Actually, you should get the best video from a quality animated flick like those that Pixar puts out. The video is 100% digital (at some point) and doesn't have grain or even any flaws unless they specifically add it. Plus since all of the audio is done in the studio with effects being added in, they *should* have great sound as well.
So maybe a Pixar movie should be the demo standard, however some people like the "coolness" factor of something like The Dark Knight.
For me, it is a bit more than that. Animation is just that. So while it might look incredible, it won't look real because it isn't. So I don't know how real Buzz Light-year looks. Whereas, I know what a skyscraper at night looks like so the accuracy is quantifiable, which is what I'm thinking of in terms of demo material. Don't get me wrong, I love the Pixar films, fantastic stuff. But as a demo standard, I have a hard time using them as you can't really determine accuracy, just wow factor.
And, some films are now recorded in digital from the start. I think Collateral was filmed in digital, so animations are no longer the only pure digital signals. And DK was in IMAX, so you have a transfer to deal with, but the amount of information is so much more (100% more actually) that the impact of any transfer issues is much less than traditional film.
My 2 cents...
