Song of the Miraculous Hind 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Song of the Miraculous Hind 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

The story of Song of the Miraculous Hind is divided into chapter sections exploring Siberian and Finno-Ugric storytelling legends exploring the world of creation. The story features half-humans – including those who are half-bird and half-bear. The feature-film explores the cultural storytelling through medieval history, symbolism, Ice Age mythology, and even more. The feature-film also includes incorporations of Iranian, Scythian, and Turkic influences.

The story begins with a snowstorm. Nomadic hunters are exploring the outdoors while hunting deer and wooly mammoth. The hunters also sing songs of their ancestors. As the story unfolds, it shifts to Geza, the Grand Prince of the Hungarians, a character who helped to bridge early Christianity and Paganism.

The animated odyssey features sweeping visuals of She-Dee, the brothers Magyar and Hunor, forest spirits, beautiful fish, stunning birds, and much more. The visuals are one of the most essential and foundational elements of the production. The filmmaking is beautiful in spades and the animation certainly stands as one of the most compelling and essential elements. The animation shines with vibrancy, wonder, and a sense of magic.

Song of the Miraculous Hind features art direction by József Erdei. The animators bring the world of the film to life in an incredible way – there is so much beauty throughout the feature and it certainly makes a wonderful impression. The background animation and subtle details of the artwork manage to bring the storytelling to life in a compelling way. The historical and mythological storytelling methods add so much to the filmmaking. There is plenty to appreciate about the lush visuals and the way they play an important role in the film.

Composed by Levente Szörényi (The Day Has Gone, Binding Sentiments), Song of the Miraculous Hind features beautiful score music. The score is one of the best and most moving elements of the feature. The music is breathtakingly beautiful throughout the feature-film and there is much to love and to admire about the compositions. The score is a great backdrop to the animation and the wondrous visuals. The storytelling is enhanced tenfold by the music and the evocative attributes of the score. Powerful, moving, and essential to the storytelling.

The cinematography by Zoltán Bacsó (The Time Masters, Suli-buli), András Klausz (Egérút, The Time Masters), Gábor Széll, and György Varga (Cat City, Hungarian Folk Tales) is stunning and offers an impeccable view of the animation. The animation is well showcased with great lighting and detail. Exceptional throughout – there is so much beauty on display in the feature-film.

Edited by Magda Hap (Son of the White Mare, Cat City), Song of the Miraculous Hind is well-paced throughout. The editing style is complex and beautiful. There is so much wonder and beauty with regards to the production. Hap is a terrific editor and delivers something special throughout the production. Each of the chapter segments is well edited and bridged between the stories. The pacing is also impressive and there is a classical style of storytelling showcased by the editors.

Written and directed by Marcell Jankovics (Son of the White Mare, Tragedy of Man), Song of the Miraculous Hind is a masterpiece. There is something magical about the filmmaking. The film is enormously beautiful and the animation is stunning from first to last frame.

Fans of international animation will be pleased with the gorgeous art. Jankovics is well regarded as one of the master filmmakers of animated cinema and Song of the Miraculous Hind is a beautiful showcase for his masterful storytelling. Song of the Miraculous Hind is almost unlike anything else I have ever seen before: each frame of the film is a unique work of art. There is something unique in each segment of the feature and it unfolds in a compelling way.

Song of the Miraculous Hind 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Deaf Crocodile, Song of the Miraculous Hind is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.40:1. The release presents a great high-definition transfer. The release showcases the majesty of the animation. Gorgeous animation throughout the film. There is so much beauty on display and the encoding capably preserves the animation throughout the feature.

The 4K UHD release features top-notch detail throughout. The release marks the first UHD 4K & Blu-ray release worldwide. The 4K UHD comes from a brand-new restoration completed by the NFI – Film Archive located in Hungary.

Deaf Crocodile presents an exceptional encode of the feature-film. Song of the Miraculous Hind is well-encoded from first to last frame. The cinematography is well presented and preserved on the release, too. The encoding preserves every fine detail in the animation.

One of the best qualities of physical media is the exceptional encoding compared to streaming. While streaming can still provide a good image, physical media provides a superior picture. The visuals are enhanced by higher bit-rates and more information in the image. For home theater enthusiasts wanting the best possible presentation, Blu-ray rewards with outstanding quality. Streaming also runs into more variables such as streaming plan tiers, data caps, number of connected users, and unexpected weather issues. There is something dependable about physical media and knowing it is always there for you and with a wonderful image.

Song of the Miraculous Hind 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in Hungarian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (with English subtitles). The lossless, high-resolution audio is top-notch throughout. The presentation provides excellent clarity and detail throughout. The English subtitles are well-done and are free from any egregious spelling or grammatical errors.

The lossless encoding is one of the best strengths of Blu-ray discs. The encoding is incredible and offers exceptional results. Physical media provides superior audio compared to streaming video services. On streaming video services, the audio is always limited to lossy audio (often in MP3 quality). With physical media, the lossless encoding provides significantly higher bit-rates and superior bit-depth. The result is something spectacular and it will please home theater enthusiasts and audiophiles alike.

Song of the Miraculous Hind 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The limited-edition release comes with a gorgeous collectable art-box with stunning artwork. The release also includes the standard clear-case edition inside of the art-box. The additional art looks incredible, too. The set also comes with a booklet for the feature-film.

Deaf Crocodile makes some of the best collector's edition on the market. For collectors and lovers of physical media, there is almost nothing better than a nice Deaf Crocodile collectors edition release. This is a beauty package and one that is gorgeous on the shelf.

On disc supplements:

Audio Commentary by Adam Rackoff, James Hancock, and Martin Kessler

Visual Essay by Evan Chester (HD, 16:49)

Interview with animators (HD, 49:34)

Deaf Crocodile continues to impress with a nice assortment of bonus features. The bonus features are well-rounded and add a lot of value to the package. Fans of bonus features will find them an added incentive for purchasing. In the era of streaming, physical media offers something special with its selection of extras. From the audio commentary to animator interview, Deaf Crocodile remains amongst the best boutique Blu-ray labels producing and releasing exceptional releases.

Song of the Miraculous Hind 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Song of the Miraculous Hind is a beautiful gem of animated storytelling. The epic masterpiece comes from legendary international filmmaker Marcell Jankovics (Son of the White Mare). The storytelling mesmerizes and the filmmaking is majestic from beginning to end. The beauty of the film is well displayed throughout. An epic of cultural and mythological storytelling.

The Blu-ray release provides an exceptional high-definition presentation, stunning lossless audio encoding, and a nice selection of bonus features – including an audio commentary, visual essay, and an interview with animators. The 4K UHD provides an exceptional presentation from beginning to end. Deaf Crocodile also went the extra mile with their collector's edition release – providing an exceptional chipboard art- box with stunning art alongside the standard edition clear-case packaging with additional artwork. The set also comes with a booklet for the film. A great release and a well-rounded one. An essential for fans of filmmaker Marcell Jankovics. Highly recommended.