STORKS 4K Blu-ray Review

STORKS (4K UHD Blu-ray + Blu-ray + Digital HD)

Release Date: December 20, 2016

Studio: Warner Home Video

Video: 2.39:1 2160p Widescreen

Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1, French Dolby Digital 7.1 & 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, English Descriptive Audio 5.1

THE RATINGS

The Movie Itself - ★ ★ ★ ★ ✰

Video Quality - ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Audio Quality - ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Special Features - ★ ★ 1/2

Overall - ★ ★ ★ ★ ✰

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THE FILM ITSELF Our Reviewer's Take
"This tiny thing is now a wolf, everybody!" (in 4K)

Reviewed by Gavin King

Isn't it kind of funny how Warner Bros'. animation department has a sort-of fascination with birds? Case in point; they took those arctic penguins and made them giddily tap-dance in Happy Feet and its not-so-great sequel, Happy Feet Too, they brought the beloved books to the big screen in Legends of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'hoole, and flash-forward to today, we have Storks, the film that answers the somewhat awkward yet still enticing question: where do babies come from? It's the film's central viewpoint, and it's done with a little help from voice actors Andy Samberg, Katie Crown, Stephen Kramer Glickman, Keegan Michael-Key, Jordan Peele, and Kelsey Grammer, and led by directors Nicholas Stoller (Neighbors 1 and 2... talk about a huge switch!) and Doug Sweetland. From the creative team behind the fantastic, well, blockbuster The LEGO Movie, Warner Animation Group, Storks isn't destined to go down in the pinnacle of the animated movie hall of fame, but for a zany, fun, and sometimes even heartwarming adventurous time-killer, look no further than Storks. You won't be disappointed.

How to deliver a baby through the power of a Stork.

We all know the sacred legend of the Storks. They deliver babies via the iconic tied blanket, you get the idea. This job hasn't been the easiest for them, with babies annoying the heck outta them, and other shenanigans that're...y'know...baby-esque. But they don't do that anymore. Nowadays, they deliver packages for an Amazon.com-like service known as Cornerstore.com, replacing the baby factor with packages full of items such as iPhones, laptops, etc. One stork named Junior (voiced by Andy Samberg) is about to be promoted the service's boss by former Hunter (voiced by Kelsey Grammer), and his first job as the big spot of Cornerstore is to fire Tulip (voiced by Katie Crown), a human who unfortunately wasn't delivered by the storks while baby delivering was still their thing and has since entered the company as an orphan (she really prefers being called just Tulip). But Junior's too nice to fire the poor girl! So, instead, he gives Tulip a job in the dim letter department. It just isn't much fun. But when Tulip receives a letter from a boy named Nate (voiced by Anton Starkman) who's desperate for a little brother of his own, things spiral out of control and Junior notices the huge ruckus. The letter just so happens to create a pink-haired baby girl who - as adorable as she really is - can't get noticed by the company's storks, especially Hunter. Now, the two must join forces to go on a journey full of comedic crash-landings, hilariously inventive wolves, and silent but deadly penguins, some of the many things they'll encounter to deliver this baby to its owner without getting caught and turned into dead meat.

Storks isn't particularly novel. It's story isn't the meatiest in the world and doesn't traverse to the less-taken path of being truly thought-provoking or deeply philosophical. Therefore, the movie is better enjoyed for its largely inventive humor, great animation, and sometimes even touching moments that make it a cheerfully undemanding family-friendly diversion. Comedy is the lifeblood of Storks. It's arguably the movie's biggest selling point - and for good reason - but it's also surprisingly smart in how it utilizes elements to create moments in the film that are even so funny I laughed so hard it nearly hurt. Perhaps the best source of humor in the movie comes from the wolves that appear near the 30-minute mark of the film. Not only do they gain the uproarious voice talents of Key and Peele, but the animation uses the wolves as an incredibly fun - and funny - way to add humor to the film instead of numbing it down to monotonous noise (ahem, The Wild Life, I'm talking to you!). The entire pack including Key and Peele's characters inventively "transform" themselves into certain automobiles, objects, and other things to try to get the baby in which those wolves call "tiny thing"; for example, check out this clip of them transforming into a "wolf bridge".

Welcome to Cornerstore.com!

There's a subplot in the film involving the young boy Nate wanting a little brother and his parents (voiced by Ty Burrell and Jennifer Aniston) discouraging the fact. It's actually quite effective on its own merits, with some surprisingly heartwarming moments involving the chemistry between Nate and his parents (a great scene involving him and his dad here) and some really sweet elements whilst building an entrance for the storks to deliver his baby and also towards the film's conclusion. Speaking of chemistry, the relationship between stork Junior and human Tulip is exceptionally rendered onto the screen. They're a really great duo and shows in well-drawn-out character arcs and a strongly-written script that doesn't just hash out dull, overtly generic plot arcs - they show them with heartfelt flair and memorable chemistry.

The film's animation doesn't disappoint, either. It's appropiately cartoony in a Warner Bros. sense where the storks themselves kind of resemble Looney Tunes-esque characters but nontheless take locations like caves, gorges, and the Cornerstore.com factory to wonderfully - yet elastically - animated life. Character designs are likewise equally terrific, sporting stork designs that, like mentioned before, are definitely exaggerated a good bit for that quirky effect but also respond to smears, hilarious poses, and other traits extraordinarily well. And that's really where the film's best aspect resides in: exaggeration. There's a funny scene in which Junior and Tulip are both tied up in the wolves' caverns and they both argue in a sibling vs. sibling way about who will say the last word of their debacle. It's intentionally overstretched but in such a side-splitting and positively hysterical way that's sure to leave audiences of all ages and animated movie nerds like me in absolute stitches.


STORKS 4K Blu-ray - Video Quality

Warner Bros.'s 1080p Blu-ray release of Storks impressed greatly: wonderful colors, strong details, and excellent black levels. The 4K UHD Blu-ray improves on that excellence. Don't expect an absolutely huge relevation, but colors are definitely punchier in the Cornerstore.com builidng, as well as with the end credits which showcase different babies with different hair colors. Orange stork beaks are one of the best examples here. They're not overly garish but do showcase a definite increase in saturation and overall pop, as do the aformentioned multicolored baby hairs. Details are also subtly yet appreciably improved in the UHD release. Feathers on the birds, Tulip's curly hair, and even the little facets of a Cornerstore.com shipping box are more refined and upticked from the original Blu-ray release. Black levels stay true and deep, an important factor of the movie's scenes. They're even a bit more improved on this release, again not too deep as too slosh the image in pastiness but improved rather in a The Secret Life of Pets 4K way. Banding, aliasing, and macroblocking are nonexistent on this uptick. That film grain mentioned in the original 1080p Blu-ray review actually is a tad more prominent here, though never to the extent of being bothersome. Now here's a UHD disc that subtly yet clearly improves on the 1080p Blu-ray, one that animated movie lovers and 4K newbies like me should be eager to add to their collection.

STORKS 4K Blu-ray - Audio Quality

Storks's DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless soundtrack is a lot of fun, taking full advantage of the surround soundscape and zesting it up with fun sound effects. Our first big audio showcase is when Tulip causes chaos in the Cornerstore.com building, where some nice low end and entertaining surround activity comes into play and fully immerses the viewer in the havoc. Wolf attacks, crash-landings, and the thwack of a mallet breaking down a house's chimney all deliver with pinpoint clarity and a bit of bassy oomph as well to satisfy. Environmental atmospherics envelop, too. Tulip's rough-yet-sturdy plane, water dripping and vocal reverberation in the wolves' caverns, and even the light lapping of water on a lake beside a huge cliff all immerse the viewer into the digitally-animated environements without sounding overly tinny or too mono; each bit of ambience takes full advantage of the stereo soundscape. Bass kicks in on a number of moments, whether it be in Jason Derulo's hit song Kiss the Sky or foley effects such as storks hitting the glass they can't see. Finally, general dialogue is always crisp and clear-sounding, and never sounds too buried under the surrounding effects or score/popular tunes. This is a fantastic soundtrack that impresses in all areas of concern.

STORKS 4K Blu-ray - Special Features

Special features, except the audio commentary, are only on the original 1080p Blu-ray disc.

- Audio Commentary Doug Sweetland, Nicholas Stoller, John Venzon and Matt Flynn lead this track. They talk about the animation techniques and story details. This is a very enjoyable and informative track; fans will love it.

- Storks: Guide to Your New Baby Pigeon Toady leads this funny guide on how he likes to take care of a new baby - with a little help from his friends Junior, Tulip, and the wolves.

- The Master: A LEGO Ninjago Short Released theatrically with Storks, a Jackie Chan-like ninja battles a silly chicken to get the ever-wanted title of The Master.

- Storks "Kiss The Sky" Music Video Jason Derulo grooves along to the peppy song, Kiss the Sky.

- Deleted Scenes include the following with or without commentary: Bombing Run into Documentary, Diner Scene, Wolf Therapy, I'm a Crane, Junior Perks, and Vulture Island. Unfortunately they are not choosable or skippable. (If you do skip, you'll skip the entire compilation of deleted scenes.)

- Outtakes In the tradition of The LEGO Movie!

STORKS 4K Blu-ray - Overall Recommendation

Storks is a cute film that scores points for its expert hilarity and inventiveness. The story may not be the most excellent, but what it lacks in plot originality it more than makes up for with its likable characters, great voice cast, wonderful yet appropiately cartoony animation, and an endless array of some of the funniest gags and jokes to ever come out in an animated production like this. Don't come into Storks expecting it to be as good as Warner Animation Group's last film, The LEGO Movie, but do come in for storkloads of fun. Warner's 4K UHD Blu-ray offers up a splendid 2160p video presentation that lightly yet appreciably improves upon the Blu-ray, and the audio is still terrific. Supplements included could stand a little more in terms of quantity and depth, but what's included here is good. Highly recommended.

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