A Bug's Life Blu-ray

A Bug's Life

 (1998)

Adventure | Animation | Comedy | Fantasy



A colony of ants is threatened by a gang of grass hoppers led by the evil Hopper. Flik, a common ant and a misfit, has an uncommon vision when he tries to rise to heroic proportions by enlisting a band of circus fleas to help him defend his colony from the grasshoppers.

For more details about A Bug's Life on Blu-ray, see the A Bug's Life Blu-ray Review

A Bug's Life Blu-ray, Video Quality

 

I wish it were possible to describe Disney's absolutely stunning 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer without resorting to a laundry-list of superlatives, but A Bug's Life is so gorgeous, so undeniably pristine that few other words come to mind. Colors explode off the screen and command attention, primaries are strong and stable, the film's bright skies and lush clover forests are a sight to behold, and blacks are as deep as they come. Better still, detail is perfect. Captured directly from its digital source, the image isn't hindered by a single flaw: textures are crisp and refined, object definition is exceedingly sharp (without the help of any unnecessary edge enhancement), and the word "soft" never once crossed my mind. More importantly, the technical quality of the transfer is above reproach. I didn't detect a hint of artifacting, source noise, macroblocking, aliasing, crush, or any other encoding anomaly. I didn't even catch a single instance of color banding (an issue that haunts most animated releases). Once again, Disney delivers a mind-blowing, eye-gouging transfer that presents every frame of A Bug's Life with the utmost care and precision. I can't praise this one enough.

A Bug's Life Blu-ray, Audio Quality

 

A Bug's Life is no ordinary animated film and Disney's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track is no ordinary lossless presentation. Dialogue is clean, perfectly prioritized, and exceptionally weighty; voices seem to reside within the characters rather than in the center speaker. LFE support is incredibly aggressive as well: the resonant roar of ear-piercing grasshopper wings, the earth-shaking cry of a gigantic bird of prey, and the powerful thunder cracks and exploding rain produced by a dangerous storm leave the previously-released DVD audio mix sounding like an antiquated relic of a forgotten age. Likewise, the rear speakers are barely able to contain the vigorous activity assigned to their care. Swarming insects, bustling cityscapes, rousing circus performances, and harrowing rescues appear from all directions, creating an immersive, unexpectedly realistic soundfield that will steal your breath away. But that's not all. Transparent pans? As invisible as I've ever heard. Accurate directionality? My home theater was transformed into an ant colony more times than I care to count. Remarkable clarity and dynamics? I can't even begin to describe. In short, Disney has created the perfect companion for their sparkling 1080p transfer: a rousing, involving, top-tier lossless audio track.

Note that while the primary audio track initially appears to be a DTS-HD MA 6.1 surround mix, the actual track is a 5.1 channel mix (as the back coverart and main menu states) in which the additional channel is matrixed into the right and left surrounds. It is not a discrete channel and therefore not a true 6.1 track.

A Bug's Life Blu-ray, News and Updates

• Two More Pixar Films Coming this May - February 20, 2009


• A Bug's Life Coming this Spring - December 16, 2008

A Bug's Life Blu-ray, Forum Discussions

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