DVD Play - "The Polar Express" - (2004) WS & FS

DVD playthrough of menu and special features
TITLE: The Polar Express
YEAR: 2004
RELEASE: BOTH the Widescreen and Full-Screen versions

What is the verdict on "The Polar Express" - now surprisingly 20 years old? Does the CG hold up? It it more wooden than you remember, or a little more odd than you remember? I mean, still pretty good... but repeat watchings does expose some of the strange moments... "Ellllffffff."

Now, I'm showcasing the difference here in the Widescreen vs. the Full-Screen version. Sometimes a full-screen release is "Open Matte" or at least shows more of the original footage vertically than the wide-screen does. But alas, The Polar Express being done entirely in CG was targeted at a 2.35:1 aspect ratio, and therefore the widescreen is CLEARLY superior in this case. Full Screen is just a pan & scan. So no reason to own it.

This DVD also packages in a 2nd disc with all the BONUS content. Together, they make up an A+ tier release. The bonus disc has everything including games and hidden menu items. We'll go into that more on the next video.

One thing that isn't readily apparent, but I think is one of DVD's BEST features is the extra language selections that actually affect different "angle" content on the DVD. In otherwords, if you're watching Spanish or French version, there are seamless integration of Spanish & French words into the movie via extra "angles". One disc, essentially three different versions by just having small sections of the movie play based on the language. Totally cool!

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BUMPERS:
Warner Home Video = 0:40
Warner Home Video (full screen) = 8:12

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TRAILERS & PROMOS:
The Polar Express (theatrical trailer) = 6:32

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MAIN MENU (full loop) = 0:50
PLAY movie (auto starts after loop) = 1:52
Languages = 3:18
Scene Selections = 4:20
End Titles = 4:46

____ DISK 2 _____ = 7:43
MAIN MENU (full loop) = 8:23
PLAY movie = 9:00
Languages = 10:21
Scene Selections = 11:34
End Titles = 12:10
End Titles = 4:46