Close

DVD Review: ALPHA AND OMEGA: JOURNEY TO BEAR KINGDOM

May 09, 2017 Posted by in DVD/Blu-ray, Reviews | Comments

Alpha and Omega: Journey to Bear Kingdom is the eighth installment of the Alpha and Omega franchise. Young wolves Stinky, Claudette and Runt have snuck away to the Eastern Forest for the arrival of Queen Bear and her daughter Princess Canue, who is making her first official state visit to the area. Both heads of the royal family are not allowed to leave the kingdom at the same time, so the king has stayed back at the kingdom, but the Queen’s bodyguards, Strom and Claw, have assured the king that his wife and daughter are in no danger and that there are no rogue wolves in the area.

The animals of the Eastern Forest are hard at work preparing for their visitors when Magpie announces the arrival of the royal guests. It’s love at first sight for young bear Brent when he lays eyes on the princess. Everyone is having a fun time when things suddenly run amok when the rogue wolves attack. As the squirrels and caribou Marge & Donna rush to protect the queen, the wolf cubs lead the princess back to the safety of their home in the Western Forest—though they may be the ones who need the saving when their parents learn about their trek into the Eastern Forest.

The cubs and their parents, Humphrey and Kate, join the queen and princess on their journey back to Bear Kingdom to stop the wolves and the bear traitors they teamed up with from trying to take over their kingdom.

 

I wasn’t really familiar with the Alpha and Omega franchise before I received this DVD for review. So I checked out the original film before watching this latest direct-to-video special. The story itself moves along quickly, however, maybe a little too quickly. In order to keep the film down to 45 minutes, there are a lot of short cuts taken, and these makes things a little too convenient/unrealistic at times. Even though there are events taking place at three different locations, the animals in all three locations seem to know exactly what is transpiring in the other locations, they conveniently get this “sense” that something is wrong, or they can somehow see/hear what’s happening from miles away.

While I wasn’t really blown away by either the original movie or this latest installment, I think those who are already fans of the franchise will enjoy this latest adventure as has the same aesthetic and feel as the previous ones. There’s action and drama in the battles between the rogue wolves and the other animals, and political intrigue with traitors trying to overthrow the Bear Kingdom monarchy. There’s also quite a bit of humor—whether it be the wolf cubs and other animals just having fun, the female caribou talking about how bad their selection of males is, or Humphrey going undercover in drag as a jester applying for a job with Bear Kingdom’s new leaders. There’s also some fun music, dance and rapping sequences.

The 3D computer animation style used in this special is the same as the original film. For the most part it looks pretty good on this DVD release—the characters are fun, and you can see the furry texture of the animals. However, it feels a bit lacking when compared to the blockbuster animated films being released these days—the backgrounds and surface textures don’t have that photo-realistic look to them, some of the finer detail is lacking, and the animation is a bit choppy or almost 2D at times. The DVD’s audio track is billed as being 5.1 surround. However, I hardly noticed anything coming from the rear speakers—all of the music and dialogue is front-heavy. On the positive, the soundtrack does make good use of the stereo channels to add direction to the dialogue and action.

The DVD comes packed in a standard DVD case along with a cardboard slipcover. Unfortunately there is no bonus material or digital copy included.



What’s Included:

Film: (44:23)

  • 480p / Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78:1
  • Audio: English 5.1 Dolby Digital
  • Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish

Extras:

  • Trailers (7:32)
    Trailers for “Rock Dog”, “Norm of the North”, “Shaun the Sheep Movie” and “Alpha and Omega: The Big Fureeze”



Final Thoughts:

My Rating
Film:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
For Fans Of The Franchise

Fans of the Alpha and Omega franchise will probably enjoy this eighth installment of the series as it brings the same blend of action, drama and humor that fans have come to expect. However, the disc contains no bonus features, the story feels a bit rushed to keep it down to 45 minutes, and the audio track is a little underwhelming. Those new to the franchise may wish to check out the original film, or rent this latest adventure first before making a blind buy, as the animation style and quality is not as detailed or impressive as what they may be used to from the blockbuster animated films released in theaters these days. That said, younger viewers will likely enjoy the music, dancing and general humor of this special.