Back in May, when Avatar first hit DVD, I was telling people NOT to buy it, because all of my DVD websites were reporting that a super-special edition with all kinds of bonus features would be out in time for Christmas. And...our patience was rewarded.
Avatar: Extended Collector's Edition drops on November 16! This 3-disc special edition will have THREE versions of the film! You get the original theatrical version, the special edition that hit theatres at the end of August (9 minutes lonter than the theatrical version), and a new "extended cut" created for the DVD (16 minutes longer than the theatrical version). In something that I think is kind of silly, they also added in the "family friendly audio track," which is the option to have all the swears bleeped out. There'll also be a feature-length documentary on the making of the film, called Capturing Avatar, and more than 45 minutes of deleted scenes!
And that's just the DVD! If you spring for the Blu-Ray, on top of all that, you also get 17 featurettes, scene deconstructions where you get to see the entire film before the animation and effects were added, the trailers, a whole database explaining everything that the planet Pandora has to offer...and just so much more.
Hmm...it drops on November 16. That's that weird time of year where I don't know whether to buy it for myself, or just heavily hint to family and friends that I want it for Christmas.
And speaking of milestones in computer animation, one of my favourite DVD sites, TVshowsonDVD.com, is reporting that Shout! Factory has just signed a deal with Rainmaker Digital to bring ReBoot: The Complete Series to DVD!
ReBoot, of course, one of those fabulous relics of the 1990s. It was the first computer animated TV show, taking place in a computer as the heroic guardian Bob battled the malicious computer viruses Megabyte and Hexadecimal. Needless to say, because of its place in computer animation history, and the fact that it made lots and lots of subtle pop culture references, it's become a huge cult following. I was a huge fan when it was fresh and new and I was in college.
Shout! Factory is bringing it to DVD, and they did those fabulous boxed sets of G.I. Joe: The Complete Series and The Transformers: The Complete Series. Shout! Factory has already said they hope to do that model again...start off with a massvie, beautiful boxed set of the entire series, and the dole out the individual season sets later.
In case you're wondering who this "Rainmaker Digital" is, that's what Mainframe Animation (the studio that made ReBoot) changed their name to about 5 years ago. They seem to have shifted their focus from animation to special effects, doing some of the effects on Stargate and Smallville.
Still no word on when this'll hit DVD...Shout! Factory has simply said, "Some time in 2011."
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