Media

Home Theater Movie Renter's Guide - February, 2011

Synopsis

Shortly after the marriage of Chihuahuas Papi (voiced by George Lopez) and Chloe (voiced by Odette Yustman), 5 fuzzy little bundles of joy appear.  While Papi and Chloe are working on their parenting skills, things are not going so well for their owner, whose parents are facing foreclosure on their family home.  Vowing to do whatever it takes to help the Cortez family out, the Chihuahuas embark on a mission to raise the money needed to keep the Cortez’s in their home.

Commentary

As movies with talking dogs are not usually my cup of tea, I had not seen the first movie of this series.  Not knowing what to expect with this film, I went in with low expectations.  Surprisingly, I found the movie fairly enjoyable considering that I am not a member of the target audience.  The plot is extremely simple and an adult must suspend their take on reality while watching this film, but there are some good life and family lessons throughout the movie.  The acting is nothing special, but the dogs are definitely cute (worth an extra half point on the rating in my mind).  The CGI mouths on the dogs didn’t look ridiculous (I can’t believe I just wrote that) and the movie’s 84-minute length felt just about perfect.

Technical

This is another solid release by Disney.  The picture is very sharp, without looking over-processed or artificially sharpened.  Detail is excellent; just look the hair on any of the animals and you’ll see what I mean.  Black levels are solid and there is good “pop” to the image.  My only minor criticism is a slightly oversaturated color palette, but this was obviously intentional.  The 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack is also well done, with excellent clarity and dynamics.  The soundtrack carries good weight and the surrounds and LFE are used adequately.

Extras

Both Blu-ray and DVD versions of the movie are included here.  Special features include an interactive “Chihuahua Challenge” game, bloopers, and a music video for “This Is My Paradise.”  All features are in high-def.

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