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Ed Wood (1994)
Ed Wood (1994) poster

Ed Wood (1994)

Comedy, Drama, History • 2h 4m

Director: Tim Burton

Cast: Johnny Depp, Martin Landau, Sarah Jessica Parker, Patricia Arquette, Jeffrey Jones, G. D. Spradlin, Vincent D'Onofrio, Bill Murray, Mike Starr, Max Casella, Brent Hinkley, Jim Myers, Juliet Landau, Clive Rosengren, Norman Alden, Leonard Termo, Ned Bellamy, Danny Dayton, Ross Manarchy, Bill Cusack, Aaron Nelms, Biff Yeager, Joseph R. Gannascoli, Carmen Filpi, Lisa Malkiewicz, Melora Walters, Conrad Brooks, Don Amendolia, Tommy Bertelsen, Reid Cruickshanks, Stanley DeSantis, Lionel Decker, Edmund L. Shaff, Gene LeBell, Bobby Slayton, Gretchen Becker, John Rice, Catherine Butterfield, Mary Portser, King Cotton, Don Hood, Frank Echols, Matthew Barry, Ralph Monaco, Anthony Russell, Tommy Bush, Gregory Walcott, Charles C. Stevenson Jr., Rance Howard, Vasek Simek, Alan Martin, Salwa Ali, Rodney Kizziah, Korla Pandit, Hannah Eckstein, Luc De Schepper, Vinny Argiro, Patti Tippo, Ray Baker, Louis Lombardi, Jim Boyce, Ben Ryan Ganger, Ryan Holihan, Marc Revivo, Charlie Holliday, Adam Drescher, Ric Mancini, Daniel Riordan, Mickey Cottrell, Christopher George Simpson, Robert Binford, Herbert Boche, Linda Rae Brienza, Marlene Cook, Sylvia Coussa, Audrey Cuyler, Joseph Golightly, Carrie Starner Hummel, Ramona Kemp-Blair, Carolyn Kessinger, Nancy Longyear, Matthew Nelson, Robert Nuffer, William Michael Short, Susan Eileen Simpson, George F. Sterne, Charles Alan Stephenson, Cheri A. Williams, Cynthia Ann Wilson, Maurice LaMarche, Jesse Hernandez, Lena Banks, Ada Tai, Arlene Tai, Rayder Woods, Bill Blair, Bill Anderson, Eugenie Bondurant, Mike Breyer, Patrick Cranshaw, Ryal Haakenson, Zachary Keats, Susan Knego, Navya La Shay, Tanya Marten, Gorja Max, Johnny Meyer, John Michael Quinn, Michael Satterfield, Jeff Shrewsbury, Richard Yett

Best English-friendly release

Updated 1 year ago

Best video release


About the film

The mostly true story of the legendary "worst director of all time", who, with the help of his strange friends, filmed countless B-movies without ever becoming famous or successful.

TSPDT
2026: #994
2025: #997
2024: #991

More from Tim Burton

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Director: Tim Burton

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Fox/Disney 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)

Upcoming Release:

-

Video Notes:

The compression is poor, but it still beats the previous Blu-ray. (Luminance plot)

Best Audio:

1991 Fox Video LaserDisc

Audio Notes:

?

The 4K Blu-ray only has Atmos which is possibly the original mix, but the previous Blu-ray’s 4.0 sounds good too.

Additional Info:

More Chroma artifacts

Director: Tim Burton

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray caps. The HDR10 base layer is bright, so I'd recommended to watch it in Dolby Vision.

Additional Info:

4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray is missing the isolated score and Martian dub from the DVD

Directors: Tim Burton & Mike Johnson

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

WB 4K Blu-ray

Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray caps. Original 1.85 framing restored, much better colors, image detail and a film stock-like tone curve was restored.

Best Audio:

Warner Bros HD-DVD

Audio Notes:

Warner Bros HD-DVD has the original 6.1 mix in a better format than the Blu-ray (Dolby Digital Plus instead of standard Dolby Digital), but is still lossy and a disc prone to disc rot. The Blu-ray is a good alternative.

Director: Tim Burton

Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray

Director: Tim Burton

Best English-Friendly & Video:

WB 4K Blu-ray

Video Notes:

WB 4K Blu-ray but has MAJOR Color Timing issues. All cold blues are rendered teal. WB Blu-ray despite issues is a purist visual option in this regard.

Best Audio:

Dolby Stereo SR: WB LaserDisc PCM

Dolby Digital 5.1: 1997 DVD

2005 5.1 new transfer: WB DVD in Dolby and DTS, 2008 Blu-ray in TrueHD

Additional Info:

First ever Dolby Digital 5.1 wide release film. 4K Blu-ray has new Atmos remix which replaces original sound effects and prioritizes music and bombast. A terrible audio experience to be avoided. 1997 WB DVD has open matte version on flipper disc. VHS also is open matte.

Director: Tim Burton

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

International Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray

Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

International Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray > US Paramount 4K Blu-ray for the US Cut.

International Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray, is significantly better than the US Paramount 4K Blu-ray (even with FEL Baked in and Dolby Vision), with more grain retention and detail
SDR Comparisons: International Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray vs US Paramount 4K Blu-ray: https://slow.pics/c/TEPHtKjl
HDR Comparisons: International Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray vs US Paramount 4K Blu-ray: https://slow.pics/c/hIFe11Hx
Comparisons in SDR using L8 Trim from CM v4.0 (both UHDs can use CM v4.0): Remux vs USA UHD: https://slow.pics/c/mkrhVtpl

The International Cut, which contains alternate, more violent shots in the final act, hasn't been released on home video to date.

Additional Info:

International Cut contains alternate, more violent shots in the final act.

Director: Tim Burton

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Disney US 4-disc Blu-ray set for both 2D and 3D versions

Director: Tim Burton

Best English-Friendly:

Warner Bros Blu-ray

Sources: movie-censorship.com (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

Theatrical Cut: Warner Bros US 2-disc Deluxe Edition DVD set

Extended Cut: Warner Bros Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Theatrical Cut: Cinema DTS

Extended Cut: Warner Bros Blu-ray

Director: Tim Burton

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Paramount 4K Blu-ray

Director: Tim Burton

Video format: UHD Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Sony 4K Blu-Ray

More from Disney

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Directors: David Hand & Ben Sharpsteen & William Cottrell & Larry Morey & Perce Pearce & Wilfred Jackson

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Disney 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Mono track is on the included Blu-ray; 4K Blu-ray missing original mono. LaserDisc probably better

Director: Mike Judge

Video format: 4K Streaming

Best English-Friendly & Video:

4K Streaming on HBO MAX/Disney+ or Fox Blu-ray

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Best English-Friendly & Video:

2014 Japan "Hayao Miyazaki Collection" Studio Ghibli Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

Japan Studio Ghibli 4K Blu-ray announced for a November 25, 2026 release

Best Audio:

Japanese audio: 2014 Japan "Hayao Miyazaki Collection" Studio Ghibli Blu-ray/US GKIDS Blu-ray

English dub (Disney): 1998 US Disney VHS has better sounding vocals despite altered music and sound effects, the US Disney LaserDisc has limited audio, and 2003 DVD is a fake 5.1 upmix

Releases from 2010 onward have the original music and sound effects, but distorted vocals

English dub (Streamline): 1996 Japan remastered LaserDisc, available in Ghibli Ga Ippai Collection boxset

Additional Info:

2012 US Disney Blu-ray has dubtitles. US GKIDS Blu-ray has bonuses that are absent on the US Disney Blu-ray

Director: Wolfgang Reitherman

Video format: 1080p Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Original: 35mm scans or Disney LaserDisc (1.33:1 open matte)

Restored: Disney Limited Issue DVD (1.33:1 open matte)

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Later Disney DVDs and Blu-ray are altered

Best Audio:

35mm scans or Disney LaserDisc

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Disney 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

BD LPCM 5.1

Audio Notes:

The DTS-HD on the UHD has been dynamically compressed, has had its center channel boosted, and surrounds lowered (typical modern nearfield mix for soundbars).  Very different from the BD and DVD tracks.  The BD LPCM is basically just a lossless version of the DTS and AC3 from the original DVD (the AC3 actually being the superior mix on that particular release).

Director: Chris Columbus

Video format: 4K Streaming

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Disney+ has Streaming in 4K

Video Notes:

Fox has Blu-ray

Best Audio:

1995 Fox LaserDisc

Director: Michael Bay

Video format: HD Streaming

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Disney+ HD Streaming

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Upcoming Release:

4K possibly teased?

Video Notes:

Disney+ has new master better than Blu-ray

Audio Notes:

Criterion DVD/Disney Blu-ray is missing a line:

Hummel: (line missing)
 
Lou Lindstrom: "Hello Frank. Lou Lindstrom"

Disney+:

Hummel: Hummel.

Lou Lindstrom: "Hello Frank. Lou Lindstrom"

Directors: Bill Roberts & Paul Satterfield & Wilfred Jackson & Ben Sharpsteen & James Algar & T. Hee & Hamilton Luske & Samuel Armstrong & Jim Handley & Norman Ferguson & David Hand & Ford Beebe Jr.

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Censored: 2010 Disney Blu-ray
Uncensored: 35mm Scan

Sources: caps-a-holic (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

See caps of Blu-ray vs DVD

Best Audio:

1991 CAV LaserDisc

Audio Notes:
  • 1991 CAV LaserDisc includes an approximation of the original Fantasound mix in Dolby Surround using the surviving magnetic mixdown, using Stokowski's original mixing notes as a reference. Original aggressive pans and dynamic range are left in tact.

  • The 2000 DVD uses this same mix in discrete 5.0, but with some unnecessary dynamic range compression + a redub of all Deems Taylor audio with Corey Burton.

  • The 7.1 mix on the 2010 Blu-ray sounds poor, having been hit with excessive noise reduction, dynamic range compression, original aggressive pans no longer in tact, and the channel usage no longer resembles Stokowski's original intended sound design. 

Director: Chris Columbus

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly:

Disney 4K Blu-ray

Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

Kaleidescape 4K Streaming

Video Notes:

Disney 4K Blu-ray has encoding issues with bitrates dipping into 40mbps, and Kaleidescape has better encoding than Disney see caps 
Old Fox Blu-ray master is stretched and sharpened

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Best English-Friendly:

2014 "Hayao Miyazaki Collection" Studio Ghibli Japan Blu-ray or US Disney Blu-ray

Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab) · lddb.com (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

2014 "Hayao Miyazaki Collection" Studio Ghibli Japan Blu-ray

Video Notes:

2014 "Hayao Miyazaki Collection" Studio Ghibli Japan Blu-ray
Comparisons: https://slow.pics/c/6JWnlfit

Best Audio:

All sources are within margin of error. Comparisons: Japanese, English
Alternate Streamline English dub is available only on 1994 Fox LD.

Additional Info:

US GKIDS Blu-ray has more bonuses than the US Disney Blu-ray

More Comedy on Blu-ray

Director: Alan J. Pakula

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Olive Films Blu-ray

Director: Frank Oz

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Sony 4K Blu-ray

Director: Steve Gordon

Best English-Friendly & Video:

WB Blu-ray

Director: Ernst Lubitsch

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Video Notes:

4K restoration from Original Camera Negative

Director: Jack Conway

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Video Notes:

4K restoration from safety preservation elements

Director: George B. Seitz

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Video Notes:

4K restoration from safety preservation elements

Director: Jack Conway

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Video Notes:

4K restoration from safety preservation elements

Director: William Dieterle

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Video Notes:

4K restoration from Original Camera Negative

Director: Alicia MacDonald

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Universal Blu-ray

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· last reviewed 1 year ago

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