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Saturday, November 7, 2015

Inside Out: Blu-Ray Review (Target Edition)

inside out review

As mentioned earlier, this past Tuesday (November 3rd) marked the release of two Pixar films on home video: Toy Story That Time Forgot (which I reviewed HERE) and Inside Out! Today I'll be taking an in depth look at the Inside Out Blu-Ray + DVD + Digital HD Combo Pack (Target version), which includes some exclusive bonus content (more on that below).

I'll just be reviewing the special features here, not the film itself. To read my full [extremely positive) review of the film, visit my original review post HERE!

inside out blu ray review

First things first, I wanted to talk about the different home video versions that are available. There are lots of options (all with a varying amount of special features)- whether you're a film/animation fan who enjoys loads of bonus content or just a casual movie goer looking to watch the film again, there's a version for you! Below is a guide as to which version has what features:

DVD:
  •  Lava
  • Audio Commentary 
Digital HD (Disney Movies Anywhere):
  • Lava 
  • Riley's First Date? 
  • Paths to Pixar: The Women of Inside Out 
  • Mixed Emotions 
  • Story of the Story
  • Mapping the Mind
  • Our Dads, the Filmmakers 
  • Into the Unknown: The Sound of Inside Out 
  • The Misunderstood Art of Animation Film Editing 
  • Mind Candy
  • Deleted Scenes ("Riley Grows Up", "Joy's Decline", "Misdirection" & "Construction")
  • Deleted Scenes (Joy Alone & Imagination Park) (digital exclusive)
  • Designing Abstract Thought (digital exclusive)
Blu-Ray + DVD + Digital HD Combo Pack: 
  • Includes everything listed above
Blu-Ray + DVD + Digital HD Combo Pack (Target Exclusive Edition): 
  • Everything above
  • Deleted Scenes ("Farmer Man" & "Riley" - Target exclusive)
  • Drawing with Your Inner Child (Target exclusive)
There you go! Hopefully that will help you when deciding on what version to get. As you can see, the reason I bought the Target edition is because it's all encompassing. You get everything. You get the movie, all the special features (including the commentary), the digital HD copy, the digital exclusives and the Target exclusives. It's the way to go if you're a special features nut like me!

There are other ways to purchase the film as well (such as digital on iTunes, digital on Amazon Instant Video, Blu-Ray 3D, etc.), but there is no exclusive content with any of those. Man though, there is no shortage of ways to purchase a film these days, phew! Boy is it complicated now... I use to just go pick up the VHS copy at the store back in the day; that was the only way!

inside out blu ray review

OK, now that that housekeeping stuff is out of the way (hopefully it was helpful though), now lets dig deeper into all the bonus content included with this Target version!

target inside out blu ray
target inside out blu ray

Here we have some of the menus-


Special Features (a closer look)

Disc 1 ("Feature" Disc):
  • Lava (running time 7:12)- The beautiful short film that was released along Inside Out in theaters (see my full review HERE).
  • Riley's First Date? (running time 4:40)- A brand new, fast paced short film set in the world of Inside Out! Directed by Josh Cooley, this film brings back the boy from the end of Inside Out, Riley, her parents and the emotions for a fun little story. It captures the snappy, quick wit of the famous dinner table scene as we again zoom into the heads of all four human characters. Hilarity ensues! Parents will especially relate to this one...and be sure to stay through until the end of the credits.  
  • Paths to Pixar: The Women of Inside Out (running time 11:22)- Women from the Inside Out  team (actors, animators and other crew) share some of their successes and failures that ultimately led them to work at Pixar Animation Studios. Very inspiring and entertaining to watch! 
  • Mixed Emotions (running time 7:17)- The team of Inside Out discusses the complex process of designing and animating the five core emotions featured in the film. 
  • Audio Commentary with Director Pete Docter and Co-Director Donnie Del Carman (running time 1:34:37 *length of film*)- Watch the film and listen to the directing duo as they share some very interesting and insightful behind the scenes tidbits! Patrick Lyn (director of photography) and Bill Hader (voice of Fear) also join the conversation for a few minutes. I had been excited to listen to this for months and it was well worth the wait! 

Disc 2 ("Bonus" Disc):
  • Story of the Story (running time 10:30)- Director Pete Docter chronicles the long and difficult process of making the film's characters and story just right. What an incredible journey! Such a brilliant team.
  • Mapping the Mind (running time 8:24)- "When we see the mind and we see how it works in our film, it has to be interesting, magical, special and yet completely obvious. That is a pretty tall order and it scares me every day when I come into work" (Ralph Eggleston, production designer). This quote perfectly captures what this featurette is all about...all the painstaking research and work that went into the design of the film! It must have been very intimidating trying to conceive the look for a familiar, yet unfamiliar, world that's more infinite than the oceans or even space.  
  •  Our Dads, the Filmmakers (running time 7:25)- Take a fun look behind the scenes of Inside Out from the perspective of Elie Docter (daughter of director, Pete Docter) and Grace Giacchino (daughter of composer, Michael Giacchino.
  • Into the Unknown: The Sound of Inside Out (running time 7:09)- Ren Klyce, the film's sound designer, gives you a peek at what it took to bring the audible world of Inside Out to life. All I have to say is, wow! The creativity of some people...
  • The Misunderstood Art of Animation Film Editing (running time 4:43)- There are a lot of misconceptions about what an animation film editor actually does. Some might think, "Oh he just splices the finished scenes together and adds the music and sound effects right?" Wrong! Here Kevin Nolting (the film's editor) and other members of the team talk about the complex process of editing an animated film. As a filmmaker myself, I love editing. It's my favorite aspect of creating a film. However, I don't think I could handle it in animation and on this level. It's a whole different ball game. I was overwhelmed just by watching this! Very interesting though, to say the least. 
  •  Mind Candy (running rime 14.26)- A collection of animation toolkits featuring the emotions and Bing Bong! Most of these are bits you've already seen in the trailers and other promo videos, but there are also some lesser known promo clips as well (such as "Five Second Rule" and "Shoes of Doom"). Worth checking out (especially the second half, starting at 6:12).
  •  Deleted Scenes (with intros by director Pete Docter):

1.) Riley Grows Up (running time 4:45). As Riley begins to grow up, Joy as less influence in her life and fear begins to have more control. I definitely didn't like how Joy was portrayed here! I'm so glad they held back on giving her too much "edge". 


2.) Joy's Decline (running time 3:42)- Here we see Riley learning that more is expected out of her now that she's growing up. Joy tries to hang onto childhood as hard as she can.


3.) Misdirection (running time 4:12)- In this scene, Joy and Fear meet an early version of Bing Bong and many other childhood imaginary friends! Again, Joy is way too mean here, so I'm glad they refined her character. Also, is that the voice of Bret Parker (Kari the babysitter from The Incredibles) I hear as the voice of Mrs. Scribbles? 


4.) Construction (running time 3:17)- This scene involves a more radical non-conformist version of Bing Bong, protesting the construction happening throughout the mind. It's funny, but Bing Bong was definitely not as likable. 



Exclusive Content:  
To access your Digital HD and Target exclusive features, just enter the code included with your copy into Disney Movies Anywhere. Then just select Inside Out from within your collection and you'll be able to view all the bonus content! Simple as that. 

Below is a screenshot of what the page on the Disney Movies Anywhere page will look like...

  • Drawing with Your Inner Child (running time 7:52; Target exclusive)- Another featurette on creating the designs of the five emotions and Bing Bong. 
  •  Designing Abstract Though (running time 2:36; digital exclusive)- The design team behind the most "abstract" scene in Pixar history talks about the creative process. Short, but a very cool little behind the scene snippet! 
  • Deleted Scenes (with intros by director Pete Docter):
1.) Farmer Man (running time 3:14; Target exclusive)- The concept of "idea fields" and "idea farmers" is introduced. Joy, Sadness and Bing Bong catch a crazy truck ride as they try to make their way back to headquarters!


2.) Riley (running time 7:59; Target exclusive)- This alternate opening to the film involves a very differently imagined headquarters. Other emotions (who didn't make the cut, such as pride) are also present. It's really interesting to see an early take on the concept.


3.) Imagination Park (running time 3:46; digital exclusive)- Fear (turned almost villainous in this version) chases Joy throughout "Imagination Park" as he tries to stop her from getting back to headquarters. 


4.) Joy Alone (running time 5:13; digital exclusive)- This is a very intriguing scene where Joy swims through the watery depths of the subconscious to where she's able to meet a younger Riley. Joy has to choose between holding onto childhood or growing up.


Well, I think that's just about everything. Just to total things up here- Including the exclusive content, we have two short films, ten featurettes, one audio commentary and eight deleted scenes included with this Target edition of Inside Out. I can't complain! I'm gonna go ahead and give this release 5 out of 5 stars.

If you're wondering which version to pick up yourself, I'd highly recommend this one. Head to your local Target store (or online) to purchase! If you're interested in just the standard edition DVD or Blu-Ray combo pack, visit Amazon using the direct links below.


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