A Bug's Life 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

A Bug's Life 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Disney has released the microscopic Pixar film 'A Bug's Life' to the UHD format. New specifications include 2160p/HDR encoded video resolution and a Dolby Atmos soundtrack. No new extras are included but the studio has bundled the original 2009 Blu-ray release.

A Bug's Life 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc.

Disney doesn't squash A Bug's Life on UHD. The picture thrives and the movie has never looked better. The increase in color vibrancy is quite significant. Blue skies and natural greenery represent two of the chief visual components in the film, and both dazzle under the HDR spectrum. The adds to both depth and intensity, to nuance and accuracy, are amazing, obvious right off the bat when looking at the very first shot of the tree (a similar shot ends the film). The Blu-ray looks almost sickly in comparison, like a flat and lifeless slug. Of course the 1080p image is not at all bad in isolation, but in comparison it looks very downtrodden. The color improvements certainly represent the most substantial upgrade the UHD has to offer. Beyond those two tones, variously colored bugs, intense tones around the circus, and even otherwise boring earthy colors find very agreeable pop and accuracy with HDR in place, and the movie absolutely thrives with its newfound color punch, stability, clarity, and accuracy.

Textural gains are not so dramatic, but viewers will note minor adjustments in overall clarity and sharpness, giving the picture a firmer feel to every element, including finely detailed blades of grass, insect bodies of varying shapes and sizes and textural compositions, rocks, earth, and the like. The downside to the resolution bump and the color increase is that there's a slightly more obvious look of digital artificiality to the image. The film released in 1998, relatively early in the Pixar story (and was in fact the second film released after 1995's Toy Story) and the technology had not yet evolved to where it is today. The movie's technical limitations are simply more obvious, but it's certain that A Bug's Life has never looked anywhere close to this good for home viewing. HDR is, in particular, a revelation for the movie.

A Bug's Life 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

A Bug's Life features a Dolby Atmos soundtrack. As with every other Disney/Pixar Atmos soundtrack, this one is not at all wanting for additional surround integration. The micro world springs to life with gloriously immersive detail: birds, buzzing insects in the distance, rustling grasses and leaves, and all variety of natural environmental ambience fills the stage with frequency to draw the listener into the bug perspective world. Things pick up with some additional examples of action elements during circus performances or other scenes of activity and adventure, never demonstrating a shortage of full integration, expert placement, complimentary overhead support, and strong elemental clarity. Also as with other Disney Atmos tracks, this one falls short in depth and detail. It's thin and wanting more fullness and completeness. When the grasshoppers invade early in the film, there's a token amount of bass but the scene clearly lacks the commanding presence one would expect of it. It's a disappointing sonic experience that is unfortunately not limited to this scene but rather is present throughout the film. At least dialogue clarity, positioning, and prioritization are fine. As with several other examples, the lossless DTS track is fuller and the better bet despite the fewer channels available to it.

A Bug's Life 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

A Bug's Life's UHD disc contains no extras, but the bundled Blu-ray disc carries over a fairly sizable assortment of extras. See below for an outline of what's included and please click here for full supplemental coverage. A Movies Anywhere digital copy code is included with purchase. This release ships with an embossed slipcover.

• Geri's Game
• Filmmakers' Roundtable
• A Bug's Life - The First Draft
• A Walt Disney Silly Symphony: Grasshopper and the Ants (1934)
• Audio Commentary
• Pre-Production
  
  
  • Fleabie Reel
  • Story and Editorial
  • Storyboard-to-Film Comparison
  • Abandoned Sequences
  • Research Documentary
• Design
• Production
  
  
  • Behind the Scenes of A Bug's Life - Production Featurette Documentary
  • Voice Casting
  • Early Tests
  • Progression Demonstration
• Sound Design
• Release
• Outtakes

A Bug's Life 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A Bug's Life is a charming little movie but one of a few that might be considered the unsung heroes of the growing Pixar canon. Perhaps not quite so popular as WALL•E, Cars, or Finding Nemo, it is nevertheless a great film and certainly the better insect movie compared to DreamWorks' Antz, which released in close proximity. Disney's UHD delivers spectacular 2160p/HDR video and a typically stymied Atmos soundtrack. No new extras are included but the bundled Blu-ray brings over plenty. Highly recommended.