Adventure Animation

'Storks' Blu-ray Review: An entertaining, surprisingly endearing bundle of joy

January 9, 2017Ben MK



FEATURE: 
The concept of storks delivering babies is a premise so old-fashioned that it's best suited to cartoons from the early half of the last century, not a modern, CG-animated movie. In Storks, however, writer/director Nicholas Stoller manages to put a contemporary twist on the notion, with results that are both entertaining and endearing.

Starring Andy Samberg as Junior, a go-getter stork up for a big promotion, Storks posits a world where the dutiful birds have transitioned from transporting infants to transporting online purchases. But when a misfit human named Tulip (Katie Crown) unwittingly uses a decommissioned baby-making machine — that's not a euphemism, by the way — to create a bouncing baby girl, Junior must figure out a way to deliver the bundle of joy to her new parents (Ty Burrell and Jennifer Aniston) before his boss, Hunter (Kelsey Grammar), finds out and fires him.

What follows is both a road trip movie and a buddy comedy, as Stoller and Co-Director Douglas Sweetland send Junior, Tulip and the baby — which they nickname Diamond Destiny — on a journey that sees them encountering a pair of not-so-rabid wolves (Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele) and deadly penguins, while trying to elude Junior's diminutive-yet-determined co-worker, Pigeon Toady (Stephen Kramer Glickman). What's surprising about Storks, though, given the levels of silliness present in it plot, is just how much heart the film also has.

In fact, the movie has a lot in common with Stoller's Neighbors, as both films touch on the same underlying theme of first-time parenthood. And on top of that, Storks also has some Disney-esque messages to deliver about family and belonging. Of course, that's not to say that the result is as emotionally impactful as your typical Pixar movie. But nonetheless, Storks is sure to connect with parents and keep them entertained while the kids are mesmerized.

AUDIO & VISUALS: 
Incredibly vibrant and colorful (as evidenced by the screenshots), Storks looks fantastic on Blu-ray, with a 1080p transfer that's also crystal-clear and pixel-perfect (as is the norm for most CG-animated movies). Accompanied by a DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 sound mix, the result is sure to leave a smile on viewers' faces, whether it's the film's use of upbeat music from artists like The Heavy, Talking Heads and Vance Joy, or the cartoonish sound effects, from the whir of homemade airplane propellers, to the flapping of wings, to the cries and giggles of a newborn baby.

EXTRAS: 
Warner's two-disc Blu-ray combo pack includes an UltraViolet digital copy, a DVD and the following Blu-ray extras:

  • Commentary by Douglas Sweetland, Nicholas Stoller, John Venzon and Matt Flynn - Writer/Director Nicholas Stoller, Co-Director Douglas Sweetland, Editor John Venzon and Head of Story Matt Flynn talk about the idea behind the movie, the writing and editing process, the role of the story team, their own experiences as first-time parents, the tone of the movie, the camera work, the animation and more.
  • Storks: Guide to Your New Baby (2:08) - A tongue-in-cheek short in which Pigeon Toady, Tulip, Junior and the wolves show viewers how to change, burp and put a baby to sleep.
  • The Master: A LEGO Ninjago Short (5:18) - A LEGO short in which Master Wu faces off against a plucky chicken.
  • Storks "Kiss the Sky" Music Video (3:46) - A video for Jason Derulo's song for the movie.
  • Deleted Scenes (10:05) - Six scenes, in animatic form, playable with or without commentary ("Bombing Run into Documentary," "Diner Scene," "Wolf Therapy," "I'm a Crane," "Junior Perks" and "Vulture Island").
  • Outtakes (2:14) - A collection of faux outtakes starring Junior, Pigeon Toady, the wolves, Hunter and the penguins.

Storks is available from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment as of December 20th, 2016. The Blu-ray features English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1, French, Spanish (Latino), Spanish (Mexicano) and Portuguese Dolby Digital 5.1, and English Dolby Digital 5.1 Descriptive Audio tracks. The film is presented with English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles. The total runtime is 1 Hr. 27 Mins.







You May Also Like

0 comments