The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Paramount has released a 4K UHD presentation of the fan-favorite 2004 animated/live action hybrid film 'The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie.' New specifications include 2160p/Dolby Vision video. The UHD simply ports over the existing DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack from the original 2011 Paramount Blu-ray release. That Blu-ray is also included and houses the extras. There is also a UHD SteelBook, released a few months before this basic packaging release. See below for links to existing content reviews as well as a few words on the new video presentation.

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from the UHD disc output at 1080p. They are not representative of the 2160p/Dolby Vision image.

Paramount releases The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie to the UHD format with a 2160p/Dolby Vision presentation. The results are solid if at times unspectacular. The animated source doesn't see a substantial improvement over the 1080p Blu-ray, offering very similar clarity and textural excellence, showing the same sort of eye-popping definition and detail that was present on the old HD disc. Lines are sharp and crisp, details are excellent, and the image suffers from very little in terms of compression artifacts or source shortcomings. Certainly the most discerning of viewers might find mild gains in sharpness, but there are no truly obvious, easily evident, reference worthy upgrades at work. Indeed, in terms of definition, there is not a whole lot of improvement on the animated side, but at least the status quo maintains a high level of performance excellence.

The Dolby Vision color grading is where the animated content sees its most substantial gain. The grading results in obviously deeper colors, offering fuller and richer colors throughout the spectrum. The Blu-ray looks bright in comparison, certainly not washed out or flat but clearly lacking the intricate color refinements and superior depth and brilliance found here. The film is abundantly colorful with no shortage of bold, vivid colors in practically every shot, and the Dolby Vision grading fine-tunes the full image, from the first frame to the last, offering terrific pop and punch to the core colors like SpongeBob yellow or Plankton green (including some excellent blood-red accents in his eye, especially when they bulge). But colorful characters, brilliant undersea locations and elements, and all sorts of eye candy material easily benefit from improved color grading that does not just darken the image but rather refines every hue for the best possible visual impact. White balance is wonderful, especially evident in character eyes, and black level depth is near perfect.

The live action content shows substantial gain, again and especially in terms of what the Dolby Vision color grading offers. The color improvements are much like the animated counterparts, with richer and deeper hues in evidence throughout the live action content, with everything from rich blue skies to earthy sandy colors on the shore looking very splendid for depth, vividness, and overall accuracy, leaving the Blu-ray looking somewhat flat by comparison. The 4K resolution certainly brings out superior definition, too. While the animated content is more or less a wash in terms of obvious improvements to sharpness and the like, the live action elements clearly show greater complexity and clarity, boasting superior definition to sand, structures, and even the surf. Viewers will greatly appreciate the boost the live action content enjoys. As with the animated elements, there are no obvious encode flubs at play, and the print is in fine shape with no pops or scratches or anything getting in the way of a nice, healthy, and naturally grainy image.

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

As noted above, this UHD release of The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie contains no new audio track. Rather than upgrade to Dolby Atmos or DTS:X, Paramount has merely ported over the existing (and still excellent) DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack from the 2011 Blu-ray (as is the studio's custom). As Michael noted, and as I discovered in my watch, there is surround activity aplenty, with excellent clarity at work all through the range of music, sound effects, and dialogue. It's a very fun track with a steady stream of activity all over the stage. Certainly, an Atmos remix might have elevated (literally and figuratively) the experience to make it even better, but at least what is ported here is very, very entertaining. For Michael's full thoughts on the track, please click here.

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This UHD release of The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie contains all extras on the bundled Blu-ray disc; there are no supplements on the UHD disc. As Michael noted in his review, there were a couple of extras that were on the DVD in the 2011 Blu-ray release package that are obviously not included here. A digital copy code is included with purchase.

• The Absorbing Tale Behind the SpongeBob SquarePants Movie
• Case of the Sponge "Bob"
• Animatics
• Saving the Surf
• Inside the Pineapple
• The Making of the Flaming Lips "SpongeBob and Patrick Confront the Psychic Wall of Energy" Music Video
• The Flaming Lips "SpongeBob and Patrick Confront the Psychic Wall of Energy" Music Video
• Teaser Trailer

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie holds up as a silly but charming and watchable little adventure that is certainly geared more to fans of the show and less to newcomers, but even those with little or no familiarity with the material will find the film largely accessible and fairly funny. The new UHD is solid, even if the upgrades are mostly limited to the Dolby Vision color grading; there's marginal, at best, gain to definition of the animated content, but the various live action elements do enjoy a solid boost in both areas. It's not a UHD visual powerhouse, but fans should find it to be a solid and worthwhile upgrade. Sadly, there is no new audio (though the legacy 5.1 rack remains excellent) and no new extras (though there is still plenty of material on the included Blu-ray). Recommended.