The City of Lost Children (1995)
La Cité des Enfants Perdus
Fantasy, Science Fiction, Adventure • 1h 53m
Directors: Jean-Pierre Jeunet & Marc Caro
Cast: Ron Perlman, Dominique Pinon, Judith Vittet, Daniel Emilfork, Jean-Claude Dreyfus, Geneviève Brunet, Odile Mallet, Mireille Mossé, Serge Merlin, Rufus, Ticky Holgado, Cris Huerta, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Joseph Lucien, Mapi Galán, Briac Barthélémy, Pierre-Quentin Faesch, Alexis Pivot, François Hadji-Lazaro, Dominique Bettenfeld, Lotfi Yahya Jedidi, Thierry Gibault, Marc Caro, Ham Chau Luong, Frankie Pain, Enrique Villanueva, Dominique Chevalier, Lorella Cravotta, Éric Houzelot, Philippe Beautier, Marc Amyot, Jean-Philippe Labadie, Raphaèle Bouchard, Rachel Boulenger, Michel Motu, Nane Germon, Léo Rubion, Guillaume Billod-Morel, Bezak, Hong Mai Thomas, René Pivot, Daniel Adric, Christophe Salengro, René Marquant, Michel Smolianoff, Lili Cognard, Angélique Philibert, Marie Piémontèse, Antoinette Dias, Zak Russomanno, Djamila Bouda, Lauren Geoffroy, Cyril Aubin, Bruno Journée, Jérémie Freund, Joris Geneste, Julie Bernard, Valentin Simonet, Eglantine Blanckaert, Gaëtan Bouyala, Mickael Bussinger, Jonathan Gatinois, Joshka Kaufmann, Morgan Mariac, Caroline Marsily, Geoffroy Morange, Sébastien Thaissart, Charlotte Bienfait, Camille Dufeu, Robinson Fouille, Alysia Hoffeurt, Sandy Kontargyris, Andrew Laupen, Théo Madueno, Arthur Mazet, Fackry M'Saidie, Gabriel Pierre, Bérangère Pivot, Charlotte Ribaud-Chevrey, Laura Robert, Caroline Rochand, Carolane Yvan, Margot Tostivint, Buster Verbraeken, Mathieu Kassovitz
Best English-friendly & video release
Updated 10 months ago
UHD tiers
currently only available in the Sony Pictures US set
About the film
A scientist in a surrealist society kidnaps children to steal their dreams, hoping that they slow his aging process.
- Alternative Titles
- The City of the Lost Children
Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Directors: Jean-Pierre Jeunet & Marc Caro
StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray has DNR and inconsistent encode but still superior to the decade-old earlier Blu-ray. Severin 4K Blu-ray probably better encode?
Director: Dennis Hopper
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Director: David Lean
Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
The 5.1 on Sony 4K Blu-ray is from the 1989 70mm mix. The original is 4-track. not on the disc.
Original Stereo mix: Columbia Pictures LaserDisc, Sony 4K Blu-ray
5.1 remix: Sony 4K Blu-ray, Sony Blu-ray
Dolby Atmos remix: Sony 4K Blu-ray
Original Stereo mix: Columbia Pictures LaserDisc, Sony 4K Blu-ray
5.1 remix: Sony 4K Blu-ray, Sony Blu-ray
Dolby Atmos remix: Sony 4K Blu-ray
Director: Satoshi Kon
Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
Director: Ben Stiller
Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
Director: Luc Besson
Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab) · fanrestore.com (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
2020 StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray vs 2017 Sony 4K Blu-ray (20th annivesary) vs 2025 Sony 4K Blu-ray (Luc Besson Box Set). The first two have totally different texture.
StudioCanal: More natural looking. Better defined grain. The white balance is rather yellow/orange. Some say it is closer to the original theatrical release.
2017 Sony: More vibrant and impactful. The white balance is rather neutral. While color noise and grain can look busy because it had been sharpened and had micro-contrast boosted.
2025 Sony: Supposedly an improved version of the 2017 release? Shows around 20mbps-higher overall video bitrate. caps
2007 Sony Blu-ray or LaserDisc AC3? (TBC) https://fanrestore.com/thread-7303.html
The Atmos on the Sony release is reportedly better than StudioCanal's.
Disc info of the box set discs. This film have recieved multiple encode/versions in different regions over the years. The 2017 Germany4K Blu-ray is encoded differently than the 2017 Sony but not better. Also, the same can be said to 2024 France Gaumont 4K Blu-ray while comparing to the 2020 StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray. The StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray omits all the extras from previous releases, being barebones.
Director: Frank Capra
More Fantasy on Blu-ray
Director: George Pal
4K restoration from Original Camera Negative
Directors: Ernest B. Schoedsack & Merian C. Cooper
Directors: David Hand & Ben Sharpsteen & William Cottrell & Larry Morey & Perce Pearce & Wilfred Jackson
Mono track is on the included Blu-ray; 4K Blu-ray missing original mono. LaserDisc probably better
Director: Gary Ross
Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray, but a shot was cut from the film
Warner Bros Blu-ray for the uncut version, but it's an older master.
Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab) · YouTube (opens in a new tab)
Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray, but a shot was cut from the film. See comparison
Warner Bros Blu-ray for the uncut version, but it's an older master.
Directors: Chris Appelhans & Maggie Kang
"Sing-Along Edition" not included on the Criterion 4K Blu-ray, only available on Netflix Streaming
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Criterion 4K Blu-ray also includes exclusive "Reborn Cut"
Director: Lam Nai-choi
88 Films UK or Vinegar Syndrome US Blu-ray (preference)
Different color gradings, 88 Films disc is encoded by FiM but Vinegar Syndrome encode (by Marcus Johnson) is more than robust
Vinegar Syndrome potentially has better audio than 88 Films, due to VinSyn possibly having EQ'd the audio mix after Fortune Star scanned the track in a way that makes it sound too hot, whereas 88 left it alone without addressing that issue. However, no direct comparisons exist
Director: Masaaki Yuasa
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray and 2011/2013 Optimum Blu-ray
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Cineverse 4K Blu-ray announced with a new 4K restoration from the original negatives
Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray and 2011/2013 Optimum Blu-ray both have issues, up to preference. UK Optimum/Japan Amuse Soft Blu-ray is better, Criterion is worse
Japan Amuse Soft Blu-ray is better encoded than the Optimum, is in the original 1.85 ratio, and has the original colors
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