Blu-ray Movie Reviews

When a former elite agent goes rogue with plans to unleash a device that will bring down her canine enemies, cats and dogs must join forces for the first time to prevent a global catastrophe.

My kids simply loved the original Cats and Dogs, especially my daughter, but no one in the family was particularly interested in watching this sequel due to bad word of mouth and uninteresting trailers. So when our expectations were extremely low and although it's flawed in numerous ways, there was enough laughter to keep us interested. My wife and I especially loved the references to other movies (any Bond film and Silence of the Lambs). The first act is horrible but if you resist the urge to eject the disc it get better as you get to know the characters.

Video Highlights

• AVC/1080p encode
• Bold colors
• Slightly elevated blacks
• Nice detail, even in CGI-intensive scenes

Audio Highlights

• DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack
• Active soundstage
• Intelligible dialog
• Decent imaging

I am surprised to see an AVC encode on a Warner disc, but maybe they've finally made the switch from VC-1 with decent results. Compression isn't an issue, colors are bold and vibrant, and the only shortcoming is some elevated blacks. The DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack features an active soundstage, especially when the dogs transport themselves to headquarters.

Bonus Materials

• Looney Toons Short – Coyote Falls
• Dog Dishing: Tales from the bark side of Hollywood
• The best of the best Cats vs. Dog animated showdowns
• Meow-takes: Outtakes and gag reel
• DVD and Digital Copy

As long as you keep your expectations in check this isn't nearly as terrible as the reviews have said. Sure, it's not great cinema by any means, but not many movies catering to kids are (excluding Pixar). If you enjoyed the original with your kids then give a try as a rental.

Release Date: November 16, 2010
Studio: Warner

Movie: 5/10
Picture: 8/10
Sound: 9/10

Review System

Source
Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray player

Display
JVC DLA-RS1 projector
Stewart FireHawk screen (76.5" wide, 16:9)

Electronics
Onkyo Pro PR-SC885 pre/pro
Anthem PVA-7 power amplifier
Panamax M5400PM power conditioner

Speakers
M&K S-150s (L, C, R)
M&K SS-150s (LS, RS, SBL, SBR)
SVS PC-Ultra subwoofer

Cables
Monoprice HDMI cables (source to pre/pro)
Best Deal analog-audio cables
PureLink HDC Fiber Optic HDMI Cable System (15 meters) from pre/pro to projector

Acoustical treatments from GIK Acoustics