Press Release BVHE Press Release: Willow (1988) (4k UHD Combo SteelBook) (1 Viewer)

[Ronald Epstein]

​ GEORGE LUCAS AND RON HOWARD’S TIMELESS TALE ARRIVES ON 4K ULTRA HD™ BLU-RAY™ DISC FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER! Watch The Oscar®-Nominated* Adventure Arriving on December 10th BURBANK, CA (November 12, 2024) – Fans will enjoy the iconic fantasy epic, Willow, from legendary filmmakers, George Lucas and Ron Howard, when it arrives on December 10th in a breathtaking collectible 4K UHD Blu-ray SteelBook®. The film will also be available to buy on digital platforms including Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV and Fandango at Home. Nominated for two Oscars®, the 1988 timeless classic follows a young farmer, Willow Ufgood (Warwick Davis), who is chosen to undertake a perilous journey to protect a special baby from an evil queen. *Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing and Best Effects, Visual Effects Film Synopsis From legendary filmmakers George Lucas and Ron Howard comes Willow, a timeless fantasy tale where heroes come in all sizes. When Willow Ufgood (Warwick Davis) finds an abandoned baby girl, he learns she is destined to end the reign of wicked Queen Bavmorda. Willow teams up with a rogue swordsman (Val Kilmer) to protect the child against the darkness. It’s the ultimate story of good versus evil — with magic and danger. Beginning December 10th, fans can get the Willow 4K UHD Blu-ray in a collectible national SteelBook®. Cast Val Kilmer as Madmartigan Joanne Whalley as Sorsha Warwick Davis as Willow Billy Barty as High Aldwin Jean Marsh as Queen Bavmorda Produced by Nigel Wooll Executive Producers George Lucas Written by George Lucas Bob Dolman Directed by Ron Howard Product Specifications Release Date Digital: December 10, 2024 Physical: December 10, 2024 Product SKUs Digital: 4K UHD Physical: 4K UHD + Blu-ray + Digital Code SteelBook® Feature Run Time Approx. 126 minutes Rating U.S.: Rated PG Disc Size 4K UHD Blu-ray: 66GB Blu-ray: 50GB Aspect Ratio Digital: 2.39:1 Physical: 2.39:1 Audio 4K: English 5.1 DTS-HDMA and 2.0 Dolby Digital Descriptive Audio, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 DTS-HDHR Language Tracks Blu-ray: English 5.1 DTS-HDMA, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital and French 5.1 DTS Digital Surround Language Tracks Digital: English 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby Digital Descriptive Audio, Spanish 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby Digital and French 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby Digital Subtitles 4K: English SDH, Spanish and French Subtitles Blu-ray: English SDH, Spanish and French Subtitles (Specifications Apply To Film Content Only) Digital: English SDH, Spanish and French Subtitles

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[JoshZ]

Willow has been streaming in 4K on Disney+ for a while, at least the last two years. It both looks and sounds kind of like garbage there. When I reviewed it in 2022, I said the movie appeared to have less than 1K worth of effective detail.

I wouldn't hold out much hope for the disc to be a major improvement. I think most of that is the fault of the movie itself, which has a drab and ugly visual design and is inundated with opticals in almost every scene.

 

[Sam Favate]

Would love for this to lead to a release of the Disney+ Willow TV series, which had the same charm and fun as the original.

 

[dpippel]

That's one butt-ugly steelbook.

 

[JoshZ]

Would love for this to lead to a release of the Disney+ Willow TV series, which had the same charm and fun as the original.

So, none whatsoever?

 

[cineMANIAC]

Would love for this to lead to a release of the Disney+ Willow TV series, which had the same charm and fun as the original.

Not gonna happen. The studio took a full writeoff of the series so they cannot show it or release it. It'll remained buried forever.

As for the quality of the disc being in question, I wouldn't worry about it. Streaming and physical have very little correlation to each other when it comes to quality. Besides, Disney has been impressing lately and there's no reason to believe they will start backtracking now.

 

[JoshZ]

As for the quality of the disc being in question, I wouldn't worry about it. Streaming and physical have very little correlation to each other when it comes to quality. Besides, Disney has been impressing lately and there's no reason to believe they will start backtracking now.

Compression aside, I seriously doubt they've struck a new 4K master for this. Even if they did, most of the problems I mentioned are inherent to the movie's drab, ugly photography and visual design, and the heavy reliance on opticals in just about every scene.

 

[Sam Favate]

Not gonna happen. The studio took a full writeoff of the series so they cannot show it or release it. It'll remained buried forever.

.

I don’t think that’s true. This isn’t the same situation with Warner and Batgirl. I recall that Disney had plans to distribute the shows it wrote off on other platforms to recoup costs. If that’s the case, it can be released on physical media.

 

[Konstantinos]

I see the 4k doesn't have the original 2.0 Dolby Surround track.
Maybe I should keep my BD?
After all, I don't see THAT much of a difference:
https://slow.pics/c/khUDBuMO (comparisons taken from blu-ray.com forums)

On the other hand, I was wondering:
Doesn't Dolby surround, since it goes to all 5.1 speakers, resemble a 5.1 audio track?
What could be the difference?
Also, I guess the 5.1 track is an original track, taken from the 70mm 6-track audio.

another question:
the blu-ray included is the previous blu-ray that was released?
(So if I get this release, I get "back" the blu-ray I am liable to sell)

 

[Bryan Tuck]

On the other hand, I was wondering:
Doesn't Dolby surround, since it goes to all 5.1 speakers, resemble a 5.1 audio track?
What could be the difference?
Also, I guess the 5.1 track is an original track, taken from the 70mm 6-track audio.

another question:
the blu-ray included is the previous blu-ray that was released?
(So if I get this release, I get "back" the blu-ray I am liable to sell)

I don't know anything for certain, but the 5.1 track that was included on both the Fox and Disney Blu-rays sounds a bit different from the 5.1 on the original DVD. The surrounds are much more active on the Blu-rays, and they're definitely not mono (a 70mm six-track mix from 1988 most likely would have had mono surrounds).

I imagine the Blu-ray included with the UHD release is Disney's from a few years ago. It included some extras from the original DVD that weren't on Fox's Blu-ray, but dropped the 2.0 stereo track that had been. (Don't know if that's the "original" track, but it does sound noticeably different from the 5.1).

 

[Lord Dalek]

I don't know anything for certain, but the 5.1 track that was included on both the Fox and Disney Blu-rays sounds a bit different from the 5.1 on the original DVD. The surrounds are much more active on the Blu-rays, and they're definitely not mono (a 70mm six-track mix from 1988 most likely would have had mono surrounds).

Dolby SR 70mm tracks, of which Willow was one, were frequently split surround and not labeled as such on their prints. This has caused a lot of confusion as to whether 70mm prints were 5.1 or 4.1 for films of this era.

 

[Bryan Tuck]

Dolby SR 70mm tracks, of which Willow was one, were frequently split surround and not labeled as such on their prints. This has caused a lot of confusion as to whether 70mm prints were 5.1 or 4.1 for films of this era.

Whatever its origin, the 5.1 track on the Blu-ray sounds like it had a bit of a going-over. But of course, I'm just speculating; I don't really know.

 

[marshman1138]

I don't care about steelbook: https://us.zavvi.com/4k/willow-4k-u...5xh9FGmL8W301YW0rmRoC2t0QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[Todd Erwin]

Willow UHD Steelbook Review

"Willow" finally arrives on 4K UHD Blu-ray from Walt Disney Home Entertainment."

www.hometheaterforum.com