As if you needed further convincing here`s a review I read the other day on a rival web site:
I can safely say that I`ve just seen what I think is going to be the biggest-selling DVD to date. Yep... it`s Shrek (street date November 2nd). Bigger than Gladiator you say? Yes indeed, bigger than Gladiator, Episode I, Snow White and even The Godfather (terrific DVDs though they all are). I`m not the kind of guy who goes to these studio PR events and swallows the party line. But I really think this disc is gonna be the biggest DVD of the year. Let me tell you why...
DreamWorks` Shrek has been far and away the biggest film of 2001, with a box office take of over $266 million thus far (only New Line`s Rush Hour 2 comes close with $223 million). Part of the reason for that success is the film`s universal appeal - there`s just as much in the film to entertain adults as there for kids. So in creating the DVD, DreamWorks has paid attention to that broad market, resulting in a 2-disc set that offers even more for everyone than the movie itself - more than 11 hours of entertainment (or so the studio says and, based on what I`ve seen, I believe them).
If you`re just a casual movie fan, Disc One of the set offers a full frame version of the film, a behind-the-scenes featurette, character interviews, a preview of the studio`s next animated feature Spirit: Stallion of Cimarron, and tons of features for kids. In fact, DreamWorks has created a whole Kids Zone section of the disc, which features music videos and numerous interactive games. Several of these can be played on your set-top DVD player, including one where you ask the magic mirror "yes" or "no" questions and get randomly generated answers (think the old Magic 8-Ball game), another where you can decorate the Gingerbread Man however you like and still another where you can mix and match the heads and body parts of the major characters in various combinations. Kids will love this stuff. There are also a number of great DVD-ROM games - more on that in a minute.
If you happen to be a more advanced film fan, Disc Two will be more to your liking. It includes the film in anamorphic widescreen video, with Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 audio options, filmmaker commentary and numerous featurettes (and other extras) on the making of the film and the technology that made it possible. Among these are multi-angle videos of the pitch sessions for various scenes that didn`t make the film (some of which are very funny), character design progressions and a never-before-seen, extended ending to the film that was created just for the DVD. And that`s just the highlights of Disc Two - there`s much more that I`m not mentioning here.
Whichever version of the film you choose to watch, you`re getting it in the highest possible video quality. The Shrek DVD uses the same kind of direct-digital transfer process that Pixar took advantage of for the Toy Story discs - no film was involved. PDI went straight from the digital animation files to DVD. All of the menus - every single page - feature some kind of new CGI animation, all of it created by the same people who worked on the film itself (and featuring new voice work by Mike Myers and the other original cast members). And then there`s those DVD-ROM extras...
Now you probably know that I`m no big fan of DVD-ROM bonus material. All too often, it`s crap like screensavers and weblinks to the studio`s site online. Very rarely do you get anything of real value, and most of it involves installing something on your PC, which is bound to go wrong, crash or otherwise conflict with your system`s settings in some way. But Shrek offers something new. A lot of somethings in fact. I counted at least 10 interactive games on this DVD, that are designed for use in PC DVD-ROM drives. NONE of them needs to be installed on your computer - they all play right off the disc itself. Much of these are for kids, but there`s games that will appeal to adults too. There are film-themed versions of Tic Tac Toe, Hangman and Pinball. There are features that let your kids print out scenes from the movie to color, print out character masks that they can cut out and wear - even a Pin the Tail on the Donkey game that they can print out and play.
But the best DVD-ROM feature is the Shrek ReVoice Studio, that lets you take 12 scenes from the film and replace the actors` dialogue with dialogue that you record yourself via the software and your computer`s microphone (most PCs these days include them - if not, you can buy them for as cheap as $10). I was extremely skeptical about this feature when I first read about it in the studio`s press release. But I`ll be damned - not only does it work, it works so well that it`s a helluva lot of fun. We were given a hands-on demonstration of this feature this morning. It`s very easy to use (dare I say, almost idiot proof?), and the software ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement) engine that makes it work is so good, that even the most amateur voice talent is made to sound professional. In fact, the engine is based on a piece of actual, professional ADR software that`s in use today at many major sound recording studios. It analyzes the sine waves and natural "rhythms" of the recorded speech to match it as closely as possible to the characters` lip movements. ReVoice is a proprietary DreamWorks DVD feature, and you can expect to see it on more discs in the future. Trust me on this - it`s damn cool. And DreamWorks has arranged an 800 customer assistance line for those who need help getting any of the DVD-ROM features to work.
Not convinced yet that Shrek is gonna be the biggest DVD of 2001 (and perhaps of all time)? Well... here`s one last piece of information to chew on. The DVD carries an SRP of only $19.95. Enough said.
