'He-Man' Blu-ray, HD DVD Release "Very Likely"

[jed]

We posted this one earlier today:

2008 may just be the year of 'He-Man' on high-def, with BCI said to be seriously weighing a next-gen release for the classic cartoon character.

TVShowsonDVD.com has the first concrete details on the indie distributor's plans to bring the 2002 television version of 'He-Man and the Masters of the Universe' to disc. Spanning three separate single-disc volumes with 13 episodes a pop, the site reports that a feature-packed, remastered version of the series is currently being planned for a February 2008 DVD debut, and that there is a "better than 90%" chance of a release on Blu-ray and/or HD DVD.

According to information provided by BCI, testing of the episodes in high-def yielded "much better-quality visuals with extra depth to the scenes, more dynamic colors and greater background details."

Full Story:
http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/1017

[taygan315]

WHY????? That is what I keep saying to myself about this press release. Why release this on hi def???!!!??? I mean ...I know that anime is a positive for many people out there. But this is not anime. This was a CARTOON!! I am sure there are fans out there who would like to see a hi def release of He Man and I am trying not to offend them. BUT COME ON. What's next? Are we going to see Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry! We are trying to get hd dvd and blu-ray accepted into the minds of consumers. I just dont see the reason for this particular release,imho. Waste of resources and time, again imho.

[Dead Pixel]

Originally Posted by taygan315

WHY????? That is what I keep saying to myself about this press release. Why release this on hi def???!!!??? I mean ...I know that anime is a positive for many people out there. But this is not anime. This was a CARTOON!! I am sure there are fans out there who would like to see a hi def release of He Man and I am trying not to offend them. BUT COME ON. What's next? Are we going to see Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry! We are trying to get hd dvd and blu-ray accepted into the minds of consumers. I just dont see the reason for this particular release,imho. Waste of resources and time, again imho.

Totally agree with you here. I don't feel like double dipping back into old cartoon series that I already have. Animated Features and Anime Movies I can see a point, but old cartoon tv series is just another way to make a quick buck.

[Manetoys]

nobody's telling anyone to double dip, but if HD releases of old cartoons means better picture and possibly better audio then i'm all for it. if something can be improved then why the backlash? the more variety of high def titles = more consumer interest. how is this bad?

[Dead Pixel]

Originally Posted by Manetoys

nobody's telling anyone to double dip, but if HD releases of old cartoons means better picture and possibly better audio then i'm all for it. if something can be improved then why the backlash? the more variety of high def titles = more consumer interest. how is this bad?

The fact that it's "Spanning three separate single-disc volumes with 13 episodes a pop" is the first turn-off, because HD/Blu should be able to fit more than 13 episodes of animated episodes especially if they're going to justify a 20 dollar or more price tag. Secondly IMO approvements on older cartoons, and I've said this before in other topics, aren't my thing. Unless its CGI Animated/Animated Feature/Anime Movie, I don't see the point in a remaster of the old cartoon quality. I love the '70s Spiderman cartoons and bought the box set, but seeing an a redone HD version of reused drawings just won't sell for me.

[Manetoys]

Originally Posted by Dead Pixel

The fact that it's "Spanning three separate single-disc volumes with 13 episodes a pop" is the first turn-off, because HD/Blu should be able to fit more than 13 episodes of animated episodes especially if they're going to justify a 20 dollar or more price tag. Secondly IMO approvements on older cartoons, and I've said this before in other topics, aren't my thing. Unless its CGI Animated/Animated Feature/Anime Movie, I don't see the point in a remaster of the old cartoon quality. I love the '70s Spiderman cartoons and bought the box set, but seeing an a redone HD version of reused drawings just won't sell for me.

i understand that you don't like it, but it only gives the consumer more options. the more titles on high def the better. also the 13 episode thing sounds like it's for SD DVD only and that HD & blu ray sets could possibly be in the works.

[taygan315]

Originally Posted by Manetoys

i understand that you don't like it, but it only gives the consumer more options. the more titles on high def the better. also the 13 episode thing sounds like it's for SD DVD only and that HD & blu ray sets could possibly be in the works.

I agree with giving the consumer more options. I just want them to pick another option other than this one. This is just my small, humble view on this and if people want these old and forgotten cartoons in hi def, then I hope they get made. I just cant see a reason to spend so much money on a cartoon that is aged as this one. Although I will say that the old cartoons have a certain nostalgia value to them than cartoons of today. He Man just was not that great,imho. The movie with Dolph Lundren should never be mentioned for a hi def release, again imho.

[Net]

OH PLEASE!!!! Old cartoons in high def is PERFECT!!! All the frieking classics including HE MAN all restored to take advantage of better clarity. Though I doubt that we'd ever see all of them in HD ( we barely have them on SD) it would still be beneficial to me to have it in HD. No macroblocking or blurryness of th SD or even worse, VHS copies from TV.

Bring it on! Then bring me The Centurians, Scooby Doo, Silverhawks, Bionic Six, and whole slew of classics that would benefit from the added clarity.

But for a reasonable price , please.

Oh and the He Man movie was good in its campyness. That little orc cracked me up.

[CaptainCanuck]

Too kiddy for me. Not interested.

[creedes]

Originally Posted by CaptainCanuck

Too kiddy for me. Not interested.

Actually that's not the case if I remember the cartoon. The cartoon is a lot darker than the original series.

[Hastor]

I don't know what "OLD" cartoon series you guys are talking about. Or what these references to it being an anime are. This is the more recent, just a few years old, He-Man series. It had extremely improved animation and writing. While I still love the original it is more for the cheese and laughing at bad animation. This series took a great set of characters mainly made to sell toys and gave them better reasons for existing. Based on the quality of the drawing, this should make a hi-def release if any of the recent super hero animated movies that were released should. Even though it was cheesy, I'm attached to the original cartoon since childhood, and even so, I didn't think the new one did anything to mess it up. The only big changes I noticed outside of a different art style (and a much smoother animation) were that Cringer/Battlecat no longer talks, and Skeletor's minion Whiplash is now as tall as a tree instead of just another henchman. Even if you have no care, be glad that there is more selection coming as it will sell more HD players. I hate the Transformers movie (and anything Michael Bay) but am still glad it is getting an HD-DVD only release. I have players for both but have seen a higher standard of quality across the board on HD-DVD and therefore have been kind of rooting for it, and that movie will sell players. I'm glad to see anything new released in either HD format though, because ultimately I'm rooting for more HD titles period.

Now I have a question:
The show was aired in 4x3. Was it cropped for airings? If not, will the top/bottom be cropped for HD, or will we get the full picture and black bars on the side? Any insight on this would be great.

[betona]

Remastering old cartoons into HD = good.

But He-Man wouldn't even be in my top 50 list of toons to get the attention. Tex Avery would be #1 on that list...

But, to each his own.

[crazyfatrobot]

Originally Posted by betona

Remastering old cartoons into HD = good.

But He-Man wouldn't even be in my top 50 list of toons to get the attention. Tex Avery would be #1 on that list...

But, to each his own.

Agreed. Classic animation in hd would be wonderful, but he-man is low on the list. I'd like to see some Max Fleischer.

[Hastor]

I agree that Tex Avery would be at the top of my list as well, but I'm not gonna complain about anything making it to HD, it isn't like Tex Avery isn't coming out on HD because He-Man IS. Different companies, different priorities and decision makers. I'm just glad to see the HD selection grow, because a bigger selection will result in more players sold, resulting in more titles and so forth. I did like this He-Man show though, but I'd really call it an animated show and not even group it with "cartoons" like Tex Avery made. Just because its drawn doesn't mean it should be grouped together, just as all live action shouldn't be. It is a cool show with great action and a really cool assortment of characters. But it sticks to the rules of physics (within its own world of magic etc.), unlike Tex Avery that explored the fact that animation had no bounds. You can put me down for buying He-Man (unless maybe if the show is cropped from 4x3 to 16x9, not sure what original format was but aired in 4x3), but at the same time if a Tex Avery collection came out the same day, He-Man would have to wait, but then so would a lot of live action things as well.

BTW - I wouldn't consider 2002's He-Man to be "classic animation" quite yet as many of you have been referring to it. It has only been 5 years since it started and it ran more than 1 year I believe. I give things at least 15 years before calling them classic (in the sense of age, not quality).

[CarbonToe]

Originally Posted by CaptainCanuck

Too kiddy for me. Not interested.

I totally agree, I'm still waiting for Galaxina