By James A. Crawford

Crimson Staff Writer

It’s very clear; DVD is here to stay, but only recently have studios begun to tap into the format’s true potential. In the past two months, a bevy of releases, primed to exploit the Thanksgiving-Christmas shopping rush, have emerged, raising the bar for the format. Discs now feature deleted scenes, mini-documentaries, cast interviews and immersive environments to navigate through all the bonuses. Frequently, the supplementary material spills onto an extra disc. With so many titles released every week, it’s difficult to weed through and find the gems. Here is a little primer for the holiday season. Prices listed are the Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP), but often, record stores and online sellers mark down the price by about 25 percent.

Star Wars: Episode I, The Phantom Menace

MSRP: $29.99

Number of Discs: 2

Yes, there were many, many things wrong with the first prologue in the Star Wars series. Jar-Jar Binks was an exasperating presence, computer-generated effects gave the film a plastic feel and, in the greatest sacrilege of all, George Lucas turned The Force into a disease. However, it’s hard not to get excited about this release; Episode I represents the first of the Star Wars films to be issued on DVD. Writer-director George Lucas, producer Rick McCallum, editor Ben Burtt and numerous special effects guys give audio commentary, drawing attention to subtle, easily missed details and providing gloriously esoteric background on even the most simple shots.

The second disc is where the real treasure lies. In a unique twist on the now-standard inclusion of deleted scenes, Industrial Light and Magic—the team responsible for all of Lucas’ special effects—resurrected half-finished scenes and completed them especially for the DVD version. The “behind the scenes” documentary is fairly disappointing, comprised of bland behind the scenes footage and painfully earnest testimonials; thankfully, Ewan MacGregor breaks up the monotony by gushing over his chance to become Obi-Wan Kenobi. A 12-part documentary originally featured on the web works with mini “featurettes” concerning costumes, fight sequences and design to fashion a wholly engrossing record of the process of crafting Episode I, even if the film itself did disappoint.

Shrek

MSRP: $26.99

Number of Discs: 2

Finally, one studio plucked up the courage to stand up to the mouse. As much as Shrek was a satirical take on traditional fairy tales from Mother Goose, it accomplished something few studios have done successfully: It lambasted Disney. That spirit of tongue in cheek delirium has translated into one little joy of a DVD release. But aside from the brilliantly playful, wholly computer-generated film, the DVD details all aspects of the film’s production. We are shown how animators assimilate the actors’ mannerisms into their artwork, but we are also treated to glimpses of the times when things go significantly wrong. On the first day, an over-zealous animator attempted to alter “Donkey” and created a fuzzy shell resembling a Chia-pet.

The infamous Gingerbread Man guides viewers through the special features. A specially animated karaoke sequence is truly delightful—among others, the injured Gingerbread Man, backed up by the Three Blind Mice, wails on a rendition of Boy George’s “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?”. A dubbing featurette detailing the transformation of Shrek into French, Spanish and German language films fleshes out a cheery and thoughtful presentation of a wonderfully mischievous film.