Courageous Princess. Fierce Warrior. Legendary Superhero.
Wonder Woman is the fourth film in the DC Universe Animated Original Movie series, following Superman: Doomsday, Justice League: The New Frontier, and Batman: Gotham Knight. Directed by Lauren Montgomery and produced by DC Comics animation veteran Bruce Timm, this direct-to-video animated film is based on the 1987 reboot of the character and tells the origin story of the world’s most famous female superhero. The feature-quality animation is similar in style to the anime-inspired Justice League, with a few design tweaks that give a sharper, more angular look to the film.
“Wonder Woman is one of the most iconic figures in pop culture. This movie succeeds in reinforcing her image as a female role model while firmly planting her flag as an epic action adventure heroine,” says Gregory Noveck, Senior VP, Creative Affairs, DC Comics. “I think audiences will love this modern take on a classic character.”
On the mystical island of Themyscira, a proud, strong warrior race of Amazon women lives in a utopian civilization shielded from the corrupt world of man. But a betryal within the Amazon sisterhood leads to the escape of Ares, the God of War, and Amazon Princess Diana must capture him before he unleashes global chaos and destruction. With the aid of cocky fighter pilot Steve Trevor, Diana tracks Ares to the United States for a battle unlike any humankind has ever faced.
DC Comics, Warner Premiere, and Warner Bros. Animation promote this DVD release as the first-ever official Wonder Woman feature film to be made and rated PG-13 (the first cut reportedly earned an R). This version of Wonder Woman is definitely not aimed at children, opening with a lengthy and visceral battle sequence that sets up the imprisonment of Ares by the Amazons. Characters, good and evil, meet grisly deaths by sword or other bladed weapons, with several beheadings and dismemberments. The later confrontations between Ares and Wonder Woman are nearly as violent, with a bit of on-screen blood adding to the realism; when Wonder Woman can be hurt, it makes the outcome of the story a little less certain.
The mature rating applies, as well, to the use of adult language and sexually suggestive scenes, most of which can be attributed to Steve Trevor, who makes a few racy remarks about Princess Diana’s physique and has a humorous, recurring gag of offending the Amazons with his use of the word “crap”. The casting of Nathan Fillion as Steve Trevor, the complementary opposite to Wonder Woman in the movie’s battle-of-the-sexes theme, is brilliant; Fillion channels the tactlessness and crudeness of his Captain Hammer character (Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog) and the charm of his rough-but-honorable Captain Malcolm Reynolds (Firefly, Serenity), deftly striking a balance that allows him to be likable enough to be the love interest that the Amazon Princess would believably leave paradise for, yet still retain his “sexist pig” personality.
Rounding out the celebrity voice cast are Keri Russell (Felicity, Waitress) as Princess Diana/Wonder Woman, Alfred Molina (Spider-Man 2) as Ares, Virginia Madsen (Dune, Sideways) as Queen Hippolyta, Oliver Platt (The West Wing) as Hades, Rosario Dawson (Sin City) as Artemis, and David McCallum (NCIS, Batman: Gotham Knight) as Zeus — an ensemble that “infuses thunder and passion into this epic tale of the princess who becomes the World’s Greatest Super Heroine”.
Wonder Woman is available as a Single-Disc Standard Edition, Two-Disc Special Edition, and Blu-ray Disc, and by Download, On Demand, and Pay-Per-View, with collectible packaging for the Two-Disc Special Edition and Blu-ray Disc. All formats include an exclusive sneak peek at the next DC Universe Animated Original Movie, Green Lantern: First Flight, and an audio commentary track featuring Gregory Noveck (Senior VP, Creative Affairs, DC Comics), Bruce Timm (Producer), Lauren Montgomery (Director), and Michael Jelenic (Screenplay). The Two-Disc Special Edition’s second disc carries a digital copy download for iTunes and Windows Media Player, episodes of Justice League/Justice League Unlimited — “To Another Shore” and “Hawk and Dove”, the Blu-ray edition doubling the bonus cartoons by adding “Paradise Lost, Parts 1 & 2” — featuring Wonder Woman and personally selected by Bruce Timm, and two in-depth documentaries:
- Wonder Woman: A Subversive Dream
She is one of the pillars of DC Comics. We examine why Wonder Woman is important in the grand scheme of the DC Super Heroes and how her raw strength and power helped define a new generation of empowered women, who realized that their gifts of intellect and strength were just as powerful as their male counterparts. - Wonder Woman: Daughter of Myth — Covers Historical Amazon Lore and Its Evolution into the Modern-Day Wonder Woman Character
This riveting documentary historically defines the meaning of the Amazons and how this links in with the evolution of the Wonder Woman character from comics to screen.
A third documentary appears only on the Blu-ray disc:
- Wonder Woman: The Amazon Princess
This featurette includes both a thumbnail history of the character of Wonder Woman featuring interviews with DC Comics creators and artists (Paul Levitz, Dan DiDio), and behind-the-scenes footage of the made-for-DVD release punctuated with interviews from the production staff and voice talent behind the film.
Wrap the golden Lasso of Truth around a lot of multi-disc sets, and the bonus features will be forced to admit they’re just filler. With Wonder Woman, there’s no padding. Each of the fascinating and informative documentaries stand up to repeated viewings, much like the film itself. The DVD would make a strong addition to the curriculum of women’s studies classes, championing female empowerment in the footsteps of Lynda Carter’s Wonder Woman, the definitive face of Wonder Woman for an entire generation of little girls who watched her TV series in the 1970s and were convinced that they, too, could transform into a superhero if they only spun around enough times.
Order now at Amazon.com:
Wonder Woman (Single-Disc Standard Edition)
Wonder Woman (Two-Disc Special Edition + Digital Copy)
Wonder Woman (Blu-ray)
Wonder Woman (On Demand)
Or order directly through the Warner Home Video website.
Wonder Woman is distributed by Warner Home Video, a division of Warner Bros. Entertainment. For more information, please visit the official Wonder Woman movie website.