Film
Not so long ago, storks used to deliver babies, manufactured in a large factory, and delivered by air, in a beacon. That was then. Now they deliver packages for global internet giant Cornerstore.com. The company’s top delivery stork, Junior (Andy Samberg – Hotel Transylvania 2, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2), accidentally activates the Baby Making Machine just as he is about to be promoted when he, producing unauthorised, but adorable little baby girl.
In a desperate bid to save his job, Junior sets off to deliver this bundle of trouble, before his boss finds out and all is ruined. Along with his friend Tulip, the only human on Stork Mountain, Junior races to make the first-ever baby drop in a very long time.
Storks is a visual delight, presenting an engrossing story. There are enough story layers to keep both young and old riveted. And let’s not forget the shout out to popular culture and several other films, usually coming from the Wolf Pack.
A few story areas are a little slow at times, but overall the plot is easy to follow, with no major twists. However, still a delightful tale to be told.
A family adventure that is sure to delight. Storks is one of those films that the whole family can enjoy, and will have the younger viewers returning time and again.
Disc
Overall, the Storks disc is of a decent technical quality, with a fun and entertaining main feature. The disc is a bit light on bonus features.
Storks is available now, to purchase on disc, in South Africa.
Video
Video for the main feature is encoded at a high average bitrate. There are no visible artefacts on screen, nor any colour bleed. Colours are vibrant throughout most of the film, and detail is maintained in darker scenes.
Viewers with the necessary hardware or software can scale up to a larger or higher resolution screen, should they wish. The image does feel a bit soft when this is done, however, so adjust your settings accordingly.
Audio
Audio is encoded in a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix. Dialogue is clear via the centre speaker, with the other channels picking up the rest of the soundtrack. There is a fair amount of use of the surround channels, serving to expand the on-screen world, and further draw the viewer into the story.
There is no stereo 2.0 downmix on the disc, so the viewer would need to rely on their relevant hardware or software for this.
Navigation
Navigation is simple, and easy to follow. The main menu is static, with large buttons (which appear on many discs, looking like a pre-made template). These buttons have accompanying text. There are selections to play the main feature, select scenes, audio languages, and extras.
The two scenes sub-menus each contain six and four large, colour, still thumbnails. While these are numbered, they are not labelled, meaning there is some guesswork involved when wanting to navigate to a particular part of the main feature. There are ten chapters, in total, for the main feature.
The languages sub-menu has a text list of available audio and subtitle options, which is easy enough to follow.
The extras sub-menu has two text links for the included bonus features.
Bonus Features
The Master: A LEGO Ninjago Short – Who can say no to a Lego film, short or feature length? This short details a ninja master and his attempt to create his own title sequence, when his attempts are foiled by a chicken. Always fun when it’s Lego. An interesting addition, but sure to amuse the younger and older viewers.
Storks “Kiss The Sky” Music Video – Access to the “Kiss the Sky” music video, featured in the main film. This version has only a stereo soundtrack though, so while enjoyable, it doesn’t have the all encompassing effect, as when appearing in the film.
