Mailbag Roundup: Up 3D, Finding Nemo 3D and The Odd Life of Timothy Green Blu-Ray releases

Dec 06, 2012- Permalink

It’s pretty weird. It’s only the beginning of December, but I’m pretty sure I heard Santa’s sleigh landing on our mailbox. Looking inside this week I noticed that Christmas came early in the form of three new Blu-Ray/DVD combo sets from Disney: the Up 3D 5-Disc Combo Pack, the Finding Nemo 3D: Ultimate Collector’s Edition 5-Disc Combo Pack and The Odd Life of Timothy Green 2-Disc Combo Pack.

Up tells the story of Carl Fredericksen (Ed Asner) a curmudgeonly 78-year-old balloon seller and widower who straps thousands of helium balloons to avoid getting sent off to the Shady Oaks Retirement Home. As he floats off to South America he discovers a surprise passenger, a young Wilderness Explorer Scout named Russell (Jordan Nagai). They end up in an adventure that has them crossing paths with a crazy explorer (Christipher Plummer), an exotic bird named Kevin and Dug (Bob Peterson), a golden retriever fitted with a voice box. As per Pixar standards, there’s laughs and heartfelt moments galore.

The Up 3D 5-Disc Combo Pack contains the Blu-Ray 3D version (requires a 3D-compatible TV and Blu-Ray player), the regular Blu-Ray version, Blu-Ray bonus features disc, a DVD version and a digital copy for your computer or portable device. The 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer is stunning and the 3D immerses into the world that Carl and Russell set off to explore. You’re further brought into the action by the 5.1 surround sound. The 2D Blu-Ray is just as stunning. Extras include Cine-Explore Commentary with picture-in-picture commentary and storyboards, animated shorts and several documentaries.

Finding Nemo won our hearts in 2D back in 2003 and came back with a 3D version in 2012. When a young clownfish named Nemo gets captured, it’s up to his father Marlin (voiced by Albert Brooks) to find him. He’s aided by a blue tang fish named Dory (voiced by Ellen DeGeneres) who’s eager to help but has short-term memory issues. Toss in pelicans and seagulls, sea turtles and sharks and you’ve got an underwater adventure for the whole family. Again the 1080p transfer is amazing and the 3D version immerses us (excuse the pun) in their underwater world. A TrueHD 7.1 soundtrack will have you feeling like you need scuba gear. Extras include a Cine-Explore Documentary and a whole seafood platter of featurettes , deleted scenes and behind-the-scenes looks.

The Odd Life of Timothy Green 2-Disc Combo Pack brings us the story of a married couple (Jennifer Garner and Joel Edgerton) who dream what their child would be like only to have a young boy (CJ Adams) appear on their doorstep. No 3D here and the sound isn’t as immersive as the magical worlds above. Some may find the story a little too sweet and sentimental. Extra include a music video and director commentary.

People who love these films and want to add them to their collections, can’t go wrong with these versions.