The Show
Time flies when you're having gleefully inappropriate fun. We're already up to The Complete Thirteenth Season of South Park, which includes all 14 episodes from the March-November 2009 season. Writer/director Trey Parker, along with partner Matt Stone and one of the hardest working teams in animation have once again put their brash spin on current events, pop culture and a wide range of celebrities, dead and alive. Incredibly, they still manage to shock and amuse (a foul-mouthed, chainsaw-wielding Mickey Mouse!) with no one and no topic apparently out of bounds.
The technical quality of the animation has improved only incrementally over last year, with the Watchmen-spoofing "The Coon" being the most visually sophisticated, although Season 13 did also feature what was then the longest single shot in the history of the show. This record has since been toppled, further indication that there's no artistic ceiling in South Park.
The Picture
There's some choppiness on quicker camera pans within the 1.78:1 frame, and a long pullback from a printed sign begins to show compression on the text, but simpler, static shots tend to be the stock and trade here. Colors are strong despite some ringing in gentle transitions, with sharp line art and an impressive showing of subtle textures on character clothing, backgrounds, etc.
The Sound
Dialogue actually sounds diminished in the Dolby TrueHD track 5.1 when compared with the Dolby Digital 2.0, but the more room-filling mix of the high-resolution option more than compensates for this disparity. Cheering fans at a Jonas Brothers concert fill the rear of the house, music benefits from a discrete multichannel mix, and the fullness of the track noticeably improves at key moments as when Michael Jackson, inside the body of Kyle's baby brother Ike at a Tiny Miss pageant, performs in the talent portion. (Seriously: How does anybody not love this show?)
Fun little moments include dozens of live, squealing squirrels being hurled at a sinner, and a character continuing to talk as he walks offscreen, and even the rendition of the floor of the New York Stock Exchange is surprisingly realistic. But overall the mix is rather front-heavy, with minimal bass even for a pack of bikers on Harleys.
The Extras
This set features the usual episode "mini-commentaries" from creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker, just long enough to say what they want to say without committing to the entire running time of each. Their reflections on the Emmy-winning "Margaritaville" run long (for them), about seven minutes. "Inside Xbox: A Tour of South Park Studios" (four-and-a-half minutes, in so-so high-defintion) is a behind-the-scenes promo clip created by Microsoft during the production of Season 13. And seven deleted scenes--including two alternate endings--from six episodes across the season are also included here, seven minutes total, in HD.
Final Thoughts
Even if we caught every episode on Comedy Central last year, this set is uncensored, in addition to the high-def picture and sound, plus bonus material. Blu-ray-enabled fans of the show should definitely check it out.
Product Details
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