The Movie

Pixar goes under the sea for their fifth feature film Finding Nemo, a comic adventure about a timid clownfish searching for his missing son. Though the Disney and Pixar relationship hasn't always been peachy, the combo has yet to misfire and Nemo is one of the summer's surefire hits.

The DVD

Sure to be one of the summer's big grossers when it is released to theaters later this month, Finding Nemo presents two options for Disney. Get it out on DVD in the readily-crowding Fourth Quarter to hit the holiday sales notes. Or make the people wait for the first big DVD release of 2004. I think they'll choose the first, and Nemo could wind up being one of the big DVD releases of November.

The DVD releases of Pixar's first four movies have shown that not only does Pixar churn out some of the best feature films of all-time, but they have a blast doing it! Their fun-spirited Collector's Sets provide hours of enlightening entertainment for anyone with any level of interest in their films. As a multi-hundred million dollar film, Nemo should be no different. We'll likely see just one release - a 2-disc Collector's Edition a la last fall's Monsters, Inc. set.

Writer/director Andrew Stanton, Pixar's veteran story man and the co-director of A Bug's Life, will most likely host the disc's features, including some things (commentary, outtakes, awesome Easter Eggs) we've come to and expect (and treasure) from Pixar's DVDs. With Disney's strong belief that people under a certain age are only interested in games and cartoons, we'll probably see a multi-tiered Menu system that pleases 'both' crowds with hours of content.

UPDATE

Finding Nemo is coming to DVD on November 4:
Pre-order Finding Nemo: 2-Disc Collector's Edition (Widescreen & Pan/Scan on the same disc)

The Movie

Disney's second feature film based on a popular ride hopes to appeal to a wide audience with its swashbuckling adventure starring Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom, and Keira Knightley.

The DVD

Disney expects a hit with Pirates and there are already some tentative plans for a sequel. Provided that the film performs well at the box office, it is likely that we'll see dual releases: (one with the risque 2.35:1 widescreen transfer, and one with the mutilated, 45%-less-filling version). Features on the action sequences and design of the film are likely, plus director Gore Verbinski (The Ring) recorded a commentary for The Mexican. It's possible he'll get behind the mic here. Of course, the real highlight of the DVD will be the stylistic (familiarly Bruckheimer) visuals and sound design, which make it seem like a good candidate for a DTS track.

UPDATE

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is coming to DVD on December 2
in a 2-Disc Special Edition Set: Pre-order Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl DVD