The Film
American Girl is a freight train that cannot be stopped. Sorry, but it's true. The franchise has dolls, games, crafts, books, and more accessories than you'd wear in a lifetime. There's even a series of American Girl movies. (If you listen closely, you can hear little girls squealing with delight about that fact.) The latest in the line of Blu-rays is American Girl: Saige Paints the Sky.
Saige was American Girl's "2013 Girl of the Year." That means that she's well rounded, with a love for both horses and the arts. In this film, Saige (Sidney Fullmer) starts the new school year off with both of her passions in dire straits. Her BFF Tessa has found someone B-er and her favorite class (art, hello!) has been cut. If those aren't enough to stress out our spunky redhead, Grandma Mimi (Jane Seymour, looking very Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman) has taken a tumble. So what's an American Girl to do? Put on a smile, as well as a huge fundraiser.
American Girl: Saige Paints the Sky isn't going to win any acting awards -- unless the franchise has those, too. It's even hard to buy Seymour as an invalid, when just a few short years ago, she owned the super-cougar role in 2005's Wedding Crashers. That said, it won't matter to American Girl fans. This is their Norma Rae. At least Saige has a nice message for girls (and yes, boys), which parents can certainly appreciate.
The Picture
The whole American Girl culture is ensconsced in color, whether it's skintones, outfits, accessories or interests. With that in mind, this film's 1.78:1 image is a little disappointing. The colors never really pop like you'd expect them to and are a bit on the dim side overall. Also, the level of detail seems to flip-flop a lot. One minute, Grandma Mimi has wrinkles. The next, she doesn't. The same goes for Saige's freckles and hair. There's also a lot of soft shots, and I'm not sure that's intentional. It's not awful, but it's close -- and certainly not worth the Blu-ray boost.
The Sound
Saige receives a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, but just doesn't know how to accessorize. There are a lot of outdoor and musical moments in this film where you expect the track to open up a bit, but it sort of clutches to the front speakers. Once in a while, a little something will peek into the surrounds, but it's far from immersive. Otherwise, the film is heavy on the dialogue, which is always clear.
The Extras
Hang onto your dollies, kids. This Blu-ray has absolutely no extras. Not that the frothing American Girl fan would care all that much, but it would have been nice if there had been something on the doll, the book, the empire, or even Jane Seymour.
Final Thoughts
It doesn't really matter if American Girl: Saige Paints the Sky is a good movie. If you've got an American Girl fan at home, you're buying this. The question is whether or not you need the Blu-ray. The image, audio and lack of extras really don't make the format worth the extra bump and you could probably get away with just getting the standard-def DVD.
Product Details
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