Toy Story 4 Blu-ray review

Oct 07, 2019- Permalink

When Toy Story 4 was released in theatres, I said that “old and new characters alike are facing some major existential issues” and that the story’s layers worked for audiences of all ages. . You can now reunite with the gang in the comfort of your own home as Disney/Pixar has released it for your home library. We had a chance to review the Blu-ray combo pack, which also comes with a DVD and digital copy code.

The 1080p AVC-encoded disc is presented in the original’s 2.39:1 aspect ratio. The video presentation is very detailed and the computer-animated characters show the wear and tear of years of childhood play on their surfaces and textiles. Environmental details, from the antique toy store to the rides in the carnival, show just as much textural detail. The colour palette is as wide as the selection of toys and the image also has deep black levels and excellent contrast. There are no evident flaws or digital noise. If Bonnie took this video presentation to class, she’d get a gold star.

On the audio side of things, your ears have the choice of English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 and DTS-HD HR 5.1 soundtracks as well as a Dolby Digital 2.0 Descriptive Audio track. There is also the choice of French and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks. (An English Dolby Atmos soundtrack is available on the 4K release.) Subtitles are available in English, English SDH, French and Spanish. Like many recent Disney releases, the volume needs to be upped a bit over reference levels to fully appreciate the tracks. Though your surround speakers are used, you won’t find this presentation as fully immersive as, say, a Marvel or Star Wars movie. Music is fairly dynamic and the music is clear and centred.

The Toy Story 4 combo pack comes with a DVD copy and a Movies Anywhere digital code. Extras are spread over the movie’s Blu-ray disc as well as a bonus item Blu-ray. On the movie disc you’ll find a look at Bo Peep’s transition to a main character, interviews with the cast and crew about their favourite toys, and audio commentary from director Josh Cooley and producer Mark Nielsen. The bonus disc takes us behind the scenes of the voice recording process with Ally Maki (Giggle McDimples), examines the relationship of Woody and Buzz, shows us a production breakdown of one of the scenes, introduces us to the new characters, and also gives us deleted scenes, trailers, and promos.

Toy Story 4 gives us a touching tale of purpose and change. Coupled with an excellent video presentation, a good audio package and a bunch of extras, you’ll want to add this one to your collection.