Yes, we know it’s summer. It’s supposed to be a time to play outdoors with your friends, soaking in the abundance of sunlight and seasonal temperatures while they last. That’s what our wives would tell us. But we’re geeks. The sun and heat are our enemy, and even though it’s inevitable we spend some time outdoors, there is a time when we need a break from Mother Nature and partake in some good, old-fashioned AC. These are the stuff for which Netflix instant streaming was made.
On that note, we would like to alert our readers to a new title which appeared on the service this morning, the classic 1988 animated film The Land Before Time. This has been on the HBO HD channels for a while now, and had been the only place to experience the film in widescreen HD the way it was intended. Sadly, although the DVD has a warranted DTS audio track, it is presented in horrific full-frame standard definition. This streaming version comes courtesy of Netflix’s partnership with Starz, and although it’s not in HD or even 5.1 surround, it is in it’s widescreen presentation. We’ll take what we can get.
Why is this geek-worthy? First, because it was directed by Don Bluth, who gave us the classic Dragon’s Lair and Space Ace LaserDisc video games of our youth. Second, because it was executive-produced by George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, ’nuff said.
But third and most important, it is an enchanting movie that appeals to kids of all ages as well as adults, with a hauntingly beautiful score by James Horner. And frame-for-frame, it holds up and even surpasses what Walt Disney Animation Studios was producing at the time, of which Bluth was a former employee before he set out on his own. You could say the apprentice became the master, in that case. Sorry, we couldn’t resist making another geek reference…