Walt Disney Home Entertainment has implied that Pixar’s sophomore effort, A Bug’s Life, will debut on Blu-ray in 2009. A catalogue release from the digital studio had been rumoured to coincide with Wall-E, but the new film to promote will likely be Pixar’s Up, scheduled for a 3D cinematic release in May. A Bug’s Life is yet to be confirmed, although all indications point toward a US release in March, with the outside chance it could be joined by a long-mooted outing for Finding Nemo on BD.

Just a quick update on Criterion as the esteemed home entertainment distributor continues to increase its impressive BD output. Set for release on 24 March both The 400 Blows and The Last Metro are bound for Blu-ray. Supplements will undoubtedly be of high interest for many – The 400 Blows is a frequent topper of many critical movie polls – and although extras are currently undisclosed at this time both films will benefit from an MPEG-4 transfer and DTS-HD Master audio.

Universal is eager to gift The Changeling a pre-Oscars BD bow and has recently announced a stateside release date of 17 February. Featuring Angelina Jolie in an award-baiting role and directed by Clint Eastwood, the film’s true-life subject matter and perfect period recreation make for great extras and picture transfer respectively.

Specs have not been released yet but expect this thrilling drama to be graced with a classic picture transfer and some truth-delving extras.

 

Matt Stone and Trey Parker’s controversial cartoon South Park is set to debut on Blu-ray in March with Paramount’s (parent studio to Comedy Central, which airs the show) announcement that the show’s Complete Twelfth season will appear on the format day and date with the DVD. The show had previously been available in HD via Xbox Live and on DirecTV in the US. Set for a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack, scheduled extras are listed below:

• Six Days to South Park – A Day-by-Day Making of South Park (Super Fun Time)
• Six Days to South Park - The Sixth Day (About Last Night)
• The Making of ‘Major Boobage’

The specs are in and Raging Bull, like we predicted, has carried all of its superb DVD specs over onto its upcoming BD bout. Including the extras listed below, fans of the film can also look forward to seeing the film in a MPEG-4 transfer and a DTS-HD soundtrack.

- Commentary by Director Martin Scorsese And Editor Thelma Schoonmaker
- Cast & Crew Commentary
- Storyteller Commentary – With Jake LaMotta
- Raging Bull: Before the Fight
- Raging Bull: Inside the Ring
- Raging Bull: Outside the Ring
- Raging Bull: After the Fight
- ‘The Bronx Bull’
- ‘DeNiro vs. LaMotta’
- Newsreel Footage
- Theatrical Trailer