Wish appears in an aspect ratio of 2.55:1 on this 4K UHD Disc. As I expected, the flick looked terrific.
Sharpness was fine across the board. Virtually no softness appeared, as the movie delivered satisfying definition.
No signs of jagged edges or moiré effects occurred, and edge haloes were absent. Of course, print flaws never manifested themselves.
Wish came with a palette that mildly emphasized teal, with a general pastel sense as well. The colors showed a good sense of vividness and worked well. HDR added range and punch to the hues.
Blacks were dark and deep, while low-light shots offered nice clarity and smoothness. Whites and contrast got a boost from HDR. This became an appealing visual presentation.
Downconverted to Dolby TrueHD 7.1, the film’s Dolby Atmos soundtrack offered a lively soundscape, especially during the action sequences. Those fleshed out the spectrum in an involving way and gave us nice chances for movement.
This allowed the surrounds to play an active role. The track worked well enough in the early stages but it picked up more as it went, especially as the film neared its climax. The various channels got a good workout in this engrossing soundscape.
Audio quality seemed pleasing. Speech always sounded distinctive and concise, while music was peppy and rich.
Effects offered solid reproduction, with clean highs and deep lows. I liked this mix and thought it gave the movie life.
How did the 4K UHD compare to the Blu-ray version? The 4K’s Atmos audio opened up matters a bit more than the BD’s mix.
Visuals got a kick as well, with stronger colors, blacks and delineation from the 4K. As good as the BD looked, the 4K seemed superior.
No extras appear on the 4K disc itself, but we get some on the included Blu-ray copy, where the main attraction comes from 100 Years in the Making, a one-hour, four-minute, 14-second documentary. It delivers comments from producers Peter Del Vecho and Juan Pablo Reyes, writer/CCO Jennifer Lee, directors Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn, animation supervisor Jacqueline Koehler, head of story Mark Kennedy, head of characters and technical animation Avneet Kaur, production designer Lisa Keene, writer Allison Moore, heads of animation Wayne Unten and Rebecca Wilson Bresee, story artist Tom Caulfield, songwriters Julia Michaels and Benjamin Rice, composer Dave Metzger, Animation Research Library manager Fox Carney, director of cinematography - lighting Adolph Lusinsky, head of effects animation Dale Mayeda, head of environments Eric Provan, visual effects supervisor Kyle Odermatt, production designer Michael Giaimo, effects designer Dan Lund, art director - environment David Womersley, art director - character Bill Schwab, director of cinematography - layout Rob Dressel, head of effects - animation Erin V. Ramos, associate production designer Griselda Sastrawinata-Limay, animation supervisor Renato Dos Anjos, animation supervisors Jennifer Hager, Kira Lehtomaki, Andrew Ford and Tony Smeed.
Across these segments, we learn of the project's roots and development, story, inspirations and characters, songs and score, research, animation and visual design, and production specifics.
With more than an hour at its disposal, "Making" comes with room for lots of insights. Instead, it ladles on praise and happy talk in massive doses.
Do we learn about the production? Sure, but I doubt we get more than 15 minutes of actual filmmaking content here.
Instead, we hear about the amazing Disney legacy and the amazing Disney filmography and all the amazing people involved with Wish. The documentary becomes a major disappointment.
Two featurettes follow, and Once Upon a Studio runs eight minutes, 48 seconds. This really offers more of a semi-short than a featurette, as it shows lots of Disney animated characters as they emerge to celebrate the 100th.
As a cartoon, "Once" seems cute and not much more. However, Disney got a lot of actors to return and voice new lines, which seems impressive.
Wish D-Classified goes for six minutes, 27 seconds and presents a mix of Easter eggs found in the movie. It tends to focus on some of the more obscure allusions and offers a fun summary.
Called “A Wish Worth Making”, a Deleted Song lasts two minutes, 54 seconds. That total includes an intro from directors Chris Buck & Fawn Veerasunthorn.
In this one, Sabino sings about his wish. I don't think the tune would've added to the story but I'm glad we can see it here.
We also find five Deleted Scenes. Padded by intros from Head of Story Mark Kennedy, these span a total of 22 minutes, two seconds.
These offer some added character material and various beats. None of them seem memorable, but a few entertaining bits emerge.
Outtakes go for two minutes, 44 seconds and focus on the voice actors at work. A form of blooper reel, it doesn't become very interesting.
Finally, Sing-Along Mode plops lyrics on the screen as you watch the movie, and Song Selection lets you just immediately to any of the movie's seven tunes accompanied by those same lyrics. "Play All" links them together in one 21-minute, 23-second package.
While Wish intended to cap Disney’s 100th anniversary with a bang, instead it fizzled. A generic riff on the studio’s fairy tale past, the movie lacks heart, spirit or substantial entertainment value. The 4K UHD delivers solid picture and audio along with a decent collection of supplements. Expect a wholly ordinary animated effort here.
To rate this film, visit the BD review of WISH
