The Wizard of Oz: 80th Anniversary Edition (4k Ultra HD + Blu-Ray)
Blu-Ray Reviews | Nov 3rd, 2019
Starring: Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, Billie Burke, Margaret Hamilton, Charley Grapewin
Written By: Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson, Edgar Allan Woolf
Directed By: Victor Fleming
Studio: Warner Bros
Buy On Amazon.com
The Wizard Of Oz is now available on 4k Ultra HD for the first time, which it has been previously released on Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray 3D and other formats. The 1939 movie still holds up after all these years and looks amazing on 4k.
By this point, you should know what the Wizard of Oz is so I’m not going to talk about the plot. If you haven’t see Wizard of Oz at this point, what the hell is wrong with you? You can read my previous reviews of the movie from 2013 here as well.
I love watching Wizard of Oz around Halloween time. Not sure why I do, maybe because it just has that feel to it? People are in costumes, witches, flying monkeys, things like that. I still love listening and watching the songs, especially the songs from Munchkins, Scarecrow and Tin Man. Emerald City scenes are fun too. I always found it funny that Hunk, Hickory and Zeke had Boston and NYC accents, yet work on a farm in Kansas. I guess they had to travel to make money huh?
One thing I notice every time I watch The Wizard of Oz is how well done the special effects are, even for back then! The tornado still looks so real and terrifying. I used to be so scared of seeing that in the background. The neat effect of going from black & white to color is always the effect for the movie that everybody talks about but it’s the little things that I love too. Even the painting backdrops look amazing and the 4k picture makes them even more vibrant & pop out. The audio and video have definitely been upgraded for the 4k release. Just little things like background noises seems more noticeable now.
I believe most of these special features were from the 75th anniversary edition, but if you don’t own that version than this is all new to you. The main selling point of the 80th Anniversary Edition is that the movie is in 4k Ultra HD. Everything from the menu to the movie itself looked great. It’s hard to believe the movie is from the late 30s. Sure, there’s grainy spots but the movie looks amazing for it’s age. I’ve seen movies from the 80s or 90s that look worse than a movie in the 30s.
The Wizard of Oz is a timeless classic that should be seen by everyone, if you haven’t already. If you own a 4k TV and 4k player, this is a no-brainer to upgrade. The 4k disc also comes with Blu-Ray and a digital code that’s UHD. I already had the HD code but it’s nice to upgrade.
Features:
Audio Commentary (same as above)
The Making of The Wizard of Oz
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Storybook
We Haven’t Really Met Properly…
Music & Effects Track
Original Mono Track
Sing Along Tracks
Audio Jukebox
Leo is on the Air Radio Promo
Good News of 1939 Radio Show
12/25/1950 Lux Radio Broadcast
Stills Galleries
Trailers
Video:
Codec: HEVC / H.265
Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
HDR: Dolby Vision + HDR10+
Aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Audio:
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital Mono
Subtitles:
English SDH, French, Spanish
Bottom Line: The Wizard Of Oz hasn’t looked this good!
Running Time: 101 mins
Rating: G
Extras Rating:
Overall Rating:
