Heavy Metal

Inspired by the popular fantasy graphics magazine, the animated feature Heavy Metal gained a rabid cult following in the 1980s, and the DVD release of the film is packed with enough extras to satisfy even the most jaded animation enthusiast. The images have been given a letterboxed transfer at the film's original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 (the disc has also been enhanced for playback on widescreen monitors), while viewers have a choice of two audio tracks -- one mixed for Dolby Digital 5.1, the other for Dolby Digital Surround. The feature has been closed captioned in English, while the disc is also encoded with optional subtitles in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. In addition to the original version of Heavy Metal, the DVD also features an alternate full-length "rough-cut" of the film, which features a different sequence and footage not used in the theatrical release of the film. The theatrical cut features an alternate commentary track from Carl Macek, who wrote a book on the making of the movie, while the disc also includes a 35-minute making-of documentary, "Imagining Heavy Metal." The disc is rounded out with production photos, pencil sketches from the film's artists, alternate artwork, production notes, and a gallery of cover art from the magazine.