Storks 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

Storks 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Sharper and Brighter (but Still the Same Film)

Although Warner Brothers was disappointed with the box office performance of the animated feature Storks, it has nevertheless given it a UHD release, no doubt in the hope of maximizing home video receipts to help recoup the costs of production and promotion. The previous feature from Warner Animation Group, The LEGO Movie, also received a 4K release, and as my colleague Martin Liebman noted, the upgrade was minimal. With Storks, however, the UHD image offers a notable improvement, and it's a clear winner over the rather tame 3D release.

Storks 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

As I noted in reviewing Storks' Blu-ray presentation, the film's long shots (to the extent it's accurate to speak of "long shots" in animation) don't match the razor-sharp clarity of the character closeups, but on Warner's 2160p, HEVC/H.265-encoded UHD, they come much closer. Scenes such as Junior's initial flight into the Cornerstore HQ, a package distribution center featuring a dizzying array of conveyors and other machinery, acquire a new depth, sharpness and focus in 4K. The same holds for the elaborate landscapes (snowy, mountainous and otherwise) through which Junior and Tulip transport their unanticipated "delivery". The elaborate Stork Con sequence is more sharply rendered, as is the mysterious machinery of Stork Mountain's baby factory, which begins the film in hibernation but is ultimately awakened into a dizzying display of bright colors and complex motion. The aerial shots of Nate's house, as he and his father embark on a perilous "remodeling" project, are also upgraded in 4K. Even the wolf pack's bizarre "formations" are more clearly rendered.

Since I was not able to confirm whether Storks was finished at 2K or 4K, I cannot be certain how much of the UHD's improvement is attributable to increased resolution and how much to a careful application of HDR encoding to refine contrast, brightness and color differentiation. Regardless of the cause, the enhancements are impossible to miss. Given how little the 3D conversion added to Storks, its UHD presentation easily takes the top spot among the available video options.

[System calibrated using a Klein K10-A Colorimeter with a custom profile created with a Colorimetry Research CR250 Spectraradiometer, powered by SpectraCal CalMAN 2016 5.7, using the Samsung Reference 2016 UHD HDR Blu-ray test disc authored by Florian Friedrich from AV Top in Munich, Germany. Calibration performed by Kevin Miller of ISFTV.]

Storks 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The UHD version of Storks features the same lossless DTS-HD MA 7.1 track as the standard Blu-ray, reviewed here. As is now common with 4K discs, the UHD of Storks offers a much larger selection of both audio and subtitle options than the Blu-ray. A full list appears above this review.

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

The UHD package contains a copy of the standard Blu-ray with all of the extras previously reviewed. The 4K disc includes the filmmakers' commentary among its many language tracks, but no new extras.

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

If you're a fan of Storks, the UHD is the best way to see it on home video. If you're not a fan, the UHD is unlikely to convert you.