Reissued in the US on Blu-ray on May 26th, 2015:

Released on Blu-ray, by Criterion, in the UK in November 2019:

DTS-HD Master Audio English 3598 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3598 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
DUBs:

• Featurette: A Look Inside Moonrise Kingdom (3:07)

• Welcome to the Island of New Penzance (Murray, Willis, Norton, Anderson - 6:11)

• Set Tour With Bill Murray (3:09)

Bitrates:

Description: An island off the New England coast, summer of 1965. Two twelve-year-olds, Sam and Suzy, fall in love, make a secret pact, and run away together into the wilderness. As local authorities try to hunt them down, a violent storm is brewing offshore . . . Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom stars Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward as the young couple on the run, Bruce Willis as Island Police Captain Sharp, Edward Norton as Khaki Scout troop leader Scout Master Ward, and Bill Murray and Frances McDormand as Suzy’s attorney parents, Walt and Laura Bishop. The cast also includes Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, and Bob Balaban. The magical soundtrack features the music of Benjamin Britten.

***

Director/co-writer Wes Anderson teams with screenwriter Roman Coppola for this period comedy drama set in the 1960s, and following a pair of young lovers (Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward) from an island off the New England coast as they head for the hills and throw their small town into a frenzy. Bruce Willis co-stars alongside Bill Murray, Edward Norton, and Frances McDormand.

 

 

The Film:

Excerpt from The Toronto Star located HERE

Image :    NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

Firstly, this is the UK edition that I am reviewing, but from what I have been able to ascertain - the transfer is pretty much the same for the other Blu-ray releases with differences in subtitle and DUB options varying for the country selling the package. This UK Universal region FREE Blu-ray may be the least expensive when factoring in currency exchange. Moonrise Kingdom's Blu-ray transfer is, like the film, bathed in golden yellows. It seems frequently dark cast - like a rainy day on the island.  It is a dual-layered rendering with s strong bitrate for the 1.5 hour feature. The dulled pastels are intentional and fairly consistent throughout. The 1080P supports solid contrast with some minor depth in the 1.85:1 frame.  It's pristinely clean showcasing the filmmakers style and impressive art direction. This looks exactly like the theatrical version of the film and this Universal Blu-ray provides an excellent presentation.

The Criterion is advertised as a "Restored 2K digital transfer, supervised by director Wes Anderson". As far as my eye and software extend - it looks almost exactly the same as the previous Universal. It remains 'bathed in golden yellows' mimicking the theatrical appearance. The Criterion is less technically robust than the Universal but I can't ascertain any difference in the visuals.   

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

1) Universal - Region FREE - Blu-ray - TOP 2) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

1) Universal - Region FREE - Blu-ray - TOP 2) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

1) Universal - Region FREE - Blu-ray - TOP 2) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 

More Blu-ray Captures

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As well as the original score by Alexandre Desplat, we get a host of music by Benjamin Britten with some Schubert, Mozart and a couple of Hank Williams pieces thrown-in. All sound wonderful via the DTS-HD Master 5.1 at a strong 3598 kbps. It handles all the film's audio track effects that are exported. Some of the orchestral pieces have brilliant resonating string sections - that are notable. Nothing but positives here for the audio transfer as well. There are optional subtitles and my Oppo has identified it as being a region FREE.

Like the video, the audio is exactly the same, equally as strong, on the Criterion - a very robust DTS-HD Master 5.1 at a strong 3504 kbps. It sounds just as strong (see above) and there are optional English subtitles - but the Criterion Blu-ray disc is region 'A'-locked.

Extras :

This is what separates the releases. It starts with a new (2015) audio commentary featuring Anderson, Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Jason Schwartzman, and Roman Coppola - lots of fun and fairly detailed on the production although some of the communication appears to be over the phone lines (Schwartzman). An excellent new addition for those who loved the film. There are 8.5-minutes worth of selected-scene storyboard animatics and Narrator Tests (Opening Sequence, Church Flashbacks, The Island of New Penzance, The Island of St Jack Wood) plus the 17-minute exploring the set of “Moonrise Kingdom” original documentary about the film. Amusing are 11 iPhone Videos by Edward Norton home movies from the set, with introduction. They run over 20-minutes in total. I also enjoyed the 5-minutes worth of Auditions. Included are a short piece on some of the Miniatures used in the film and a Welcome to New Penzance mock-advert. We get to hear Benjamin Britten's "Noye's Fludde" (one-act opera largely intended for amateur performers, particularly childre) lasting 3-minutes and other short videos on Animated Books, Cousin Ben, a Set Tour With Bill Murray (as also found on the Universal BD), a trailer and the Criterion package has a liner notes booklet featuring an essay by critic Geoffrey O’Brien and a selection of commentary from young writers, along with a map of New Penzance Island and other ephemera. 

Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

BOTTOM LINE:
This is a masterpiece - one of my favorite films of the year. It seems like Wes Anderson just continues to improve as a film-maker. I found Fantastic Mr. Fox equally as brilliant with fabulous replay value. The Blu-ray does its job in exporting an accurate a/v for the film - and we give this a very strong recommendation. Let's hope Wes continues for 30 more years making gems like this!