CG animation and other big-budget visual effects abound in two of today’s major home video releases. Prehistoric man encounters mammoths, terror birds, saber-tooth tigers and other menacing beasts in 10,000 B.C., and a family moves into an enchanted and mysterious house that is visited by strange creatures in The Spiderwick Chronicles.
10,000 B.C. is the latest vfx-laden epic from Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow director Roland Emmerich. The film follows the adventures of a young mammoth hunter who must make a perilous journey to secure the future of his tribe. Putting her stamp on the film is visual effects supervisor Karen Goulekas, who collaborated with Emmerich on his version of Godzilla and his toungue-in-cheek creature feature Eight Legged Freaks before earning a BAFTA for her work on The Day After Tomorrow. Shops that contributed to the film’s extensive visual effects work include Motion Picture Company (MPC), The Senate VFX, Double Negative and Machine FX. The DVD includes an alternate ending and additional scenes.
Timed with the release is Journey to 10,000 B.C., a new History Channel documentary that employs computer animation to explore a world inhabited by giant ground sloths and saber-toothed cats. Released by A&E Home Video, the disc lists for $19.95.
Based on the bestselling series of books by Holly Black and Tony Diterlizzi, director Mark Waters’ The Spiderwick Chronicles has peculiar things happen to the Grace family when they move into the secluded old house owned by their great, great uncle, Arthur Spiderwick. In addition to a host of CG-animated critters, the film stars Freddie Highmore, Mary-Louise Parker, Nick Nolte, Joan Plowright and David Strathairn, and features Seth Rogen and Martin Short in voice roles. Over the Hedge director Karey Kirkpatrick collaborated on the screenplay with David Berenbaum (Elf) and filmmaker John Sayles (Limbo). Visual effects were created by Industrial Light & Magic and Tippett Studio.
The two-disc Field Guide Edition DVD lists at $39.99 and includes the featurettes Spiderwick: It’s All True, It’s a Spiderwick World, Meet the Clan, Making of Spiderwick and A Final Word of Advice. Other bonus features include Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide, deleted scenes, Nickelodeon TV spots and theatrical trailers. The Blu-ray release offers a special, enhanced version of Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide and can be had for $39.99 or less.
