8.7 | / 10 |
Users | 4.9 | |
Reviewer | 5.0 | |
Overall | 4.9 |
In the distant future, a small waste-collecting robot inadvertently embarks on a space journey that will ultimately decide the fate of mankind.
Starring: Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Jeff Garlin, Fred Willard, MacintalkAdventure | 100% |
Family | 97% |
Animation | 84% |
Sci-Fi | 31% |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (192 kbps)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (3 BDs)
4K Ultra HD
Region A (locked)
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 5.0 | |
Overall | 5.0 |
Easily one of this decade's most surprising home video announcements, Criterion's three-disc 4K UHD set of Andrew Stanton's WALL-E was a release that pretty much no one saw coming. Bearing in mind the existence of both Disney's fully-loaded 2008 Blu-ray and their own solid 4K combo pack 12 years later-- not to mention Criterion's long-standing tradition of mostly avoiding animation -- and you've got something that probably didn't need to exist but I'm glad to have anyway. So besides for the prospect of future Disney/Pixar catalog titles from Criterion, what's the big deal here? Not too much... just Dolby Vision / HDR10+ enhancement for the main feature, plus seven new extras to complement almost all of the old ones. If you're the type to appreciate such changes, just pre-order this thing already.
Contrary to the notice on Criterion's original press release (which has long since been corrected on their own website), WALL-E's 2160p transfer uses the same director-approved 4K master as the one found on Disney's 4K combo pack. This is absolutely no cause for concern as it's still an outstanding effort that pushes WALL-E's 2K origins to their limit; Pixar has continued to evolve visually but this era still holds up in a way that most late-2000s CGI productions don't. They key difference here is the new addition of HDR10+/Dolby Vision enhancement for the main feature, both of which improve on the "regular" HDR10 application used for that earlier release. Is this a totally new experience? Not entirely, but it leads to a number of tangible improvements that thankfully don't dip anywhere close to "revisionist" territory: shadow detail and contrast are improved, whites and deep blacks reach new heights and depths, graphic displays are more distinct, and WALL-E's second half aboard the AXIOM exhibits more precise color saturation and improved depth due to colors standing out more strongly against dark backgrounds. Of course, most of these potential improvements are dependent on varying TV or projector capabilities including contrast level, color depth, local dimming, maximum brightness and more, but on a good-quality and properly calibrated display you'll be able to appreciate the differences. Overall, this is a very tasteful 4K presentation and one akin to a fresh coat of similarly-hued paint.
As implied by my above paragraph, the included Blu-ray's 1080p SDR transfer (the source of this review's screenshots) is more or less identical to its counterparts on both previous Disney discs. A few very minor shifts in overall brightness, as well as negligible encoding differences, can be spotted in direct side-by-side comparisons to the similar screenshots Martin Liebman used in his review linked above, but these will likely go unnoticed by most.
Although not advertised as a new version of the previous Atmos mix, Criterion's Dolby Atmos track -- which unfolds to Dolby TrueHD 7.1 if your receiver doesn't support the format -- doesn't sound to me like what Marty described in his linked review; I noticed similar dynamic range and volume levels during key comparisons with the secondary DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix. In any case, I consider the latter mix to be the "official" one anyway, so another perfect score it is. Also returning are a stereo track (still presented in Dolby Digital 2.0) and English Descriptive Audio.
Optional English subtitles are included during the main feature, but not the extras. This is not at all surprising but a disappointment nonetheless, since Disney's earlier releases offered subtitles for everything. Also gone are the French and Spanish subtitle options for the film, which again is standard operating procedure for Criterion discs.
Spread across all three discs, we get quite a spread of bonus features here: some are new to this release but most are carried over from Disney's 2008 Blu-ray; please follow the link for full coverage of those older extras. As far as I know, the only missing one is an enjoyable short film, Presto, which was shown before WALL-E in theaters. No idea why this was left out, but it's available on earlier WALL-E releases and Pixar Short Films Collection: Volume 2.
4K DISC (Movie)
BLU-RAY DISC ONE (Movie)
BLU-RAY DISC TWO (Special Features)
This vault of extras is divided into four separate categories; there are four new and exclusive bonus features sprinkled throughout, but most are just odds and ends from Disney's 2008 Blu-ray in a different order.
Process
Prophecies
Robots
Short Films
Andrew Stanton's WALL-E is, as advertised on Criterion's website, "a high-water mark of digital animation" and one of the studio's very best efforts. Available previously on both Disney's fully-loaded 2008 Blu-ray and their own solid 4K combo pack, Criterion ups the ante with a fresh coat of HDR10+/Dolby Vision paint and seven new director-focused bonus features. (The default Atmos audio may be better too, but the jury's still out on that one.) Aside for the missing foreign language options and subtitles from those earlier discs, as well as one missing short film, this is a definitive release and absolutely worth the upgrade for die-hard fans. As the beginning of what might be a long and exciting partnership between Disney/Pixar and Criterion, it's a hell of a start and comes Highly Recommended.
WALL-E
2008
2008
PIXAR
2008
2008
2008
2008
2008
2008
2008
2-Disc Set | PIXAR
2008
10th Anniversary Edition
2002
2009
2011
2016
2009
2009
2007
2019
2005
Ultimate Collector's Edition
2004
2009
Censored Version
2002
2022
2006
2008
2014
1990
2014
1998
2006