Corpse Bride: The Delightfully Macabre Tale Celebrates 20 Years with Its 4K Debut (4K)

The Film:

Back in 1993, a little stop-motion animation film called "The Nightmare Before Christmas" (co-produced and based on ideas by Tim Burton) was unleashed on the world, bringing with it massive critical acclaim, stunning success at the box office, an Oscar nomination for Visual Effects, and a fanbase that continues to adore the film over three decades later. 12 years later, a kind of spiritual successor was released known as "Corpse Bride, which Burton not only co-produced and helped develop ideas for, but also co-directed with Mike Johnson. The film also garnered a fair amount of critical acclaim & success at the box office, along with earning an Oscar nod for Best Animated Feature.

The strange thing is that it's not talked about nearly as much as its predecessor, despite having checked off many of the same accomplishments. Is it simply that fans don't find it as good as the previous film, or maybe it's just a little too dark in comparison? With the film reaching its 20th anniversary this year, Warner Bros. is celebrating by giving it a grand 4K upgrade and packing it full of special features, so now's the perfect time to go back and see if we can find the answer to this question, while also seeing if perhaps it should be regarded more than it's been over the last two decades.

The film centers on Victor Van Dort (Voice of Johnny Depp), who is to be married to Victoria Everglot (Voice of Emily Watson), with the parents of both looking to benefit from the arrangement (the Van Dorts for social status and the Everglots for wealth). The two fall in love when they meet, but Victor accidentally ruins the wedding rehearsal by messing up the vows. Afterward, he retreats to a forest where he successfully remembers the vows, finishing them by placing the ring on what he thinks is a root, but which turns out to be the skeletal finger of a dead woman named Emily (Voice of Helena Bonham Carter), who had been murdered by her fiance on the night they were to elope. Victor soon finds himself whisked away to the Land of the Dead and bound in holy matrimony to a corpse, which, as you can imagine, causes serious complications in regards to his plan to marry Victoria.

When it came to "The Nightmare Before Christmas," there was certainly a fair amount of darkness involved in its unique story of one town's attempt to try out another holiday for a change, and yet, it still managed to maintain a delightful kind of lightness about it, not just in its general design, but in its overall tone as well. To say that "Corpse Bride" incorporates a rather dark tone in telling its uniquely macabre tale would be something of an understatement, which could absolutely begin to explain why it's not normally placed alongside its predecessor in terms of rewatchability or longevity, but it hardly stops it from being a compelling story that stands apart as something you very likely haven't seen before.

Utilizing its own delightfully twisted narrative, "Corpse Bride" also fuses together the same dazzling stop-motion animation, a few decent tunes from the great Danny Elfman, and a remarkable vocal cast that includes such greats as Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Richard E. Grant, Albert Finney, Tracey Ullman, Michael Gough, and Sir Christopher Lee. Its story may lean slightly more towards the simple side, which in turn may lead to it being a little less memorable, but again, it is rather unique & captivating, especially in regards to what Victor can possibly do to get out of such a bizarre situation.

Overall, sure, the narrative & music of "Corpse Bride" may not linger in the memory quite as long as the beloved "Nightmare," but it still makes for a strangely intriguing experience, one that mingles with some very dark themes. It does exactly what it sets out to do in that it entertains you for its brief 77-minute runtime with something quite different, enthralling you with the kind of tale that only the legendary Tim Burton could bring you, and on that score, it is indeed worthy of at least a little more recognition than it's received over the last two decades.

Video/Audio:

"Corpse Bride" comes to 4K in a 1.85:1, 2160p Ultra High Definition transfer of excellent quality. The picture is absolutely gorgeous throughout the entire 77-minute duration, beautifully highlighting its stunning production design & stop-motion animation. Likewise, the Dolby Atmos-TrueHD audio track is fantastic, giving you all of the dialogue, sound effects, and music in outstanding quality. Overall, Warner Bros. has done a wonderful job in both departments for the film's new 4K upgrade.

Special Features:

Digging Up the Past: The Minds Behind Corpse Bride (8 Minutes)

'Til Death Do Us Art: A Corpse Bride Reflection (6 Minutes)

Danny Elfman Interprets the Two Worlds (5 Minutes)

Inside the Two Worlds of Corpse Bride (4 Minutes)

Making Puppets Tick (7 Minutes)

The Animators: The Breath of Life (7 Minutes)

The Corpse Bride Pre-Production Galleries (13 Minutes)

Tim Burton: Dark vs. Light (4 Minutes)

Voices from the Underworld (6 Minutes)

The Voices Behind the Voice (8 Minutes)

This edition comes with a wonderful collection of extras, totaling a little over an hour, that includes reflections on the film, as well as vintage featurettes that focus on areas such as the music, production design, the puppets, the animation, and the vocal cast. Any fan of the film looking to dig deeper into this intriguing animated tale will no doubt be pleased with the great material included here.

Conclusion:

Mike Johnson & Tim Burton's "Corpse Bride" may not quite measure up to its beloved spiritual predecessor in terms of it narrative or music, but it still stands as a fascinating, captivating, and unique tale that features wonderful animation, some fine tunes from the great Danny Elfman, and a fantastic vocal cast, culminating in a delightfully macabre experience that's very much worth a revisit.

Score: 3.5/5

Available on 4K starting today.

Follow me on Twitter @BeckFilmCritic.