Abominable
Overview -
Take a plucky group of kids and a wild out of this world creature and you have the makings of a big bold adventure movie in Abominable! Familiarity may be the only setback to this colorful road movie but big heart and lots of humor keep it from feeling stagnate or repetitive. Abominable arrives on Blu-ray from Universal Pictures with a bold and colorful 1080p presentation with a lovely and active Dolby Atmos mix. Bonus features while short are actually informative and worth a gander. The flick may not be the most original thing to come down the pipe, but it's fun and a worthwhile watch - Highly Recommended.
We also reviewed the 4K UHD Blu-ray HERE
DreamWorks Animation and Pearl Studio’s co-production Abominable takes audiences on an epic 2,000-mile adventure from the streets of Shanghai to the breathtaking Himalayan snowscapes. When teenage Yi (Chloe Bennet, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) encounters a young Yeti on the roof of her apartment building in Shanghai, she and her mischievous friends, Jin (Tenzing Norgay Trainor) and Peng (Albert Tsai), name him “Everest” and embark on an epic quest to reunite the magical creature with his family at the highest point on Earth. But the trio of friends will have to stay one-step ahead of Burnish (Eddie Izzard), a wealthy man intent on capturing a Yeti, and zoologist Dr. Zara (Sarah Paulson) to help Everest get home.
BONUS FEATURES ON 4K Ultra Hd, BLU-RAYTM, DVD and digital:
- DREAMWORKS SHORT – MAROONED - Marooned, tells the story of a cantankerous and selfish robot named C-0R13. Stranded on an abandoned lunar outpost, C-0R13 longs to return to Earth. With a partially built ship and his last power source, this determined robot will stop at nothing to achieve his goal.
- SHOW AND TELL - Back home in the Himalayan Mountains, Everest puts on a magical show-and-tell for his fellow yetis after he receives a special care package from Yin, Jing and Peng.
- DELETED SCENES with Intros by Writer/Director Jill Culton and Co-Director Todd Wilderman
- Play All
- Spa Day
- Villains at the Map
- Magic Montage
- Yak Attack
- MAKING A MYTH (MOVIE) - In this entertaining ‘making of’ we learn from the filmmakers and stars how they brought the heartfelt and whimsical story of Abominable to life - from the use of magic, music and humor, to the themes of family and nature.
- ANIMATING ABOMINABLE - From production design to storyboarding and animating, the creative team behind Abominable will take us through the design and animation of the film.
- MEET THE CAST - This fun featurette introduces the audience to the cast of Abominable and the characters they play. Learn first-hand from the actors what their personal inspiration was for the role and how they went about performing the voicework.
- Play All
- Chloe Bennet as Yi
- Tenzing Norgay Trainor as Jin
- Albert Tsai as Peng
- Tsai Chin as Nai Nai
- Joe Izzo as Everest
- YOUR YETI CARE GUIDE - Chloe, Albert and Tenzing provide tips and tricks to caring for your newly adopted “Yeti”. In this case YETI stands for pet - dog, kitten and bird.
- COURAGE TO DREAM - This featurette explores the character Yi, the strong, independent and untraditional female lead at the center of Abominable. Actor Chloe Bennet and the filmmakers discuss what makes Yi special and why she is the ultimate role model for young girls and boys today!
- AN ABOMINABLE TOUR WITH CHLOE BENNET - Like her father before her, Yi dreams of travelling across China to see the many beautiful, natural and culturally significant locations featured in Abominable. Chloe Bennet, the voice of Yi, will take viewers on their own magical journey.
- EVEREST’S TALK BOX - Shooting on the DreamWorks Animation campus, we bring in some real kids to meet the man behind the voice of Everest, Joe Izzo, and the audio team from Abominable to learn about all the cool tech that went into Everest’s voice.
- COOKING WITH NAI NAI - Can Tsai Chin, the voice of Nai Nai, learn to make Nai Nai’s famous pork buns in real life? Let's find out!
- HOW TO ABOMINABLE - Bring Everest, Yi and Nai Nai to life in your home with this How-to-Draw with a difference. Not only will we show you how to recreate your favorite characters from Abominable, but also how to magically bring them to life through a homemade Chinese style lantern!
- How to Draw
- Play All
- Intro
- Everest
- Yi
- Jin
- Peng
- Nai Nai
- How to Make a Chinese Lantern
- YOU CAN SPEAK YETI-ESE - Inspired by foreign language courses, viewers can learn how to speak Yeti-ese with these easy teaching guides hosted by Chloe Bennet.
- NAI NAI SAYS - Narrated by Nai Nai, Yi's wise grandma gives us life lessons on how to be a strong, independent, modern woman.
- FEATURE COMMENTARY - Writer/Director Jill Culton, Co-Director Todd Wilderman, Producer Suzanne Buirgy, Producer Peilin Chou, Production Designer Max Boas, Visual Effects Supervisor Mark Edwards, and Head of Character Animation John Hill
Storyline: Our Reviewer's Take
For a full review of the film - take a look at our 4K UHD Blu-ray Review
Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray
Universal Pictures delivers Abominable to Blu-ray in a two-disc Blu-ray + DVD + Digital set. The discs are housed in a standard sturdy Blu-ray case with identical slipcover artwork. The disc loads to trailers for upcoming Universal Pictures releases before arriving at an animated main menu with traditional navigation options.
Video Review
There's nothing Abominable about this film's 1080p 1.85:1 transfer. While I will squarely edge my preference for the 4K UHD Blu-ray presentation, if you're not set up for 4K, you won't be disappointed. Details in the character animations are fantastic allowing for distinct characters, fine lines, and ample textures. Our star critter Everest is a beautiful piece of animation with a lovable soft-looking appearance but maintains a terrific sense of weight and space. Likewise, the children in the film are well defined without their features being too heightened or overly cartoonish. Colors are bold and vivid playing with strong primaries. Black levels are on point although flipping between this disc and the 4K UHD, I noticed that this SDR presentation doesn't quite reach the same level of satisfying true black. Thankfully image depth is still very strong and contrast is on point without any notable blooming qualities. All around a bright, bold, and vivid image that looks great.
Audio Review
You gotta love an Atmos mix that knows how to have fun with itself. Abominable makes excellent usage of the format giving viewers an active and engaging surround experience while making plenty use of the overhead facing channels and the added space and dimension. The film starts strong, there isn't much lead time here as Everest makes his escape. Sounds of guards yelling, sirens blaring, helicopters pursuing overhead while street-level traffic and car horns add to the cacophony. Not only is it a visually impressive way to start the movie but he active sound design pulls you into the action right away.
While the action beats are a highlight, the film knows how to make great use of quieter scenes without sacrificing sonic impact. Even in the quietest moments when Yi, Everest, and Peng are resting under the stars, there's plenty of natural-sounding outdoor woodland effects to soak in. As the shady government agency, people close in on them the sound of their vehicles adds to the distinct vertical placement while Everest's singing and the rumbles of engines and helicopter rotors give the mix a lively LFE presence. Levels are spot-on for this Atmos mix, if anything I had to turn the mix down a notch or two below my normal listening levels.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary with writer/director Jill Culton and various crew members on the production.
- Dreamworks Short - Marooned
- Show & Tell - (Original Short)
- Deleted Scenes
- Making a Myth
- Animating Abominable
- Meet the Cast
- Your Yeti Care Guide
- Courage to Dream
- An Abominable Tour with Chloe Bennet
- Everest's Talk Box
- Cooking with Nai Nai
- How to Draw Abominable
- You Can Speak Yeti-ese
- Nai Nai Says
If your kids are ready for some cuddly creature-fueled adventure and fun - you're going to do well with Abominable. While the movie may be a bit familiar with similar plot beats to other kid-friendly adventure movies, this one uses those same ingredients and cooks up something visually beautiful with a lot of wit and heart.
Universal Pictures unleashes Abominable onto Blu-ray in a two-disc set sporting a terrific 1080p transfer and an active and dynamic Dolby Atmos audio mix to match. Bonus features are a solid assortment and the audio commentary is a terrific listen if you want to learn more about what goes into creating a film like this. Highly Recommended.
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