Halo Legends

Warner Home Video has announced the release date for Halo Legends, which is set for February 9, 2010. Halo Legends is a collection of animated shorts based on the Halo game franchise. It will be available on both Blu-ray (ironically for Xbox 360 gamers) and DVD formats (in a single-disc edition or two-disc edition). Individual animated shorts from Halo Legends will also be available from On Demand and Digital Download. If you’re looking to get an even richer understanding and experience of the Halo universe beyond the games, you should check out this collection of stylized animated shorts.

Seven animated shorts (one with 2 episodes) are included on Halo Legends, which is produced by 343 Industries. Each episode ranges from 10-17 minutes in length. Some are presented in anime-style, others in CG. Here’s a rundown of the extra content that you will find in the Blu-ray and Two-Disc Edition:

Halo Legends – Blu-ray Edition
(pre-order here)
Includes bonus materials found in the DVD Two-Disc Edition (see below), as well as "Halo: The Story so Far," which is an overview of Halo through the end of Halo 3.

Halo Legends – 2 Disc Special Edition
(pre-order here)
Includes several hours of bonus features:
– The Making of Halo Legends: An introduction to Halo Legends followed by a making-of segment for each episode.

– Halo: Gaming Evolved – Explaining the Halo phenomenon from its inception as an Xbox video game to a present day entertainment franchise.

– Audio Commentary with directors Frank O’Connor and Joseph Chou.

-Widescreen (1.78:1)

“Halo Legends offers fans stunning, new creative visions of the popular video game’s expansive universe, providing added depth and perspective to these beloved characters and thrilling environments,” said Halo franchise development director Frank O’Connor. “Halo Legends is a perfect complement to the game’s growing canon of ancillary entertainment options.”

Warner Home Video also notes the powerhouse of animators that have contributed to Halo Legends:

"The episodes are animated by some of the world’s most respected studios and directors in anime today. The studios range from Production I.G. (Ghost in the Shell, Batman Gotham Knight), Bones (Cowboy Bebop, Fell Metal Alchemist) and Toei Animation (Dragonball Z, Digimon) to Studio 4oC (The Animatrix, Batman Gotham Knight) and Casio Entertainment. The stellar roster of animation talent on Halo Legends is highlighted by creative supervisors Shinji Aramaki (Appleseed) and Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell); directors Shinji Aramaki (Appleseed), Hideki Futamura (The Animatrix), Daisuke Nishio (Dragonball Z), Hiroshi Yamazaki (Karas), Toshiyuki Kanno (Black Lagoon), Koichi Mashimo (Blade of the Immortal) and Koji Sawai (Patlabor); directors/action designers Tomoki Kyoda (Eureka Seven, Evangelion 1.0) and Yasushi Muraki (Macross Plus, Vampire Hunter D); and writer Dai Sato (Cowboy Bebop)."

For more on Halo Legends, visit the official website here.

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