Whether or not you thought the CGI enhancements in Disney's "Treasure Planet" worked well with the traditional animation, you can explore the thinking and test footage behind the finished results on the DVD.

TECHNICAL FEATURES

Picture There's breathtaking detail on show in this handsome THX-mastered picture transfer to disc.

Sound The Dolby 5.1 sound mix is kept busy with space pirate antics, and really impresses in battle scenes. For maximum carnage take cover and unleash the DTS version, which should leave your living room looking like solar winds really have just whipped through it.

SPECIAL FEATURES

Visual Commentary The main contributors to this audio commentary are producer Roy Conli and directors Ron Clements and John Musker. When appropriate, comments are inserted from members of the animation team. Plus, during the movie you get to opt out and watch featurettes that include alternate and deleted footage as well as 'making of' interviews.

Everyone is proud of their contributions, but there are many references to the film that nearly was: a darker, less Disney-like affair. At times you'll get to see the animation work that had been done on these scenes and the results look like they would have made for an interesting movie.

Deleted Scenes If you get a feeling of déjà vu with the three scenes here, it's because they also pop up as part of the visual commentary, as do some of the other featurettes on this DVD.

Behind the Scenes Lurking in this section are a whole host of short featurettes (most are around two minutes in length) on the animation, art design and CGI effects in the movie. Most interesting are the test animations, where CGI effects were blended in with traditional animation to see if the results would work. You can also explore three galleries filled with beautiful animated cels, as well as discovering what the 'Brandywine School' of animation is all about.

Merging 2D and 3D Worlds Delve deeper into the modern trickery that has gone into this project with short featurettes that take you through test effects. Better still you can take a 3D tour of the RLS legacy and, if you want, try out the interactive treasure hunt game (although it's quite a clunky affair).

Intergalactic Space Adventures Disney has a strange policy of sometimes repeating special features in different menus of a DVD. The 3D treasure hunt pops up again so if you've already played it then ignore it. That said, this section is a bit thin of other goodies with 'Disney's Animation Magic' far too cloying in presentation and the 'Disneypaedia' on pirates just plain annoying.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION
Chapters: 20
Ratio: 1.85:1 (anamorphic)
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1
Audio Tracks: English
Subtitles: English and Russian
Captions: English
Menus: 3D animations, with music
Special Features Subtitles None of the special features come with subtitles.

This DVD was reviewed on a JVC XV-N5 DVD player.