Blu-ray doesn't always deliver better quality

My wife's Christmas gift to me was a Blu-ray player. I'd been resisting getting one because I'm so annoyed that a new format was foisted on us so quickly, and I didn't want to be tempted to replace my library with higher-priced Blu-ray discs.

But she knew I was curious to see how much Blu-ray players enhance regular DVDs. And that it wouldn't stay in the box very long.

Indeed, my regular DVDs do look better, and I've managed to resist buying any Blu-ray replacements so far. So grudgingly, I've joined a new technology … fully realizing that it might be out of date before I finish writing this column.

But last week, I received a pair of new Blu-ray discs for review, one of which demonstrates how the high-definition process makes some movies dazzle, and another, which demonstrates that even Blu-ray can misfire.

The dazzler is "Pinocchio" (Disney/Blu-ray, 1940, G, three discs, $35.99), Walt Disney's second animated feature (after his triumphant "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," the first U.S. feature-length cartoon).

I have always felt that "Pinocchio" was the pinnacle of the studio's sterling early classic era. Oh, I love "Fantasia," "Dumbo," "Bambi," etc. But "Pinocchio" is about as perfect as they come, with its compelling story arcs, meticulous attention to detail and a landscape littered with sight gags.

I've read the Collodi book, and I'm well aware of the changes in this Disneyfication of "Pinocchio," especially regarding the cricket. And I don't care.

From the father-son relationship between kindly woodcarver Geppetto and his wooden puppet to Jiminy Cricket's wisdom as Pinocchio's conscience to the delightful songs to the horrifying Pleasure Island to the frightening Monstro the whale — this one's got it all.

It's an amazing example of stunning cel animation of the kind we don't see anymore, and Blu-ray brings it out in eye-popping fashion.There are also plenty of delicious bonus features, from pencil-drawn deleted scenes to an alternate ending to featurettes to an illuminating picture-in-picture commentary. There's even a third disc, a DVD to entice those who will be getting a Blu-ray player soon but want to watch the movie now. (A separate two-disc DVD edition is $29.99.)

On the other side of the coin, however, is the new Blu-ray "digitally restored and remastered" disc of "Gulliver's Travels" (E1/Koch, 1939, $19.98), the full-length cartoon that was a response to "Snow White" by the very competitive Fleischer Brothers.