kal
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Joined: 06 Mar 2006
Posts: 18114
Location: Ottawa, Canada
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| Posted: Thu Mar 07, 2013 3:06 pm Post subject: Wreck-It Ralph [Blu-ray] |
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Another reference disc!
Wreck-It Ralph (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) (2012)
(Hover over link for price, click to purchase and support our forum at no extra cost to you)
| Quote: | I love the direction that Disney Animation is headed. It reminds me of their winning streak in the '90s. 'Bolt' was much better than it should have been, 'The Princess and the Frog' was a great return to the traditionally animated princess genre, 'Tangled' was refreshingly enjoyable and 'Winnie the Pooh' was the best the series had been since the original. 'Wreck-It Ralph' continues that forward momentum. The characters are lovable, the animation is top notch, and there's something new to catch with each viewing. The story is strong, but could have been just a little bit better. The combination of the perfect video and audio qualities makes this Blu-ray the latest and greatest demo-worthy disc. There are a handful of great special features, but this release could definitely have benefited from a few more. Considering that this is a family flick that adults can enjoy just as much as their kids - if not more - there's no reason 'Wreck-It Ralph' shouldn't be in your collection. Highly recommended.
The Video: Sizing Up the Picture
'Wreck-It Ralph' comes with a flawless 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 encoding that expands the original 2.35:1 aspect ratio to 2.39:1. I dare you to find fault with it.
The animation of 'Fix-It Felix' is two dimensional, but once we zoom in through the glass, we get unique and rich 3D animation. The animated characters become three dimensional, but the blocky textures of 8-bit animation are still there. As we move from videogame to videogame, the textures change accordingly. In 'Hero's Duty,' the dark, sharp, pointy and jagged-edged environment conveys danger. The darkness is thick and the black levels are perfectly set. In 'Sugar Rush,' everything is brightly colored and shiny, sharing the same desirous effect of the candy that it's made out of. From Nesquik-sand, Mento stalactites and Coca-Cola hot springs, the look of 'Sugar Rush' alone is enough to give you cavities.
Brilliant instances of fine details stand out more than ever on Blu-ray. While screening 'Wreck-It Ralph' theatrically, I hadn't noticed that in the dingy closet of 'Tapper,' as Ralph rummages through a lost-and-found box hoping that another character left a medal behind, the tiniest of dust particles slowly float out of the box. On this viewing, I also noticed that the same tender love and care was applied to the "black snow" ash that slowly falls in 'Hero's Duty.'
Exactly as with 'Tangled,' it wasn't until I watched 'Wreck-It Ralph' on Blu-ray that the staggering fine details became evident. Despite being black, you can see the individual strands of Vanellope's hair. With a background consisting of thousands of candy cane trees, the animation of the 'Sugar Rush' forest is so great that aliasing isn't a problem. I also noticed with this viewing that the exhaust from Vanellope's racer is actually composed of millions of pieces of glitter. Honestly, I can't think of a single improvement that could be made to the video quality.
The Audio: Rating the Sound
Disney has given 'Ralph' an always-active 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track of note. It's dynamic quality is never fleeting.
Just as each game's world carries a different video style, they also carry their own unique musical styles. That of 'Fix-It Felix Jr.' is simple, but impressive. It sounds like an '80s videogame soundtrack as if it was performed by a digital orchestra. 'Hero's Duty' sounds like a digital techno nightmare that matches Ralph's horrified line, "When did videogames become so violent and scary?" And the music of 'Sugar Rush' is poppy and kid-friendly, like that of a Disney Channel show. No matter the style, the music is always exceptionally mixed.
The audio effects of 'Ralph' are just as impressive. From a passing train in Game Central Station, exploding aerial fireworks or speeding racer carts, sounds seamlessly pass from one channel to another to create fantastic imaging. The rear and surround channels are just as active as the front and center ones. Bass and LFE are used to accentuate or punch specific moments. For example, when Ralph's emotions take control of his actions, he wrecks stuff. Each time this happens, Ralph's destruction carries bassy rumbles.
Vocal mixing is just as strong as the other audio aspects. Dialog is clear and clean. The voice cast for 'Ralph' was perfect. Each makes his/her character come to life. While all are great, there is one performance that stands out above the others: Sarah Silverman as Vanellope. Silverman is downright brilliant as the absolutely lovable snotty annoying kid. I've seen several film critics circles nominate Silverman for the Best Supporting Actress award because of how much she added to Vanellope. Luckily, hers and all of the other great performances sound fantastic and round out this perfect lossless track. |
Kal
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