Two recent Disney/Pixar Blu-ray releases have come out and I couldn’t have been more satisfied by their acquisition.

First was Pixar’s Brave.

The more I watch this film, the harder it is for me to imagine that anyone ever had a problem with it. They took a classic Disney style-story, put a classic Pixar spin on it. So what if it doesn’t reach the dizzying heights of Wall-E or the stylistic flourishes of The Incredibles? It’s a fantastic film in its own right and seeing it again on Blu-ray makes one realize how important its going to be in the pantheon of Disney Princess films.

The look of this film is stunning, no less so on Blu-ray. The sets and the backgrounds are absolutely gorgeous. But the only thing that works better than the visuals is the story. The story is something that is really worth studying. The wraparound story and fable fitting into the story the way they do is incredibly elegant. And every moment with the three brothers is solid gold.

My only complaint about the film still are a few of the contemporary gags in the witches hut, but it makes enough sense to let it slide.

Other than that, I think Merida is a fantastic addition to the world of Disney Princesses. My daughter certainly agrees and looks up to her quite a bit. In fact, I think the most clever thing this does is take the entire genre of Disney Princesses and the tropes that they’ve been playing up for almost a hundred years (wow, think of that) and sets its sights toward a new, modern era.

Let’s hope we get more like this.

Next on the list is the second Pixar shorts collection.

This is a set that I think needs to be in every animation lover’s collection. The shorts contained in this set, both those I’d seen already and those I hadn’t yet seen were utterly brilliant.

There are so many favorites in this set, it’s hard to pick just one. Presto is certainly a highlight, about the magicians rabbit and his desire to get a carrot. It’s got a classic sense of animated humour and is so disgustingly well paced that it keeps you laughing the entirety of its running time.

Also included is a cartoon I hadn’t previously seen starring Remy from Ratatouille. It was a history of rats and it echoed all the old informational Disney films of past (like Donald in Mathmagic Land) and put a very cool new spin on it, mixing 2D and 3D animation styles. It was informative, funny, and just fantastic all around.

The Up and Toy Story shorts stand up as well as the films they came from, and there are many more films, including student films by some of the Pixar regulars.

This is a disc that will provide lots of enjoyment for a lay-person or a kid, but for an animation nerd it will provide endless amounts of entertainment and information with the bonus features and commentaries. There is no downside to getting this disc and I highly recommend it for any serious fan of animation, Disney, or Pixar.