Li'l Horrors-Volume 2: Trouble Double (2000) |
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General | Extras | ||
Category | Childrens |
Main Menu Introduction Menu Animation & Audio Trivia-5 Audio-Only Track-Music Themes (8) Featurette-Character Intros (11) Interviews-Character-11 Web Links Easter Egg-Sneak Preview of Vlad and Duncan, Outtakes |
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Rating | |||
Year Of Production | 2000 | ||
Running Time | 62:18 | ||
RSDL / Flipper | No/No | Cast & Crew | |
Start Up | Menu | ||
Region Coding | 1,2,3,4,5,6 | Directed By |
Ralph Strasser Chris Langman Helen Gaynor |
Studio
Distributor |
Umbrella Entertainment |
Starring | None Given |
Case | Click | ||
RPI | $29.95 | Music |
Al Mullins Janine DeLorenzo |
Video | Audio | ||
Pan & Scan/Full Frame | None | English Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s) | |
Widescreen Aspect Ratio | 1.78:1 | ||
16x9 Enhancement |
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Video Format | 576i (PAL) | ||
Original Aspect Ratio | 1.78:1 | Miscellaneous | |
Jacket Pictures | No | ||
Subtitles | None | Smoking | No |
Annoying Product Placement | No | ||
Action In or After Credits | No |
This is the second in a series of L'il Horrors DVDs. You can read the review of the first disc here. While you are there, you can have a look at the special features and the hidden extras because they are identical on this and the third disc in the series. This was a somewhat disappointing discovery, as anyone collecting the series is only getting value out of the 60-odd minutes of the main features, although the trivia questions that accompany each episode are of course different on each disc.
On this disc are five new episodes:
Trouble Double (12:25): the classic 'walk a mile in the other person's shoes' told in the inimitable style of the L'il Horrors. Cleo casts a spell so that Vlad and Medusilla swap bodies.
Lolly Folly (12:29): Webster creates a machine that can turn your lunch into chocolate. Vlad's greed leads to disaster.
Love Lettuce Sand(which): (12:29): Ahh, love is blind. Poor old Duncan falls in love with the new girl at school. Unfortunately, she is only after his lunch.
The Bleurgh Witch Project (12:29): Miss Morbidda is depressed, so the children decide to start making horror movies to help re-launch her movie career.
I Want My Mummy (12:26): Shock, Horror - Cleo's bandages are unravelling and her magical powers along with them. All hands on deck for the rescue.
All-in-all, these are another five great episodes from the creators of L'il Horrors. They both entertain and educate, a far cry from many children's shows these days.
The show is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and is 16x9 enhanced.
The image is sharp, particularly in the foreground, although it does lose a little sharpness on moving objects and long shots. The shadow detail is good and there is no low-level noise.
The colour is excellent with lots of bright primary colours to keep the kiddies entertained.
There are some very minor MPEG artefacts such as very slight posterization and pixelization on Medusilla's face at 0:58 in the first episode. You really have to be looking to find these problems, though. I am sticking with my supposition that this is shot on video as there are no visible film artefacts.
There are no subtitles.
This is a single layered disc.
Sharpness | |
Shadow Detail | |
Colour | |
Grain/Pixelization | |
Film-To-Video Artefacts | |
Film Artefacts | |
Overall |
There is only an English Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack on this disc.
Dialogue quality is excellent as is the audio sync.
I really like the music that accompanies the show as does my three year old. The various themes for each character can be explored in the special features section.
There is no surround or subwoofer activity.
Dialogue | |
Audio Sync | |
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts | |
Surround Channel Use | |
Subwoofer | |
Overall |
The menus are very clever. The main menu has selections for each of the episodes across the bottom with 'play episode or answer questions' within each selection. As you press left or right on the remote to select a new episode one of the characters describes the episode and reads out the menu options. This is followed for each menu in the special features - the characters describes what is available. They are very colourful and easy to navigate - as you return from each episode you are asked whether you wish to answer the questions or play the next episode. There are usually multiple ways to navigate each menu.
Each episode has a quick quiz section - three questions with multiple choice answers. Select the wrong one and the narrator tells you to try again. Select the right one and a quick clip is displayed showing the whole human and puppet crew dancing.
There are eight selections on this menu. You can select random play or a particular character to hear their theme music. Each theme lasts for an average of about 30 seconds.
Each character gets a chance to introduce themselves. These play in an inserted window and vary between 30 and 60 seconds in length.
Played as if the characters are real and are actors in the show. Kids will have a pretty good giggle at this one. Again played in a window and running for 30 to 60 seconds.
A quick description of the website and the link : www.lilhorrors.com
There are a series of Easter eggs accessible from each episode selection menu and from the special features menu. The following instructions assume that you have just changed to the episode selection menu for a particular episode and are on the default entry "Play episode". They are basically the same for each menu but not all the hidden bats lead anywhere. If you select one and press enter and nothing happens that particular entry is empty. There are also some repeats where the same material is played even though you selected it from a different place.
Go to the first episode: Press the up arrow and two small bats appear above the menu on the background. Press the up arrow again and the Li'l Horrors logo at the top lights up. Press enter to see the DVD credits.
Go to the first episode: Press the up arrow, press the left arrow, press the left arrow, and press enter for a 1:30 clip showing Vlad and Duncan doing their screen tests.
Go to the third episode: Press up arrow, right arrow, and enter. A very short clip from backstage.
Go the fourth episode: Press up arrow, left arrow, left arrow and enter. A shot of the classroom with the entire human crew.
Go to the fifth episode: Press up arrow, left arrow, and enter. A short clip showing Vlad being chewed out by the director.
Go to the Extras menu. Press the up arrow, the right arrow, the right arrow again and press enter. A short clip showing Duncan trying to feed his lunch to a cast member.
Go to the extras menu. Press up arrow, right arrow, right arrow, up arrow, and enter. A short clip showing Vlad talking to the crew.
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
There does not appear to be a Region 1 version of this disc.
Despite the disappointment of finding that the extras are simply a repeat of the last disc, this is still a fun disc for the right age group.
The video is excellent
The audio is all right for a kid's show
If you only own one disc, the extras are good.
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Overall |
Review Equipment | |
DVD | Skyworth 1050p progressive scan, using RGB output |
Display | Sony 1252Q CRT Projector, 254cm custom built 1.0 gain screen. Calibrated with AVIA Guide To Home Theatre. This display device is 16x9 capable. |
Audio Decoder | Built in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with AVIA Guide To Home Theatre. |
Amplification | Sony STR-DB1070 |
Speakers | B&W DM305 (mains); CC3 (centre); S100 (surrounds); custom Adire Audio Tempest with Redgum plate amp (subwoofer) |