Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride, which has just premiered in theaters with a new 4k restoration, is now available on 4k Blu-ray from Warner Bros. Entertainment. The film can be purchased in a Limited Edition 4K Blu-ray SteelBook and Standard Edition 4k Blu-ray both with a code to redeem a Digital Copy.
The 4k restoration of Corpse Bride is immaculate, with intricate details revealing the incredible production of this now classic stop-animation film that used scale models to construct an 17th-century English town and underworld where the dead live. It’s refreshing to see a handmade film amidst the sea of CGI-saturated superhero and animated films from the big studios.
The 4k disc presents Corpse Bride just as beautifully as in theaters. Details emerge from the shadow and highlight areas that may not have been noticeable before. The contrast ratio is expanded with HDR10 adding 10-bits of color depth, so skies are not blown out and black levels reveal subtle gradients. The color grading enhances the set and character design that was painfully undertaken by the production team. Sharpness is not enhanced at all, and accurately render the animated characters with all their slight imperfections just as they were captured on celluloid.
The audio side of Corpse Bride has been upgraded/remixed in Dolby Atmos / Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (if your system doesn’t support Atmos, it will attempt a 7.1 or lesser channel distribution). The new Atmos track provides an immersive experience that distributes effects in a wide range of frequencies to multiple discreet channels across the sound stage. Dialogue is grounded center and clear with no dropouts or distortion.
The soundtrack from Danny Elfman (also available in audio formats) is a wonderful piece of music composition that carries the story impeccably. The songs burst with energy combining strings, piano, horns, and harpsichord among other instruments to highlight the action and emotions in the film. When in full orchestra the music roars across a full surround systems with subwoofer(s), side, rear, and height speakers.
New bonus materials include Digging up the Past: The Minds Behind “The Corpse Bride and ‘Til Death Do Us Art” A “Corpse Bride” Reflection. Legacy extras include Danny Elfman Interprets the Two Worlds, Inside the Two Worlds of the Corpse Bride, Making Puppets Tick, The Animators: The Breath of Life, The Corpse Bride Pre-Production Galleries, Tim Burton: Dark vs. Light, and Voices from the Underworld. You’ll want to dive into these extras to get a better appreciation of the artistic and historical value of this film.
We’re rating Corpse Bride on 4k Blu-ray/Digital with a “Strong Buy” for its impressive visual restoration and remixed soundtrack. It would have been nice to have a second Blu-ray along with the 4k, but there’s really no need when all the extras are included on the 4k disc (albeit in HD or upscaled lower resolution).
Scores: 5/5 Movie, 4/5 Video, 4/5 Audio, 4/5 Bonus Materials.
Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride on 4k Blu-ray/Digital is priced $35.95 (SteelBook) and $24.95 (Standard). Buy on Amazon
Description: In a 19th-century village, Victor (Johnny Depp) is whisked to the underworld and wed to a mysterious Corpse Bride, while his true love, Victoria, waits above. In this stop-motion fantasy, Victor discovers the Land of the Dead is more vibrant than his strict life, but learns that nothing—not even death—can keep him from his one true love.
Description: In a 19th-century village, Victor (Johnny Depp) is whisked to the underworld and wed to a mysterious Corpse Bride, while his true love, Victoria, waits above. In this stop-motion fantasy, Victor discovers the Land of the Dead is more vibrant than his strict life, but learns that nothing—not even death—can keep him from his one true love.
