In part one of today’s DVD and Blu-ray column we will tackle animated films.

Today sees the release of three incredible animated motion pictures. Let’s start chronologically, shall we?

Pixar’s Toy Story redefined the way animated films were made and perceived upon its release in 1995 and sent every other company scrambling to find 3D animated films. Sadly, most of the 3D copycats of that era mistook the magic of the film for the way it was made and not the face that it was an incredibly well-conceived story told incredibly well. It created such an interesting and original take on what toys do when we’re not looking and all of the jokes in the film built up either that, or the story, leaving us laughing about a situation that was unique to this movie and this movie alone. It had some of the smartest screenwriting ever (even though there were 4 screenwriters, including Joss Whedon) and it was so economical and well animated that it was an instant classic. The Blu-ray re-release of this film is second to none in terms of sound and picture quality. Every time Pixar releases a high definition version of their films I’m astounded by how much attention is paid to the quality of it.

It’s truly breathtaking.

But the only thing that looks better in high-definition that Toy Story is Toy Story 2. Improving on a concept and world that I didn’t think could be improved upon, Pixar knocked out a sequel to Toy Story that actually surpassed the original. And it boasts perhaps one of the finest, most finely constructed scripts ever conceived for a motion picture, animated or otherwise.

There’s not much I can say about Toy Story and Toy Story 2 on Blu-ray other than you have to buy them. There really is no two ways about it.

The third animated film on the list today is Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox. I was wary of this picture and did not see it until I got a review copy. After Darjeeling Limited, I had sort of felt like I was washing my hands of Wes Anderson for a while. I loved The Life Aquatic, but Darjeeling Limited felt somehow lacking. And the trailers for Mr. Fox made me think that the animation was going to be sub-par.

Let me be the first to say I was pleasantly surprised. It was an incredibly charming Wes Anderson movie that was appropriate for the whole family. It was funny (Michael Gambon’s Farmer Bean had me howling) and heartwarming. The voice cast is top notch. In addition to Gambon, Clooney lends his voice to the titular character and rest of the cast is rounded out by Meryl Streep, Jason Schwarzman, Willem Dafoe (as a bizarre Rat), Owen Wilson, and Bill Murray. But the movie straddled that line between interesting to adults with the lead character having a mid-life crisis, and interesting to kids with the lead characters son trying to find his place in the world. The humour is spread equally between the age-groups and watching it with kids is a must.

Come back for part two and we’ll look at some Kurosawa, Bogart, and more Clooney.