Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Moana 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Disney has released the 2016 digitally animated film 'Moana' to the UHD format. New specifications include 2160p/HDR video and a Dolby Atmos soundtrack. No new extras are included but the bundled Blu-ray disc, which is identical to that which Disney released in 2017, brings over a fine assortment of extra goodies.

Moana 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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

Moana's 2160p/HDR UHD presentation is a thing of beauty. The transition from the Blu-ray's SDR colors to the UHD's HDR colors makes a large and immediate impact. The opening aerial shot of the island, surrounded by pure blue ocean waters and pleasing daytime skies, transforms on the UHD with a tonal intensity and significant add to contrast and depth that altogether put the Blu-ray to shame, rendering an admittedly excellent image under that format's parameters to appearing bland, flat, and severely lacking color punch. What's nice about Moana is that so much of the movie takes place in those green lands and around those blue waters, and so many scenes are a pure joy to behold, each one only adding to the image's legacy of color accuracy, diversity, and nuance and perfectly tuned contrast. But it's not all just blues and greens and the variations thereof, albeit those being the most prominent colors in the movie. Look at the demon that appears just minutes into the movie. The intense reds against the billowing black smoke makes for a beautiful, albeit terrifying, visual delight. The contrast of intensely bright reds and deep, absorbing blacks makes for a pure reference quality moment. Earthen terrain around the island delights, clothes and vegetation and creatures of assorted bold colors pop, and flesh tones appear spot-on accurate with much greater depth and detail than the Blu-ray can muster. In a word, wow.

The 2160p resolution brings with it a less drastic, but still appreciable, boost to textural visibility and overall clarity. To be sure these are mild compared to the dramatic HDR overhaul, but viewers will nevertheless appreciate the increases in fine skin textures and tattoos, clothing material definition, and environmental detail on woods and leaves, all of which appear sharper, more tangible, more digitally lifelike, for lack of a better term. Certainly the image's greatest asset is its HDR colors, but don't discount the fine point textural increases that compliment the refined palette. Together they create one of the most visually exciting digitally animated UHD presentations yet. And with no source or encode issues of note, this one ranks no less than perfect.

Moana 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Moana's Dolby Atmos soundtrack delivers a now-typical Disney listing experience. The volume needs to be turned up a few decibels and the track shows some limitations in its dynamics and range, but it's a fairly capable listen overall. With the volume adjusted upward, the presentation satisfies, albeit lacking the dominant bass and detail through the larger range. The track does make good use of the prodigious number of channels made available to it. It's wide and deep, spilling and splashing all around with impressive stage engagement to ocean atmospherics, environmental details on the island, and incorporating the full stage in musical delivery. Clarity is excellent throughout, with fine musical fidelity a highlight. The low end could stand more support engagement but on the whole the experience is not terrible by any stretch. Large action scenes fill the stage with well defined fury and perfectly imaged sounds, whether stationary or in motion, again only wanting for a bit more fullness. Dialogue is clear and well prioritized as it flows from a natural front-center home.

Moana 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Moana's UHD disc contains no supplemental content, but the bundled Blu-ray is identical to that which Disney released in 2017 and brings with it the entirety of this set's supplemental content. Below is a listing of what's included. Please click here for full review coverage. A Movies Anywhere digital copy code is included with purchase. This release ships with an embossed slipcover.

• Theatrical Short Film: Inner Workings
• Maui Mini-Movie: Gone Fishing
• Voice of the Islands
• Things You Didn't Know About...
• Island Fashion
• The Elements Of...
• They Know the Way: Making the Music of Moana
• Deleted Song: "Warrior Face" with Introduction by Songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda
• Fishing for Easter Eggs
• Deleted Scenes
• "How Far I'll Go" Performed by Alessia Cara
• "How Far I'll Go" Around the World
• Audio Commentary: Directors John Musker and Ron Clements.

Moana 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Moana is one of Disney's best contemporary films and the studio has released it to the UHD format with striking 2160p/HDR video. Color depth and integrity are superb; the image yields some of the finest HDR colors yet to grace a digitally animated film, with emphasis on blue and green superiority. The Atmos audio track is of typical Disney quality, yielding a perfectly serviceable but nevertheless lacking listen. No new extras are included but the bundled Blu-ray brings over all previously released legacy content. Highly recommended.