Once Upon a Time: The Complete First Season – Blu-Ray Review by Mr. DAPs

DAPs Magic Disney News – by Mr. DAPs 

Once Upon a Time is the hit ABC television show that offers a new glimpse at some very old and well known fairy tales. Beginning with the story of Snow White in the pilot, it continues on and explores many other fairy tales in a somewhat traditional form and then also in a modern day format as well. For what would happen if that classic fairy tale world was thrown into today and didn’t know it? This is exactly what Once Upon a Time is all about.

Picture and Sound:

Once Upon a Time: The Complete First Season looks and sounds phenomenal on blu-ray. I am always a bit leery of fantasy when it comes to how it is executed. I am not a fan of things looking too digital and quite often when the fantasy world comes to television, this is the result. I’m pleased to say that this television show defies that. Sure, there were a couple of moments where I wished it could have been a bit better however, 98% of the time I was really quite amazed that I was watching a television show! The quality of both the picture and the sound is better than some movies I’ve reviewed. Some of the scenes reminded me of the Harry Potter franchise at times so of course I started comparing mentally. I’m pleased to say that Once Upon a Time won out over several scenes that popped into my head from Harry Potter.

Bonus Features:

Some of the bonus features for Once Upon a Time: The Complete First Season are strung out through the various discs so make sure and check out every disc. A bulk of them are on the last disc though.

Here is a list* of the bonus features:

• ”ONCE UPON A TIME: ORIGINS” – Viewers enter into this interactive archive and uncover the rich and diverse historical origins of the world’s favorite fairy tale characters from “Once Upon A Time.” Josh Dallas guides fans to discover how each of these European based tales has evolved over centuries of retellings into the stories known and loved today. – Note: This is only available on the Blu-Ray release.
• “FAIRY TALES IN THE MODERN WORLD” – this exciting feature allows viewers to explore the genesis story of “Once Upon A Time,” as they learn about the creative approach of adapting a world of fairy tales into the wholly original world of the show.
• “BUILDING CHARACTER” – From start-to-finish, following the creation, conceptualization, casting, clothing and filming of the beloved character, Belle, played by Emilie de Ravin, from the ground up.
• “WELCOME TO STORYBROOKE” – Ginnifer Goodwin takes audiences on a tour of Storybrooke, Maine, both the town on the show and its real inspiration – a small town outside Vancouver.
• “THE STORY I REMEMBER… SNOW WHITE” – The show’s actors share their childhood memories of the beloved fairy tale Snow White, illustrated to original storybook graphics.
• THE FAIREST BLOOPERS OF THEM ALL” – often hilarious outtakes fans won’t want to miss.
• DELETED SCENES – Nine Deleted Scenes
• AUDIO COMMENTARIES – Five insightful episode commentaries including Co-Creator /Executive Producers Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz; writer Jane Epenson; and cast members  including Ginnifer Goodwin, Josh Dallas, Robert Carlyle, Lana Parilla and Jennifer Morrison.

I found the bonus features to be quite enjoyable. I found myself actually looking forward to review these bonus features as I continued through the series. I am happy to say I really enjoyed watching them. They are worth watching and I have a feeling that fans will be happy with this presentation.

Overview:

Once Upon a Time is an enjoyable television series that I think is even better on Blu-Ray. This offers viewers the chance to watch the entire first season without having to wait a week to watch the next episode. It isn’t a perfect television show (my bar is set with The West Wing as my favorite television series), but it is one of the most enjoyable television shows I’ve reviewed in quite some time. This show reminds me of a darker and in depth version of Disney’s movie Enchanted…minus the music. This show definitely gets a hearty hat tip and is definitely worth getting for your blu-ray collection.