Halo Legends – DVD and Bluray contents

November 22, 2009 by Alex Seedhouse
Filed under Previews

Alongside the unveiling of Halo Waypoint, that hosts a wealth of knowledge regarding the acclaimed sci-fi seres, it was also revealed that this new service would also be the home of the first showings of a new set of short anime films based upon the vast Halo backstory. Much in the same way as similar projects before it, such as Animatrix and Batman: Gotham Knight, the aptly titled ‘Halo Legends’ features eight episodes each created by prominent Japanese anime production companies.

Since the launch of Halo Waypoint earlier this month, two episodes from the Halo Legends anime shorts have been shown and as a real fan of not only the Halo games but also of the deep backstory and history that has been written to expand the series’ universe, I have been incredibly impressed by what i’ve seen so far.

In terms of what is scheduled to appear on Halo Waypoint itself, fans can brace themselves for both ‘Making of’ documentaries and three more episodes – with the last three episodes being included exclusively on the upcoming release of both DVD and Bluray collections.

The content is on air for 24 hours upon its scheduled date, and is as follows;
Introduction to Halo Legends – 05/11/09
“The Babysitter” – 07/11/09
Making of “The Babysitter” – 14/11/09
“The Duel” – 21/11/09
Making of “The Duel” – 28/11/09
“The Package” Part 1 – 5/12/09
“The Package” Part 2 – 12/12/09
Making of ‘The Package” – 19/12/09
“Origins” Part 1 – 2/1/10
Making of “Origins” – 9/1/10
Trailers of upcoming episodes – 2/2/10

After these have all been aired, the entire collection will be released across three disc based versions – a Single Disc (DVD), 2-Disc Special Edition (DVD) and Bluray Special Edition (Bluray).

Alongside including the eight episodes, the Special Editons will contain several hours of bonus features; including an audio commentary with the directors Frank O’Connor and Josephy Chou, ‘The Making of Halo Legends’ and ‘Halo: Gaming Evolved’ which investigates the Halo phenomenon from its initial origins to the vast entertainment franchise it is today. Exclusive to the Bluray version will be ‘Halo: The Story so far,’ which will provide an overview of the Halo universe up until the end of Halo 3.

I also thought some may find it interesting to learn a little about the Anime Studios that have created such great pieces of art/ work, and this information is directly taken from the official Halo Legends site – so check that out for more information.

* Bones – “Founded in 1998, Bones has become one of the top animation studios in Japan in less than a decade. The studio is best known for its incredible body of work on mega-hit franchises such as Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, Fullmetal Alchemist, Sword of the Stranger and Eureka Seven.”

* Casio Entertainment – “Casio Entertainment was founded in 2004 and is renowned for its visual effects work on the movie Dai-Nipponjin (Big Man Japan), which was officially invited to the 2007 Cannes Film Festival and nominated for Best Visual Effects at the 2008 Asian Film Awards. Casio Entertainment is also known for its computer-generated animation support work on several top Japanese video games.”

* Production I.G – “Production I.G has produced a number of acclaimed feature films, original video animation, TV shows and video games. For their storytelling and quality of animation, Ghost in the Shell, Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade and Blood: The Last Vampire have earned critical accolades in Japan and all around the world. Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, directed by Mamoru Oshii in 2004, was the first Japanese animation feature ever to compete for the Palme d’Or at the Festival de Cannes.”

* STUDIO4°C – “STUDIO4°C is one of the top animation studios in Japan. Founded by the industry veteran Eiko Tanaka and acclaimed animation artist Koji Morimoto, it has become globally known for its uncanny ability to marry the spirit of high art with mainstream anime aesthetic. STUDIO4°C is known for works including The Animatrix, Tekkonkinkreet and Batman: Gotham Knight.”

* Toei Animation – “Toei Animation, established in 1956, is the oldest animation studio in Japan. Toei has produced the largest number of global hit TV anime series for kids, such as Dragon Ball, Digimon, Sailor Moon, One Piece and many more.”