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)
Reviewed by Michael Reuben January 20, 2017
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.
For a discussion of the film, please refer to the
Storks
Blu-ray review.
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.
