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Tuck Everlasting (Disney)
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment // PG // February 25, 2003
List Price: $29.99 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
A couple of years ago, director Jay Russell's "My Dog Skip" became a hit on video after it did not gain much of a following during its theatrical release. Fans appreciated the film's warmth, charm and intelligence, as it offered richly defined characters and heartwarming situations instead of what most chilren's fare offers these days. The director's "Tuck Everlasting" may find itself in the same situation; not a particularly big hit theatrically, this energetic and thoughtful adaptation offers excellent performances, fine direction and rich, lovely cinematography.
An adaptation of Natalie Babbitt's children's novel, the film focuses on 15-year-old Winnie Foster (Alexis Bledel of TV's "Gilmore Girls", who gives a wonderful performance), who is the child of two strict, wealthy parents (Victor Garber of "Alias" and Amy Irving). When her parents threaten to send her to a private school, she runs off into the woods and stumbles upon Jesse Tuck (Jonathan Jackson) drinking from a spring.
Before she can say much, older brother Miles (Scott Bairstow) scoops her up and takes off. Afraid of letting their "secret" out, the girl is taken further into the woods to the Tuck family cabin, where parents Angus and Mae (William Hurt and Sissy Spacek) await. While they promise she will be returned to her family, they first must make sure that she won't reveal their secret - they have all had a drink from that spring mentioned earlier - a spring that has granted all of the family eternal life, which they clearly don't think is a wonderful thing. Meanwhile, her family is in persuit of their missing daughter and the mysterious Man in the Yellow Suit (Ben Kingsley) is hunting the Tucks.
Tasteful and inoffensive while remaining emotional and dramatic, "Tuck Everlasting" succeeds quite well for a few reasons, the first of which is the film's performances, which are excellent. Although I've admittedly never watched "Gilmore Girls", Bledel's lead performance here is clearly an exceptional first starring role, as the young actress clearly portrays the frustration, joy, sorrow and occasional humor of the character. Jackson, Hurt, Spacek and others certainly provide fine support, although I still remain the most impressed with Bledel's effort.
Given the rather quiet, subtle nature of most of the picture, I was surprised that the film moved along as briskly as it did. At 90 minutes, the film could have even used a bit more time. The strong story, dialogue, characters and performances are paired with a lot of exceptional visuals. Production design is stellar and period detail is very pleasing. The film's postcard-perfect locations are captured marvelously by James L. Carter ("My Dog Skip"). Overall, a very enjoyable and compelling picture. Not perfect, as some of the supporting roles could have been filled out a bit, but still a very fine film from Russell and cast. Certainly rather different in tone from the usual Disney fare, too.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Tuck Everlasting" is presented by Disney in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. A few minor flaws did appear throughout this presentation, but when the flaws went away, the image quality often looked spectacular. Sharpness and detail remained marvelous throughout, as the picture remained crisp and fine detail was often present. Some moments meant to be slightly soft in appearance were, but they still remained vivid and clear.
Ah, but there were some issues that should be discussed - most notably, edge enhancement. Although it didn't appear throughout the movie, mild edge enhancement occasionally was visible during several scenes and did occasionally become a distraction when noticed. Some mild shimmer was also seen, but no compression artifacts were spotted, nor were any noticable instances of wear on the print used.
The film's rich, beautiful color palette was presented superbly here, as colors appeared gorgeously rendered, warm and well-saturated here. Black level remained solid and flesh tones looked accurate, flattering and natural. It's too bad that there are some noticable concerns with the picture quality here on occasion, because when this transfer looks great, it really shows off the beauty of the film's cinematography, location and sets.
SOUND: "Tuck Everlasting" is presented by Disney in Dolby Digital 5.1. There is nothing aggressive about this soundtrack, but it still remained a very pleasant and enjoyable experience. The film's often delicate, elegant score by William Ross is presented with above-average clarity, richness and detail, although it is mainly offered by the front speakers. The outdoor sequences begin to use the surrounds more often, as the film's soundtrack offers a very enjoyable amount of ambience. With the back surround enabled, the feeling of envelopment became even more convincing.
EXTRAS:
Commentary: The DVD includes a commentary from director Jay Russell and actors Alexis Bledel, Scott Bairstow and Jonathan Jackson, as well as a commentary from director Russell and screewriter James Hart. Browsing through both tracks, I found them enjoyable if a bit slow at times. The actor's track is a bit more fun, with Russell playing interviewer to the other three participants, who aren't always entirely talkative otherwise, as the director certainly leads the track. The actor's track does offer some interesting moments, as we hear the thoughts of the actors about their roles and working on the film, while there are some insights on the production and casting process. Still, this commentary is mainly focused on characters and acting. The screenwriter/director commentary is fairly similar, as the two discuss themes, characters and the development of the project. Both tracks were a little slow at times, but they both offered some enjoyable tidbits and the occasional laughs.
Lessons of Tuck: This optional feature can be turned on for viewing with the film. If chosen, the film occasionally stops and a featurette on the issues and themes currently present in the movie plays. These featurettes offer interviews with teens, as well as members of the cast and crew. Really something more for kids than adult viewers.
Also: A nearly 10-minute interview with "Tuck Everlasting" novelist Natalie Babbitt, as well as "Sneak Peek" trailers for "Pirates of the Caribbean", "Haunted Mansion", "Inspector Gadget 2", "George of the Jungle 2", "Kim Possible", "ABC Family" and "Beauty and the Beast: Belle's Magical World: Special Edition".
Final Thoughts: I was very impressed with this film, which clearly isn't the usual Disney light fare. A carefully crafted and beautiful-looking picture, the film offers terrific performances, a brisk pace and superb cinematography. A very fine family film (although a few moments may be rather scary for younger kids). Disney's DVD offers a few strong supplements, along with very good audio/video. Recommended.
A couple of years ago, director Jay Russell's "My Dog Skip" became a hit on video after it did not gain much of a following during its theatrical release. Fans appreciated the film's warmth, charm and intelligence, as it offered richly defined characters and heartwarming situations instead of what most chilren's fare offers these days. The director's "Tuck Everlasting" may find itself in the same situation; not a particularly big hit theatrically, this energetic and thoughtful adaptation offers excellent performances, fine direction and rich, lovely cinematography.
An adaptation of Natalie Babbitt's children's novel, the film focuses on 15-year-old Winnie Foster (Alexis Bledel of TV's "Gilmore Girls", who gives a wonderful performance), who is the child of two strict, wealthy parents (Victor Garber of "Alias" and Amy Irving). When her parents threaten to send her to a private school, she runs off into the woods and stumbles upon Jesse Tuck (Jonathan Jackson) drinking from a spring.
Before she can say much, older brother Miles (Scott Bairstow) scoops her up and takes off. Afraid of letting their "secret" out, the girl is taken further into the woods to the Tuck family cabin, where parents Angus and Mae (William Hurt and Sissy Spacek) await. While they promise she will be returned to her family, they first must make sure that she won't reveal their secret - they have all had a drink from that spring mentioned earlier - a spring that has granted all of the family eternal life, which they clearly don't think is a wonderful thing. Meanwhile, her family is in persuit of their missing daughter and the mysterious Man in the Yellow Suit (Ben Kingsley) is hunting the Tucks.
Tasteful and inoffensive while remaining emotional and dramatic, "Tuck Everlasting" succeeds quite well for a few reasons, the first of which is the film's performances, which are excellent. Although I've admittedly never watched "Gilmore Girls", Bledel's lead performance here is clearly an exceptional first starring role, as the young actress clearly portrays the frustration, joy, sorrow and occasional humor of the character. Jackson, Hurt, Spacek and others certainly provide fine support, although I still remain the most impressed with Bledel's effort.
Given the rather quiet, subtle nature of most of the picture, I was surprised that the film moved along as briskly as it did. At 90 minutes, the film could have even used a bit more time. The strong story, dialogue, characters and performances are paired with a lot of exceptional visuals. Production design is stellar and period detail is very pleasing. The film's postcard-perfect locations are captured marvelously by James L. Carter ("My Dog Skip"). Overall, a very enjoyable and compelling picture. Not perfect, as some of the supporting roles could have been filled out a bit, but still a very fine film from Russell and cast. Certainly rather different in tone from the usual Disney fare, too.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Tuck Everlasting" is presented by Disney in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. A few minor flaws did appear throughout this presentation, but when the flaws went away, the image quality often looked spectacular. Sharpness and detail remained marvelous throughout, as the picture remained crisp and fine detail was often present. Some moments meant to be slightly soft in appearance were, but they still remained vivid and clear.
Ah, but there were some issues that should be discussed - most notably, edge enhancement. Although it didn't appear throughout the movie, mild edge enhancement occasionally was visible during several scenes and did occasionally become a distraction when noticed. Some mild shimmer was also seen, but no compression artifacts were spotted, nor were any noticable instances of wear on the print used.
The film's rich, beautiful color palette was presented superbly here, as colors appeared gorgeously rendered, warm and well-saturated here. Black level remained solid and flesh tones looked accurate, flattering and natural. It's too bad that there are some noticable concerns with the picture quality here on occasion, because when this transfer looks great, it really shows off the beauty of the film's cinematography, location and sets.
SOUND: "Tuck Everlasting" is presented by Disney in Dolby Digital 5.1. There is nothing aggressive about this soundtrack, but it still remained a very pleasant and enjoyable experience. The film's often delicate, elegant score by William Ross is presented with above-average clarity, richness and detail, although it is mainly offered by the front speakers. The outdoor sequences begin to use the surrounds more often, as the film's soundtrack offers a very enjoyable amount of ambience. With the back surround enabled, the feeling of envelopment became even more convincing.
EXTRAS:
Commentary: The DVD includes a commentary from director Jay Russell and actors Alexis Bledel, Scott Bairstow and Jonathan Jackson, as well as a commentary from director Russell and screewriter James Hart. Browsing through both tracks, I found them enjoyable if a bit slow at times. The actor's track is a bit more fun, with Russell playing interviewer to the other three participants, who aren't always entirely talkative otherwise, as the director certainly leads the track. The actor's track does offer some interesting moments, as we hear the thoughts of the actors about their roles and working on the film, while there are some insights on the production and casting process. Still, this commentary is mainly focused on characters and acting. The screenwriter/director commentary is fairly similar, as the two discuss themes, characters and the development of the project. Both tracks were a little slow at times, but they both offered some enjoyable tidbits and the occasional laughs.
Lessons of Tuck: This optional feature can be turned on for viewing with the film. If chosen, the film occasionally stops and a featurette on the issues and themes currently present in the movie plays. These featurettes offer interviews with teens, as well as members of the cast and crew. Really something more for kids than adult viewers.
Also: A nearly 10-minute interview with "Tuck Everlasting" novelist Natalie Babbitt, as well as "Sneak Peek" trailers for "Pirates of the Caribbean", "Haunted Mansion", "Inspector Gadget 2", "George of the Jungle 2", "Kim Possible", "ABC Family" and "Beauty and the Beast: Belle's Magical World: Special Edition".
Final Thoughts: I was very impressed with this film, which clearly isn't the usual Disney light fare. A carefully crafted and beautiful-looking picture, the film offers terrific performances, a brisk pace and superb cinematography. A very fine family film (although a few moments may be rather scary for younger kids). Disney's DVD offers a few strong supplements, along with very good audio/video. Recommended.
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