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created 12/15/97. |
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created: 2/8/99
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Studio
News -
DreamWorks SKG |
Get
out your bug spray - ANTZ! is
coming to a DVD player near you on March 23rd. And it will
definitely be worth the wait. For an SRP of $34.99, here's what you
get:
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- DreamWorks Signature Selection
- Anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1)
- Dual-layered DVD
- Dolby Digital 5.1 Audio
- Full-length Director's Commentary
- Behind-the-scenes Production Featurette - The Making of ANTZ!
- Director's Inside Look - The Basics of CGI Animation &
Early Design Process
- Production Notes
- Cast & Filmmaker Bios
- Theatrical Trailer
- 4 TV Spots |
Naturally, in true DreamWorks style, the disc menus will feature
full-motion graphics and sound. The Director's Inside Look will show
the special facial system and development process used to create the
main characters. And the disc will also be the first, fully CGI
(Computer Generated Imagery) film to be released on the DVD format.
All in all, a very nifty batch of extras. Can't wait!
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PREVIOUS
NEWS (10/26/98)
Here's your first look at those forthcoming DreamWorks DVDs. The
first three are due on December 8th. Amistad
and Paulie are coming in
February.
Just
in case you haven't heard, the December 8th titles will include:
Small Soldiers: Signature Series
- 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, full frame, Dolby Digital 5.1,
deleted scenes "From the Cutting Room Floor", production
notes, cast & crew bios, theatrical trailers, behind-the-scenes
featurette, interactive game demo
Mouse Hunt - 1.85:1 anamorphic
widescreen, full frame, Dolby Digital 5.1, stunt footage, deleted
scenes "From the Cutting Room Floor", production notes,
cast & crew bios, theatrical trailers
The Peacemaker - 2.35:1
anamorphic widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1, stunt footage, deleted
scenes "From the Cutting Room Floor", production notes,
cast & crew bios, theatrical trailers
Many thanks to the Bits
reader who provided the scans.
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PREVIOUS
NEWS (9/24/98)
The day we've all been waiting for is upon us. I just received this
faxed press release this morning, direct from DreamWorks Home
Entertainment. It confirms that they will have three DVD titles
available by December. Enjoy:
DREAMWORKS LAUNCHES DVD
Three Films Premiere in December
Universal City, California, September 24, 1998 - DreamWorks SKG is
entering the Digital VideoDisk (DVD) market, it was announced today
by Matt Brown, head of Worldwide Home Entertainment. Just in time
for the holiday season, three films are set to debut this December,
including SMALL SOLDIERS,
MOUSE HUNT and THE
PEACEMAKER.
"We are thrilled to now offer DreamWorks pictures on DVD,"
Brown said. "The technology has moved beyond a niche audience
and is gaining consistent ground with mainstream consumers. Buoyed
by their successful theatrical and video releases,
SMALL SOLDIERS, MOUSE
HUNT and THE PEACEMAKER will
have even more appeal on DVD, which allows us to add new, exciting
behind-the-scenes footage. We believe sales of these movies will be
strong throughout the holiday season and into 1999, with those
beginning their collections."
Combining live-action with state of the art, computer-generated
imagery, SMALL SOLDIERS has earned
almost $54 million to date at the U.S. box office. Starring Kirsten
Dunst, Jay Mohr, Phil Hartman, Gregory Smith and Dennis Leary, the
film is receiving a multi-million dollar marketing campaign just
prior to its DVD release when it premieres on videocassette November
10th. A major hit with kids, SMALL SOLDIERS
characters were the number one boys' action toy of the summer.
MOUSE HUNT, the $121 million worldwide
box office smash, was one of the year's top ten videos, selling over
4.7 million videocassettes when it was released last May. The hit
family film stars Nathan Lane, Lee Evans, Christopher Walken and the
world's most tenacious mouse. International celebrities George
Clooney and Nicole Kidman star in THE
PEACEMAKER, which earned more than $110 million at the
worldwide box office. A suspenseful action-thriller, the movie spent
six weeks on top of the rental charts when it was released on video
last March, and is selling extremely well since its sell-through
release in September.
DreamWorks SKG was formed in October, 1994, by its three principal
partners - Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen -
as a single company to produce live-action motion pictures; animated
feature films and television programs; network, syndicated and cable
television programming, records, books, toys, consumer products and
interactive entertainment.
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PREVIOUS
NEWS (5/20/98)
There are indications that DreamWorks SKG will release its films to
open DVD as early as August, in addition to honoring its commitment
to Divx. DreamWorks VHS product is currently being distributed by
Universal Home Video, who will apparently do the same for DreamWorks
DVDs. Expect The Peacemaker
the studio's first feature film, to be its first DVD title as well,
along with Mouse Hunt.
No word yet as to when Amblin will loosen its DVD moratorium, but
the following article from a recent issue of Time
Magazine may hold a clue. Keep in mind that the article
has a couple of errors, notably that Gremlins
is already on DVD (along with The Color
Purple and Twister):
Time Magazine, April 6, 1998 Vol.
151, No. 13 - Notebook/The Scoop
Spielberg: DVD Means Definite Video Delay
If you've just bought a DVD player and can't wait to watch favorite
flicks like E.T. and Gremlins,
better not disconnect your dusty old VCR. Although there are nearly
half a million DVD machines in U.S. homes, STEVEN SPIELBERG is
keeping his entire film library--including pictures produced by his
company Amblin--off the format. Some DVD boosters think Spielberg is
resisting because he favors a sonics alternative made by Digital
Theater Systems, a company he partly owns, which has not been
embraced by major hardware manufacturers. The director's spokesman
says he's merely waiting for millions more consumers to buy the
players: "It's a question of the marketplace maturing, and
Steven feels very strongly about it." One Amblin title, Twister,
slipped out "under the radar" through Warner Home Video,
but other films made for various studios are being held back. "Why
would we want to upset Spielberg?" asks an exec from Universal,
which owns rights to Jaws but
won't release it for fear of alienating the man responsible for many
of the studio's greatest hits. Spielberg isn't the only holdout.
Paramount and Fox have also steered clear of DVD, while Disney has
yet to commit any animated classics to the format. It isn't the
first time major content providers have resisted new technology:
Capitol-EMI refused to put out any Beatles titles during the early
years of the compact-disc revolution.
--By Jeffrey Ressner /Los Angeles |
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