My Neighbour Totoro: R1 Fox vs. R1 Disney vs. R2 Optimum
- captainjoe
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My Neighbour Totoro: R1 Fox vs. R1 Disney vs. R2 Optimum
My Neighbour Totoro
Part One
Top: R1 Fox release
Bottom: R1 Disney release
Disney is much better with more natural colours and compression. This new master is also progressive whereas the Fox is interlaced. The
biggest advantage, and one I've been waiting for for a while is the widescreen formate. One truly sees what was lost
through panning and scanning.
The Disney also features the original Japanese language track with English subtitles. A new English dub by actors Dakota Fanning and
others is also available. I prefer the original English dub actors than the new ones but I'd rather have the Japanese
track any other day.
Part Two
Top: R2 Optimum
Bottom: R1 Disney release
The Optimum does show some downsides to the Disney release, most obvious is that the Disney exhibits overly red tones.
However, it does have a better saturation level with the Optimum being a bit too de-saturated. But it also shows that the
Disney is a little cropped on all 4 sides but this varies from scene to scene. The Optimum also has some bad artifical
edge enhancement and I think this detracts from the whole image and makes the Disney more easy to recommend.
Recommendations:
If you live in region 2, settle with the Optimum as it's not a terrible transfer. If in region 1, definately go with the Disney
release. Don't touch the Fox release unless you want the original English dub.
Part One
Top: R1 Fox release
Bottom: R1 Disney release
Disney is much better with more natural colours and compression. This new master is also progressive whereas the Fox is interlaced. The
biggest advantage, and one I've been waiting for for a while is the widescreen formate. One truly sees what was lost
through panning and scanning.
The Disney also features the original Japanese language track with English subtitles. A new English dub by actors Dakota Fanning and
others is also available. I prefer the original English dub actors than the new ones but I'd rather have the Japanese
track any other day.
Part Two
Top: R2 Optimum
Bottom: R1 Disney release
The Optimum does show some downsides to the Disney release, most obvious is that the Disney exhibits overly red tones.
However, it does have a better saturation level with the Optimum being a bit too de-saturated. But it also shows that the
Disney is a little cropped on all 4 sides but this varies from scene to scene. The Optimum also has some bad artifical
edge enhancement and I think this detracts from the whole image and makes the Disney more easy to recommend.
Recommendations:
If you live in region 2, settle with the Optimum as it's not a terrible transfer. If in region 1, definately go with the Disney
release. Don't touch the Fox release unless you want the original English dub.
Last edited by captainjoe on 08 Apr 2007, 22:58, edited 7 times in total.
- captainjoe
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- captainjoe
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The original Fox R1 fails miserably for being both pan-&-scan and not having the original language track. In my opinion the two worst things you can do to a release, along with outright cutting/censoring it.
I bought the Disney R1 but it would be nice to see comparisons to any R3s or the Japanese R2. I recall seeing some caps a long time ago and I believe the R1 has less windowboxing (=more resolution) but I might be wrong on that one. Aren't the IVL discs interlaced?
I bought the Disney R1 but it would be nice to see comparisons to any R3s or the Japanese R2. I recall seeing some caps a long time ago and I believe the R1 has less windowboxing (=more resolution) but I might be wrong on that one. Aren't the IVL discs interlaced?
- captainjoe
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I have the Disney R1 DVD now, as well as some others, but I can't really be negative about the Fox release. Call me sentimental, but I first saw Totoro on the Fox VHS tape. My kids fell in love with Totoro and the Fox dub long before DVDs even became commonplace, and they knew all the lines by heart. When we started watching the Disney DVD, they were really irritated with the new dub, regardless if it's a closer translation to the original Japanese or not.
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- HungFist
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Joe, any chance for a cap or two from your Disney disc that match beaver's Optimum caps?
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDReview ... review.htm
Disney looks a bit red to me. Optimum suffers from EE and they usually screw up the compression, too.
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDReview ... review.htm
Disney looks a bit red to me. Optimum suffers from EE and they usually screw up the compression, too.
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- captainjoe
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Same here. I was so used to that dub that when I sampled the new dub I was disappointed. They should've included both along with the original Japanese dialogue track.the68monkey wrote:I have the Disney R1 DVD now, as well as some others, but I can't really be negative about the Fox release. Call me sentimental, but I first saw Totoro on the Fox VHS tape. My kids fell in love with Totoro and the Fox dub long before DVDs even became commonplace, and they knew all the lines by heart. When we started watching the Disney DVD, they were really irritated with the new dub, regardless if it's a closer translation to the original Japanese or not.
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Yuck, the Optimum is amazingly bad. It's been filtered and sharpened to hell and back in order to remove all traces of grain and enlarge the black edges. Whoever was at the controls at the time should be fired immediately, it's not their job to change the look of the movie to whatever suits their tastes.
And I prefer the colours on the R1, particularly the catbus in the last shot looks far too cold and unpleasant on the R2.
Nasty stuff, but just makes me appreciate the job Disney did on the R1 more.
And I prefer the colours on the R1, particularly the catbus in the last shot looks far too cold and unpleasant on the R2.
Nasty stuff, but just makes me appreciate the job Disney did on the R1 more.