There are those among us who proudly describe themselves as “Amblin kids.” Sure, it’s a descriptor I’ve just made up, but if you grew up in the era of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Gremlins (1984), The Goonies (1985), Back to the Future (1985), An American Tale (1985), Innerspace (1987), Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988), and The Land Before Time (1988) — and these are just a few adventure tales from the 1980s — then it’s safe to say you qualify to use the term (as well as compensation from the trauma). Amblin Entertainment was founded in 1980 by Steven Spielberg (Jaws), Frank Marshall (Back to the Future), and Kathleen Kennedy (Jurassic Park), each one playing a significant role in the stories that shaped an entire generation. One such film sounds wild on paper and, yet, through its execution, is not only hilarious and action-packed, it reminds us that we’re all part of the same ecosystem; the William Dear-directed family adventure Harry and the Hendersons (1987) is receiving a brand-new 4K UHD restoration with enhanced picture, as well as a mixture of new and archival materials, so that a new generation can experience the uplifting and heartfelt tale of found family.

L-R: John Lithgow as George Henderson and Kevin Peter Hall as Harry in HARRY AND THE HENDERSONS. Photo courtesy of Amblin Entertainment. Photo not representative of 4K UHD restoration.

On the way back from an outdoors family vacation in the Seattle woods, the Hendersons accidentally drive their car into something huge when the light of the sun and the dust of the road block driver George’s (John Lithgow) vision. Believing it to be a dead sasquatch, they strap it to the roof of their car and bring it home, only to discover that it’s very much alive. Once everyone, including the creature they name “Harry,” calms down, they find that he’s not only quite friendly, he’s incredibly gentle and sweet. But when the risks of keeping him grow too great, the Hendersons try to get him back home and lose Harry in the process. It’s only a matter of time before Harry’s discovered and word has begun to spread that a real sasquatch is roaming the streets of Seattle and it’s bringing all manner of hunter to town.

The following home release review is based on a 4K UHD retail edition provided by Kino Lorber.

L-R: Kevin Peter Hall as Harry, Margaret Langrick as Sarah Henderson, Joshua Rudoy as Ernie Henderson, Melinda Dillon as Nancy Henderson, and John Lithgow as George Henderson in HARRY AND THE HENDERSONS. Photo courtesy of Amblin Entertainment. Photo not representative of 4K UHD restoration.

With this 2026 edition, just a year shy of the 40^th anniversary of theatrical release, home viewers are treated to a brand-new video restoration and two new audio commentary tracks. The 4K UHD disc features a restoration from a 4K scan of the 35 mm original camera negative, housed on a triple-layered UHD100 disc, and includes both 5.1 and lossless 2.0 audio. By contrast, the Blu-ray includes a new HD master (made through the same materials), housed on a double-layered BD50 disc, and includes both 5.1 and lossless 2.0 audio tracks. For the unaware, the layers and size allow for more data to be held by the disc and the integrity of the information to be better supported, enabling a higher quality presentation through your home theater. Unlike restorations from boutique distributors (such as: 88 Films, Eureka Entertainment, Radiance Films, and The Criterion Collection), there is no included information regarding how the restoration was made or who did the restoration beyond what’s on the Kino Lorber website. While we don’t know how the negative was processed or scanned or any of the treatments it underwent, since Dear returns to contribute a brand-new commentary track, alongside filmmaker Douglas Hosdale (Brokedown Palace), one can safely presume from his participation that he approves of the restoration. From a technical perspective, the Harry restoration absolutely impresses as it holds steadily in the 70 Mbps range for the duration of the film; no massive jumps or dips at any point. For a movie shot on film using a great deal of practical effects (that Rick Baker-designed sasquatch suit remains impressive in its naturalness), one isn’t particularly surprised as titles with lots of digital effects or composition tend to bring down the bitrate (ex. Sonic the Hedgehog 3), even if it doesn’t *noticeably* impact the overall visual or auditory experience. Instead, we’re gifted with an experience in which the tones are completely natural (browns and greens of nature rich, while the skin tones are healthy and not washed out), the variant textures of the sasquatch suit discernable (especially in the nighttime sequences), and heavy grain is only truly visible in the concluding portions of the film. To be clear, it’s not that grain is totally removed, it’s just that the heavy presence is gone, allowing for the goodness within each frame to shine through. There’s no massive impression made by the 5.1 audio track, even if it is designed for post-2010 home theaters. The sound comes through crisp and clean, to be sure, but this isn’t the sort of cinematic experience in which one needs to be enveloped by sound anyway. It certainly helps that all of the new and archival supplemental materials are relegated to the Blu-ray disc, while the 4K UHD disc contains only the three commentary tracks (two new; one archival) which leaves plenty of room on the disc for the feature to be the best version it can be.

L-R: John Lithgow as George Henderson and Don Ameche as Dr. Wilson Wrightwood in HARRY AND THE HENDERSONS. Photo courtesy of Amblin Entertainment. Photo not representative of 4K UHD restoration.

Speaking of the commentary tracks, if there’s a bad thing to say about them, it’s that none of the three speak on the use of the Millenium Falcon’s failed hyperdrive post-car chase scene where the Hendersons and Dr. Wrightwood (Don Ameche) are fleeing from hunter Jacques Lafleur (David Suchet). Jumping on the fly through all three commentary tracks, not a one of them mentions it, which is a clear tie-in to friend of Amblin George Lucas’s blockbuster then-Star Wars trilogy (when only the Extended Universe existed past Return). Otherwise, the new commentary tracks are a good time as the one with Dear and Hosdale invites viewers to learn about how Lithgow got attached to the project after much hesitation, the work by Baker to craft the Harry suit (as well as the team to operate it), how Kevin Peter Hall’s (Predator) performance within the suit (even with only his eyes showing) gave Harry a necessary humanity, and a great deal of other tidbits. The solo commentary track from Hats Off Entertainment’s Joe Ramoni switches between film-specific notes to general anecdotes, such as his belief that the “character watches several TVs in a business window” trope seemed to be perpetuated by films and never based in reality.

In 2014, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment released a Blu-ray edition of Harry that included deleted scenes, a theatrical trailer, feature-length commentary with Dear, 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, and three featurettes: “Harry… Finding the Missing Link,” “Making of Harry and the Hendersons,” and “Newswrap.” All of this is included in the brand-new edition, so if you have the prior Blu-ray, these are supplemental materials you already have access to. Those of us who haven’t yet upgraded from DVD (or haven’t since VHS) are in for a delightful treat.

It’s fascinating going back to visit a film like Harry as an adult. To see the ways in which memory has changed the experience, even if specifics remain intact. For instance, viewing the film as a father, one more easily finds themselves identifying with George rather than the young Ernie (Joshua Rudoy), but less because of one’s similarity in age and more in the way that Lithgow (Shrek) plays the character. As is commented on in the commentary tracks, Harry isn’t the sort of family adventure that brings a somewhat isolated family back together as it is that it brings things into sharp focus of what matters. In this way, as an adult, we see how satisfied George is with his children and wife, but longs for something else in his profession, specifically, the way the film presents the internal struggle George faces between selling guns and ammo vs. wanting to an artist. Before even meeting George’s father (played by Knives Out’s M. Emmet Walsh), we know George to be a present parent who supports his children and listens to his wife (insofar as being his own person and they being theirs), so the fact that he draws and finds comfort in it (a talent viewed as significantly softer), we already get a sense that George is more in-tune with his emotions than the generation before him. This is, of course, confirmed when George Sr. denigrates George’s artistic talents and frames any value of as only related to selling more weapons and ammo as the hunt for the sasquatch heads toward an apex. That desire to be more than a job, but also to be seen and supported by one’s parents reconfigures how the entirety of the film is framed now — the adventure of meeting Harry, bringing him home, and, eventually, taking him back, being what I remember as a child; whereas the journey of growth George goes through as an adult who thought he had locked down his disquiet brings about even more tears in the conclusion. I might “never say die” for the rest of my life, but I’m long past being a Goonie. In that same vein, a film like Harry demonstrates that one doesn’t have to grow up, even when growing old; there are still joys to find, new facets of life to explore, and parts of ourselves we’d be told to put down can be nurtured once more.

David Suchet as Jacques Lafleur in HARRY AND THE HENDERSONS. Photo courtesy of Amblin Entertainment. Photo not representative of 4K UHD restoration.

Ultimately, picking up any new 4K UHD restoration comes down to one thing: does it spark joy? There are plenty physical media fans that will gobble up anything that gets released, but there are also the discerning types who start with whether or not the film means something to them. As someone who frequently “wandered the woods of Seattle” as a kid, investigating this restoration became an absolute must. In that vein, I’m delighted to report that this edition is an easy recommendation because it not only looks and sounds good, it combines together all the previously available supplemental materials with two new ones and the restoration. If you’ve already got the 2014 edition and don’t yet want to double-dip at full cost, wait for one of Kino Lorber’s online or brick-and-mortar partner sales. One thing is for certain, if you were an Amblin kid, you’re likely still one, and this film will continue resonate, even if for different reasons.

Harry and the Hendersons Special Features:

4K UHD Disc

• *NEW* Brand New HDR/Dolby Vision Master – From a 4K Scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative
• *NEW* Audio Commentary by Director William Dear, Moderated by Filmmaker Douglas Hosdale
• *NEW* Audio Commentary by Hats Off Entertainment’s Joe Ramoni
• Archival Audio Commentary by William Dear
• 5.1 Surround and Lossless 2.0 Audio
• Triple-Layered UHD100 Disc
• Optional English Subtitles

Blu-ray Disc

• *NEW* Brand New HD Master – From a 4K Scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative
• *NEW* Audio Commentary by Director William Dear, Moderated by Filmmaker Douglas Hosdale
• *NEW* Audio Commentary by Hats Off Entertainment’s Joe Ramoni
• Archival Audio Commentary by William Dear
• Harry… Finding the Missing Link
• Making of Harry and the Hendersons
• Newswrap
• Deleted Scenes
• Theatrical Trailer
• 5.1 Surround and Lossless 2.0 Audio
• Dual-Layered BD50 Disc
• Optional English Subtitles

Available on 4K UHD Blu-ray Combo May 26^th, 2026.

For more information, head to the official Kino Lorber Harry and the Hendersons webpage.

Categories: Films To Watch, Home Release, Home Video, Recommendation, Reviews

Tags: 4K UHD, adventure, Amblin Entertainment, Bill Martin, comedy, David Suchet, Don Ameche, Ezra D. Rappaport, family, fantasy, Harry and the Hendersons, home release, home video, John Lithgow, Joshua Rudoy, Kevin Peter Hall, Kino Lorber, Lainie Kazan, M. Emmet Walsh, Margaret Langrick, Melinda Dillon, Universal Pictures, William Dear