Animation

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Zootopia (PG)

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Zootopia (PG)

In this heartwarming family film, Judy Hopps breaks barriers by becoming the first rabbit to join the police force. However, she grapples with her role within the force. Seizing the opportunity to prove herself, Judy crosses paths with the cunning fox, Nick Wilde, while working on a challenging case. Together, they embark on a thrilling mission to get to the bottom of things. Watch on and hear your subwoofers deliver powerful bass thumps during intense scuffles while your surround speakers capture the exhilarating rush of a hurtling train headed straight for our dynamic duo.

IMMERSIVENESS RATING: ⭐⭐

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Akira (R)

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Akira (R)

You do not mess with the Godfather of all sci-fi films. With a compelling storyline that still amazes today, you can only imagine what sort of surround sound surprise you are in for. Right from the start, you will enjoy the impressive directionality and crispness of the motorcycle chase scene. Low-frequency notes are depicted with accuracy that is perfectly pressured. Rhythmic pounds collide into your soundstage with everything else nicely placed into the other channels to tease. The real meat is when explosions hit. Bass comes in with a punch and it hits hard. Collapsing building pulsates your seat and rumbles the walls but remains at a comfortable equilibrium for you to lust for more.

IMMERSIVENESS RATING: ⭐ ⭐

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Angry Birds 2 (PG)

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Angry Birds 2 (PG)

Following on its successful prequel, this movie will put the “fun” in surround sounds with slinging birds! Within the first 7 minutes, your surround system receives accurate directionality with the birds flying across your screen. Your ears will follow the realistic motion sounds of various objects and birds being flung in mid-air. “Order in Chaos” best describes the sounds produced as the feud between the Birds and the Piggys escalates. No frequency is muddled out and every one of them is coherently heard. Coordination between the impacts of your subwoofer(s) and surround speakers are top-notch, resulting in a room-filling bubble that encapsulates you. Safe to say, this will put a smile on your kids’ faces while putting a grin on yours when your wife gives her nod of approval on your surround sound system investment during Sunday Family Time.

IMMERSIVENESS RATING: ⭐ ⭐

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Cloudy with A Chance of Meatballs (PG)

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Cloudy with A Chance of Meatballs (PG)

Bigger (and most probably better!) than the largest available size at McDonald’s, this movie serves up clever use of amazing colors to accentuate the ginormous descending food with a side of exquisite and precisely timed cinematic surround sounds. The sound presentation focuses on creating an ethereal atmosphere by building a wide soundstage. You will notice a delicious flow of surround sound energy that not outshine one another and pick up on a lot of delicate ambient effects such as light whirring of gadgets, squishies from jellos, rumbling, and of course, “oohs” and “ahhs” that keep this dinner party going. Bass in this, takes on the supporting role to actively bring out the life and give an added sound dimension to complete your audio dining experience at Swallow Town.

IMMERSIVENESS RATING: ⭐ ⭐

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The Grinch (Dr. Seuss' - 2018) (PG)

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The Grinch (Dr. Seuss' - 2018) (PG)

From the creators of despicable me, follow this animated series as a grump seeks to stop Christmas from happening. The sound of Christmas ambiance, carols and jingles will fill your room, with the sound of each of this grump's quirky antics perfectly replicated on your frontal channels. Later, The quiet yet audible sounds of this sneaky grump stealthily taking all things Christmas in the middle of the night add weight to the seriousness of what this grump is doing. This Movie is currently available on Amazon Prime Video and will be available on Netflix from January 1, 2021.

IMMERSIVENESS RATING: ⭐

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How to Train Your Dragon (PG)

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How to Train Your Dragon (PG)

We love Dragons in all shapes and sizes because it represents 1 thing: Overhead Sound. Multiple motions sweep in its full glory leave trails for head-turning moments. As the plot evolves and Hiccup tries to work with a Toothless, the fury of the initial resistance will make its presence known through dynamic sound motions that seize your attention from your surround channel - all this done with a majestic concert band playing in the background that highlights the majestic unison of the Dragons and Vikings.

IMMERSIVENESS RATING: ⭐ ⭐

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Raya and the Last Dragon (PG)

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Raya and the Last Dragon (PG)

As Raya embarks on a seemingly impossible adventure to find the last dragon and end a war, follow her on an exciting journey as she fights against enemies and odds to succeed in her mission. Every fist punch thrown can be clearly felt through your subwoofers, with the energetic clashing sounds of sword fights and magic in this realm going off with pinpoint accuracy that is relative to the screen, with enough atmospheric effects to bring the movie scenes to life in your living room

IMMERSIVENESS RATING: ⭐ ⭐

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Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (PG)

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Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (PG)

You would not have expected that a movie targeted at a younger audience to check the box of a good surround sound mix. It displays excellent spaciousness in the various sound effects that include main dialogues, ambient chatters, streetcar chases, and bullets whizzing, to create a larger-than-life soundstage to match the on-screen activity. Dramatic explosion will leave evidence of resounding trails from your subwoofer(s). Swooshes from ambitious circus maneuvers add not only depth in sound but create excitement to enhance the overall circus activity. Listen for the subtly layered ambient effects from your surround channels when happy pop music emanates from your center channels. This movie is perfect to start cultivating your kids’ love for surround sound.

IMMERSIVENESS RATING: ⭐

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The Incredibles (PG)

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The Incredibles (PG)

Incorporating highly familiar everyday sounds (Think: dinner at the table, breakfast before school, etc.) can be tricky but the 2 sequels in this franchise showcase what tactful sound engineering can enable you to experience, when done correctly. Explosion scenes are perfectly pressurized to suck the air from the room to release a wall-shaking outburst. The famous 100mile dash by Dash in the first sequel displays the magical harmony exchange of exemplary directional sounds. It heightens every pixel of tension from the screen to make sure you duck from the swift overhead Velocipods. Sibling bickering is not only keen, but realistic enough for you to feel like you are the mediator. Spatial sounds are especially evident when you step into Edna Mode’s mansion. Every scene captivates you even more so than the last, to make sure you fall more deeply in love with one of America’s most relatable superhero family.

IMMERSIVENESS RATING: ⭐ ⭐

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Monster House (PG)

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Monster House (PG)

"There are no ghosts", Everyone would say. As the angsty voice of an unfriendly neighbor and family members being apathetic towards the warnings of a mere boy wavers through your center channels, expect horrified screams as the monster house rudely unleashes its paranormal abilities against the grown-ups. As the main cast battles to be free from this evil house, expect a captivating Halloween experience as the main cast engages in daring escapades, with the impact and debris from paranormal abilities and careless retaliation being clearly felt through every surround channel.

IMMERSIVENESS RATING: ⭐ ⭐

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Kung Fu Panda (PG)

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Kung Fu Panda (PG)

An absolute treat to listen to and fun for the whole family, this animated movie features excites with general kung-fu mayhem that travels effortlessly from one surround speaker to the next. Exploding fireworks taunts and the impact from each deft martial art (or clumsy) move is substantially delivered through your subwoofers to demand your attention to feel its warmth. Lines are delivered with every nuance of pitch change expertly picked up by quality center speaker drivers.

IMMERSIVENESS RATING: ⭐

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The Lion King (PG)

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The Lion King (PG)

A Disney classic that stirred up waves of excitement before its official launch is nothing short of a spectacular display of sounds that matches up with its reference video presentation. It paces each ambient sound intricately to its on-screen motion. The movie slowly increases its intensity and emphasis to draw out the emotional attachment as you watch the cubs move from the different stages of their lives. Directional stomps from the wildebeest’s migration layers as the main base for the other subtleties of ambient sounds to slot themselves in position. Every detail of every aspect is well-looked after and interpreted to create a marvelous realistic sensory experience that redefines what true surround sound is.

IMMERSIVENESS RATING: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

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Soul (PG)

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Soul (PG)

Disney is known to pay very close attention to creating a realistic soundscape for every animated movie, and SOUL is no exception. Leveraging on Dolby Atmos, SOUL makes full use of every speaker channel to engulf you with lush, ethereal ambient cues that virtually seem to transport you out of this world. Every musical note is beautifully rendered through your frontal channels, going in sync with the main character's deft finger movements. So much attention has been given to the original musical scores for this movie, that it's musical scores have already won multiple awards for being some of the best musical pieces ever created for a movie.

IMMERSIVENESS RATING: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

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The Sound of Music (G)

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The Sound of Music (G)

Effortlessly twirling in to demand the very best from your surround system, this restoration of the old-time favorite is bound to make your feet tap and lips sing. The original 6 track recording is further expanded to demand more out of today’s spatial sound technologies. You will notice that the frontal array has distinct sound object placement that provides your ears a map to track whose voice belongs to whom in the video presentation. Musical notes that flow through your drivers are filled with vigor and energizes the room to create a shoulder-to-shoulder comparison with the on-screen mood. It is a remastered nobody asked for, but desperately in need of, and we are glad, someone took up the challenge of taking this happiest feel-good film to better heights!

IMMERSIVENESS RATING: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

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Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (PG)

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Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (PG)

Hailed as the “Greatest Spidey Movie of Them All” by Rolling Stone, the surround sounds is just as reflective of its stunning visual. It gave us hair-raising and ting-a-ling sensations at the movie peaks and with every build-up, footsteps, and echoes that are lucidly produced by your surround speakers. If you have overhead or up-firing speakers, prepare to dodge the webs that are shot in the air, towards you and feel Spider-Man swinging past you. Not leaving music lovers behind, the soundtracks that accompany this movie will have your feet unknowingly tapping to the thumping rhythmic beats from your subwoofer(s).

IMMERSIVENESS RATING: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

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WALL-E (G)

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WALL-E (G)

If you thought a movie that centres around a forgotten robot could never qualify for having great surround sound, here's a surprise. Nominated and winning multiple awards for it's intricate and detailed sound mix, this movie cleverly makes use of the quieter, seemingly dull moments to realistically recreate the sound and echoes from the crushed litter on otherwise quiet and deserted earth, with romantic 60's music accompanying our isolated robot as he trudges through the day. Later, As the robot chases his newfound partner from outer space, feel love rise in the air, as the direction of this pair of robots whizzing around outer space is clearly replicated and accurate to the direction that each is moving on the screen

IMMERSIVENESS RATING: ⭐ ⭐

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