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Prep & Landing/Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice - Totally Tinsel Collection
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray ALL - America - Buena Vista Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Anthony Arrigo (30th December 2013). |
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The Film
 Despite any perceptions people may have about Disney as a corporation, few can argue that they haven’t continually put out exemplary film work both feature-length and short. As an institution, they’ve got a pretty spectacular track record that trumps any other animation house soundly, both in quality and quantity. One area they seem to have sporadic involvement, but great success, is in holiday movies and TV specials. We’ve all got a Disney favorite or two that becomes a staple to view during the holidays, but it’s also important to note that new generations want their own holiday fare to define Christmas, too. For that reason, a new series of TV special shorts were created called “Prep & Landing” (2009). The first short was actually pitched to Disney as a theatrical short film, but Pixar chief John Lasseter (who was overseeing the newly reopened short film division) envisioned it as a TV special. It proved to be a big hit on ABC, which led to further shorts being created for the holidays. “Prep & Landing”, the first in the series, introduces viewers to Wayne (Dave Foley), one of Santa’s elves who work on the prep and landing team – the crew in charge of making sure the homes set to get presents are all squared away before the Big Guy arrives. Wayne is upset when he gets passed over for a big promotion despite putting in lots of hard work and effort, a feeling that is only exacerbated when he’s paired up with Lanny (Derek Richardson), a new hire who proves to be less than competent. Wayne, still fuming over his being passed over, tells Lanny to do all the prep work for a house on Christmas Eve. He quickly regrets that decision when the job is bungled, and on top of that there’s a massive snow storm affecting Santa’s trajectory. Unable to ensure a quick entry and exit, the call is made to abort the delivery, something that has never happened before. But Wayne needs to make things right, so he and Lanny work their magic to make sure little Timmy (Mason Vale Cotton) has the Christmas he’s been waiting for all year. Following up on the success of the first TV special, “Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice” (2011) hit airwaves a couple years later. This short focuses on the Coal Elf Brigade, a squadron tasked with delivering lumps of coal to young children who didn’t make the nice list, though they’re sure to attach positive messages meant to encourage the kids to get back on Santa’s good side. One year, one of the naughty kids tricks the crew, stealing a valuable piece of North Pole technology. Wayne is sent in with his younger brother, Noel (Rob Riggle), who is much larger than he. Together, they must infiltrate the booby-trapped house, recover the stolen equipment, and probably teach everyone watching at home a Christmas lesson or two along the way. The best thing about these specials is they’re extremely fun. Previous animated Christmas specials in recent years have relied entirely on how much viewers like pre-existing characters such as Shrek, or the “How to Train Your Dragon” (2010) cast. This, thankfully, is a series of entirely new creations, making it much more appealing to a broad audience than just those who were a fan of certain series. Remember, even though these are ostensibly made for kids there is plenty of subtle, under-the-radar humor for adults to enjoy. There are also many in-references to other Disney and classic Christmas properties that make for an amusing scavenger hunt type of game, seeing if you can spot all the clues hidden throughout. The humor here is very sharp, with many bon mots derived from quotable Christmas phrases and words. Even the recon teams military-style language is riddled with Christmas terms used to signify covert operations. It’s exactly the kind of fantasy and whimsy that kids needs to during Christmas, and truthfully quite a few adults could use a dose of the same, too. The “Prep & Landing” series efficiently delivers the laughs and the feels in small enough doses that these diminutive characters never outstay their welcome during the holidays. Disney has revealed plans are underway for another instalment in the short series, likely to debut in 2014 now that the holiday season has passed for this year – news that should greatly please fans.
Video
The 1.78:1 1080p 24/fps AVC MPEG-4 encoded picture is quite technically proficient, appearing nearly flawless thanks to a digital source and today’s advances in computer animation. Still, this was produced for television exhibition, not theatrical, and there are some very minor issues that prevent it from looking perfect. But it’s about as close to perfect as my eyes could tell. Colors are vivid and lush, black levels were almost totally solid, sharpness and detail were exquisite… there’s virtually nothing to really complain about here. So I won’t.
Audio
The disc might include an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound (48kHz/24-bit) track, but being that this was a TV production they kept the bulk of the activity confined to the front end of the assembly. Not a creature is going to be stirring in your rear speakers, that’s for sure. Still, even with what is basically a 2.0 track, there is a nice separation in the mix that allows for lots of action on the track alongside dialogue and score. Speaking of which, how great is it that Michael Giacchino stepped in to provide the music for both shorts? Very great. Also included are a French Dolby Digital 5.1 and Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo tracks. Subtitles are available in English for the hearing impaired, Spanish, and French.
Extras
Santa always delivers, especially on Blu-ray, meaning this disc is stacked with a whole heaping pile of supplements. We get bonus short films, training clips, news bytes, commercials, promotional featurettes, and more. DISC ONE: BLU-RAY “Operation: Secret Santa” (1080p) is a bonus short film that runs for 6 minutes and 53 seconds. Mrs. Claus (Betty White) tasks the prep & landing crew to retrieve a box from Santa’s office without being noticed by the Big Guy. “Tiny’s Big Adventure” (1080p) is another short film, this one running for a mere 1 minute and 7 seconds, focusing on a very short elf. “Kringle Academy” (1080p) contains a few instructional videos for new hires to watch: - “Welcome to Kringle Academy” runs for 1 minute and 27 seconds. - “Equipment Training” runs for 1 minute and 50 seconds. - “Do’s and Don’t’s” runs for 1 minute and 33 seconds. “North Pole News” (1080p) shows off a couple of news clips about the activity going on up there: - “Elf of the Year” runs for 1 minute and 14 seconds. - “Newsreel” runs for 1 minute and 28 seconds. “North Pole Commercials” (1080p) are just what they sound like, short ads: - “Elf-Date.com” runs for 39 seconds. - “The Fruitcake Factory” runs for 24 seconds. - “Spa Navidad” runs for 36 seconds. - “Christmas Carol’s” runs for 1 minute and 20 seconds. - “Yuletide Tech” runs for 54 seconds. - “B.U.L.B. Transit” runs for 35 seconds. - “Capt. Avalanche’s Super Sled” runs for 17 seconds. - “Kringle County Christmas Fair” runs for 1 minute and 9 seconds. - “Elf Super Mart” runs for 32 seconds. - “Yuletide Joe” runs for 21 seconds. A series of “Promotional Pieces” (1080i) featurettes created to show off the making of these shorts includes the following: - “The Recording Process” runs for 4 minutes and 23 seconds. - “The Animation Process” runs for 5 minutes and 45 seconds. - “The Characters” runs for 3 minutes and 16 seconds. - “Christmas Unwrapped” runs for 3 minutes and 36 seconds. - “Prep and Landing: Behind the Scenes” runs for 3 minutes and 2 seconds. “Behind the Jingle with Grace Potter” (1080p) is a featurette that runs for 2 minutes and 7 seconds, with her thoughts on voicing a character and singing in the film. Finally, there are bonus trailers (1080p) for the following: - Peter Pan” runs for 1 minute and 11 seconds. - “Monsters University” runs for 1 minute and 10 seconds. - “Brave” runs for 1 minute and 27 seconds. DISC TWO: DVD This is a DVD copy containing all of the features and films found on the Blu-ray.
Packaging
The two-disc set comes housed in a standard keep case, with each disc housed on a hub opposite the other. A slip-cover is included with initial pressings.
Overall
Fun for both kids and adults alike, there’s enough wit and laughs provided by the “Prep & Landing” team to make their holiday specials something worth looking forward to seeing.
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