Beauty and the Beast 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.5

Beauty and the Beast 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman March 19, 2020

Disney has released the 'tale as old as time,' 1991's critically acclaimed animated film 'Beauty and the Beast' to the UHD format. New specifications include 2160p/HDR video and Dolby Atmos audio. No new supplements are included.

For a full film review, please click here; note that this link points to the 2010 Blu-ray and that the "Movie" score above reflects my own.

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 makes its UHD debut with a rich and satisfying 2160p/HDR UHD presentation. This is not a transformative UHD by any stretch of the imagination. The existing Blu-ray does a fantastic job of translating the material into the high definition realm and it leaves little to the imagination in terms of clarity and color alike. But the UHD certainly betters it, and the biggest difference is unsurprisingly the HDR color amplification. While not at all dissimilar from the SDR Blu-ray, the UHD brings a new level of color vitality and sheen to the movie that was missing from the previously released presentation. Belle's blue and white outfit that she wears through the movie's opening act-plus is a highlight. Depth is greatly improved without fundamentally altering the color's essence. Against the white, itself greatly improved in intensity and stability, it's a knockout color amongst a spectrum of great tones seen throughout the film. There's an abundance of natural greenery in the first act, often seen against a number of earthen tones and woods behind, through, and around town, which yield more spectacular depth and accuracy, extending to a number of pastels in static backgrounds as well. The second act is often bleak and shadowy inside and out around the Beast's castle, boasting rock-solid blacks and beautifully subdued tones around the castle, such as lavender walls. Certainly these scenes also enjoy a number of excellent, high visibility tones, including accents on Chip and his mother, the red rugs running throughout the castle, and Lumière's golden tone. The colors are spectacular throughout, any tone and in any light.

Overall clarity is boosted slightly by the 2160p resolution, but there's not any signs of drastic improvements to detailing, whether character models or static backgrounds. The Blu-ray largely captures the textural qualities as they are, and the UHD only improves on things by tiny increments. There's a little aliasing on castle steps, center screen on a stained glass window, at the 2:26 mark. This is the only real "flaw" in the image; other source or encode issues are non-issues. The HDR colors bring the biggest improvements, by far, making this the clear-cut new definitive version of the film for home viewing.

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

The Dolby Atmos soundtrack definitely demands that typical Disney volume adjustment but is quite proficient once there. Music literally soars with impressively balanced stage engagement, including nicely defined overhead supports, obvious right out of the gate during the opening song ("Belle"). There are a number of instrumental and vocal elements in play, and the track positions each one with organic location specificity, creating wonderful immersion and total clarity to all elements. The track maintains such excellence, sometimes not with such dramatic stretch and immersion, but clarity is excellent throughout and spacing is never called into question. Atmospherics are first-class, particularly some of the more subtle sound elements around the castle that help draw the listener into its nooks and crannies and its wide-open areas alike. Action scenes, whether beastly growls or the mob that descends on the castle in the final act, present with impressive depth and detail, including welcoming overhead support that compliment rather than overwhelm the material. Dialogue is clear, center focused, and well prioritized form stat to finish.

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

There are no supplements on the 4K disc, but the Blu-ray includes a few, outlined below. Please click here for coverage. Most of the extras are digital only and are also listed below; many of those were previously included on-disc with the 2010 Blu-ray. There are appear to be some changes from the Signature Blu-ray's digital content. A Movies Anywhere digital copy code is included with purchase. This release ships with an embossed slipcover.

Disc-Based Supplements:

• Always Belle
• Menken & Friends: 25 Years of Musical Inspiration
• #1074: Walt, Fairy Tales & Beauty and the Beast
• The Recording Sessions
• 25 Fun Facts About Beauty and the Beast
• Beauty and the Beast Sneak Peek
• Song Selection (Sing-Along Edition Only)
• Audio Commentary
• Classic Bonus Preview

Below is a list of the digital-only supplemental content included.

Making Of:

• Beyond Beauty - Act 4: Character Development: Will vs. Nik
• Beyond Beauty - Act 4: Acting as a Team: Bringing Belle and the Beast To Life
• Beyond Beauty - Act 1: Disney: A Fairy Tale
• Character Development: Gaston
• Beyond Beauty - Act 2: Full Circle to Broadway
• Character Development: Mrs. Potts
• Character Development: Beast
• Character Development: Lumiere
• Character Development: Cogsworth
• Beyond Beauty - Act 4: New Digital Horizons
• Beyond Beauty - Act 5: Frame by Frame: A Thumbnail Sketch of the History of Animation
• Beyond Beauty - Act 3: Ever a Surprise: A Portrait of Howard Ashman
• Searching for the Beast's Castle
• Beyond Beauty: The Untold Stories Behind The Making Of Beauty And The Beast
• The Beauty of Voice Acting (iTunes Exclusive)

Extras:

• Alternate Story Opening
• #1074: Walt, Fairy Tales & Beauty and the Beast
• Alternate Version "Be Our Guest"
• 25 Fun Facts About Beauty and the Beast
• Always Belle
• Camera Move Test
• Menken & Friends: 25 Years Of Musical Inspiration
• The Recording Sessions
• Beauty and the Beast Sneak Peek
• Belle and the Library Intro
• Alternate Version "Be Our Guest" Intro
• Early Presentation Reel
• Intro to Early Presentation Reel
• Belle and the Library
• Broadway Beginnings
• Alternate Score: "The Transformation"
• Alternate Story Opening Intro
• The Transformation: Pencil Version Intro by Don Hahn
• Camera Move Test Intro by Don Hahn
• Composing A Classic: A Musical Conversation With Alan Menken, Don Hahn & Richard Kraft
• Deleted Song "Human Again"
• Deleted Song "Human Again" Intro by Don Hahn
• Deleted Song "Human Again" Intro by Alan Menken
• Animation Test, Rough & Clean Ups with Intro
• A Transformation: Glen Keane

Music & More:

• "Beauty And The Beast" Music Video Preformed By Celine Dion & Peabo Bryson
• "Beauty And The Beast" Music Video Preformed By Jordin Sparks

Trailers & TV Spots:

• TV Spot #1
• TV Spot #3
• Large Format Release Trailer
• TV Spot #4
• TV Spot #2
• Original Release Trailer
• Trailers & TV Spots Introduction by Don Hahn

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

Beauty and the Beast is this reviewer's favorite animated film, favorite Disney film, and an all-time favorite within the larger movie spectrum. It's a pleasure to see it on UHD, boasting rich colors and a bit more clarity. The Atmos track is excellent when adjusted for volume. No new extras are included, but there's plenty here both on-disc and digitally. This release earns my highest recommendation.