Corpse Bride 4K UHD Review
“Corpse Bride” has held up quite well for its 20th anniversary.
Written by John August, Caroline Thompson and Pamela Pettler, 2005’s “Corpse Bride” is a stop-motion animated musical from the minds of Tim Burton and Carlos Grangel. The gothic story is based on a Jewish Russian folk tale and takes place in a grey English village. The story itself revolves around the clumsy and shy Victor (the son of wealthy fish merchants) and the kind hearted Victoria (the daughter of poor aristocrats) who are arranged to be married despite having never interacted in the past. When the two do finally meet, there is a definite connection there. While Victor rehearses for the wedding ceremony, he accidentally awakens the corpse of a bride named Emily whom he becomes married to. Victor soon finds himself whisked away to the Land of the Dead. Naturally, Victor wants to return to the Land of the Living and be with Victoria, but he also finds himself falling for Emily. Meanwhile, back in the Land of the Living, the duplicitous Lord Barkis (who harbors dark secrets) seeks to marry Victoria after Victor’s disappearance.
Directed by Tim Burton and Mike Johnson, “Corpse Bride” is the type of movie that wears its influences on its sleeve. In addition to the folk tale it’s based on, there’s a lot of similarities to “Bride Of Frankenstein” and Tim Burton’s own projects “Frankenweenie,” “A Nightmare Before Christmas,” and even “Beetlejuice.” In other words, it’s a distinctly Burton film. It also happens to be one of his best. Accompanied by songs and a score by Danny Elfman, this musical is a short, sweet and spooky story about love, marriage, greed, life and death, and moving forward in life. Everything from the world building to the kooky characters is brimming with life here. It’s a fully realized world thanks to the efforts of Tim Burton Productions and LAIKA. The stop-motion animation is breathtaking in every way. The level of detail, the creativity, the puppets and sets are all made with love. It is and always has been an underrated cinematic art form.
If there was any knock on the film it’s that the story is a little bit thin. The revelation of the murderer was obvious from the get go and Victor seems to take everything in stride (which is odd given how shy and nervous he is). With that said, this gothic romance still works wonders and ends on a beautiful note.
The voice cast is a real-star studded affair as it features the likes of Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Emily Watson, Christopher Lee, Albert Finney, Richard E. Grant, Tracey Ullman and more. Everyone gets the opportunity to explore their individual characters, but it’s very much Depp and Carter’s show.
Video/Audio:
Presentation: 1.85:1 2160p. How does it look? This catalogue title will blow you away. From the dazzling colors to the clarity of the stop-motion animation, the film has never looked better.
Audio Track: Dolby Atmos. How does it sound? A superb Atmos track that really comes alive during the musical numbers.
Extras:
* “Digging Up The Past: The Minds Behind Corpse Bride”- Co-writer John August, producer Allison Abbate, and director Mike Johnson talk about the movie and recall memories about its production in this new extra.
* “‘Til Death Do Us Art: A Corpse Bride Reflection”- The same 3 people reflect on making the film alongside behind-the-scenes footage.
* “Danny Elfman Interprets The Two Worlds”- Composer Danny Elfman talks about creating music for the Land of the Dead and the Land of the Living.
* “Inside The Two Worlds Of The Corpse Bride” explores the Land of the Dead and the Land of the Living.
* “Making Puppets Tick” involves puppet creation.
* “The Animators: The Breath Of Life” is all about the stop-motion animation.
* “The Corpse Bride Pre-Production Galleries” contains storyboards, sketches, puppetwork, and more.
* “Tim Burton: Dark Vs. Light” revolves around Tim Burton’s directorial style and the stop-motion animation format.
* “Voices From The Underworld” is about the voice actors and their characters.
* “The Voices Behind The Voices”- A behind-the-scenes look at the voice actors recording alongside the final product.
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