Oooooh, as I get older (not that I am, mind you…) I notice that I’m starting to inherently dislike two popular entertainment terms. One is the use of “Oldies Station” to describe a radio outlet playing songs that were popular when I was in my early twenties. The other is “Anniversary Edition” when it follows any number in the double digits. Such is the case with the Touchstone’s new release of “Splash.” It seems the studio couldn’t just re-release the film on DVD with a few extra features, oh no. They had to remind those of us who remember seeing and loving the movie when it first came out in theatres, that it was ‘TWENTY YEARS AGO.’ Excuse me whilst I grab my walker. But I digress. Labeling it as a ‘20th Anniversary Edition’ aside, I couldn’t be happier to see a new DVD release for “Splash.” There was already a release of it a few years back, but it was devoid of any extra features, and the transfer was less than stellar.

Being that the film was the flagship title for the newly formed Touchstone branch of Disney Studios, not to mention that it marked the feature film debut of Tom Hanks, it certainly deserved a much better DVD release. Of course, there are those hardcore film fanatics who will point out to me that Tom Hanks’ film debut was actually the 1980 slasher film “He Knows You’re Alone”, but he wasn’t one of the lead actors. Then I realize if I use ‘lead actor’ as criteria, I’m going to hear all about his lead role in 1982’s “Mazes and Monsters.” But that was a ‘Made-for-TV’ flick, not a feature film.

Anyhow, now that I have THAT all straightened out, there is also the simple fact that “Splash” was a darn funny movie deserving of a ‘Special Edition’ DVD release. This time around Touchstone Home Entertainment not only got it right by making sure that the transfer looked and sounded better than before, but also made sure to add extra features that would warrant trading in that old copy.

Before I get into all that I’m sure there’s a whole generation of kiddos out there that have no clue what “Splash” is, other than being ‘that funny movie that my parents liked so it can’t be good.’ So before you rugrats make up your minds about the movie without even knowing what it’s about, let me fill you in. Tom Hanks stars as Allen Bauer, who as a kid fell off a ferryboat and was saved by a very unconventional Samaritan. After he is pulled from the water, the film shifts to a later time where we see that Bauer has become the stressed-out owner of a fairly successful produce supply company. He is in a relationship that is ending, and is convinced by his brother (John Candy) that he needs to get away for a while to de-stress. Once again, he ends up in the water and this time is saved by a beautiful woman (Daryl Hannah). Bauer takes his newfound ‘friend’ back to the city, and is dazzled by her seemingly naïve persona. He soon learns that she is more than what she seems. In fact, she is a mermaid. Unfortunately, there are others who learn of her secret and they find themselves being stalked by a crackpot scientist (Eugene Levy), who wants nothing more than to study her… old school style.

“Splash” turned out to be a surprisingly popular film, and put newcomer director Ron Howard on the map. Little did we know at the time how far their careers would go. Howard continued to make bigger and better films, culminating with an Academy Award for “A Beautiful Mind.” Hanks went a decidedly different direction. Though he continued to work, his follow-up films were less than stellar and mostly forgettable. He hit again with “Big”, but it wasn’t until his Academy Award winning turn in “Philadelphia” that Hollywood started considering him a serious actor. From that point on, there was no stopping his career, with another Oscar the following year for ‘Forrest Gump.” Today, he is probably one of the most highly regarded actors working in Hollywood. (Man, I still remember “Bosom Buddies”!!)

By the way, did I mention extras??? I wouldn’t say the disc is loaded, but for once there is not a single extra feature that should be missed. The commentary by Ron Howard, producer Brian Grazer, as well as writers Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, is a spirited one. These guys have worked together for years and the conversational tone is elevated by their comfort around each other. There’s nothing better than listening to good friends talk. There is also a great featurette, “Making the Splash”, that offers up some brand new interviews with most of the cast and crew, including Hanks and Hannah. It runs almost 25 minutes and is a very well produced and entertaining featurette.

The gems of this new DVD release come in the form of the original audition tapes for Hanks and Hannah. Introduced by Howard, who claims these have been seen by very few people prior to this release, the tapes are quite fun to watch. Hannah’s comes in at about 7 minutes and is good, but the one for Hanks is much more telling. It runs nearly 15 minutes, and it’s very evident that even back then Hanks had what it took to be noticed. Though you may not be able to tell that he would go on to become a future two-time Oscar winner, but the fact that he would have a future is indisputable.

“Splash” was a big favorite of mine when it first came out in theatres, and I still find it as funny today as I did (as the DVD cover points out so eloquently) 20 years ago.

Directed by: Ron Howard
Starring: Tom Hanks, Daryl Hannah, Eugene Levy, John Candy
Extras: Original Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah Audition Tapes, “Making a Splash” a Look Back with Babaloo Mandel, Brian Grazer, Daryl Hannah, Eugene Levy, John Candy, Lowell Ganz, Ron Howard and Tom Hanks, Audio Commentary by Director Ron Howard, Producer Brian Grazer and Writers Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel – with an Introduction and Closing by Ron Howard
Specifications: Widescreen (1.85:1) Enhanced for 16X9 Televisions, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Touchstone
Release Date: 3/23/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: PG (Some Material May Not be Suitable for Children)
Website

We'll give Splash: 20th Anniversary Edition an A