The Karate Kid is a coming of age underdog story about a teenage boy learning to face his fears and push himself to greatness. The movie begins when karate enthusiast Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) meets new crush Ali Mills (Elisabeth Shue) and her jealous ex-boyfriend Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka), the standout karate student at Cobra Kai. Bullied by Johnny and his friends, Daniel turns to Mr. Miyagi (Noriyuki “Pat” Morita) to train him for the upcoming karate tournament in the hope of ending the rivalry once and for all.

Now, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is releasing a 40th anniversary 4K Ultra HD edition of the movie, complete with throwback VHS style packaging.

The 4K Ultra HD disc special features include commentary with Cobra Kai creators Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg, over 30 minutes of behind the scenes deleted scene dailies, four deleted scenes, “Remembering The Karate Kid” featurette, and the theatrical trailer.

The Blu-ray disc special features include the Blu-Pop Pop-Up track, commentary with director John G. Avildsen, writer Robert Mark Kamen, and actors Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita, “The Way of The Karate Kid” multi-part making of featurette, “Beyond the Form” featurette, “East Meets West: A Composer’s Notebook,” and “Life of Bonsai” featurette.  

Released in 1984, The Karate Kid followed in the footsteps of dramatic sports films like Rocky, with the turmoil of adolescence thrown in for good measure. It became a favorite among teenagers, had three sequels, inspired a slew of other karate movies in the ‘80s and into the ‘90s, and endures today as a beloved modern classic. The Karate Kid was revived in 2018 with the sequel style TV series Cobra Kai, following adult Johnny and Daniel and the kids they teach. Cobra Kai season six will stream on Netflix sometime in 2024.

The Karate Kid 4K Ultra HD in retro VHS packaging will be on sale June 18, 2024.