Wreck-It Ralph 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Wreck-It Ralph 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman November 13, 2018

Disney has released the hit animated film 'Wreck-It Ralph' to the UHD format just ahead of the sequel's theatrical debut. The UHD disc features new 2160p/HDR video and a new Dolby Atmos soundtrack. No new supplements have been included, and the bundled Blu-ray is identical to that released back in March 2013.

At nine feet tall and weighing over 600 pounds, Wreck-It Ralph (voiced by John C. Reilly) is a professional “wrecker.” He is also a digital construct, so those stats are relative to the video game world in which he exists. He is a video game villain, the primary antagonist in the game Fix-It Felix, a Donkey Kong-inspired (the original, not the newer Platformers like Tropical Freeze) game in which players control Felix, who climbs a building and makes repairs while Ralph destroys it from the top down. Ralph, Felix, and every game character are not just digital 1s and 0s; they're actually sentient beings with feelings and relationships who stand at the ready by day, to play out the game for players. At night when the arcade closes, they travel to other game areas and interact with their fellow video game characters. Ralph has been on the job for 30 years, and he's tired of playing the villain. His condition only worsens when he learns that the video game world is throwing Felix (voiced by Jack McBrayer) a 30th anniversary celebration. He's getting a medal for his long-term service, and not only is Ralph not getting a medal, he's not even been invited to the party. He crashes the party, anyway, and despite his best efforts at fitting in only makes things worse for himself. He's absentee from his game the next day, and the machine is slapped with an "out of order" notice that portends the worst for the characters inside. As they scramble to make things right, Ralph, who has just secured his own "medal" by crashing the game Hero's Duty, finds himself pulled into the colorful world of Sugar Rush after one if its characters, the glitchy, spunky, and spirited Vanellope (voiced by Sarah Silverman), steals his medal to use as an entry token into a popular kart race.

For a full film review, please click here.

Wreck-It Ralph 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Wreck-It Ralph makes its UHD debut with a robust 2160p/HDR presentation that's superior to the Blu-ray, almost exclusively on the strength of its HDR color palette. HDR certainly renders the image darker than the Blu-ray. Nighttime black levels in an early scene enjoy added depth as one of the benefits, and black levels throughout the film, which even include things such as Vanellope's hair against the bright and cheerful Sugar Rush landscape, appear more dense and accurate. Ralph's trademark orange shirt is likewise more colorfully refined, appearing with a deeper, less showy, but more fully saturated and balanced color presentation. Other color samples, including the insanely cheerful and robust Sugar Rush game world and bright green insect color accents in the otherwise bleak and gray Hero's Duty game world, enjoy increased depth and accuracy. Highlights are improved and some of the brightest light-intensive colors seen near film's end bear the fruits of the HDR's increase in intensity and stability. Color depth and balance in general are the great strengths; direct comparisons with the Blu-ray reveal that older 1080p/SDR color presentation to be a bit more garish and gaudy, even, in a few places, less refined and less stable than the more precise and agreeably complimentary HDR application. Increases in detail are practically indistinguishable, even down to fine-point cases like the small little frays on the edges of Ralph's sleeves. The upscaled 4K presentation adds but trace, if even that, amounts of textural improvements, but the HDR coloring does help bring out more detail in some areas (take a look at the front door of the arcade, for example) by fine-tuning the colors and contrast balance.

Wreck-It Ralph 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Wreck-It Ralph's Dolby Atmos soundtrack doesn't demolish home theater speakers, but it is an often enjoyable and active presentation that takes full advantage of the channels added in over the Blu-ray's 7.1 surround offering. At the same time its has its moments of frustration. The Atmos track requires an upward volume adjustment, per Disney norm, but beyond that the track impresses on the strength of its stage dispersal, overhead components, and general sense of sonic excitement. Music, both score and various Pop songs, presents with prominent front stage usage and enough musical surround support to fully immerse the listener into the score and enough verve and energy for the Pop beats to really sing. Object movement, whether mundane sound traversal or much more energetic and boisterous examples during several key and crazy action scenes, is seamless and always prominent. Discrete effects are handled well, too, with precision imaging to match the on-screen action. Overhead speakers engage for the first time with some PA announcements at the 7:40 mark, and again at 17:30, and at various other junctures throughout the movie; the track is never shy about utilizing the top end, and the sum total is one of the more fruitful Atmos tracks on the market in terms of top-end engagement. There are moments when bass seems far more subdued than ideal and others when it approaches ideal. A showdown in chapter 14 between Ralph and Turbo features some of the more obvious examples of poorly responsive bass. The race in chapter 13 struggles through some muddy effects that lack the range and accuracy of superior presentations and shallow and poorly prioritized dialogue (both during pitch racing scenes and even conversations away from the racing action). Dialogue is otherwise centered, usually well prioritized, and clear. In short, the track excels in delivering sonic information and positioning it properly but sometimes struggles with clarity and balance.

Wreck-It Ralph 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Wreck-It Ralph's UHD disc contains no special features, but the bundled Blu-ray does carry over all previously released content. For convenience, below is a list of what's included. For full supplemental content coverage, please click here. A Movies Anywhere digital copy code is included with purchase.

• Paperman: Theatrical Short
• Bit by Bit: Creating the Worlds of Wreck-It Ralph
• Alternate & Deleted Scenes
• Video Game Commercials

Wreck-It Ralph 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Wreck-It Ralph's UHD disc delivers a solid, enjoyable upgrade over the Blu-ray, especially in term of its HDR application. While there's little in terms of raw textural increase, the increased balance and accuracy the HDR color presentation offers stabilizes the image, adding dazzle and depth alike. The Atmos soundtrack is active, making regular use of the surround and overhead channels, but it struggles through some muddy-sounding scenes as well. No new extras have been added. Recommended, and packaging collectors can pick up a nifty Best Buy exclusive SteelBook variant which is otherwise identical to this release.