Rating summary
| Movie |  | 4.0 |
| Video |  | 5.0 |
| Audio |  | 4.5 |
| Extras | | 4.0 |
| Overall | | 4.0 |
The Lion King 4K Blu-ray Movie Review
Reviewed by Martin Liebman December 20, 2018
Disney and Best Buy have collaborated on this unique SteelBook UHD release for Disney's animated film 'The Lion King,' the first classic
Disney animated film released on the 4K format. This
SteelBook release includes the same two discs that are included in the film's wide release UHD: the film on UHD and on Blu-ray, the latter of which includes
various supplements. For more on this SteelBook's look and feel, see the 'Special Features and Extras' section below for more
detail.
For a full film review, please click
here. Note that this link references back to the original 2011
Diamond Edition Blu-ray.
The Lion King 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality
For a full review of the UHD's 4K/HDR video, please click here.
The Lion King 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality
For a full review of the UHD's Dolby Atmos audio, please click here.
The Lion King 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras
Collectors know that the quality of presentation can vary wildly from SteelBook to SteelBook, whether considering texture or artwork. Some are no
different from a wide release, others offer little difference from basic packaging, some are artistic, some are reserved, some are downright beautiful.
For The Lion King, Disney and Best Buy have chosen the previous three options: artistic, reserved, and beautiful. The front and rear sides are
comprised of a sublime light gray background. The middle-front image features Scar, against a black background, mischievously facing left and looking
forward while opposite is an older Simba, against a white backdrop, proudly gazing off to the right. The contrasting character dualities are surrounded
by a number
of silver hand-drawn animations of various characters and scenes from the movie. A Walt Disney "Signature Collection" logo appears mostly
unbobrterusivley on the bottom-right. The rear side is identical in terms of visual structure, but the middle image is smaller and features a single
character, an image of a young Simba. Along the bottom, characters walk from right to left in silhouette. The spine foregoes the gray
background for a beautifully offsetting black. The film's title appears center, with the words "The" and Lion" in "white and "King" in red. A Disney logo
appears at the top and a UHD logo at the bottom. Several silver character renditions, limited to faces, appear along the spine as well. The SteelBook
will not readily show fingerprinting.
Inside, the Movies Anywhere digital copy code is housed under the left hand side tabs. Both discs -- the Blu-ray feature film/extras and UHD feature
film -- are situated on the right, staggered-stacked. The inner print is a two-panel spread featuring an elephant primarily on the left-hand side, moving
towards the right. The artwork is sublime.
For full coverage of the supplements included with this set, please click here.
The Lion King 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation
A classic movie deserves a classy SteelBook, and that is what Disney and Best Buy have delivered. It's beautiful, basic, organic, and telling of the story.
The on-disc content is great, too. Very highly recommended.
