Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.5

Toy Story 2 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Disney has released 1999's hit digitally animated film 'Toy Story 2' to the UHD format. The release includes a new 2160p/HDR transfer and a Dolby Atmos soundtrack. The bundled Blu-ray is for all intents and purposes identical to the 2010 release. The studio is also offering 'Toy Story' and 'Toy Story 3' in similar UHD configurations.

Toy Story 2 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc.

Toy Story 2's 2160p/HDR UHD presentation fares much like that accompanying the first film, offering a superior color experience while fine-tuning detailing when comparing the image to the existing Blu-ray. The first point of interest is the colorful red, yellow, and blue opening title card against a starry outer space background. There's a modest add to color depth and brightness, with the hues clearly deeper but at the same time a little more expressive and bold. HDR adds some impressive luminance and color intensity to the sequence featuring Buzz on the alien world immediately thereafter, particularly some of the more intensive hues that compliment rather than define. There is greater color depth and saturation to the blue walls and yellow stars in Andy's room, a deeper, denser green on Rex and the army figures, and the beat goes on for the duration, with every scene finding agreeable increases -- sometimes subtle, sometimes dynamic -- for pop, punch, intensity, and stability across the entire color spectrum.

The textural bumps are more subtle. Viewers will note more clearly defined seams on the plastic army figures, improved definition to Rex's scaly body, the wool coming out of Woody's wounded arm, the scuffs and wear and tear on Buzz's space suit, and Jessie's hair. Various elements and environments find more pinpoint clarity, too, whether sweeping details like furnishings in Andy's room or the darker details in Al's place. Airport conveyer belts, the foam padded cases that hold the figures...everything enjoys a modest boot in clarity that enhances the experience in conjunction with the HDR colors. Perhaps the greatest contribution is the UHD's ability to more fully view the very fine, minute sights throughout the film. The resolution affords the opportunity for better analysis of these details, like little raindrop smudges on a window next to Rex when he's seen playing a video game. These are a little more clear on the UHD, but more impressive is how much easier it is to appreciate just how much love went into making the movie and ensuring little details that all but a few viewers were ever going to notice are there and contributing to the overall feel, even if they are not front-and-center. Even two decades later, kudos to the digital artists for their painstaking work. It was well worth it.

As was the case with the first picture's UHD, there are some inherent source flaws that appear, and appear a little more obviously, on the UHD. The red directional pad on the game controller Rex is using at the five-minute mark shimmers around the edges. Such artifacts continue, whether considering a downward driveway shot as seen from Andy's room's window in the 10-minute mark or an idyllic landscape in chapter 22 where both clusters of trees and the edge of a television in the back of a truck serve as some of the most obvious examples. On the whole, however, the movie looks quite nice on the UHD format, even if it's more of as stabilization rather than a revelation.

Toy Story 2 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Toy Story 2 features a Dolby Atmos soundtrack which is yet another Disney release that requires a fairly substantial upward movement for the volume dial (about 7db on this reviewer's system) to have it approach a fairly normal listening level. During the Superman-inspired opening title sequence, there's a good bit of surround activity and a healthy low end thud, though it's clear that the sound is a bit thin despite the sheer feel for activity. That's not always the case though, but it's obvious in this moment. As Buzz enter the planet's atmosphere, the detail is sharp-edged and harsh, and it's difficult to tell if that's inherent to the sound design or just a shortcoming in the track. But for sheer activity the sequence is very fun as he lands and battles a horde or robots and the ground opens up below him, all with plenty of surround and subwoofer activity. There's certainly more surround activity here than in the previous film -- much more, in fact -- and the feel for greater spacial immersion and lively activity only enhance the total sonic package. The highlight comes in chapter 16 -- when the characters cross the road under orange cones -- which features some of the most dominant bass, surround, and overhead integration this Atmos track has to offer. In addition, there is a nice feel for overhead usage as balls fall from up high and down to the floor in the toy store in chapter 21, probably the single best top-layer effect the Atmos track has to offer. Lighter ambient details are nicely integrated around the listener and music is detailed with nicely managed and firmly positioned lyrics as necessary (such as Jessie's melancholic song). Dialogue is clear and well prioritized in the front-center position.

Toy Story 2 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Toy Story 2's UHD disc contains no supplemental features. The bundled Blu-ray is essentially identical to that released in 2010; the disc ditches BD-Live functionality and a feature on using the Disney digital file copy. See below for a breakdown of what's included. For full supplemental content coverage, please click here. This release ships with a Movies Anywhere digital copy code. It also ships with an embossed slipcover.

• Toy Story 3 Sneak Peek: "The Characters"
• Audio Commentary: Director John Lasseter, Co-Directors Lee Unkrich and Ash Brannon, and Co-Writer Andrew Stanton.
• Buzz Lightyear Mission Logs: International Space Station
• Paths to Pixar: Technical Artists
• Studio Stories: Toy Story 2 Sleep Deprivation Lab
• Studio Stories: Pinocchio
• Studio Stories: The Movie Vanishes
• Pixar's Zoetrope
• Celebrating Our Friend Joe Ranft
• Making Toy Story 2
• John Lasseter Profile
• Cast of Characters
• Toy Box
• Deleted Scenes
• Design
• Production
• Music & Sound
• Publicity

Toy Story 2 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Toy Story 2 is a terrific film about one's place and purpose in the world and the connections that matter most. It's a rare sequel that tops the original, expanding character ranges and developing real, purposeful dramatic content in a fun framework. Disney's UHD release delivers satisfying 2160p/HDR video and an enjoyably active and robust Dolby Atmos soundtrack. Supplements are ported over on the included Blu-ray. Highly recommended.