DVD Toons reviews Starchaser: The Legend Of Orin, the fun 1980s sci-fi precursor to such films as Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Treasure Planet and Titan AE, which is making a comeback on DVD. Though there are no points for the non-existent extras, MGM’s new disc of the fan-favorite does sport a spiffy widescreen transfer that looks like “a digital transfer due to the lack of grain and a solid, stable picture that shows zero signs of any gate weave. The audio holds up as well, with a mix, while nowhere near as aggressive as what we’re used to now, that is full of fun (and familiar!) sounds that zip in and out of speaker range. Starchaser is certainly of its time, highlighted by its score, which swerves from electronic-styled John Carpenter synths to John Williams spacey strings and a bombastic orchestral brass main theme, but is a enjoyable ride that doesn’t sink into confusion as so many of the 1980s Star Wars knock-offs seemed to do”.

The site has also recently added a look at Thunderbean Animation’s latest anthology offering, a collection of Aesop’s Fables From The Van Beuren Studio, featuring works from between 1929 and 1933, and an essential purchase for serious collectors of vintage animation on DVD, with a strong selection of extras to boot!