I'm way into Pixar bonus features. I've spent an embarrassing number of hours reading those fake-superhero bios on Disc 2 of The Incredibles and watching the fish in the Finding Nemo aquarium swim by. However, I'm also really skeptical about this super-all-inclusive DVD trend, which too often involves paying a lot of money for fancy packaging and none-too-illuminating special features. It's like paying $20 extra for a fancy steak so the chef will throw in some potato chips. Given this attitude, I was a little conflicted when I found out that Pixar's WALL-E would be released tomorrow as a deluxe-edition 3 DVD set. What could possibly fill 3 DVDs? I decided to find out. Below, a breakdown of every single special feature on the WALL-E DVD, and a verdict on whether you should put it on your Christmas list. -- Gwynne Watkins
DISC 1
- Why do all these Disney DVDs start with 800 previews? My finger is getting tired from hitting "skip."
- Okay, first up, we have that funny little short about the magician and the rabbit that we saw in theaters.
- And here's a new short, BURN-E, about an accident-prone repair robot who gets stranded outside the space station during the events of the film. Cute but has a lot of recycled film footage, which feels vaguely like cheating.
- Next, a 20-minute feature on the sound design. No, really, it's interesting! The true geeking-out commmences.
- DELETED SCENES! Unlike the half-finished scenes on past Pixar DVDs, these basically look and sound like the real thing. Includes a mildly disturbing sequence (with at least a dozen Star Wars references) in which a trash compactor nearly kills Eve.
- Director commentary -- okay, I don't have all day, people.
- Preview of WALL-E's Tour of the Universe -- I watched this -- it's 50 seconds long -- and I still have no idea what WALL-E's Tour of the Universe is.
- Easter egg featuring Pixar guys bragging about what nerds they are. Adorable, but I'm seeing a serious absence of lady Pixar employees. Hire me, Pixar! I can hold my own with the Star Trek references!
DISC 2
- This disc is divided into 2 categories. Let's start with "Humans: For Film Fans."
- A "Behind the Scenes" section contains six different featurettes (average length: 10 minutes) on animation, design, character concept -- I'm going to get any work done today, am I?
- Deleted Scenes. Yes, more deleted scenes! Unlike the others, these are all sketchy-looking and prelimary.
- BnL shorts - A history of the Buy N Large corporation, in commercials. Awesome.
- The Pixar Story -- a feature-length documentary about Pixar. Unquestionably biased, and yet, it had me from that first montage of the history of animation. What can I say, I'm just a sucker for lovable big-eyed creatures that talk with celebrity voices.
- Now let's check out the "Robots: For Families" category.
- WALL-E's Treasures and Trinkets -- Against a blank screen, the film's robots interact with objects from the human world. Hi-larious! I may need to watch this twice.
- Bot Files - Oo, it's like those superhero bios on the Incredibles disc! But about robots! And better!
- "Lots of Bots" Storybook - Not so much a book, more like a combination educational game/story/stylized cartoon, but it works.
DISC 3
Ohhh, Disc 3 is a digital copy. What are digital copies for again? So I can put the movie on my iPod? Yeah, now that you mention it, I want WALL-E on my iPod.
Verdict: If you're a Pixar fan, you want this. The deluxe DVD set retails for $40, but I bet you could find it at a pre-holiday sale for $25 or $30, or pre-order it before tomorrow on Amazon for a hefty discount.
