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THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES [2008] [Blu-ray] Nickelodeon Movies Presents Terrific Entertainment For The Whole Family! Their World Is Closer Than You Think!
From the moment the Grace family moves into a secluded old house, strange things start to happen. As Jared Grace [Freddie Highmore] investigates, and discovers Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide and the unbelievable truth of the Spiderwick Estate: a secret world with fantastical creatures hides within our own! Now Jared Grace, his sister and his twin brother are pulled into an unforgettable adventure as they try to protect the secrets of the book. Based On The Beloved Series Of Best-Selling Books And Filled With Non-Stop Action. ‘THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES’ is ''A Terrific Fantasy For All Ages!''
Cast: Freddie Highmore, Mary-Louise Parker, Nick Nolte, Sarah Bolger, Andrew McCarthy, Joan Plowright, David Strathairn, Seth Rogen, Martin Short, Jordy Benattar, Tod Fennell, Mariah Inger, Jeremy Lavalley, Lise Durocher-Viens, Tyler Patrick Jones, Kyle Switzer, Stefanie Broos (voice) (uncredited) and Ron Perlman (voice) (uncredited)
Director: Mark Waters
Producers: Alexander Westerman, Cheryl A. Tkach, Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Holly Black, Josette Perrotta, Julia Pistor, Julie Kane-Ritsch, Karey Kirkpatrick, Larry J. Franco, Mark Canton, Silenn Thomas, Steve Barnett, Tom C. Peitzman and Tony DiTerlizzi
Screenplay: David Berenbaum (screenplay), John Sayles (screenplay), Karey Kirkpatrick (screenplay), Holly Black (books) and Holly Black (books)
Composer: James Horner
Cinematography: Caleb Deschanel, A.C.S. (Director of Photography)
Video Resolution: 1080p [Color by DeLuxe]
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audio: English: 5.1 Dolby TrueHD Surround Sound, French: 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound, Spanish: 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound and English: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Português
Running Time: 95 minutes
Region: All Regions
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Paramount Pictures / Nickelodeon Movies
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: ‘THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES’ [2008] is a fantasy film adaptation of Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi's bestselling book series of the same name. Set in the Spiderwick Estate in New England, it follows the adventures of Simon, Mallory, and Jared Grace as they discover a field guide to fairies and battle goblins and other magical creatures. It was directed by Mark Waters and stars Freddie Highmore, Sarah Bolger, Martin Short, Nick Nolte, and Seth Rogen.
‘THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES’ takes place in New England, United States, when young twins Simon Grace [Freddie Highmore] and Jared Grace [Freddie Highmore] and their older sister Mallory Grace [Sarah Bolger] move into the decrepit Spiderwick Estate. They discover a field guide to Faeries written by the house's previous owner, Arthur Spiderwick [David Strathairn], and soon begin to notice faeries throughout the estate. However, Mulgarath [Nick Nolte], a shape-shifting ogre, wants the field guide so that he can rule over all faerie-kind and possibly humans as well, and so attacks the children in an attempt to obtain it.
Mrs. Helen Grace [Mary-Louise Parker], recently divorced, wants a new start for her family, so the Grace family moves into the Spiderwick Estate when it is given to them by their elderly Great Aunt Lucinda Spiderwick [Joan Plowright], Arthur Spiderwick's daughter. Mallory Grace [Sarah Bolger] uncovers a dumbwaiter system behind a wall; in it, Jared Grace [Freddie Highmore] finds a monogrammed key, where he also discovers Arthur Spiderwick's study, and when he uses the key to open a chest, he finds Spiderwick's Field Guide. Although an attached note warns him not to read it, which of course he does so anyway.
Later, Jared Grace [Freddie Highmore] meets a brownie named Thimbletack [Voice of Martin Short], who explains that magical creatures are normally invisible but can reveal themselves at will. He tells Jared about a protective circle that Arthur Spiderwick placed around the house and gives him a stone with a hole which allows him to see faeries. Simon Grace [Freddie Highmore], mistaken for Jared Grace [Freddie Highmore], is kidnapped by the Mulgarath goblins, while Jared Grace [Freddie Highmore] meets Hogsqueal [Voice of Seth Rogen], a hobgoblin who gives Jared the ability to see all faeries without the aid of the stone. With the help of Mallory Grace [Sarah Bolger], the twins escape from the goblins into the house.
Jared Grace [Freddie Highmore] and Mallory Grace [Sarah Bolger] visit their Great Aunt Lucinda Spiderwick [Joan Plowright] for advice. She tells them that only one person can help them and that is Arthur Spiderwick [David Strathairn]. However, he was "rescued" by the Sylphs, a type of faerie, when goblins attacked, and they will not allow him to return because they desire his knowledge. Great Aunt Lucinda Spiderwick [Joan Plowright] tells them that they must find her father and have him destroy the book. Suddenly, Mulgarath's goblins attack them and manage to steal several pages from the book before they are driven off.
Inside, written in Arthur Spiderwick's own hand, is a primer to a magical universe that exists, invisible, all around us. While his uncle speaks of befriending many of the otherworldly creatures there, he also warns that a malevolent, shape-shifting ogre known as Mulgarath seeks the knowledge to be found within the book's pages and plans on using it to enslave both the magical and the human realm. Soon the Grace children's eyes are opened to the fantastic truths within the book and the enchanted creatures that inhabit the Spiderwick Estate alongside them. It isn't long before Mulgarath and his goblin army turn all their dark energies to wresting the book from the house and destroying all inside its walls.
It should come as no surprise that the film ‘THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES’ is being executive produced by Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall, the husband and wife team responsible for most of Steven Spielberg's most enduring films. No surprise, because ‘THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES’ directed by Mark Waters, is rife with Spielbergian touchstones and a dysfunctional family, an absent father, a supernatural world stocked with fantastical creatures seeping into our own, childlike wonderment, and an imminent confrontation that can be won only by the innocent might of a child.
Director Mark Waters impressively balance both the reality and the fantasy elements in ‘THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES,’ creating a world suffused with daunting adventure, considerable humour and touching humanity. The lively CGI computer generated images of the sprites, hobgoblins, trolls and slobbering ogres mesh seamlessly with the film's naturalistic look, and superb cinematography. James Horner turns in the sort of pitch perfect fantasy film music scores, for which he is always famous for. ‘THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES’ is an enjoyable adventure fantasy that is sure to cast a spell over its audiences. But just as importantly, it weaves a story that resonates with spiritual truth and humanity, and is more-than-worthy entertainment, a classic adventure with its heart and its sense of whimsy in all the right places.
Blu-ray Image Quality – Paramount Pictures has once again done a really superb stunning job in presenting this Blu-ray disc with a beautiful transfer that brings the fantastical world described by the story to life. The transfer is encoded using maximum resolution of 1080p and presented in the film's theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1. The transfer is absolutely clean and devoid of any encoding errors or colour balancing issues. There is an excellent level of detail in the images and the sharpness and depth of the pictures gives the film an almost 3D look. Seeing that this is a pretty recent production, one should expect the best picture quality from this transfer and Paramount has delivered. Colours are spot on, with natural skin tones and nice saturation and not too high a contrast. Black levels are accurate and although some softness does rear its ugly head, this issue is so minute that one might not ever realise it.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – Paramount Pictures provides us with a next-generation 5.1 Dolby TrueHD Surround Sound audio track presentation, but when a certain actor speaks I had to really crank the sound up, especially with the actor Freddie Highmore. The surround channels do come alive during the course of the film but they seem to be held back for some reason or another. The viewer could certainly feel the immersive effects of some of the action-oriented scenes but the quieter scenes sound pretty lacklustre, devoid of any life or ambience. Apart from that slight disappointment, the other aspects of the audio mix are pretty good, with crystal clear dialogue and the speakers used to good effect.
Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Special Feature: It's All True! [2008] [1080p] [1.78:1] [7:04] Here we get introduced to director Mark Waters and takes us through the source material for the film via the novel and the challenges the filmmakers faced when translating it to film. We also get to see behind Mark Waters some wonderful colourful artistic illustration, as well as the brilliant colourful sketches of the fantastic creatures we see in the film. We get to see the actual beautiful rare leather bound Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide. Mark Waters also introduce us to the fantastic creatures that appear in the film, which include Thimbletack; Hogsqueal; Ogre Mulgarath; Redcap; Troll and Byron the Griffin. This special feature also serves as an introduction to the Fantastical World of ‘THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES.’
Special Feature: It’s A Spiderwick World! [2008] [1080p] [1.78:1] [8:44] Here the authors of the books explain how the story came to them, and how eventually the picture made it to the screen. The themes of the fantasy film and other aspects of pre-production are covered here as well. We get lots of rare behind-the-scene filming. Contributors include: Holly Black [Co-creator/Illustrator/Executive Producer], Tony DiTerlizzi [Co-creator/Illustrator/Executive Producer], Kathleen Kennedy [The Kennedy/Marshall Company], Mark Waters [Director], Mark Canton [Producer] and Karey Kirkpatrick [Producer/Screenwriter].
Special Feature: Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide In-Movie Mode: With this Blu-ray disc it is a Java based In-Movie version of the Field Guide that will pop-up descriptions of the various creatures, during the film being viewed. It is also essentially a trivia track that is activated, and will pop up during viewing the film and the viewer can also access the field guide when prompted on-screen information. This is really fantastic, because you get to see some wonderful illustration from the Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide and you also get to see some of the amazing CGI computer generated creatures.
Special Feature: Spiderwick: Meet the Clan! [2008] [1080p] [1.78:1] [13:54] Here we are introduced to the cast of the film, featuring interviews with all of the actors who play the film's main characters. Contributors include: Mark Waters [Director], Freddie Highmore [Jared/Simon], Kathleen Kennedy [The Kennedy/Marshall Company], Mary-Louise Parker [Helen], Karey Kirkpatrick [Producer/Screenwriter], Sarah Bolger [Mallory], David Strathairn [Arthur Spiderwick], Andrew McCarthy [Richard], Kevin Yagher [Special Effects Makeup Technician] and Seth Rogen [Hogsqueal].
Special Feature: Making Spiderwick! [2008] [1080p] [1.78:1] [20:53] With this special feature we get a rare look behind-the-scenes at all the set building in the film studio and how amazing and brilliant the sets look. We also get informed that the actual Spiderwick house was actually built for the film and when they finished filming Rangers moved into the house to live. But when they filmed the interior of the house, this was done on film stage set and so realistic it all looks Tony DiTerlizzi informs us that he would love to have lived in it permanently if it had been real, and you see what a good job they did. When you see behind-the-scene location shooting, it was filmed in the wettest season in Montreal in Canada and caused lots of logistic problems. We also get a look behind-the-scene recording with the large orchestra and composer James Horner conducting. We also get to meet the cast and crew discuss making the picture with a fairly well balanced overview of the process. Contributors include: Holly Black [Co-creator/Illustrator/Executive Producer], Kathleen Kennedy [The Kennedy/Marshall Company], James Bissell [Production Designer], Mark Waters [Director], Caleb Deschanel, A.C.S. [Director of Photography], Meinert Hansen [Illustrator], Tony DiTerlizzi [Co-creator/Illustrator/Executive Producer], Sarah Bolger [Mallory], Freddie Highmore [Jared/Simon], Karey Kirkpatrick [Producer/Screenwriter], Claire Alary [Property Master], Phil Tippett [Creature Supervisor], Pablo Helman [Visual Effects Supervisor for ILM], Dave McKeown [Stunt Coordinator], Mary-Louise Parker [Helen], Michael Lantieri [Special Effects Supervisor] and James Horner [Composer].
Special Feature: The Magic of Spiderwick! [2008] [1080p] [1.78:1] [14:23] Here we are introduced to director Mark Waters who talks about the process of going through the massive post-production of producing CGI computer generated creatures and talks about the fantastic talented people who worked on the film and the work that went into making the fantasy setting come alive. The Tippett Studio CGI computer team discuss post production, especially the CGI computer generated effects. While Mark Waters is talking to the camera, we see behind him all the weird and wonderful computer generated creatures you see in the film, but behind a black background. You also see the Tippett Studio CGI computer team working on producing the creatures. We also get to view the amazing Tony DiTerlizzi colourful creature illustrations, which were of course used as the basic design for the finished amazing creatures that were finally produced by CGI computer generated images. We see the rough computer animation for the humming sprite motion study and the Mulgarath prototype model design. Contributors include: Mark Waters [Director], Phil Tippett [Creatire Supervisor], Pablo Helman [Visual Effects Supervisor from ILM], Michael Brunet [Lead Animator for Tippett Studio], Joel Friesch [Visual Effects Supervisor for Tippett Studio], Russell Darling [CGI Supervisor for Tippett Studio], Tim Alexander [Visual Effects Supervisor for ILM], Christian Alzmann [Visual Effects Art Director for ILM], Tim Harrington [Animation Supervisor for ILM] and Jim Bolte [Lead Digital Artist for ILM].
Special Feature: A Final Word of Advice! [2008] [1080p] [2.35:1] [1:51] Director Mark Waters makes a return to remind us that this world really exists. Mark Waters simply “reminds” us that everything in the film is totally real, so we had better keep an eye out for those crazy and weird creatures.
Special Feature: Deleted Scenes [2008] [1080p] [2.35:1] [8:14] Here we get to view four deleted scenes that consist of Mom & Jared; Boys in Bedroom; Messy Kitchen and Meet Lucinda. As usual you can either watch then separately or Play All.
Nickelodeon TV Spots [2008] [1080i] [1.33:1] [5:04] Here we get to view nine original TV adverts relating to the film ‘THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES’ that ran on the Nickelodeon cable television network and they are as follows: A Guide to Seeing The Spiderwick Chronicles; Cinema Spy; Confessional Jared; Confessional Mallory; Field Guide – Tomato Sauce; Field Guide – Seeing Stone; Field Guide – Creatures; What if You Had a Seeing Stone and The Spit Stone. As usual, you can either watch them separately or Play All.
Theatrical Trailers: Here we get to view two Original Theatrical Trailers for the film ‘THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES.’ Good v. Evil [2008] [1080p] [1.78:1] [1:03] and Secrets [2008] [1080p] [2.35:1] [2:32]. To view them, you have to watch them separately. One bonus is that they are shown in 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound.
Finally, ‘THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES’ is a very entertaining fun filled fantasy film and far more entertaining than the usual similar children's fantasy films that are available these days. But I must point out to Parents that this film has some very intense and extremely “scary” scenes that might frighten young children and especially viewing it in the superlative 1080p high definition transfer, because all the creatures look so totally life like, that children might believe they are real. If you are keen on the fantasy film, then to my mind this is definitely worthy to own in your very own Blu-ray disc collection, then this is the way you will want to watch this truly magical fantasy film time after time. Very Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
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