The best way to enjoy Animusic is to watch a couple of the best animations, thereby getting a sampling of the best the disc has to offer. To that end, I'll give a short critique of each track. The track listing is as follows:

1) Future Retro—The first film sets the tone for the entire disc, introducing us to a strange stage filled with impossible instruments: a three-armed guitar, a trumpet-blaring laser, a wide circular self-beating drumset, a wall composed entirely of speakers. The music, such as it is, is a bland, synthesized concoction that will have you gritting your teeth. Grade: C
2) Stick Figures—Things get a little funkier in this piece, as both the animation and music is more involving. Don't get me wrong, this jazzier tune still has that manufactured, glossy feel—but it feels more like Axel F. The animation showcases a single-string bass instrument with its own gangly hands, as well as other instruments similar to that of the first piece. Grade: B-
3) Aqua Harp—This one, not surprisingly, stars a self-playing harp, and I admit to the animation bugging me in this piece. The strings seem to move too obviously, unsubtly. And because there's not much more to this one than the harp, I found it the most disappointing of the batch. Grade: C-
4) Drum Machine—I had high hopes for this one, and admittedly, the industrial-techno look of the animation, full of gears and metal, was far more interesting than a lone harp. I also found myself getting a kick out the sheer number of drums and cymbals showcased. But there's a displeasing blandness to the quality of the drumbeat. It feels as computer-rendered as the imagery, and so it has no soul. Grade: B-
5) Pipe Dream—Okay, this one is easily the best film on the disc. Featuring an astounding array of mathematically precise ball bearings shooting up and falling against strings and chimes and xylophone bars, Pipe Dream also features the most compelling music on the disc—not saying a whole lot, but it's pretty catchy, watching all those perfectly delivered balls "make" this music. This is a film of great precision, worthy of much praise. It's the kind of piece you'll show off to friends. (And luckily, there's a widescreen version available in the supplements.) Grade: A
6) Acoustic Curves—Shifting to a lower gear, this piece recalls Aqua Harp, this time with a strange arc of delicate hammered strings—that is, until percussion makes its entrance halfway through. This is merely a variation on what we've seen before, and I found myself disappointed that Animusic was, rather than making bolder steps in new directions, settling for a sertain sameness. Grade: C
7) Harmonic Voltage—The music over this one has a Tangerine Dream quality, marking a slightly new direction, and the animation has a slightly different mood, as well: a more limber, wide-open look. But it still remains relatively static, and I'm afraid to say, boring. There's just not enough creative energy here, particularly compared with the eye-opening precision of Pipe Dream. Grade: B-

Okay, so there's one of the seven that you really need to see. Is it worth the price of the disc? I'm afraid not. The creators of Animusic deserve kudos for a valiant attempt to marry music with often-striking computer animation, but they really need to enliven both their selection of music and the movement of their images.

HOW'S IT LOOK?

Animusic is presented in a nice fullframe transfer of the original 1.33:1 aspect ratio. Image quality is suberb, as is usual with computer animation on DVD. Detail reaches into backgrounds, sharpness is exemplary, and colors are vivid without bleeding.

For a splendid, re-rendered anamorphic-widescreen presentation of Pipe Dream, go to the Special Features section. The image quality of this re-rendered version is equal to that of the rest of the disc.

HOW'S IT SOUND?

The disc's Dolby Digital 5.1 track Is very immersive, coming at you from all directions, with especially nice openness across the front. Compared with the also-included 2.0 track, the 5.1 presentation is a revelation, with tight, pounding bass and crisp highs.

WHAT ELSE IS THERE?

The allure of this so-called Animusic: Special Edition is that it's an updated version of an incarnation released in 2002, adding the Dolby Digital 5.1 track and a series of illuminating extras.

One new addition is Pipe Dream Widescreen, the disc's most popular short film re-rendered in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. When I revisit this disc, this is the one and only segment I will go straight to. It's a truly memorable short piece (3 minutes). But I have a big complaint: The only audio track is Dolby 2.0. Drag!

Next up is Beyond the Walls, which is Animusic's first attempt at this kind of animation, produced in 1996, originally in stereoscopic 3D but presented here as a monoscopic version. It has the playful look and feel of early Pixar, and you'll wince at some of the primitive CG on display. The music is very similar to the stuff in the main presentation, leading you to earnestly hope that Animusic goes out and finds some fresh inspiration.

The 2-minute anamorphic-widescreen Animusic-2 Sneak Peek is a clip for the sequel, boasting what seems to be a larger scale, but yes, the character of the music remains the same.

The Director's Commentary features Wayne Lytle of Animusic, talking very dryly about the origins and making of the short films. Apparently, one of the goals of the production is to use only computer-based MIDI files, which I believe is a mistake—but I assume it's the only way to achieve such mathematical precision when marrying music to animation. Lytle nevertheless has an engaging tone, and I especially enjoyed his technical discussion of Pipe Dream.

In addition to these standalone features, you also get supplements specific to each piece of animation. For example, with Solo Cams, you can view a given's film's individual instruments playing alone, and even switch between them with your Angle button. There's a purity to this feature that I really enjoyed. The Art Development feature lets you view slideshows of sketches from each film's design phase, screen snapshots of the instruments, and early test renderings. Stage Construction is a behind-the-scenes look at each film's stage and instruments as they are constructed element by element.

WHAT'S LEFT TO SAY?

Animusic is a noble effort that doesn't quite reach to the heights that it should. I derived a lot of enjoyment out of one of the included short films, but the rest are frustratingly lacking in flair and energy. On the plus side, image and sound are wonderful, and the added supplements are informative and plentiful.