Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Beauty and the Beast 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Disney has released 2017's live action adaptation 'Beauty and the Beast' to the UHD format. New specifications include 2160p/HDR video and Dolby Atmos audio. No new extras are included but the bundled Blu-ray, identical to that which released in 2017, has been included. The studio has also put the cherished animated version in 4K onto the market day-and-date with this release.

Beauty and the Beast 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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

Beauty and the Beast is certainly a different experience on UHD. The 2160p/HDR color presentation makes a few alterations, some of which are not subtle. First, the new color spectrum. At the beginning, a luminous character who transforms the prince into the Beast appears as the first centerpiece for HDR alteration. It appears as a mass of light with a crudely identifiable shape on the Blu-ray, but on the UHD there's far greater pop and intensity to the brilliant light but also significantly more definition, too. There are suddenly design features on the swirling dress and face that are barely evident on the Blu-ray, if they are evident at all. It's a remarkable transformation and portends many great things for the image, which does largely follow suit, Generally, colors are more accurate and better saturated, whether cheerful tones in daytime or shadowy grays and lowered colors in the castle. But the image is also rendered much darker overall to the point that some shots, interior in particular, almost look as if they are now taking place during a different time of day. Look at Cogsworth at the 27:35 mark. The scene is significantly brighter on the Blu-ray, with the look of natural light spilling into the shot with abundance and brightening everything in the frame with cheerful daytime radiance. Compare that to the UHD where the scene in general is far, far darker. Cogsworth himself is made of drastically deeper shades of brown, bronze, and gold. The shot almost looks like it's taking place at dusk, maybe, it's now so deep and dark. But viewers will note resplendent black levels and well defined skin tones, too, throughout the film.

On the resolution side of things, the image is much cleaner, smoother, more sharply and agreeable detailed. It's the sheen where much of the difference is made, the feel for cleanliness and clarity that in this arena sees the most benefit over the Blu-ray. The picture is certainly impressive in total, featuring intimately detailed skin and hair, even Beast's digital mane. The nooks and crannies around the castle are treasures for high resolution exploration, and the assortment of digital characters enjoy refined detailing across the board, particularly more complex figures like the aforementioned Cogsworth. Noise is managed very well on this UHD and there are no obvious source maladies to report. Expect a dark image but also one of great color accuracy and impressive clarity.

Beauty and the Beast 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Beauty and the Beast makes the UHD transition with a new Dolby Atmos audio presentation which, of course, requires the usual upward volume adjustment to more fully appreciate and enjoy. The track is largely satisfying and handles the movie's core components very well, from large-scale intense action and soaring songs to subtle sound effects that define the world at its most impressively serene. There are some very nice atmospheric effects in chapter six as Belle's father makes his way on a journey through the dark. Thunder rolls, lightning cracks, and a tree falls in his path, all to exacting, impressively detailed and hefty, effect. Minutes later, listeners will get a grasp on Beast's cavernous castle as Maurice walks and talks around his new spacious surroundings. In that same stretch, the Beast growls with impressively dense and throaty vigor, one of the first booming, high yield sound elements in the movie. Music is invigorating for clarity and spaciousness, whether score or the various songs that play throughout the film. Fullness is very impressive in each number, with every speaker, including overhead, engaged in balanced harmony to deliver a flowing, richly realized symphony of sound. The top end carries no extreme discrete elements but do expect it to serve as a support structure for action, music, and atmosphere alike. Dialogue is clear and center-focused. It is well prioritized for the duration.

Beauty and the Beast 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Beauty and the Beast's 4K disc contains no extras, but the bundled Blu-ray, identical to the 2017 release, contains several featurettes, deleted scenes, and a number of extras centered on the film's music. Below is a list of what's included. Please click here for full coverage. A Movies Anywhere digital copy code is included with purchase. This release ships with an embossed slipcover.

• Enchanted Table Read
• A Beauty of a Tale
• The Women Behind Beauty and the Beast
• From Song to Screen: Making the Musical Sequences
• Extended Song
• Deleted Scenes
• Making a Moment with Celine Dion
• "Beauty and the Beast" Music Video by Ariana Grande and John Legend
• Making the Music Video: "Beauty and the Beast"
• Disney Song Selection

Beauty and the Beast 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Beauty and the Beast's UHD disc enjoys a boost of clarity and also a much deeper color palette, so much so that the movie is rendered a good bit darker, extremely so in some cases. But HDR does bring better tonal saturation and nuance to the table, too. The Atmos track is very good once the volume has been adjusted. No new extras are included but the bundled Blu-ray brings over the legacy extras. Recommended.