the best game in town.















Ralph Potts
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews





Reference Review System:



JVC DLA-RS20 1080p High Definition Front Projector (Calibrated by Jeff Meier)

Stewart Filmscreen - Studiotek 130 G3 100 16x9 Screen

Anthem AVM50v THX Ultra 2 Preamp/Video Processor

Sherbourn Technologies - 7/200 Seven Channel Amplifier

Oppo BDP-83 Universal disc/Blu-ray Player (HDMI Audio/Video)

Toshiba HD-XA2 HD DVD Player (HDMI Audio/Video)

Sony Playstation 3 Blu-ray disc Player (HDMI Audio/Video)

Oppo 970HD universal disc DVD Player (480i HDMI)

Philips TSU9400 Pro Series Touch Panel Remote Control

Canton "Ergo" Series speakers

Axiom Audio QS8 Quadpolar speakers

SV Sound PB-13 Ultra (Rosenut finish)

APC AV S15BLK Power Conditioner/Surge Protector

Furman SPR-20i Stable Power Regulator

Wireworld, VizionWare, Audioquest, Better Cables, Best Deal Cables - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling

Cool Components - CP-CP102 cooling package
 
See less See more
14
#3 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by bimmerfreak0 /forum/post/18971951


Thanks for the review. The Parental Guide Rating itself is missing...fyi.


Greetings,


The actual rating is at the top (below the studio/year). The parental guide offers further info regarding what to expect.


Regards,
 
#4 ·
Ok, this is off-topic, but it just hit me, as I read Ralph's comments on the audio track, that DTS has become the de facto audio standard...with Dolby Digital or TrueHD mostly relegated to foreigfn language tracks. I can remember all the debates back when DTS first debuted (on laserdisc, of course) as to which format was better. And while, to me, DTS was clearly superior, it seemed very unlikely that it would ever dethrone Dolby's long-standing perch. While it did take more than a decade, it's good to see my initial appreciation for DTS upheld by time. (Of course, that's not to say that Dolby TrueHD hasn't had some stellar audio tracks itself!)
 
#5 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by film113 /forum/post/18973106


Ok, this is off-topic, but it just hit me, as I read Ralph's comments on the audio track, that DTS has become the de facto audio standard...with Dolby Digital or TrueHD mostly relegated to foreigfn language tracks. I can remember all the debates back when DTS first debuted (on laserdisc, of course) as to which format was better. And while, to me, DTS was clearly superior, it seemed very unlikely that it would ever dethrone Dolby's long-standing perch. While it did take more than a decade, it's good to see my initial appreciation for DTS upheld by time. (Of course, that's not to say that Dolby TrueHD hasn't had some stellar audio tracks itself!)

For some thoughts on why this may be, see the second question:

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/sh...Limit:_65/5001
 
#7 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by film113 /forum/post/18973106


Ok, this is off-topic, but it just hit me, as I read Ralph's comments on the audio track, that DTS has become the de facto audio standard...with Dolby Digital or TrueHD mostly relegated to foreigfn language tracks. I can remember all the debates back when DTS first debuted (on laserdisc, of course) as to which format was better. And while, to me, DTS was clearly superior, it seemed very unlikely that it would ever dethrone Dolby's long-standing perch. While it did take more than a decade, it's good to see my initial appreciation for DTS upheld by time. (Of course, that's not to say that Dolby TrueHD hasn't had some stellar audio tracks itself!)

I've heard that the royalties for DTS are much lower than Dolby as well, so there's a financial reason for the codec being used.
 
#8 ·
Gosh, what a blast from the past. I haven't seen this since it came out on video (I was around 13 at the time). I remember being very enamored with the book but the movie just seemed so much more creepy. I look forward to giving this another spin in hi-def.



Thanks for the review Ralph.
 
#9 ·
I remember the book as a child. It was one of my favorite stores as a kid.


I'm always excited to see older content come to blu-ray as most of the movies and tv shows I like are older ones. Though I have some modern content too. All depends on what it is.


I have to say as exciting as this is, I'm glad I found this review, I've gotten things on blu-ray that look about the same as the DVD upconverted. Hopefully this will be a good transfer.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top