20th Century Fox | 2010 | 85 min | Rated PG | Apr 19, 2011

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For a movie that seemed tailor-made for 3D, Gulliver's Travels is not only a disappointment in 3D, but it was converted after the fact rather than shot in 3D to begin with. Where the crew might have used the inherent scope and disproportionate sizes that make up the film's entire premise to great advantage using 3D technology, the picture was instead shot with 2D cameras and given the once-over to make it into a viable, but not exactly enjoyable, 3D release. Indeed, the results are fairly disappointing, and this Blu-ray release is indicative of the film's lackluster conversion. It's a generally flat image that more often than not looks no more extra-dimensional than a regular 2D image. Granted, there are moments where a greater general depth is evident or where objects seem to be spaced more naturally one from another, but the film rarely takes full advantage of the 3D capabilities, even when the material positively screams for something more visually interesting. On the positive side of the ledger, the 3D image sports a great color scheme that sees primaries pop and black levels true. The bright blue waters around Bermuda really shine, as does vegetation seen throughout the film. The image is crisp and strongly detailed, but this is still not quite the most intricate, all-revealing transfer out there. It's a touch soft here and there, and the digital photography really doesn't allow for much life. Fortunately, the image is free of excess banding and background noise. As a 2D-only image, Gulliver's Travels would rate considerably higher, but the shoddy 3D that only occasionally demonstrates much in the way of extra-dimensional goodness drags the score down significantly.

Gulliver's Travels sports a fairly strong DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack. It's smooth and crisp, playing with a nice surround sound sensation that's apparent throughout, whether in action sound effects, ambience, or the fairly generic family-friendly score. Still, like the video presentation, the soundtrack never enjoys a more thorough, complete feel, seeming to lack that last little bit of oomph and clarity to ascend it to perfect-score heights. The track seems always pushing and pushing, often finding itself on the precipice of breaking out but never quite managing to explode and deliver what seems like should be a superior presentation. Still, what's here is quite good; there are a few snazzy directional effects; a solid low end when called upon; and efficient, center-focused dialogue. All in all, this is a good track that teeters on the verge of greatness, but that never quite gets there. Still, it's the best single part of this Blu-ray presentation.

English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1

English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1 (less)

English SDH, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese

English SDH, Spanish (less)