Although "Shrek 2" was wildly popular, did anyone really think it was a better film than "The Incredibles"? So it wasn't really a surprise when the latter won the Oscar last month as best animated film.
Now "The Incredibles" arrives on home video (on Tuesday), along with a bevy of other titles worth buying or renting.
"The Incredibles" (Disney/Pixar, 2004, PG, $29.99, two discs). Pixar just gets better with each film, and this one is indeed one of the studio's best, right up there with "Finding Nemo" and the "Toy Story" films.
The premise, about retired superheroes trying to adapt to everyday life but getting pulled into a fight with an evil nemesis, is good all on its own. But this dense film is loaded with gags — large and small — that will give a case of the giggles to audiences of all ages.
Even the extras here are worth watching, including the short cartoon "Boundin' " that played with the film in theaters, a new short cartoon about Jack-Jack and his baby sitter that could have been a part of "The Incredibles" film and a bevy of funny making-of featurettes. I also enjoyed the deleted scenes, especially the opening sequence that was never fully animated; a video essay by Sarah Vowell; a profile of artist Bud Luckey; and a spoof of old TV cartoon shows, with an audio commentary by Craig T. Nelson and Samuel L. Jackson as their Mr. Incredible and Frozone characters.
Extras: Separate widescreen and full-frame editions, audio commentaries, deleted scenes, alternate opening, making-of featurettes, bloopers, short films: "Boundin' " and "Jack-Jack Attack," language options (English, French, Spanish), optional English subtitles, chapters.
"Ladder 49" (Touchstone, 2004, PG-13, $29.99). This firehouse melodrama, which is akin to "Backdraft," begins with firefighter Joaquin Phoenix being trapped in a burning building, while John Travolta oversees rescue efforts. In the meantime, flashbacks show us Phoenix's rise from rookie to veteran, as stories both comic and tragic unfold around him.
This is an old-fashioned film with an overly familiar and manipulative story, as Phoenix, the rest of the crew and their mentor John Travolta save lives, put their own lives in peril and remember those who have fallen. But it's not a bad effort to honor firemen in this post-9/11 world.
Extras: Separate widescreen and full-frame editions, audio commentary (director Jay Russell, editor Bud Smith), deleted scenes, making-of featurettes, music video, language options (English, French), subtitle options (English, French, Spanish), chapters.
"The Rutles 2: Can't Buy Me Lunch" (Warner, 2005, not rated, $24.98). Fans of "The Rutles," and by extension The Beatles, will be drawn to this made-for-video, sort-of sequel, a follow-up to the 1978 made-for-TV film "The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash."
The original was a truly hilarious documentary-style spoof of Beatlemania by former Monty Python member Eric Idle, who also starred as both the narrator and the faux Paul McCartney character. Best of all were the Beatles song spoofs and the all-star cast playing it straight (even George Harrison and Ringo Starr were on hand).
This second go-around, however, has the law of diminishing returns once again rearing its ugly head. Idle — who has also resurrected "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" for a Broadway musical version titled "Spamalot" — is the driving force here. But this is as much a reworking as a sequel, which includes too much footage from "Cash." Worse, Idle stoops to many unfunny, lowbrow, vulgar gags.
He has recruited some big stars, however — among them Jimmy Fallon, Mick Jagger, Jewel, Steve Martin, Bill Murray, Conan O'Brien, Bonnie Raitt, Robin Williams and more — and some are quite funny.
Extras: Full frame, interviews, alternate ending, outtakes, subtitle options (English, French), chapters.
"Star Trek: First Contact: Special Collector's Edition" (Paramount, 1996, PG-13, $19.99, two discs). This entry in the "Star Trek" movie series, utilizing the "Next Generation" cast, is one of the best, as Capt. Picard (Patrick Stewart) leads his crew against his worst TV enemy, the Borg, led by their queen (Alice Krige).
As with the other films' special editions, this two-disc set is loaded with enough bonus features to entrance any "Trek" fan.
Extras: Widescreen, audio commentary, text commentary, making-of featurettes, storyboards, photo gallery, trailers, language options (English, French), subtitle options (English, Spanish), chapters.
"Miss Congeniality: Deluxe Edition" (Warner, 2000, rated PG-13, $24.98). This is an enjoyable farce (with bursts of violence), as tomboy FBI agent Sandra Bullock is transformed into a beauty queen to go undercover at a pageant — with great support from Candice Bergen and Michael Caine.
But the bonus features here (featurettes, audio commentaries, etc.) are the same as the DVD released several years ago — except for some deleted scenes that should have stayed deleted, an interactive quiz hosted by William Shatner and a 10-minute featurette about the upcoming sequel.
Extras: Widescreen, audio commentaries (Bullock and co-screenwriter Marc Lawrence; director Donald Petrie), deleted scenes, making-of featurettes, interactive quiz, trailers, language options (English, French), subtitle options (English, French, Spanish), chapters. (Also available with audio-CD soundtrack for "Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous," $39.92.)
E-mail: hicks@desnews.com