Last week we announced that the THE IRON GIANT laser disc release will havea 1.85:1 aspect ratio, whereas the film was released with a 2.35:1. Inaddition, when we announced the DVD and VHS releases three weeks ago, weneglected to mention that the DVD, as well as the widescreen VHS release,will also be 1.85:1. It's unfortunate that none of these will be 2.35:1because Brad Bird designed THE IRON GIANT partly in homage to theCinemaScope films of the 1950s, and he even wanted to include "CinemaScope"on the movie poster as a gag, but Fox, owner of the trademark, refusedpermission. Here is the information about the releases again, whichincludes some new information. The VHS will come in three versions. Oneversion will be pan & scan, another will be pan & scan in a clamshell boxwith an IRON GIANT action figure, and there will also be a widescreenversion. THE IRON GIANT DVD will include letterboxed (1.85:1) and pan &scan versions of the movie, be 16X9, have AC3 and 5.1 surround sound, andbe region 1 (North America) encoded. It will also include the followingextras: THE MAKING OF THE IRON GIANT, the 22-minute documentary that wasshown on television the week before the film was released; a "Cha Hua Hua"music video; a theatrical trailer; and for DVD-ROM players: screen savers,posters and games. Also, we are now being told that the DVD will "possibly"include an audio commentary, deleted scenes and gags. THE IRON GIANT DVDand VHS will be released on November 23, 1999. Each VHS version will retailfor US$22.99 and the DVD will retail for US$24.99. For definitions of DVDtechnical terms such as "16X9" and "aspect ratio" visit the DVD Lexicon atwww.dvdjournal.com.
