George Lucas's WILLOW coming to Blu-ray March 12, 2013

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment has officially announced they will be releasing the fantasy film WILLOW. The film was released in 1988 to mixed reviews but has acquired and fan base over the years. George Lucas produced, with Ron Howard in the director's chair. The film will make it's HD debut as a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack on March 12,2013 Below are the official technical details:





GEORGE LUCAS AND RON HOWARD BRING THE CLASSIC TALE TO LIFE ON BLU-RAY FOR THE FIRST TIME


Blu-ray + DVD Combo-pack Features All-new Digital Transfer Overseen by Lucasfilm and Never-Before-Seen Bonus Material


Journey to the far corners of your imagination with Willow, for the first time ever on stunning Blu-ray! Written and produced by George Lucas and directed by Ron Howard, the film tells a timeless fantasy tale in which heroes come in all sizes...and adventure is the greatest magic of all. In celebration of its 25th anniversary, the unforgettable classic has been fully digitally restored and debuts on Blu-ray and DVD Combo Pack March 12, 2013 from Lucasfilm Ltd. and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.


When young Willow Ufgood (Warwick Davis; Harry Potter franchise) finds an abandoned baby girl, he learns she is destined to end the reign of the wicked Queen Bavmorda (Jean Marsh; “Upstairs, Downstairs”). In order to protect the child, Willow must team up with a rogue swordsman (Val Kilmer; Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang) and overcome the forces of darkness in the ultimate battle of good versus evil!


The Willow Blu-ray and DVD include a dazzling array of extras with never-before-seen exclusive content such as deleted scenes with remarks from Ron Howard, a personal video diary of Warwick Davis, matte paintings and much more. In addition, look out for Ron Howard’s new introduction for the original 1988 featurette “The Making of an Adventure,” as well as special effect legend Dennis Muren’s new intro to his piece, “From Morf to Morphing: The Dawn of Digital Filmmaking.”


**Special Features**


● NEW! Willow: Deleted Scenes with Ron Howard

● NEW! Willow: An Unlikely Hero , Personal Video Diary of Warwick Davis

● The Making of an Adventure with an all new introduction from Ron Howard

● From Morf to Morphing with an all new introduction from Dennis Muren

● Matte Paintings

● Easter Egg


WILLOW BLU-RAY: (Catalog # 2283981)

Street Date: March 12, 2013
Screen Format: 16:9
Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD-MA, French 5.1 DTS, Spanish 5.1 DTS
Subtitles: English, French and Spanish
U.S. Rating: PG
Total Run Time: 03:11:50
Closed Captioned: Yes

Mankind: The Story of All of Us - Blu-ray Review

***SYNOPSIS***


From the producers of America : The Story of Us comes the epic tale of the rise of civilization. Mankind: The Story of All of Us , a 12-hour series, spans the first flourishing of life in Mesopotamia through the discovery of America, capturing the danger, action, struggle, heroism, and adrenaline using groundbreaking techniques.


***VIDEO QUALITY***


Mankind arrives on Blu-ray with a 1080p transfer in the original aspect ratio of 1.78:1. This transfer uses newly shot HD location footage and interviews, CG effects,etc. The HD filmed sequences exhibited a desaturated hue and strong black levels. Fine detail was excellent. A fine presentation.8.5/10


***AUDIO QUALITY***


Audio is provided by a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Dialogue was crisp and clear, while perfectly centered in the front of the soundstage. Surrounds were used to nice effect with smooth panning. LFE is deep and supplies a pretty consistent rumble but not overaggressive. 8/10


***SPECIAL FEATURES***


* Domesticating the Dog
* Building the Pyramids
* Fire
* The Ice Age
* Birth of Humans
* The Earliest Humans
* Rise of the Incas
* Taming the Horse
* The Plague
* Genghis Khan