You’re a bright bunch of people, right? So I don’t really have to explain what Easter Eggs are, do I?
Well — just in case that there are a few folks out there who are still behind the information curve — let me do a quick recap: Easter Eggs are these additional features that those oh-so-clever folks who actually make the DVDs tuck away inside of each disc. These extra features can include scenes that were cut from the final version of the film, “making of” documentaries, out-takes, or gag reels. Lots and lots of cool stuff.
“But why are these hidden extras called ‘Easter Eggs’?” you ask. Because — just like real Easter Eggs — these additional features aren’t usually out in plain sight. In order to gain access to these goodies, you often have to know the exact place to look and/or know the secret code.
That’s one of the reasons that I love the Internet. Because there are websites out there like www.dvdangle.com, www.absolutedvd.net and www.dvdreview.com that maintain up-to-date listing as to where all of these hidden features are located. There’s even a site out there now called www.dvdeastereggs.com that does nothing but keep track of where all these Easter Eggs are located.
But what if you’re like me and your TV is located on one floor while your computer is located on another? Oh, sure. You can always print out a set of instructions and schlep them along with you as you head upstairs to hunt for Easter Eggs. But wouldn’t it be snazzier if someone had bothered to collect all of this inside info about where these hidden features are located and published it in handy book form?
Well, someone has, actually: Gannett News Service syndicated columnist Marc Saltzman, to be precise. And Marc’s new book — “DVD Confidential: Hundreds of Hidden Easter Eggs Revealed!” (McGraw-Hill Osbourne Media, September 2002) — delivers on the promise of the title. It tells you exactly how to access the hidden features in the DVD versions of over 160 top Hollywood films.
The movies covered in Saltzman’s “DVD Confidential” range from classics like “Casablanca” and “The Wizard of Oz” to recent hit movies like “Hannibal” and “Vanilla Sky.” And for you Disneyana fans out there, Marc tells you exactly how to located and unlock the hidden extra features in such recent DVD releases as “Atlantis: The Lost Empire,” “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” Toy Story,” and “Toy Story II.”
What sort of secret goodies will Saltzman’s book help you unlock? Take for example these excellent Easter Eggs that are hidden — in plain sight, no less — on Disney’s “Dinosaur” DVD. Working off of the two-disc collector’s edition of this 2000 Walt Disney Pictures release, insert Disc Two to discover these additional features:
Select “Development” off of the Main Menu. Once inside, press the right arrow until the dinosaur skull on the display turns red. Press enter to see a lengthy black-and-white video of Walt Disney talking about the history of animation. The real highlight of this Easter Egg is the recreation of Winsor McKay’s old vaudeville act, where the famed cartoonist would appear on stage and “perform” with Gertie the Dinosaur.
Select “Creating the Characters” off of the Main Menu. Once inside, again you want to keep pressing the right arrow on your remote until the dinosaur skull turns red. Then press enter, whereupon you’ll be treated to a series of CG outtakes from “Dinosaur.” Scenes where the computer didn’t exactly understand what the animators intended, which results in some pretty bizarre if somewhat grotesque imagery.
Select “The Production Process” off of the Main Menu. Just as before, press the right arrow on your remote until the dinosaur skull on screen turns red. Hit Enter … and you’ll be treated to a five minute long clip from the May 1964 episode of “The Wonderful World of Color,” “Disneyland Goes to the World’s Fair.” In this excerpt, you’ll see Walt interacting with a trio of Audio Animatronic brontosaurs. You’ll also the Imagineers hard at work on the Disney studio lot, assembling all of the other dinosaurs necessary for Ford’s “Wonder Rotunda” attraction at the Fair.
These are just a few of the Disney-related secrets that Saltzman’s “DVD Confidential” reveals. Plus this breezily written book will also tell you how to access snazzy additional features on other films, like the blooper reel that’s hidden on the DVD of “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.” Or where you need to go on “The Godfather” five-disc set in order to see James Caan’s screen test for the role of Sonny Corleone.
Is Marc Saltzman’s “DVD Confidential: Hundreds of Hidden Easter Eggs Revealed!” a perfect book? Well … given that this McGraw-Hill Osbourne imprint was released in late 2002, it would be nice if Saltzman’s book had also covered some of the Easter Eggs that were hidden in the major DVD releases from the first half of that year.
But that one minor quibble aside, Marc’s “DVD Confidential” still makes an excellent addition to any serious film fan’s reference library. So make sure to score a copy of your very own before you head off on your next Easter Egg hunt.
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Do you want to buy a really cool book as well as help support JimHillMedia.com? Then order your copy of “DVD Confidential: Hundreds of Hidden Easter Eggs Revealed!” from Amazon.com by clicking the link to the right. Your cost will (unfortunately) remain the same (though it is currently 30% off!) But – if you go there through us – we get a tiny cut of what you spend. So if you’re planning on picking up the book, help keep Jim Hill behind the computer where he belongs and order a copy of “DVD Confidential: Hundreds of Hidden Easter Eggs Revealed!” through the link to the right. |
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