JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH (1996, Blu-ray released August 3, 2010 – MSRP $39.99)
James and the Giant Peach quite often reminds me of the best intentioned but ultimately flawed Terry Gilliam films – films which craft beautiful, imaginative moments that hit all the right notes, only to shift tone at the drop of the hat, sacrificing pacing and an overall sense of cohesion. But like Gilliam’s work, the parts that really shine are like the finest diamonds. Or in this case, the ripest Peach.
I’ve been waiting to see Henry Selick‘s adaptation of James and the Giant Peach for almost 15-years now. And I would be lying to you if I told you that I wasn’t disappointed. Unlike most who saw it in theatres back in 1996, I wasn’t expecting a repeat of his very successful Nightmare Before Christmas – another Selick outing produced by (and in that case, conceived and designed by) Tim Burton. To his credit here, it’s Selick’s fully animated scenes that are the highlight of the picture. Some of the stop-motion work is truly inspiring – a showdown with a giant mechanical shark and underwater battle with pirate-skeletons come immediately to mind. But the film, sadly, falls apart in its clunky, live-action opening and closing scenes.
The first act of this adaptation of the famous Roald Dahl novel feels off kilter, as a live-action James loses his parents and moves in with his abusive aunties who make him work day and night, with only left over fish heads to eat. It isn’t until a magical giant peach grows in their yard that the film comes to life. James and his world become stop-motion animated as he meets a group of insects who join him on a journey over the wild seas to New York City in their giant-peach mobile, flown through the air by a flock of captured seagulls. Sadly, after all the wonderfully rendered scenes of high adventure, it ends as it began, with real-life actors on real-life sets and some really stiff, uncomfortable-looking performances. Perhaps Selick just isn’t comfortable directing actors. He should stick to animation.
Clearly, the animation is the highlight of James and the Giant Peach. That’s why this Blu-ray disc presentation will be such a disappointment to most who’ll pick it up. It appears quite soft and aged, like a film from a much earlier decade, rich with grain and a seemingly colour-shifted palette. Disney has cleaned the film up and granted it a great transfer for this new Blu-ray. I’m certain that most of the gauzy haze that seems to overpower some scenes here (notably the live-action ones) is intentional and part of the style of the picture. The image may not appear clean and modern here but the dynamic DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack goes a long way toward making the film feel fresh. This is a powerful, explosive mix that is sure to please.
I enjoyed the film well enough and was pleased with the vintage look of the Blu-ray image but the big let-down of this new James and the Giant Peach disc release is the lack of engaging bonus features. There’s a brand new, Blu-ray exclusive “Spike the Aunts” interactive game that’s probably all right for the little ones in the family. Leaving me only the 5-minute long, EPK style featurette, a Randy Newman music video (blech!), a still frame gallery, and the film’s original theatrical trailer to enjoy.
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