Second Star from the Left
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Williams on November 9th, 2003
Synopsis
Archie the rabbit and Duke the guinea pig open this movie with a discussion about how Duke is very content about his life in the shed munching on food and enjoying his otherwise mundane existence but Archie is searching for something more. On Christmas Eve when a present falls off Santa’s sleigh and lands in the middle of their shed, it seems like Archie’s wish has been answered. They along with their hamster friend Babs engage on a great adventure to deliver the gift to the intended little…girl.
Kids will enjoy the 3 main characters: Archie, the dreamy rabbit; Duke, the lazy and good-hearted guinea pig; and Babs, the practical and intelligent hamster. The voice acting is quite well done, and adults as well as kids will enjoy the distinct personalities of the three animals. The story moves along at a good pace and there are some fairly intense scenes involving a scruffy looking alley cat that wants our three heroes for breakfast. Other than that, it is appropriate viewing for kids of all ages.
The movie is presented in a traditional animation style. The backgrounds are done in a soft, sketchy manner and the characters are done in a slightly older cartoon style, with solid colors and well-defined borders. This gives the film a warm and inviting feeling to it.
The moral of the story revolves around friendship, duty and loyalty – great for family Christmas viewing.
Video
Second Star to the Left appears in an anamorphic widescreen transfer (1.85:1). The image is clear, with no edge enhancement that I could see. The print is also extremely clean, with no noise or flaws at all. Colors are bright and cheerful, and overall the image looks very good.
Audio
The Dolby 2.0 soundtrack handles the voices quite well, with all the actors sounding clear and distinct. The music is well balanced with the rest of the track. There is decent separation of sound into the right and left speakers.
Special Features
A seven-minute “making-of” featurette is included. The main focus is on the director and creator, who explains his vision behind various aspects of the film. A trivia game is also included.
Final Thoughts
As far as family holiday viewing goes, this is a good choice especially for younger kids as the concepts and story are fairly simple.
Special Features List
- Making of Featurette
- Fun Trivia Game
December 22nd, 2003 at 4:19 am
really kewl film man tots it!!