Okay just to clarify, right around the turn of the century, widescreen TV was still in its infancy but with the DVD boom, it was clear that it was going to become the standard. A lot of producers from that era decided their TV movies should be shot in widescreen for future use and framed with the action centered so they could be broadcast in full-screen -- but lazy DVD distributors often opted only to issue the full-screen network TV masters. A little over a minute into "The Making of the 10th Kingdom" you can see that this is the case; there's a widescreen picture on the playback monitor which is squared off in the center like a now-old-fashioned TV screen.
I've never been enamored with Mill Creek Entertainment, but I've got to give them a lot of credit for this release. There's a remarkable clarity though it varies from shot-to-shot (dark scenes like the prison escape tunnel are pretty grainy and bright scenes occasionally look washed out), the colors really pop and it's got a great sound mix (both the movie mix and isolated score -- which is the very first extra Mill Creek's ever included on one of their releases that I'm aware of). On-screen credits/titles look overtly pixely, and some of the now-primitive CGI effects show their age (more that things like the butterflies and birds seem to be hovering over the image rather than actually a part of the composition), but overall the FX were handled with astounding care. The making-of special is also in widescreen for the first time, but unlike the movie itself, it's merely been upconverted from SD. As for the film's running time, it's the same as it ever was, nothing extra.
If you're a fan with the old Hallmark or Mill Creek DVD releases, this one's worth the upgrade.
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