Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit: R2 vs. R1 DVD

[Escapay]

So I'm updating my list at DVDaficionado when I come across the listing for Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit. It says that R2 is getting a 2-disc set, so I click the amazon link to see what it has versus the R1 release. Anyways, I found it has the same as the Wal-Mart 2-disc set! The R2 2-disc set and the R1 Wal-Mart exclusive bonus disc set have the same features, though they're spread differently.

Both R1 and R2 versions have these:
Anamorphic Widescreen Presentation
Cracking Commentary with Nick Park and Steve Box
Deleted Scenes
How Wallace and Gromit Went To Hollywood
Behind The Scenes Of The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit
A Day In The Life At Aardman
How To Build A Bunny
The Family Album
Games such as: Anti-Pesto SWAT Team, Victor Quartermaine's Guide To Cool, and Style With Lady Tottington.
DVD-ROM Printables
Stage Fright

The R2 has this in the regular release, while R1 only has this on the Wal-Mart bonus disc:
Making of the Were-Rabbit
All 10 'Wallace & Gromit's Cracking Contraptions' shorts
The Amazing World of Wallace & Gromit

R1 also includes:
Gromit's Favorite Scenes
Gromit Cam
Learn to Draw Gromit
More DVD-Rom stuff

For the audio portions, R1 has these:
English & French DD5.1 Surround
English & Spanish DD2.0 Stereo
English SDH, English, French and Spanish subtitles

While R2 only has English 5.1 and English subtitles.

So my question is, why didn't Dreamworks just issue the same R2 set here as R1 instead of making the bonus disc a Wal-Mart exclusive? Also, in the R2 set, is it just the movie on disc 1 and all the bonus features on disc 2? Or are they spread just like they are in R1?

Escapay

[Timon/Pumbaa fan]

So my question is, why didn't Dreamworks just issue the same R2 set here as R1 instead of making the bonus disc a Wal-Mart exclusive?

Because Dreamworks sucks! Duh!

[Escapay]

So my question is, why didn't Dreamworks just issue the same R2 set here as R1 instead of making the bonus disc a Wal-Mart exclusive?

Because Dreamworks sucks! Duh!

Well obviously, but still, why did they decide that only people who buy the movie from Wal-Mart should get all the features?

Escapay

[Luke]

Well obviously, but still, why did they decide that only people who buy the movie from Wal-Mart should get all the features?

Escapay

They probably realized that the people who shop at Wal-Mart are really concerned about seeing the whole movie and all of its bonus features!

[Escapay]

Well obviously, but still, why did they decide that only people who buy the movie from Wal-Mart should get all the features?

Escapay

They probably realized that the people who shop at Wal-Mart are really concerned about seeing the whole movie and all of its bonus features!

And yet Wal-Mart is a big advocate for Fullscreen DVDs!

Escapay

[2099net]

It's also worth knowing that the two discs will have different soundtracks on. Several of the British centric words were altered for the US release. For example Gromit's prize winning "melon" is a "marrow" in the UK version.

So the UK release has the original intended soundtrack, with all its British quirks.

So my question is, why didn't Dreamworks just issue the same R2 set here as R1 instead of making the bonus disc a Wal-Mart exclusive? Also, in the R2 set, is it just the movie on disc 1 and all the bonus features on disc 2? Or are they spread just like they are in R1?

This link shows that they are spread out over the 2 discs:
http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=60084

Speculation is this is because a cut-down 1 disc version will be released later.

[Escapay]

This link shows that they are spread out over the 2 discs:
http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=60084

Hmm, aside from Stage Fright being on the first disc in R1 (it's on the second in R2), the release is exactly the same!

Man, I feel sorry for W&G Fans who are nowhere near a Wal-Mart and want that bonus disc. It really should have been part of the general release instead of being Wal-Mart exclusive.

Escapay

[I am the Doctor]

Escapay wrote

Man, I feel sorry for W&G Fans who are nowhere near a Wal-Mart and want that bonus disc. It really should have been part of the general release instead of being Wal-Mart exclusive.

Agreed. But this isn't the first time that DW has screwed around with animation fans. Anyone remember the Shrek: The Story So Far boxset a couple years back? The boxset included an exclusive extras disc, but only included "fullscreen" versions of Shrek and Shrek 2. And, for some odd reason, the direct to video Shrek 3-D was widescreen. I never quite figured this release out. Those who would be interested in the bonus disc would probably also want widescreen versions, not fullscreen. Dreamworks has done some decent movies (the Shrek films, Chicken Run and Wallace and Gromit) but have no clue on how to release and market DVDs. Dreamworks is making Disney look like geniuses when it comes to DVD releases!

How much do you wanna bet that DW will release a two-disc version of Wallace and Gromit sometime down the road with all the Walmart bonuses included?

[Pasta67]

So how long and in-depth are the features on the Wal*Mart bonus disc? I got mine at Wal*Mart, but I didn't buy it with the bonus disc since it looked like just a DVD with set top games and a fluffy featurette on the making of the movie. So did I make the right desicion? Or is the bonus disc worth going back and buying?

[Escapay]

Well there are only 3 substantial featurettes on the Wal-Mart disc:
Making of the Were-Rabbit - 9 minutes
All 10 'Wallace & Gromit's Cracking Contraptions' shorts - (don't remember the runtime, and if you have the 3 Amazing Adventures DVD, you don't need the shorts again)
The Amazing World of Wallace & Gromit - 15 minutes

I haven't had a chance to watch the featurettes (I watched the Cracking Contraptions on my other DVD), just played them so I could see the display time. The others are pretty much fluff, though Gromit Cam and Learn to Draw Gromit are worth checking out.

My reason for getting the bonus disc was that it cost the same as getting it without the bonus disc. My Wal-Mart was selling the regular W&G DVD for $14.99, and the two-set with the bonus DVD was $14.99, so I figured it was a worthwhile free DVD anyway. Though of course, once the firstweek sale ends, it'll go up to $19.99 or so, so you might as well pay $15 for the two-disc set.

Escapay

[Pasta67]

That's lucky for you. At my Wal*Mart, the regular version was $14.99 and the regular version with the bonus disc was $20.99, so that's why I skipped out on getting it. Thanks for the runtimes, I guess it wasn't as big a loss as I thought it was. I already have the Cracking Contraptions shorts, and I guess I can live without the 26 minutes of making-of material.

[Little Red Henski]

It's also worth knowing that the two discs will have different soundtracks on. Several of the British centric words were altered for the US release. For example Gromit's prize winning "melon" is a "marrow" in the UK version.

So the UK release has the original intended soundtrack, with all its British quirks.

Damn it! I already bought the R1 Wal-mart version with the altered soundtrack.