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Mad Monster Party?
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray ALL - Australia - Umbrella Entertainment Review written by and copyright: James-Masaki Ryan (8th December 2023). |
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The Film
 "Mad Monster Party?" (1967) The head of the Worldwide Organization of Monsters Baron Boris von Frankenstein (voiced by Boris Karloff) informs his assistant Francesca (voiced by Gale Garnett) that he is retiring from his position, and decides to pass the reigns to his nephew Felix Flanken (voiced by Alan Swift). To make the formal announcement, Dr. Frankenstein writes to all the monsters worldwide and his nephew and invites them to his remote castle in the Caribbean Sea. But the monsters are not exactly on board with the decision, and young Felix's life is put into grave danger... Rankin/Bass Productions, the company led by Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass had a major hit with their stop motion animation television special "Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer" in 1964, which delighted audiences with its unique visuals and humor that could be appreciated by all. This led to a three picture deal with producer Joseph E. Levine"Mary Poppins" inspired live-action/animation hybrid "The Daydreamer" (1966) and the traditional hand drawn "The Wacky World of Mother Goose" (1967) were not major hits. Their third feature, "Mad Monster Party?" would be their first theatrical film to be entirely produced in stop motion like their successful television specials. For stop motion production, Rankin and Bass would not be hands on with the creation of their works. They would write, design, and storyboard with their production team, though the animation process would be entirely outsourced. In this case it was through Tadahito Mochinaga at MOM Productions, who contributed to the stop motion animation in "Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer" and "The Daydreamer" previously. Rather than the bright and colorful approach of those features, "Mad Monster Party?" would be inspired by the Universal monsters and other creature features, with dark castle corridors and night sequences in the moonlight, yet still accessible to children. The monsters featured were ones that were familiar to audiences especially with the television hits "The Addams Family" and "The Munsters" at the time, such as Frankenstein's monster, Dracula, The Mummy, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Werewolf, The Invisible Man and others. There were also "The Creature", which was inspired by "The Creature from the Black Lagoon" and the giant gorilla that was called "It" by the characters which was inspired by "King Kong", with both characters not being referenced by their names directly due to trademark concerns. The film has similarities to horror features such as "The Old Dark House" in which a number of patrons gather for a macabre evening, though there is no mystery here, as the intentions are quite clear from Dr. Frankenstein. The only one that is clueless is Felix, the young drugstore assistant who is oblivious to his surroundings and doesn't realize that the monsters that are gathering are actual monsters. The comical touches to his character are simple and pure, and his vocal talent by Alan Swift is played with a style that is similar to James Stewart, giving him an every-man feel. He is never scared or shocked, but instead finds a way to make sense of his surroundings in an orderly way, and that gives off a charming and likeable feel. Swift not only voices Felix, but does the voices of the monsters and other supporting characters as well. Some are given impressions as well, such as the Sydney Greenstreet sounding The Invisible Man and the character of Yetch sounding similar to Peter Lorre. What also separates the film from before are the vocal talents of two extremely established stars of film. Boris Karloff who played the iconic Frankenstein's monster in the 1930 feature and countless horror films voices the Baron in his distinct voice. In addition, the bride of the monster is voiced by musical superstar Phyllis Diller, who is able to use her singing voice in the number of musical segments. Like other Rankin/Bass films, it features a number of musical segments composed by Maury Laws and Jules Bass, and even Karloff lends his voice to the musical numbers. Although there was the issue that Karloff could not sing, the filmmakers were able to use his distinct readings to create songs around them in a spoken form to wonderful effect. Through the painstaking stop motion process that Rankin/Bass termed "Animagic", each of the characters and settings are brought to life with some interesting trickery, and it is amazing to see how the effects stand all these decades later. Yes, the technique of shooting one frame at a time with figures does take an incredibly long time, it should be noted that the puppeteers didn't have modern tools like digital photography to check frames that were already shot, delete mistaken frames, or have complete consistency, which leads to a crude yet handcrafted feel that is missing from modern stop motion features. While there is a lot of fun with the dark monster setting and the simple story, there are some portions that feel inconsequential. There is some padding of sequences to extend the runtime of the fairly straightforward story, with moments that do not move the story forward, such as with the chef's music performance. The pacing is affected yet "Mad Monster Party?" never overstays its welcome. In fact there could have been a lot more as the wacky and macabre sequences are fun as they are. From bowling with severed heads, a band of skeletons singing surf music, or just listening to Karloff speaking in character, there is much fun to be had in the feature. Due to the previous Rankin/Bass features having a less than successful theatrical run, Embassy Pictures didn't seem to give the film a major release theatrically. It premiered on March 8th, 1967 in New York, on May 30th, 1967 in Los Angeles, followed by a general release from July 26th. Over the years, it was broadcast on television, though it was always overshadowed by the Rankin/Bass Christmas specials. It received a home video release on VHS in the 1980s and in the late 1990s, a DVD release was planned but unfortunately cancelled due to rights issues being shifted around. It finally received a DVD release by Anchor Bay in the United States in 2002, then it was followed by a special edition DVD from Lionsgate in the US in 2009. Lionsgate would upgrade it to Blu-ray in 2012. Now Australia's Umbrella Entertainment has given it a new and much improved Blu-ray release in 2023. While it's had its time as a cult favorite for some fans, it is a Rankin/Bass production that deserves a bigger spotlight and this release is an excellent way to experience it. Note this is a region ALL Blu-ray
Video
Umbrella Entertainment presents the film in two aspect ratios: in the theatrical 1.85:1 aspect ratio in 1080p AVC MPEG-4 and the open-matte 1.33:1 aspect ratio in 1080p AVC MPEG-4. The transfers start with the modern Studio Canal logo and have been transferred from a 35mm element. The widescreen transfer presents the first time that the film has been seen in the theatrical aspect ratio on any home video format. The transfer is quite grainy due to the source and the stop motion filming process, with inconsistent lighting and grain from shot to shot that should be expected. Thankfully the remastering hasn't touched the grain and kept the original look rather than smoothening out the image, keeping with its original look. Colors are bold and sharp with darkness being key, and each figure comes to life with clarity. Due to the sharpness, the filmmaking tricks such as the wires become quite visible in comparison to older transfers. There are some damage marks that are visible, though none are too distracting. Fans should be absolutely pleased with the transfers here. The fullscreen version is less noticeable with the grain due to the image not being zoomed in on, but still retains the faults and strengths listed above as it uses the same remastered transfer. While they may look identical, the widescreen version does in fact have a higher bitrate, with 24GB of space devoted to it, compared to 12GB for the fullscreen version. Though if not pointed out, it would be very hard to tell the difference as they both look solid. When playing the film from the main menu, it defaults to the widescreen version. The fullscreen version is accessed through the extras menu. The runtime for both versions are 95:16.
Audio
English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono Both transfers include an identical lossless mono track. As it is a film with a number of musical segments, it is quite important that the vocals and instruments sound good, and thankfully they do. Dialogue and vocals, such as the opening theme sung by Ethel Ennis sound well balanced against the music and effects throughout, without any noticeable instances of crackle, hiss, dropouts, or other problems. With mono being mono, there are limitations within the music not being too spacious, though the cues sound very good with each scene. There are optional English HoH subtitles for the main feature in a white font for both presentations. The subtitles are in the "Universal" style, with the subtitles being placed below the speaker rather than centered.
Extras
Audio commentary by Rankin/Bass Studios historian/biographer Rick Goldschmidt (1.85:1 version) Rick Goldschmidt published "The Enchanted World of Rankin/Bass" and is the foremost authority on the history of Rankin/Bass, contributing to retrospectives, home video releases, soundtrack reissues and much more. In this newly recorded audio commentary, Goldschmidt discusses about the film at length, from the casting and recording process, the script and its evolution, the music cues, the humor, the release, and much more. He also points out the flaws of the film such as the pacing, his involvement in having the soundtrack album finally receiving a release on CD (and his non-involvement in the disappointing vinyl release), his personal love for the film during the Halloween season and more. in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles Introduction by Rick Goldschmidt (3:12) This new introduction by Goldschmidt is a spoiler free interview in which he gives some basic information on the film's history in the Rankin/Bass theatrical features, the casting of well known actors, as well as showing off wooden sculptures that he received. Though he has lent his knowledge to many interviews over many years, he seems a little nervous in front of the camera here for some reason. This introduction can be played optionally before the start of the film or from the extras menu by itself. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles "Mad Monster Party?: The Making of a Cult Classic" 2009 featurette (14:47) This vintage featurette has interviews with Goldschmidt, Rankin, Swift and animator Don Duga, in which they discuss the history of the making of the film, with the storyboards, the animators in Japan with the Animagic process, the voice acting for the characters, the casting of Karloff and Diller and more. Note this was previously available on the Lionsgate DVD and Blu-ray releases. in 1080p 30fps AVC MPEG-4, in 1.78:1 / 1.33:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles "It's Sheer Animagic! Secrets of Stop-Motion Animation" 2009 featurette (9:36) This featurette has stop motion animators Mark Caballero and Seamus Walsh explaining the stop motion animation process, from the construction of the figures, creating movement, and the differences between then and now. Note this was previously available on the Lionsgate DVD and Blu-ray releases. in 1080p 30fps AVC MPEG-4, in 1.78:1 / 1.33:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles "Groovy Ghouls! The Music of Mad Monster Party" 2009 featurette (3:45) This featurette has an interview with composer Maury Laws on the creation of the songs. He talks about working with Bass, being inspired by "007 Goldfinger" for the opening theme song, and more in this all too short featurette. Note this was previously available on the Lionsgate DVD and Blu-ray releases. in 1080p 30fps AVC MPEG-4, in 1.78:1 / 1.33:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles "Unearthing a Classic" 1998 featurette (19:23) This featurette is introduced by voice actor Billy West, as he guides through the making of the film along with interviews from Goldschmidt, Diller, and animation writer and producer David Witting. Discussed are the history of Rankin//Bass and the Animagic process, the voice actors, the music, and much more. The featurette was meant for a DVD release by Deluxo in 1999 but the DVD was cancelled due to rights issues. A VHS of the film by Deluxo was issued, but it didn't include this featurette. The featurette was shelved and it has been made available for the first time here on this release. in 1080p 30fps AVC MPEG-4, in 1.33:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles 2 Sing-Alongs (4:45) Presented here are "Our Time to Shine" and "One Step Ahead" with karaoke subtitles. Note these were previously available on the Lionsgate DVD and Blu-ray releases. in 1080p 30fps AVC MPEG-4, in 1.78:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles Stills and Poster Gallery (2:38) Presented here is an automated slideshow gallery of 57 stills, from behind the scenes stills, storyboards and posters. This is accompanied by a stereo recording of the opening theme song by Ethel Ennis. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles Original Theatrical Trailer (1:26) The original narrated American trailer is presented here from a film source. The image looks fairly good with little damage and wear, with fair sounding audio. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.33:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles Rankin/Bass Trailer Collection (16:55) - "The Daydreamer" (1966) - "The Wacky World of Mother Goose" (1967) - "Mad Monster Party?" (1967) - "King Kong Escapes" (1967) (US trailer) - "King Kong Escapes" (1967) (Japanese trailer) - "The Last Dinosaur" (1977) (Japanese trailer) - "The Bushido Blade" (1981) - "The Last Unicorn" (1982) A series of trailers from a variety of Rankin/Bass productions are presented here, showcasing various styles of animation as well as live action. Though note "The Daydreamer" is not the trailer but just the opening credits sequence. Each come from differing sources so they are presented in different aspect ratios and have different looking transfers. The Japanese trailer for "King Kong Escapes" is gorgeous, as it comes from a restored source with bold and beautiful colors without any damage at all. On the flipside, "The Bushido Blade" comes from a weak analog source with very dark colors and looking a little blurry. Some are film transfers, such as "The Daydreamer" and "The Wacky World of Mother Goose", while others come from upscaled video transfers, such as "The Last Dinosaur". The "King Kong Escapes" Japanese trailer is in Japanese without subtitles. "The Last Dinosaur" Japanese trailer has English dialogue from the actors but Japanese narration and text, without subtitles. The other clips are in English. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in various ratios, in English / Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles EASTER EGG "Princess Comet" with introduction by Rick Goldschmidt (24:16) “Princess Comet” was a manga and television series created by writer Mitsuteru Yokoyama about a magical 12-year-old princess who travels to Earth in search of a prince. The television series, which was a mix of live action, hand drawn animation and stop motion animation began its first season broadcast in July of 1967 and ran for 79 episodes, ending in December of that year. The show found a major audience in Latin America, as the series was dubbed into Spanish and was broadcast in the 1970s throughout the continents. Filmmakers Guillermo del Toro and Alfonso Cuarón have both stated that the series had a major influence in their careers. Cuarón even named the named the two Japanese characters Takeshi and Koji in "Sólo con tu pareja" after the two boys in "Princess Comet". Actress Yumiko Kokonoe (who was actually 21 at the time playing an overgrown 12 year old) is still more recognizable to audiences across central and South America than in her native Japan. Presented here is episode #56, entitled サンダー・コングの逆襲 or “Thunder Kong’s Revenge”, which features the stop motion figure of “It” from “Mad Monster Party” as “Thunder Kong”. Rather than the original Japanese episode, this is dubbed in Spanish, though it retains the Japanese language opening credits as well as the Japanese theme song. Unfortunately it is not subtitled, nor is it offered in the original Japanese language version (which has been released in Japan on DVD in the “Princess Comet” series boxset). Goldschmidt delivers a short introduction for the episode, which is in English. The transfer here is not exactly ideal. The Japanese DVD set features transfers from the original film masters, this comes from an analog master which has less definition, and drab colors, as well as film damage marks. On the positive side it is watchable and it looks fair throughout. Note that this is an Easter Egg. To access it, highlight “play film”, press left to highlight the head, then press enter. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.33:1, in English (intro) / Spanish (dialogue) / Japanese (song) Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles The Blu-ray features all the extras found on previous DVD and Blu-ray releases and adds a number of new extras making this easily the definitive edition of the film. A clip of the film (in the fullscreen version), courtesy of Umbrella Entertainment
Packaging
The disc is packaged in a standard clear keep case with unique artwork for both the outer and inner inlay. The packaging mistakenly states region B only, as it is in fact region ALL. The first 1500 copies includes a limited edition slipcase with unique artwork. It is also available in a Collector's Edition exclusively at Umbrella Web Shop which also includes: - Custom artwork slipcase - Replica 1967 Mad Monster Party comic - 3 collectable custom art metal enamel pins - A3 reversible poster - Custom artwork sticker sheet 
Overall
"Mad Monster Party?" has the innocence, the macabre, the wacky humor, and loveable stop motion animated characters brought to life and is an overlooked monster classic from Rankin/Bass productions. Umbrella Entertainment has done a wonderful job with the presentation as well as having new and vintage special features. Highly recommended.
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