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Walt Disney Home Video presents

Kim Possible Movie: So the Drama (2005)

"Naked mole rat, weird enough for ya'?"- Ron Stoppable

Stars: Christy Carlson Romano, Will Friedle
Other Stars: Nancy Cartwright, Tahj Mowry
Director: Steve Loter

MPAA Rating: G for (nothing objectionable)
Run Time: 01h:10m:57s
Release Date: 2005-05-10
Genre: animation

Style
Grade
Substance
Grade
Image Transfer
Grade
Audio Transfer
Grade
Extras
Grade
B+ B+A-A- C

 

DVD Review

Kim Possible is definitely one of the hipper, more adult-friendly cartoon series on the Disney channel, let alone all of TV these days. After two seasons on the air and one full-length TV-movie, the writers of the show felt it was time to make it even hipper, branching out to a slightly older demographic: the pre-teenager.

Kim Possible Movie: So the Drama gives Kim a boyfriend, Eric, and ramps up the notion of her having romantic feelings for this boy. While most of the show's die-hard fans would love to see Kim and Ron become more than friends and heroine/sidekick, the dynamics of the series' overall storyline seemingly makes that difficult to pull off. However, there are some nice surprises here, on that front, pushing Kim Possible to the threshold of being The O.C.-esque.

Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable have just apparently stopped the evil Dr. Drakken from destroying the world, when, in reality, the pair only saved Nakasumi from being kidnapped. Back in school, Kim is the only member of her cheerleading squad who doesn't have a date for the prom yet, despite Ron being more than willing to be her date. When she meets a new kid, Eric, she falls madly in love and wants to go to the prom with him.

When Ron learns of her feelings toward Eric, he becomes very jealous and does all he can to make sure the two don't get together. After some investigation, Ron discovers that Eric isn't all that he seems, and is actually evil.

Meanwhile, Dr. Drakken is back on the scene, having purchased the restaurant chain, Bueno Nacho, and has launched a new line of kid's meal toys. These toys also aren't what they seem and are really devices that could help Drakken conquer the world. It's up to Kim and Ron to put their personal feelings aside and stop Drakken at all costs.

The writers of So the Drama have done a nice job balancing the series' most complex storylines and fitting a meaningful, complete story into a mere 71 minutes of animated programming. It's great to see a more mature approach taken here, but even better that the writers didn't stray from the Kim Possible formula that so many kids have grown to love. If this film is any indication, Kim Possible is only going to get better, both on TV and in future features that may come along.

So the Drama comes to DVD in the form of this Top-Secret Extended Edition. Fans of this movie won't notice a whole lot of changes from it's original TV version, but there are a few added sequences, and even a couple of Deleted Scenes in the "Extras" section of this DVD that were even left out of this longer version.

Rating for Style: B+
Rating for Substance: B+

 

Image Transfer

 One
Aspect Ratio1.78:1 - Widescreen
Original Aspect Ratioyes
Anamorphicyes


Image Transfer Review: The 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen presentation is quite good. The special effects budget appears to have been upped a bit from the last Kim Possible movie to this one, and this transfer makes the CGI look even more realistic. The wide array of colors are extremely well-rendered, with no blemishes or other problems visible to the naked eye.

Image Transfer Grade: A-
 

Audio Transfer

 LanguageRemote Access
Dolby Digital
5.1
Englishyes


Audio Transfer Review: The audio is Dolby Digital 5.1, and it is quite active as well. The surrounds are utilized quite often, creating a vast soundfield that really shines during the action sequences. Upbeat music also envelopes the viewer, with quite a bit of bass presence in the fold. The voice actors' speech is clearly delivered, blending in nicely with the rest of the sound.

Audio Transfer Grade: A- 

Disc Extras

Animated menu with music
Scene Access with 12 cues and remote access
Subtitles/Captions in English with remote access
10 Other Trailer(s) featuring Herbie: Fully Loaded, Get a Clue, Cadet Kelly, The Even Stevens Movie, My Scene Goes Hollywood: The Movie, HalloweenTown Movies, Tarzan II, Pocahontas: 10th Anniversary Edition, Kim Possible: The Villain Files, That's So Raven
2 Deleted Scenes
Screenplay
Packaging: Keep Case
Picture Disc
1 Disc
1-Sided disc(s)
Layers: dual

Extra Extras:
  1. "Could it Be" Music Video
  2. "Get Your Shine On" Music Video
  3. Bonus Episode "Gorilla Fist"
Extras Review: Aside from a whopping 10 Sneak Peeks at other Disney offerings, there are a pair of Deleted Scenes that are without music and don't add much to the finished film's storyline.

There are also two music videos for Could it Be and Get Your Shine On, as well as a bonus episode of Kim Possible called Gorilla Fist.

Extras Grade: C
 

Final Comments

For the uninitiated, Kim Possible Movie: So the Drama is a great way to experience this wonderful show for the first time. Disney's DVD presentation is top-notch, with solid audio and video, and a few cool extra features.

Chuck Aliaga 2005-05-10