Filmmaker Tim Burton means different things to different people thanks to his varied career in live-action and stop-motion (sometimes in the same picture) spanning more than four decades. From his first feature, Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure (1985), to producing Henry Selick’s The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) to directing Big Fish (2003) and Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (2016) and back to producing with Wednesday (2022 – to present), as well as so many things in between, there’s quite literally a Burton-touched story for everyone to call their own. Now, celebrating its 20th anniversary is the Burton co-directed Corpse Bride, also known as Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride, with a 4K UHD with HDR restoration that includes legacy bonus materials and two brand-new features.
L-R: Victoria voiced by Emily Watson and Victor voiced by Johnny Depp in CORPSE BRIDE. Photo not representative of the 4K UHD remaster. © 2005 Warner Bros Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
After botching the vows portion of his rehearsal, Victor (voiced by Johnny Depp) wanders into the woods where he begins practicing the recitation. As his confidence grows, he begins to interact with the branches and sticks around him, incorporating them into the actions associated with the words. However, when he places the ring intended for Victoria (voiced by Emily Watson) on what he presumes is a tree branch, it turns out to be the skeletal finger bone of a long-buried bride (voiced by Helena Bonham Carter) who quickly accepts his proposal. Torn between the woman he’s set to marry and the one to whom he’s now betrothed, Victor will go on a journey to learn that love certainly doesn’t end at death and one’s word should be as strong as their conviction.
The following review is based on a 4K UHD review copy provided by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.
As this is a 20th anniversary first-time 4K UHD with HDR review, we’re going to start with these elements before going into anything else. From a technical perspective, the bitrate on Corpse Bride rests within the mid-70 (Mbps), with occasional jumps into the 80s and brief moments down in the 60s and up in the 100s. Considering that a Blu-ray maxes at 40 Mbps, that this on-disc presentation holds in the mid-70s confirms that home viewers can enjoy the film with increased data compared to the prior released Blu-ray (and certainly the DVD). Considering that there are 10 featurettes on the same disc as the main feature — two brand new, eight legacy — and the bitrate remains in the upper ranges impresses. This could be that only the two new featurettes are presented in 4K, whereas the other eight are ported over with the original resolution (an aspect particularly noticeable when watching scenes from the film which are drastically reduced in quality compared to the 4K UHD edition). Regarding the on-disc presentation, the 4K UHD edition is a marvel to behold and showcases why animated productions, especially those of the stop-motion variety that co-producer LAIKA is known for (Coraline; Kubo and the Two Strings; ParaNorman), are perfect for remasters like this. In the scene where the Corpse Bride (later named as Emily in the climax) sits on her bed disenchanted with the discovery that Victor doesn’t love her, the texture of her left arm (completely exposed to reveal the skeleton underneath) is far more noticeable. We can see the small indentations, divots, and bumps suggestive of wear and tear over the years. Additionally, the vibrant colors of the world of the dead are somehow moreso, aiding to convey that the drab, monochrome nature of the living is this way because of the preconceptions over what matters in life whereas the inhabitants of the world of the dead seem to possess not a single ill thought for anyone. This last bit is what makes the turn toward punishment for the dastardly Lord Barkis Bittern (voiced by Richard E. Grant) quite a bit terrifying in that narrative thread’s conclusion. Whether it’s the initial introduction (for Victor and us) to the citizens of the underworld or just what we see as Victor “explores,” every inch of it incorporates color that hits all the more intensely in this edition.
For those who either never upgraded from their HD DVD (like this reviewer) or still have your Blu-ray or DVD, the bonus features are primarily legacy materials, as mentioned. As stated above, they are presented in their original format. However, in honor of the 20th anniversary, the 4K UHD edition includes two brief featurettes: “Digging up the Past: The Minds Behind the Corpse Bride” and “Til Death Do Us Art: A Corpse Bride Reflection.” The first features producer Allison Abbate (Fantastic Mr. Fox; The Iron Giant), co-writer John August (Go; Big Fish), and co-director Mike Johnson (Ping Pong Rabbit) sitting together as they reminisce about the making the film through the lens of the last 20 years. It sounds like August and Johnson hadn’t seen the film in that span of time, but each recently screened the film, affording them a refreshed memory on a variety of details, including how August got attached to the project, the animators and their work, Burton’s storyboarding, the adaptation from the original story, and the legacy of the film. The second new featurette features Abbate, August, and Johnson sitting individually in a more traditional talking head interview setup amid footage of the making of the film, centering the animators, the mechanical puppets (and why they used these compared to techniques for The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)), and the voice cast. There’re quite a few fun stories, especially one involving Christopher Lee (voice of Pastor Galswells).
Running 80 minutes, this compact tale, which borrowed from a 17th century Jewish folktale, is as much a story about finding and holding onto companionship as it is the importance of loving oneself and the realization that living is finite so we should enjoy it while we can. Each of these narrative themes is layered on top of another and is carefully doled out via the beautiful stop-motion puppets and moving vocal performances (specifically Carter and Watson). Additionally, one of the best things about revisiting films is the way that looking back enables one to realize or recognize things that were missed before. In this case, where the color schemes are more easily identifiable in terms of what they mean (the living being muted and the dead being vibrant, speaking a great deal about their respective viewpoints), it also means that one can hear the name LAIKA and realize that before the films that made them a household name, they were already crafting immersive worlds that audiences could live in, even if only for a brief period. It certainly explains the precision of the mechanical puppets (discussed in “A Corpse Bride Reflection”) and the meticulousness of the puppeteers/animators. This is the foundation of the House that Coraline Built. In concert, the narrative elements, the technical elements, and the performative elements combine to create one of the most imaginative and moving gothic love stories in which the best lesson is that loving yourself is the most important thing above all.
The Corpse Bride/Emily voiced by Helena Bonham Carter in CORPSE BRIDE. Photo not representative of the 4K UHD remaster. © 2005 Warner Bros Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Speaking as someone who owned the HD DVD and felt like it gave a far superior on-disc presentation to Blu-ray, I had not yet upgraded Corpse Bride in my collection. With that in mind, between the transfer of legacy materials, the two new featurettes, and the beautiful on-disc presentation, the 20th anniversary edition of Corpse Bride is an easy recommendation for anyone who either doesn’t yet have this *or* wants an enhanced presentation that their Blu-ray doesn’t have. If, however, you like your Blu-ray and are on the fence about upgrading, waiting for this edition to go on sale is also an easy recommendation because the featurettes don’t unearth any massive revelations that fans of the film must know. They invite audiences to walk down memory lane with three of the principals behind the film. In short, there’s really no losing here, whether you pick it up now or later.
Corpse Bride 4K UHD Special Features:
- *NEW* Digging up the Past: The Minds Behind the Corpse Bride (8:27)
- *NEW* Til Death Do Us Art: A Corpse Bride Reflection (6:19)
- 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
- Voices from the Underworld
- The Voices Behind the Voice
Available on 4K UHD Blu-ray and digital September 23rd, 2025.
Returning to select theaters October 2025.
For more information, head to the official Warner Bros. Pictures Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride webpage.
To find a screening near you, head to the official Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride 20th Anniversary website.
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Categories: Films To Watch, Home Release, Recommendation
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