Actors: Ryan Reynolds, Paul Giamatti, Maya Rudolph, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Peña
Directors: David Soren
Number of discs: 3
Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: DreamWorks Animation
Release Date: November 12, 2013
Run Time: 96 minutes
Film: 3 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2.5 out of 5 stars
When I first saw the trailer to “Turbo”, I wasn’t really blown away much. It does pack on hell of a sharp voice cast including Ryan Reynolds, Paul Giamatti, Michael Peña, Snoop Dogg, Maya Rudolf, Michelle Rodriguez and Samuel L. Jackson. Still I never ran out to see it in theaters similar to the rest of America who did the same thing. The film is pretty fun with a good heart and has some great visuals but also has a pretty weak plot. In terms of wow factor, the film looks amazing and is quite colorful but its message has just been done too many times before. When you look back at films like “Madagascar” and “Kung Fu Panda”, it just doesn’t have that charm. Kids will enjoy it for the colorful presentation and parents will enjoy the voice cast and humor. Decent but not a classic.
Official Premise: From the makers of “Madagascar” and “Kung Fu Panda”, “TURBO” is a high-velocity 3D comedy about an underdog snail whose dreams kick into overdrive when he miraculously attains the power of super-speed. But after making fast friends with a crew of streetwise, tricked-out es-car-goes, Turbo learns that no one succeeds on their own. So he puts his heart and shell on the line to help his pals achieve their dreams, before Turbo-charging his own impossible dream: winning the Indy 500.
DreamWorks is releasing this film in a Deluxe Edition combo pack, which includes a Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + DVD + UltraViolet HD digital copy. One thing I do have to recommend for this film is its 3D presentation, which is very impressive. It works well with the film’s fast pace action and amazing visuals. I watched this film a second time in the 2D transfer with my 17 month old daughter, which she enjoyed quite a bit, it was still enjoyable but lacked that animated dazzle. The 1080p on either transfer are just easily still one of the sharpest of the year. Top that with a super high energy DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track and this film does not disappoint in the A/V department. Dreamworks always delivers top notch with their animated films, no question.
In terms of special features, “Turbo” is lacking in rear of the race. A few decent featurettes but nothing amazing. “Champion’s Corner” is a sports newscast interview with Turbo. “Smoove Move’s Music Maker” includes six fun music video clips for “Speedin'”, “The Snail is Fast”, “Back to Indiana”, “Jump Around”, “Let the Bass Go” and “Eye of the Tiger”. “Team Turbo: Tricked Out” is a very short look into the film’s characters. “Meet Tito — Deleted Scene” is presented in hand-drawn form and introduced by director David Soren. David also introduces a storyboard for one of the film’s most critical scenes, “The Race”. “Be An Artist!” is a short look into each of the character with the Head of Character Animation Dave Burgess. “Shell Creator” is an interactive extras for viewers to create their own shells. Lastly there is a theatrical trailer included.
