Overwhelmed, Dana takes to the road. Seeking solace she visits a hiking trail from her youth. A few wrong turns and a nasty fall later, she awakens alone in a strange forest, save for one new companion — a talking cat.

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Video Quality

When You Get to the Forest arrives on Blu-Ray with a beautiful 1080p presentation that captures the film with great care. The charming, handmade animation aesthetic has the smoothness and creativity that practically matches a major animation studio. The screen is free of any digital inconsistency with a rich array of textures within the artwork. The edges are crisp and fully seamless within the defined space. The colors are vivid with stunning primaries saturating the screen. There are no egregious digital anomalies present such as compression artifacts or ugly banding. All of the material within the film looks very impressive for a production of this scope. Cartuna is such a blessing for independent animation.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray comes with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that holds up every bit as well as the video side of things. The dialogue sounds excellent with a clear presence throughout the adventure and no moments of being clipped by competing elements. The subtle environmental sounds within the forest help make the space feel more fleshed out and alive. There is not much activity in the low end, but the presence of the mysterious creature stomping through the forest adds a bit of texture. The score for this is very pleasant and emerges with an undeniable fidelity. This audio experience does not come up short in any respect. Optional English SDH subtitles are included.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Director Eric Power and writer Andreas Petersen provide a commentary track that provides some great insights into the production of the film and the narrative at large.

A Year In The Forest – Making Of Documentary: A four-minute piece that gives a brief overview of the story and the production process, such as character development, problem solving, and more.

Production Diaries: A 12-minute video in which Eric Power goes a bit deeper into how the film was animated on a practical level.

Original Trailer (1:12)

Booklet: A multi-page booklet featuring the essay “Trailmap” by director Eric Power in which he writes in-depth about the production of the film.

Final Thoughts

When You Get to the Forest is a gentle, contemplative journey that is a touch fantastical as one woman works to find herself and move past the pain she has carried for too long. The movie is not free of drama, but the tranquil confines of the titular forest bring about a sense of peace inside the viewer, right alongside the characters we are following. The animation is very endearing with a keenly crafted quality that makes it feel so much more tactile and effective. This movie feels like a therapeutic retreat for your soul. Cartuna has released a Blu-Ray featuring a fetching A/V presentation and an impressive assortment of special features. Animation fans should not pass this up. Recommended

When You Get to the Forest is currently available to purchase on Standard Edition Blu-Ray or with a Limited Edition Slipcover exclusively through Vinegar Syndrome or select indie retailers.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Cartuna and OCN Distribution have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.