DISNEY SECOND SCREEN

The Disney Second Screen interactive bonus feature has made its debut on the “Bambi” blu-ray, and after watching the film I was excited to give this a try to view the movie in an all-new way!

Disney Second Screen continued with "Tron: Legacy" and introduced even more impressive technical synchronization. More about that in just a moment.

To fully utilize this unique innovation, you must have a computer - Mac or PC or an iPad. Ideally your computer will be located near the TV. In my case, I just used my laptop which worked great.

I started Disney Second Screen on my Blu-ray, and then followed the instructions on my laptop to visit the Second Screen website. After entering my Disney Movie Rewards code and downloading the small app, I chose to automatically sync up my computer with the TV. The computer actually listens to the TV to precisely sync up the two. If you do not have a working microphone on your computer it’s not a problem. You can very easily manually sync up the two.

With the release of "Tron: Legacy" on Blu-ray, Disney Second Screen has a new innovation! You can actually use an internet connection to synchronize Second Screen with your Blu-ray. If you pause Disney Second Screen on your computer, it will pause your Blu-ray player.

Now the fun has begun. To say I was blown away by the complexity and abundance of materials I was about to encounter would be a great understatement. It is simply mind blowing! I can’t even imagine the amount of work that must have occurred for this.

When I was a teenager, I first wanted to learn everything I could about Disney animation and I bought books and watched any of the old “making of” shows whenever they were on TV. (This was before I had a video recorder.)

Eventually I got a job in Disney Television Animation and I poured over various model sheets from the classic features and other materials I had access to. I remember going to what was known as the “morgue” which housed all the original backgrounds and animation drawings, etc.

Disney Second Screen beats all of that! Sure, not much compares with holding the actual original artwork in your hands, but other than that, nothing beats Disney Second Screen. You will see a remarkable amount of artwork and other gems, but you also get fascinating facts along the way. What’s more, you can watch Disney Second Screen multiple times and see different things each time.

You see, once you have the movie playing and Disney Second Screen running, you are in control of your computer. You can sit and watch your screen as various materials are displayed which correspond to what’s happening in the movie, or you can delve in deeper for a more in-depth experience.

The “flip book” was one of my favorite materials. During some scenes you are presented with various line art drawings, all scanned in for you to view individually, or to scroll through quickly to see them animated. On any drawing, you may also choose to see the exact drawing as it appeared in the movie, complete with color, background, etc.

Another favorite for me was the Storyboard. One scene in particular had four pages of storyboard artwork as it appeared when all the individual pieces of art were all pinned up. You can look at the storyboard and follow it along with the actual film. But you can then click on an individual piece of the storyboard to see it up close and follow along, viewing each storyboard panel up close, piece by piece. If you're synched up with the film, you can compare the original storyboards to the final film. This was a real treat for me and I'm sure will be just as special particularly for animation students and enthusiasts.

Throughout the film, you’ll see model sheets of the various characters that the animators would use for reference as they would animate their scenes. There are also gorgeous backgrounds from the film that you can view, and when you look up at the television you see that same background as it appears in the final film, complete with all the characters, props, etc.

For those that want to see absolutely everything, it’s easy enough to pause the Disney Second Screen if your Blu-ray is connected to the internet. You also may manually pause your Blu-ray, and when you are finished with your activity, you simply select Manual Sync, enter the number that appears on the screen, and you’re ready to continue. I imagine if you were to pause and delve in to everything, it might add a couple extra hours onto your viewing experience. That’s how much content is available! And best of all, you are in complete control based on how detailed you want to get.

"Tron: Legacy" proved that Disney Second Screen also lends itself nicely to live action movies, complete with photos of the sets, conceptual artwork, photos of empty sets, close-ups of props and and plenty of peeks behind-the-scenes. And it can all be synchronized with what you are viewing in the film.

"The Lion King" even gives you the chance to view videos, such as a snippet from a recording session, or watching artists sketch live animals for reference.

Another feature I used during "The Lion King" is the ability to post to Facebook. For example, I just "checked in at Pride Rock." 

Disney Second Screen really lives up to what people have come to expect from Disney. It is top quality! It’s innovative. It’s perfect for the whole family. Just as Walt Disney had done in his television programs, Disney Second Screen allows you to see what went into the creation of the film so that you may fully enjoy the film further.

With "Lady and the Tramp," the video on the television is accompanied with an audio recreation of Disney story meetings, based on archival transcripts. In addition to the Second Screen treasures, your monitor will help you to know whose voice you are listening to.

Way to go, Disney Home Entertainment! Disney Second Screen is first rate!