Pirates Of The Caribbean Trilogy
Back in 2001, Disney was justifiably nervous about green-lighting the first of these movies, the $140 million adventurecomedy The Curse Of The Black Pearl. And no wonder: the last pirate film, Cutthroat Island, had sunk so badly at the box office it took its makers, Carolco, down with it. An earlier film based on a Disney World attraction, The Country Bears, also flopped. And director Gore Verbinski... didn’t he make The Mexican? Perhaps a big star could stave off the pirate curse. But at that point The Lord Of The Rings’ Orlando Bloom could barely open a door, much less a movie, Keira Knightley had only been seen trying to Bend It Like Beckham, and Johnny Depp, while highly respected, had only one box office hit (Sleepy Hollow) to his name. Disney needn’t have worried. True to his pirate spirit, Depp stole the entire movie, despite a scenery-scoffing turn from Geoffrey Rush and the kind of special effects which can only be appreciated on the big screen — or in high definition. The sequel, Dead Man’s Chest, wisely put Depp’s Jack Sparrow front and centre and upped the effects quotient, for an overlong but undeniably enjoyably high seas yarn which roped in Bill Nighy for a memorable turn as squid-faced sea dog Davy Jones. Disney, Verbinski and producer Jerry Bruckheimer threw everything but the galley sink into the third instalment, At World’s End, to reductive effect — but the epic battle at the centre of a gigantic whirlpool known as the maelstrom is one of those Blu-ray showcase moments you’ll want to revisit before Jack Sparrow and co. return as part four sails into view in 2012.

		The Nightmare Before Christmas Hallowe’en stages a hostile takeover of Christmas in Henry Selick’s stop-motion marvel, drawn from Tim Burton’s macabre, magical imagination. With a deep, dark digital restoration and sackloads of extras, it’s a Blu-ray for life, not just for Christmas.
		Ice Age 2: The Meltdown The first digital ’toon to hit Blu-ray, the HD transfer of Fox’s mammoth sequel is a testament to Blue Sky Studios’ CG craftsmanship, with the fur and hair of Manny, Sid and Scrat as sharp as Diego’s teeth. Extras include the cracking No Time For Nuts short.
		Wall-E Pixar’s melancholy masterpiece, about the lonely life of a clean-up robot left behind on an abandoned Earth, takes CG animation beyond photo-realistic to a kind of hyper-reality which demands to be seen in HD. Adults and kids can spend hours picking through the extras, too.
		Pinocchio: Platinum Edition Disney outdoes itself with this magnificent restoration of the animation studio’s first truly timeless classic, achieving astonishing colour and clarity. Extras abound — and there’s even a bonus copy of the film on DVD, so the kids can watch it in their room.
		Ratatouille/Pixar Short Films collect ion Volume 1 A triumph of subtlety and artistry, Ratatouille (also available separately) has all the right ingredients for another Pixar classic. For a few extra pounds, you can add a baker’s dozen of the studio’s finest short works.
		Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer The second outing of Marvel Comics’ favourite family is superior in every way to its predecessor, thanks to a bigger budget, superb special effects, a classic Stan Lee storyline — and the HD -friendly Surfer himself. Marvellous!
		Kung Fu Panda Probably DreamWorks’ most entertaining film since the first Shrek, this all-star ’toon — Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Seth Rogen — sees Jack Black’s pudgy panda, Po, identified as the legendary Dragon Warrior who will save his valley. Looks utterly gorgeous, sounds great and comes packed with extras and BD-Live capability to download yet more. One for martial arts fans as well as kiddies.
		The Spiderwick Chronicles Sure, the movie is flawed — but this is a ‘best of Blu-ray’ feature, and few films boast brighter colours, trippier effects or more spirited action than the Wachowski brothers’ wacky take on the legendary ’60s anime about a boy (a lacklustre Emile Hirsch) who’s born to race in a neon-lit parallel world.
		Speed Racer Sure, the movie is flawed — but this is a ‘best of Blu-ray’ feature, and few films boast brighter colours, trippier effects or more spirited action than the Wachowski brothers’ wacky take on the legendary ’60s anime about a boy (a lacklustre Emile Hirsch) who’s born to race in a neon-lit parallel world.

		Staff Pick Enchanted Helen O’Hara, Deputy Online Editor Who’d have thought that the most incisive satire on the Disney fairy tale would be delivered by Disney itself? Yet here it is, complete with cluelessly sunny Princess (Amy Adams), lunkheaded Prince (James Marsden) and assorted animated sidekicks. Just cool enough that you can admit to liking it in public.