The Twilight Saga: New Moon comes to DVD and Blu-ray this weekend, which means you’re this close to hitting replay on those shirtless Jacob scenes and Edward’s Volturi showdown until your DVD player wears out. And though midnight shoppers and discerning Twi-hards have plenty of retailer exclusive special editions to choose from (we recommend the Wal-mart exclusive for a sneak peek at Eclipse and the Target version for deleted scenes), I’ve highlighted the ten juiciest tidbits you’ll get on the two-disc Special Edition DVD and single-disc Blu-ray. Check them out after the jump.
[Note: Both the 2-disc Special Edition DVD or the single-disc Blu-ray contain the following special features: an audio commentary with director Chris Weitz and editor Peter Lambert; a six-part documentary with plenty of behind-the-scenes looks and cast & crew interviews; music videos from soundtrack artists Anya Marina, Mutemath, and more; and rehearsal footage with Stephenie Meyer favorites Muse.]
1. Rob on Robmania
In part one of the extensive six-part documentary (titled “Life After Twilight”), New Moon’s cast talk about the craziness that ensued after the first film debuted and how the fervent fandom changed their lives. Between shots from the Twilight premiere and the infamously raucous Comic-Con panel, Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner, Justin Chon, and more of their co-stars reminisce from the New Moon set on how Twilight changed everything. Best of all, Rob addresses his fans, who have come to worship Edward Cullen so much that they now, as he says, “defend my honor in reality.”
2. The cast roasts Chris Weitz
Part 2 of the documentary focuses on New Moon director Chris Weitz, which is really just an opportunity for his actors to gently tease him about everything from his hairiness to the distinguished way he carries himself on set. We get plenty of behind-the-scenes peeks at Weitz’s directing style, and it’s clear that he’s endeared himself to his cast: Lautner calls him a “goofball,” Jamie Campbell-Bower accuses Weitz of secretly wanting to be British, and Michael Sheen describes his unshaven-yet-elegant look as “a cross between a wolf and a vampire.”
3. Bella runs full-speed into Edward’s arms
The doc offers a wealth of footage of nearly every set and big scene in New Moon, but our favorite is the behind-the-scenes footage of Bella’s run through the Volterra square that bookends the film. In the movie we only see it in slow-motion, but here you can see what it looks like at full speed: Kristen Stewart pushes her way frantically through the crowd, speeds through the fountain, and nearly knocks Robert Pattinson over as she jumps breathlessly into his open arms.
4. Jacob’s parkour scene, sans special effects
Taylor Lautner may have been wired for safety when he leapt and twisted his way into Bella’s second story window, but Weitz says it was all Taylor doing the stunt. We get to see Lautner perform the trick in one fluid, impressive motion. (Another fun fact from New Moon’s costume designer: Lautner’s t-shirts were all taken in and made smaller to show off his muscles.) Elsewhere there’s a great look at the fight choreography and filming of Edward’s fight with Felix that shows Pattinson and Daniel Cudmore going at it with wires and break-away props.
5. KStew celebrates her birthday on-set
I’m not so fanatical as to remember Kristen Stewart’s birthday (okay, it’s April 9) but the cast and crew didn’t forget during production on New Moon – and a camera was there to capture the celebration. Watch as Stewart is surprised in the Forks High School parking lot by a birthday cake celebration while filming Bella’s birthday morning scene with Pattinson and New Moon’s human teens. (Later, Pattinson gets a birthday celebration of his own while filming in the Volturi chamber.)
6. See the “break-up scene” play out in alternate takes
Ah, the break-up scene. It’s the source of Bella’s heartbreak and one of the most emotional scenes to watch ? and hilariously, the actors had to battle swarms of mosquitoes to deliver just the right dramatic pitch while filming in a thicket of trees. Later, we get to watch the scene through playback monitors as Pattinson tries out different tones and line deliveries, breaking up with Bella over and over again in various ways.
7. Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson ad-lib “I love you”
I dare you to hear this story and not squee deep down inside: in the scene before Edward dumps Bella, she tells him she loves him, a line Weitz explains came from the actors themselves. His take is that it gives the scene to come more emotional weight because it’s a sad sort of “I love you,” which makes their break-up all the more tragic.
8. Vampire sparkling explained!
We can all agree that Edward’s sparkling skin in New Moon was a giant leap forward from the effects in Twilight, and here we learn the thinking behind his new look; think sparkling marble instead of diamonds, which is what Weitz and his effects team came up with. To achieve the look, Pattinson’s face and body were scanned to create a full-body 3D model (to answer your next question, the feature sadly doesn’t show said body scan).
9. Chris Weitz and Peter Lambert’s commentary track
Unfortunately, none of the cast are included in the audio commentary; instead, director Weitz is joined remotely by editor Peter Lambert for a lively, if mostly technical, discussion of New Moon’s production. Weitz seems aware that viewers may not be familiar with filmmaking terms, and takes time to explain things like framing or camera tricks for the uninitiated. The pair also explains certain elements that eagle-eyed fans may have noticed, such as why Edward’s car is black and not silver (it’s on purpose!) and how his framing of the early parking lot scenes with Bella, Edward and Jacob foreshadow the character dynamics to come. Basically, the commentary covers all the little details you ever wanted to ask Weitz, including where the idea for Face Punch came from, although many of his comments are repeated in the six-part documentary.
10. Somewhere in the world there’s a 3-hour cut of New Moon!
Okay, that somewhere is most likely only on editor Peter Lambert’s computer. But fans can dream, can’t they? Lambert and Weitz discuss how their first cut ran an uber-long three hours before they whittled it down to cut out the “breathy beats.” (Come on, we love the breathy beats!) Weitz and Lambert reveal that there were originally more funny lines from actress Anna Kendrick, a “karate death chop” pose by Michael Sheen’s Aro, and a dream sequence with Edward and a live wolf.
Thinking of Rob 