Elf: Buddy’s Musical Adventure appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.78:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. The special offered appealing visuals.
Sharpness always excelled. If any softness interfered with the image, I didn’t see it, as I thought the show provided solid clarity and delineation. Jagged edges and moiré effects failed to appear, and I witnessed no edge haloes. Source flaws didn’t create any distractions.
Like most Christmas specials, Musical Adventure delivered a broad palette. The disc reproduced the hues in a lively, vivid manner. Blacks were deep and dark, while shadows seemed smooth and clear. Everything about the image satisfied.
As for the show’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack, it provided acceptable accompaniment. Given the special’s title, it came as no surprise that music dominated the soundscape. Songs and score broadened to the side front speakers and also made decent use of the surrounds.
Effects had less to do. Even more “action-oriented” scenes like those with Santa’s sleigh remained concentrated in the forward channels. They showed decent movement but didn't do a whole lot to open up the situations.
Audio quality pleased. Music was peppy and full, and effects came across as accurate and tight. Speech appeared natural and distinctive as well. Nothing here impressed, but the soundtrack worked fine for the material.
A featurette called Elf-in’ All the Way: Inside Buddy’s Recording Sessions runs five minutes, 20 seconds and involves comments from co-director Mark Caballero and actors Mark Hamill, Ed Asner, Jay Leno and Jim Parsons. We get a few notes about characters, cast and performances. Some of the shots from the studio are fun, but we don’t learn a lot here.
The disc opens with ads for Lego Dimensions and Lego: Justice League – Attack of the Legion of Doom. Trailers add promos for Peanuts Holiday Collection, Scooby-Doo and Kiss: Rock and Roll Mystery and Lego Ninjago.
A second disc brings us a DVD copy of Musical Christmas. It offers the same extras as the Blu-ray.
As a holiday special, Elf: Buddy’s Musical Christmas provides painless – if redundant – entertainment. The show delivers decent charm, though it lacks much reason to exist since it so heavily echoes the original movie. The Blu-ray offers excellent visuals along with acceptable audio but it skimps on supplements. Musical Christmas ends up as a passable holiday diversion