Hidalgo [P&S]

Joe Johnston's adventure film Hidalgo arrives on DVD with a full-frame transfer that fails to preserve the original theatrical aspect ratio. The English soundtracks are rendered in both Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1. French and Spanish soundtracks have been recorded as well. This THX-certified disc offers first-rate picture and sound quality. Supplemental materials include a nine-minute behind-the-scenes featurette that touches on aspects of production as well as the history of the real people and events depicted in the film. A more extensive featurette on the stallions is available for those with PCs that have DVD-ROM drives. Trailers for a handful of other releases round out the extras. This is a fine disc for what it is, but the same extras are available on a different DVD that also boasts a widescreen transfer of the film. That version is preferable to this one.