Latest Blu-ray Feature From Fox Should Be ‘Industry Standard’

6 Dec, 2012 By: Chris Tribbey

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LOS ANGELES — For the 3D Blu-ray Disc of Ice Age: Continental Drift (Dec. 11), 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment is debuting a feature that artist Peter de Sève said should be on every Blu-ray.

“I think it’s an amazing idea, and I’m wondering why it hasn’t happened earlier,” said de Sève, who designed a majority of the characters in the “Ice Age” universe. “I think this should be the industry standard.”

He’s talking about Fox’s “Sign Along Mode,” a picture-in-picture option that includes actors, including Sean Berdy from “Switched at Birth,” interpreting the dialogue using American Sign Language. Fox worked with the Greater Los Angeles Agency on Deafness (GLAD) on technical aspects of the feature and talent recommendations, according to Jennifer Chai, SVP of North American brand marketing and strategy for Fox.

“A family with both hard of hearing family members and non-hard of hearing family members can enjoy the whole movie,” she said. “What was really important for us was making sure we got it right.”

They did, according to GLAD spokeswoman Elizabeth Luttrell.

“It’s a wonderful concept to make sure [everyone] has access,” she said.

It’s just one aspect of the special attention Fox has placed on one of its greatest franchises, and one of the greatest animation franchises of all time.

For Blu-ray releases of Rio and Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked, Fox included a coloring application, which has been downloaded more than 1.5 million times. They’re hoping the application for Ice Age: Continental Drift draws just as much attention.

And at Taubman shopping centers nationwide this month, shoppers will be treated to Ice Age Ice Palaces, where they can enjoy footage from the film, get pictures taken with Santa, enjoy a 30-foot dome with falling “snow,” watch a light show and more.

“We are incredibly proud of the success of ‘Ice Age’ and are constantly looking for new ways to bring the characters and stories to life,” said Mary Daily, president of worldwide marketing and chief marketing officer for 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. “Our partnership with Taubman allows us to engage with families this holidays season in ways we never imagined before for the franchise.”

As for the film itself — which sees the extinct animal trio of Manny, Diego and Sid using an iceberg as a ship — it drew in more than $159 million at the box office. It’s the fourth “Ice Age” film, spanning a decade.

Fox has DVD, Blu-ray and 3D Blu-ray SKUs. Blu-ray bonuses include interactive music videos, a “Party with a Pirate!” mode, deleted scenes, a coloring application, featurettes (“Through a Pirate’s Spyglass: Voices Ahoy and Capturing the Crew,” “Granny and the Stink of the Sloths,” “Scrat Got Your Tongue?” and “Whale of a Tale: Drifts, Rifts, Beasties and Myths”) and more.
 

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