Smurfs: The Lost Village 4K UltraHD

In the fully animated Smurfs: The Lost Village, the story follows Smurfette and her friends Brainy, Clumsy and Hefty on an exciting and thrilling race through the Forbidden Forest filled with magical creatures to find a mysterious lost village before the evil wizard Gargamel does. The Smurfs are on a dangerous course that leads to the discovery of the biggest secret in Smurf history. (Gary Reber)

Special features include filmmaker commentary; The Emoji movie sneak peek (HD 02:05); four deleted scenes (HD 07:35); the following featurettes: Kids At Heart! (HD 09:12), The Lost Auditions (HD 04:14), Demi Lovato Meets Smurfette (HD 01:01), Lost Village Dance Along (HD 03:10), Smurfify Your Nails (HD 02:23), Baker Smurf's Mini Kitchen (HD 04:07), Meghan Trainor “I'm A Lady” music video (HD 02:48); Draw Your Favorite Smurfs (HD 07:42), Making The Sound 'You Will Always Find Me In Your Heart' (HD 03:00), and The Sound Of The Smurfs (HD 03:44); trailers; upfront previews; and an UltraViolet digital copy.

The 1.85:1 2160p HEVC/H.265 Ultra HD HDR 10 picture, sourced and theatrically exhibited in 3D with a 2K master format, is fantastic! Thus far, Sony Pictures has not announced a 3D Blu-ray release. The 1080p AVC picture, reviewed on a Sony Bravia Z9D 4K Ultra HD HDR display, upscaled to 2160p with a digital intermediate 2K master format is nearly as wonderful. Both are extremely colorful and bright. Highlights are even brighter but never exaggerated. Clarity and sharpness is excellent with even finer detail exhibited in the 4K Ultra HD version. Primary hues are strong, with the palette simply a gorgeous rainbow of hues that light up the screen. Smurf blue is perfectly hued throughout. Black levels are wonderful, as well as contrast, with shadows nicely rendered. Forest greens are nicely varied and the scene down the river is magical. But what is really exceptional is the excellent fine detail. While Smurfs themselves are smooth, their hats, beards, and dressing exhibit extremely fine detail. Likewise, object textures throughout are incredibly well defined, from forest and stone texture interiors. This is a wonderful picture experience both in the HD and Ultra HD presentation that is sure to mesmerize young family members. Reference quality throughout. (Gary Reber)

The Dolby Atmos/Dolby TrueHD 7.1-channel soundtrack is immersively enveloping with a wonderful holosonic® soundfield, with aggressive and directionalized surrounds. The added two horizontal channels deliver a large soundfield, and the height channels add a sense of spatial overhead dimension. Foley sound effects are effective in enhancing realism. Atmospherics are nicely dimensional. Sound effects are rip-roaring in the animation sense. The orchestral score also is quite active and dynamic sounding, with a wide and deep soundstage that aggressively extends to all channels. The music really energizes the soundfield. Deep bass is active in the music and sound effects. All throughout, ADR dialogue delivers a sense of spatial integration with directionalization. This is a wonderfully engaging soundtrack with almost constant holosonic immersion delivered in all channels. Fidelity is excellent, as well as dynamics, with a very active presence that will enthrall young family members. (Gary Reber)