Warner Brothers 3D DVD Movie Reviews (plus a couple of beheaded Oscars)

Last month the Kate Takes 5 household reviewed the 3D DVD versions of 'Cats and Dogs' and 'Legend of the Guardians' for Warner Brothers, both of which received a big thumbs up from all of us.

This month we've been watching Yogi Bear and Dolphins Tale in 3D.

Yogi Bear of course needs no introduction - he may be 'smarter than the average bear' but clearly he aint that smart if his antics in this film are anything to go by!

It's a fun story with typical Yogi and Boo-Boo adventures. We watched both the 3D and 2D (normal) versions and I have to say that, unlike 'Legend of the Guardians', I'm not sure this film really benefited from being in 3D. The kids enjoyed both versions but when they asked to put it on again they wanted the 2D version.

The second movie - Dolphins Tale starring Morgan Freeman and Harry Connick Jr was much more impressive.

Based on a true event it tells the story of a dolphin called Winter whose tail gets damaged in a crab trap. A shy and lonely boy helps rescue him and a friendship develops between them as he battles to help Winter swim again. It's a story of trial over adversity, of never giving up and of holding on to hope.

Again we watched both versions of the film - the 2D version with all the kids and then a special Mum and daughter movie night for the 3D version (the thought of Harry Connick Jr. in 3D may have had something to do with that decision..).

Kaya who is 7 absolutely loved the film and I must admit that I got sucked in too - the 3D effects were amazing in some scenes, especially in the aquarium sequences and certainly added to the 'experience'.

Warner Brothers were also good enough to send us a special box of classic films to celebrate the 2012 Oscars.

The fabulous Casablanca, An American in Paris,  Gone with the Wind, and the more recent The Blind Side, along with two beheaded chocolate Oscars who didn't survive the trip.

I wonder whether next year we'll get a one legged Angelina instead?


If you'd like to know a little more about how home 3D works pop over to my previous post '3D TV - What's it all about anyway?'

3D Movie Review - Legend of the Guardians & Cats and Dogs

Since getting our 3D TV the other week we've been testing out everything from 3D football to 3D documentaries to 3D Movies. It's impressive stuff.

The two movies I'm going to talk about here are both by Warner Brothers...

Legend of the Guardians

And Cats and Dogs.

Both of the movies are aimed at children, but naturally we wanted to show off our new kit at any available opportunity so when the in-laws came to stay last week we put on Legends of the Guardians just to give them a sneak peek of what it was like.

97 minutes later we watched the credits roll having got entirely sucked in by it. And not a child in sight I might add.

The story follows Soren a young barn owl who is kidnapped with his brother by the 'bad' owls who take them  to a secret hideout where they brainwash other kidnapped owlets with the view to turning them into soldiers. Whilst Soren manages to escape in a bid to get help his brother turns to 'the dark side' and the story of good versus evil, brother against brother begins.
A bit like Star Wars with owls, as my husband helpfully noted.

Anyway, we all loved the film, though I think the 3D had a lot to do with it. As movies go this one was made for 3D. Impressive flight and fight scenes coupled with amazing close ups had all of us literally 'wowing' out loud.

Hard to fault. I'd give it 5 stars and a big thumbs up.

The second film we're reviewing is Cats and Dogs.

I didn't actually watch this one myself but it kept the 7 and 5 year old quiet for the duration so it gets a nod of approval from me for that alone.

But I'll hand over to Kaya who will tell you what she really thought of it:


So there you have it, another thumbs up:

I've got to say here that not all the 3D films we watched were of as good a quality as the two Warner Brothers ones. A Turtles Tale - rented from the local xtra-vision left us all feeling a bit headachy and a little woozy. The 3D was so extreme in parts that quite often it looked like it just wasn't quite right. So choose your 3D movies carefully.

Next month I'll be reviewing Yogi Bear and Dolphins Tale starring Harry Connick Jr. Yep that's right - Harry in 3D...one for the Mums methinks.

Disclosure: These movies were sent to me free of charge for the purposes of this review.

3D TV - What's it all about anyway?

In my last post I explained how we were lucky enough to be sent a 3D Home Entertainment system in order to review some of Warner Brothers' 3D movies (I know!!)

Now I must make a confession. Prior to receiving it I had zero knowledge of 3D TVs and what was involved with watching 3D movies at home. Can you watch non-3D programs on it? Do you need to wear glasses? Will the movies work in a normal DVD player?

I better take a picture of this - just to make sure it's real...

It's a bit like when Sky+ came along advertising the ability to pause live TV and we all looked at each other with confused faces, secretly wondering what would happen to everyone else if we paused the 9 o'clock news seven minutes in.

Anyway - I am here for the clueless - to answer your questions (which were my questions) and to let you know all that I have learned in the week since we got our package.

So, first question - What do you need in order to be able to watch 3D Movies at home? 
Answer: A 3D TV, A 3D Player, 3D Glasses and a HDMI cable.

Does the TV work normally too?
Absolutely - you can switch between 2D and 3D with the remote control.

Do you need to wear 3D glasses?
Yes. In fact the glasses should be matched to the TV you are using. We have Toshiba TV and glasses, if your TV was Sony then Sony glasses would be recommended. This is because there is no industry standard across the board yet so different makes use slightly different technology.

Can you use the glasses that they give you at the cinema?
No.* The glasses used in cinemas are 'polarised' and work with the projection that cinema uses. Home 3D glasses use 'active shutter' technology. The glasses that we were supplied with are lightweight, rechargeable ones - they're fabulous for adults although a little on the large side for the kids.
*Update: See comment from Aly below re. inactive and active TVs. 

How does 3D work?
Well, in a very simplistic explanation....the scenes are filmed from two different angles and then amalgamated together. The technology beams one image to one eye and another to the other eye giving the 3D perspective. (This is my very basic understanding of it - feel free to correct me here!)

Are all 3D movies the same quality?
No. We've tested out a number of films on DVD and also programmes on the Sky 3D Channel and the standard has varied quite a bit.  I'm delighted (and a little bit relieved!) to say, hand on heart, that Warner Brothers has come out on top for us so far.

My next post will be a review of some of the Warner Brothers movies we've seen so far and how they compare to the other things we've watched.

In the meantime if you've any burning questions that I've missed feel free to leave them in the comments and I'll do my best to answer it for you.

Disclaimer: As stated I was provided with a 3D home entertainment system by Warner Brothers for the purpose of reviewing Warner Brothers 3D Movies. All words and opinions are my own.