The first thing you’ll notice – at least on the Blu-ray, since that is what I’m reviewing – is that there’s a really nice lenticular cover which alternates between the characters’ Fairy Tale and Storybrooke selves. It’s a small point but it’s a nice welcome into those worlds, and a sign of the kind of product within.
The video on Blu-ray is beautiful. I had never seen Once Upon A Time at such resolution and I was definitely impressed. Menus are nicely designed, and if you leave them for a while, you can hear some of Mark Isham’s great score on repeat. There are much worse things in the world to listen to. The first disc has some of Isham’s orchestral suite as a bonus feature. It sounds fantastic. I really need to get that CD already…
What kind of other extras can be found?
Deleted Scenes: The set includes some deleted scenes from various episodes, and, like most others (I’d imagine), my favorite may have been a flirty sequence between Emma and Sheriff Graham that was cut from the pilot. There are nine deleted scenes in total. I still think, judging from episodic photos that were released in the past, that there are still a few deleted scenes yet to be unearthed, but this is still nice.
Blooper Reel: A blooper reel is also featured, and although it starts with the generic “blahblahblah” montage, it starts to get really fun. I think I got the most laughs out of Raphael Sbarge referring to Jennifer Morrison’s character more than once as “Emma Stone.”
Once Upon A Time: Origins: This feature is exclusive to the Blu-ray set; in it, Josh Dallas talks about various fairy tales that inspired characters on Once Upon A Time. No offense meant to the people who worked on this feature, but it’s probably my least favorite on the set. It’s beautifully illustrated, but I think for most of us, the versions of the characters that we know best came from Disney animated features. Of all of them, only the Rumplestiltskin part really kept my interest.
Fairy Tales In The Modern World: Thankfully, this is more the kind of feature I was expecting, as cast and crew talk about what went into the creation of Once Upon A Time, complete with animation. There are some really good interviews here. It looks like every major cast member who made it through the first season is participating on the DVD features, and that really helps improve the quality of the product.
Building Character: Creators Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz as well as the show’s designers talk about bringing Emilie de Ravin’s Belle to life. A great feature aside from the obvious – “she looks like this because this is based on what Belle wore in the movie!”
Welcome To Storybrooke: A look at Steveston, the town that is used to double as downtown Storybrooke. This feature is so good, it makes me want to hop on a plane and go up there myself. It looks like a really cool place.
The Story I Remember: Snow White: Cast members try to tell you, from memory, how the actual story of Snow White goes. This is pretty funny.
Audio Commentaries: Five episodes get commentaries, with commentators including Kitsis and Horowitz, writer Jane Espenson, and actors Lana Parrilla, Ginnifer Goodwin, Josh Dallas, Robert Carlyle, and Jennifer Morrison. Episode commentaries include “The Stable Boy,” “A Land Without Magic,” and more.
22 Episodes: I did all this talking about the extra features, but what about the episodes? They look great, and of course, the show is great. I was a little skeptical upon seeing the first episode last summer; I thought the “fairy tale” stuff was about hokey. By Episode 3 (“Snow Falls”) it all started to make sense, and by Episode 7, you’ll be hooked. If you’re on the fence about Once, watch the first one or two discs to see what you think. If you’re like me, you’ll have a new favorite TV show.
I love having all of Once Upon A Time Season 1 in one place and looking this good, but that is not to say that this set is perfect. What is my problem? Nowhere does it say what features are on what disc. Without putting the Blu-ray discs in, I’d have no way of knowing where I can find the special features, or which episodes have commentaries. Hopefully future releases will offer a better guide to what can be found and where. That’s just a minor gripe in what is otherwise a fantastic set — I highly recommend it for any Once fan. This might be my favorite TV-DVD (or Blu-ray) that I’ve seen all year.
