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Blu-Ray : Rent it First
Ranking:
Sale Price: $7.48 Last Price: $8.23 Buy now! 3rd Party 4.5 In Stock
Release Date: December 3rd, 2013 Movie Release Year: 2013

Angry Birds Toons - Season One - Volume One

Overview -

Life isn't easy on Piggy Island for the Angry Birds. Red and his fearless feathered companions, Chuck, Matilda, Bomb, Blues and Terence, must band together to protect their eggs – and their future – from the wily plotting of the Bad Piggies.

OVERALL:
Rent it First
Rating Breakdown
STORY
VIDEO
AUDIO
SPECIAL FEATURES
Tech Specs & Release Details
Technical Specs:
25GB Blu-ray
Video Resolution/Codec:
"1080p"/AVC MPEG-4
Length:
73
Aspect Ratio(s):
1.78:1
Audio Formats:
English: Dolby Digital 2.0
Subtitles/Captions:
None.
Special Features:
Special Holiday Episode: "Wreck the Halls"
Release Date:
December 3rd, 2013

Storyline: Our Reviewer's Take

Ranking:

Video games have come a long way since Nintendo first debuted in the mid 80s. Sure there was Atari before that, but the first really colorful and big budget games were with Nintendo. After Nintendo debuted, other consoles came out and spawned a multi-billion dollar industry. One would say it might be one of the most profitable industries today. Some video games even make more money within a 24 hour period than a movie does in its lifetime. And it was only a matter of time before these gaming companies decided to make portable game units, so that you could play your favorite video games from anywhere you wanted. Whether it be in a car, a plane, a hotel room in Fiji, you could play a Gameboy or GameGear anywhere.

Let's fast forward a decade or two and Microsoft and Sony release a revolutionary gaming system that would change the world, and would beat out Nintendo's sales. Along with these systems, better and bigger mobile phones were coming out, and it turns out, could do way more than just call people. Soon, we were able to text, watch movies, listen to music, and even play video games on phones. Once video game developers saw that this was a big trend, companies and startups began to make vivid and colorful video games for mobile devices such as phones and tablets.

While these video games kept on getting better and better for the mobile devices, more people started buying and playing them to get a quick fix of entertainment. And it makes sense that these video games do so well, because they are either free or cost less than a dollar, whereas the console video games are around sixty dollars each. Sure the latter has better graphics and is much more expansive on every level, but the simplicity of the mobile games appeals to people on the go to take their mind off real life for a minute and be rewarded with points and high scores while they're waiting for a dental appointment or something to eat.

And one of the biggest games to come out on these mobile devices is a little game called 'Angry Birds'. It's a silly and ridiculous game, but it's super addictive. The point of the game is to fling a bird from a slingshot and take out as many pigs and sticks and stones as possible with one swipe. The more you take out, the better your score. This little silly video game has garnered so much attention that there are now millions and millions of users playing this daily and even hourly since its debut. It has also created a large following that has spawned sequel games, clothing, housewares, and basically everything else you could stamp the 'Angry Birds' logo on. Hell, even 'Star Wars' has merged with 'Angry Birds' and you can play a 'Star Wars' version of 'Angry Birds' now.

Now we have a cartoon series and some feature films in the works related to 'Angry Birds'. In Season one there were a whopping 52 episodes, but each episode was less than three minutes each. And this Blu-ray is volume one, which is half of the 52 episodes. These episodes play out like a Looney Toons episode without dialogue. So think more of the Roadrunner cartoons. There are some yelps and other noises here and there with some musical scoring, but no dialogue whatsoever.

There are some scenes that should appeal to all ages, just like the game does, and you should laugh here and there as well. If you have never played the game, you might be lost for a few of the episodes, but will fit right in after you get to know the simple characters. Basically the whole show features the birds and pigs fighting each other, but there are a bunch of comical scenes to go along with it, and is viewable for the entire family. If you're a fan of 'Angry Birds', this should satisfy your entertainment hunger for a short amount of time.

Video Review

Ranking:

'Angry Birds: Season One Volume 1' comes with a nice 1080p HD transfer and is presented in 1.78:1 aspect ratio. Now, you can watch these on your iPhone through an app, but this Blu-ray video presentation blows the mobile version out of the water.

Detail is great and the colors pop off the screen magically and just light up the room. The primary colors are very striking. Black levels run deep and inky with no compression issues or other problems to report. This is definitely the better way to watch these short cartoons.

Audio Review

Ranking:

This release comes with a run-of-the-mill Dolby Digital 2.0 audio mix. There isn't much to this audio track at all. There is no dialogue here, but the music score is well done and well balanced on the fronts with some very good sound effects that are well defined.

Other than that, you can't expect much more from this audio presentation. I wish there was more to it.

Special Features

Ranking:
  • Meet the Characters (HD, 5 mins) - Introductions to some of the main characters.
  • Meet the Flock (HD, 2 mins) - Here are some more introductions to some of the minor characters of the show.
  • Behind the Scenes (HD, 9 mins) -Here are some short looks at some of the aspects of the making of the show. We get to look at the creative art side, the story arcs, and the series it self on how everything comes together.
  • Wreck the Halls (HD, 3 mins) - A special Christmas themed episode.
  • Art Gallery (HD) - Here are some character sketches for your enjoyment.

'Angry Birds Toons' is mindless, silly fun. It doesn't take a whole lot of time to get through and is mildly entertaining. For fans of the game and the whole 'Angry Birds' craze, you'll want this Blu-ray simply for how good the video quality is, but until they lower the price, I'd rent or wait. The extras are very brief, but sweet. Rent it first.