With a release in October 2021, the box office of Ron’s Gone Wrong probably suffered from the impact of COVID. However, it sputtered to a mere $60 million worldwide, a poor take that can’t be exclaimed solely due to the continued disruptions from the pandemic.

Did audiences reject Wrong because of issues with the film itself? Probably, as this becomes an unexceptional animated tale.

Robotic pals called “B-Bots” become hugely popular and owned by millions of kids. In his middle school class, only socially-awkward Barney Pudowski (voiced by Jack Dylan Grazer) doesn’t enjoy the company of a B-Bot.

When Barney’s father Graham (Ed Helms) and grandmother Donka (Olivia Colman) try to get him one, they find they can only afford a damaged B-Bot they purchase second-hand from a delivery driver. This malfunctioning B-Bot named Ron (Zach Galifianakis) leads Barney on a series of unusual adventures.

Nothing about that plot strikes me as especially creative. Though it comes with a high-tech twist, essentially Wrong tells of an introvert who comes out of his shell thanks to an unusual influence.

Though overused – and clearly heavily influenced by ET the Extra-Terrestrial - the story comes with reasonable potential. Given the influence of smart phones on kids’ lives, this becomes a way to look at the influence of technology on young society as well as the adventures of a shy kid who gets a wacky new buddy.

And some of this manages to entertain. As voiced by Galifianakis, Ron provides a predictable but still charming presence.

Unsurprisingly, Ron also gives us most of the movie’s comedy. Galifianakis delivers an unassuming performance that makes Ron’s antics funnier.

Wrong suffers because it comes with such a Been There, Done That vibe. Some of this stems from the “introvert brought to life” theme we’ve seen so many times in the past, as the movie can’t find a creative spin on this concept.

Also, Wrong comes with fairly trite social commentary. We get notes about corporate culture that goes astray as well as the negatives of kids’ over-reliance on technology and “need” to live online.

Do these points prove valid? Sure, but Wrong just doesn’t explore them in an especially vivid manner.

Wrong also can feel self-consciously quirky. It doesn’t just make Barney an awkward kid, but also it puts him in an unrealistically weird family.

Why? Just for anachronistic gags, really, most of which stem from his old-school Bulgarian grandmother’s antics.

None of these feel organic. These sequences come across as weird for its own sake and create a distraction.

As far as animated flicks of this sort go, Wrong doesn’t flop. Even with its flaws, it remains reasonably watchable.

However, Wrong just fails to form anything inspired. It turns into a mildly enjoyable but less than enthralling animated tale.

Ron’s Gone Wrong appears in an aspect ratio of 2.39:1 on this 4K UHD Disc. This became a solid presentation.

Sharpness worked fine. Nary a sliver of softness materialized during this tight image.

No issues with jaggies or shimmering occurred, and edge haloes were absent. Of course, the image lacked any print flaws, so it remained clean at all times.

Colors became a strong element, as the movie went with a somewhat pastel palette. It displayed consistently vivid hues, and HDR added impact and punch to the tones.

Blacks were dense and tight, and shadows were fine. HDR brought range and dimensionality to whites and contrast. The movie boasted an appealing image.

Downconverted to Dolby TrueHD 7.1, the movie’s Dolby Atmos soundtrack opened up the film in a satisfying manner. Though the mix didn’t give us wall-to-wall theatrics, it managed to use the spectrum well.

As expected, the film’s occasional action sequences boasted nice breadth and activity. The track also came with a lot of directional speech. While the soundscape didn’t stun us on a constant basis, it provided more than enough to succeed.

Audio quality seemed consistently solid. Speech appeared natural and distinctive, so no edginess or other issues marred the dialogue.

Music sounded warm and full, while effects showed good clarity and accuracy. When necessary, bass response came across as deep and tight. All of this lifted the track to “B+” status.

How did the 4K UHD compare to the Blu-ray version? The Atmos audio opened up a little more than the BD’s TrueHD, but both largely felt similar.

The 4K’s visuals demonstrated improvements, though, as it looked better defined and more vivid than the Blu-ray. While not a stunning step up, the 4K turned into the more appealing rendition of the movie.

No extra appear on the 4K itself, but we get a few on the included Blu-ray copy. In addition to the film’s trailer, we find two featurettes. A Boy and His B*Bot: When Jack Met Zach goes for three minutes, 51 seconds and brings comments from actors Zach Galifianakis and Jack Dylan Grazer.

The offer a light chat related to the film and technology. The reel emphasizes comedy and doesn’t tell us a ton of real use, but it becomes an amusing piece thanks to Galifianakis’s contributions.

Making Ron Right lasts 16 minutes, 23 seconds. It delivers notes from Galifianakis, Grazer, co-writer/director Sarah Smith, producer Julie Lockhart, director Jean-Philippe Vine, co-writer Peter Baynham, co-director Octavio E. Rodriguez, cinematographers Hailey White and David Peers, animation director Eric Leighton, and production designer Aurelien Predal.

“Right” covers story/characters, cast and performances, art and animation, cinematography and production design. Though too short to really dig into details, the featurette offers a decent overview.

A box office dud, I cannot claim Ron’s Gone Wrong really deserved a superior fate. While it provides a moderately engaging comedy adventure, it fails to find a particularly original and compelling product. The 4K UHD offers positive picture and audio along with minor bonus materials. I’ve seen plenty of worse animated movies but this nonetheless feels like a pretty mediocre effort.

To rate this film, visit the prior review of RON'S GONE WRONG