It’s a new year and 2019 has come to a close. I always like to reflect on my favorite physical releases of year. Consumers seem to be moving more and more to streaming services with the launch this holiday season of Disney Plus being the latest. However, 2019 was also a banner year for physical media as well. Several companies really stepped up their game with incredible packaging, extras and in some cases sparkling new transfers of classic films. I will always make the case of physically owning a copy of a movie because it is permanently in your collection, it won’t be dropped or eventually removed from your shelf.

Being that it is 2019, I decided to list my favorite 19 releases of the year. So sit back relax and let’s watch some movies!

2. The Wizard of Oz 4K (Best Buy Limited Edition Steelbook)

After a tornado tears through her family’s farm in Kansas, Dorthy (Judy Garland) and her loyal dog Toto, are blown away to the magical world of Oz. There they meet the Munchkins, the Good Witch of the North Glinda (Billie Burke) and accidentally murder the the Wicked Witch of the East. In Munchkinland Dorthy is terrorized by the Wicked Witch of the West (Margret Hamilton), who vows revenge for the death of her sister. Dorthy just wants to go home, Glinda and the Munchkins tell her to follow the Yellow Brick Road to meet the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, who surely can send her home.

Along the way Dorthy meets The Scarecrow (Ray Bolger) The Tin Man (Jack Haley) and The Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr).

What can be said about The Wizard of Oz that hasn’t already been discussed at length? It is an American classic, probably the most famous American film ever. I do not know how many times I’ve seen the film, but it is so etched into my subconscious that when I watched it for the first time in years, I knew all the lines and all the beats of the film by heart. I will say that Judy Garland is great in the film however, my favorite character is The Wicked Witch of the West as Margret Hamilton steals every scene she is in.

I do tell everybody if you like movies, you will love The Wizard of Oz. The Wizard of Oz is everything that is great about movies wrapped up into the ultimate family film.

The Wizard of Oz makes a grand entrance of UHD. Much like It’s a Wonderful Life, these classic films are given a whole new life in 4K. My jaw dropped watching The Wizard of Oz. From the sparkling of Dorthy’s ruby red shoes this is what UHD is made for, giving new life to the greatest movies ever. Even little naunces like The Wicked Witch’s costume are enhanced in UHD. I wish my words could describe the greatness of this release, it is that good.

The Wizard of Oz sings its way to an impressive upgrade on the audio front. The singing, instruments have never sounded clearer. Some might scoff that the original mono track is not included on the UHD, but it did not bother me because the DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio is amazing.

The Wizard of Oz comes with a pretty nice slate of extras. On the 4K disc you will find a Commentary featuring a lot of the cast members, a pretty fun listen. Also on the 4K disc is an older documentary hosted by Angela Landsbury, which although is a little fluffy, it nonetheless does a good job with an overview of the film.

The second disc is the same 75th Anniversary release of the film that I owned previously and ports over the bonus features from that release as well, and while none of them are great they do a great job of giving you a nice overview of the iconic film.

The Steelbook is beautiful. It is the way to go as I have no idea who in the hell approved the standard releases box art, it is atrocious and a film of the caliber of The Wizard of Oz deserves better. Thankfully, Best Buy and Steelbook have stepped up to the plate and delivered one of the most attractive Steelbooks out there. Simple in design, beautiful in execution the Steelbook features Dorthy sleeping in the poppy field. That’s it and it’s brilliant. On the inside is a spread of Dorthy and The Scarecrow on the yellow brick road.

The Wizard of Oz is one of the greatest films ever. It is also one of the best 4K’s you can buy. If you can’t find the beautiful Steelbook and must endure the horrible box art in the standard release, just remember the contents of the disc are worth it.

Film: A+

Video: A+

Audio: A

Extras: A

Steelbook: A+

Overall: A+