The plot: Set 15 years after the infamous Tortoise and Hare race, this animated feature revolves around a new race which pits the Tortoise and his daughter against the Hare and his son.

At first glance, “Tortoise Vs. Hare” looks like a cheap, modern day twist on the classic fable, but that is simply not the case. In fact, this is actually a rather thoughtful follow-up to the story everyone knows and loves. I for one was impressed that the story actually added to the Tortoise and Hare characters by making them fairly deep and complex. In addition to seeing how the race has affected their lives, we see how that race has impacted their children. We quickly learn that the Tortoise and Hare still don’t like each other and that they tell their children bad things about each other. We also see how the two characters want to run their children’s lives so that they won’t wind up being losers or failures. It’s all very well plotted and makes for an interesting watch to see how their characters develop throughout the film.

For a DVD release, the animation is shockingly quite detailed and sharp looking. It certainly looks better than some recent theatrical animated films like “Hoodwinked.”

This animated film does have a few downsides. I could have done without some of the lame humor (like the Fable Sports Network) and some of the filler scenes in the middle of the film.

The widescreen picture is fine. The CGI animation looks clean throughout.

The Dolby Digital Stereo audio track isn’t going to wow anyone, but the dialogue is clear and the big action set pieces sounded nice.

Extras:

* Trailers for “Tortoise Vs. Hare,” “3 Pigs And A Baby,” “The Reef,” “Casper’s Scare School,” “Thunderpants,” and “The Goldilocks And The 3 Bears Show.”

* An 8 ½ minute making of that includes voice recording footage, interviews and discussions about this twist on the classic fable.

* “How To Draw A Character With Director Howard E. Baker” (13:00).