By John Corrado

This week, Paramount is releasing the R-rated 1999 animated musical comedy South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut for the first time on 4K Ultra HD, in honour of the film’s 25th anniversary.

Directed by Trey Parker and co-written by Matt Stone, the film finds the South Park boys getting corrupted after going to see a vulgar movie made by Canadian comics Terrance (Stone) and Phillip (Parker).

The film becomes a hit at their school, with all of the kids starting to curse and swear. This leads to the concerned moms demanding censorship of the two comics, and ultimately going to war with Canada.

Made at a time when the series itself was under fire and facing controversy, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut is very much in line with the show’s no-hold’s-barred, nothing-is-sacred style of humour (Kenny ends up in hell, where Saddam Hussein is constantly trying to sleep with Satan). The film irreverently satirizes the emergent PC culture of the ’90s and the (pre-“woke”) suppression of free speech. It’s very much a product of its time in terms of references, but one that still manages to be funny and even relevant now.

It also serves as a cheeky parody of Disney musicals from the era, with a series of Broadway-style original songs co-written by Marc Shaiman, including the Oscar-nominated tune “Blame Canada” (which Robin Williams famously performed on the telecast, where it ultimately lost to “You’ll Be in My Heart” from Disney’s Tarzan). The crude, paper cutout-style animation has its limitations, but is given a solid upgrade in 4K.

Bonus Features (4K Ultra HD):

The 4K disc contains no bonus material, but the set comes with a regular Blu-ray that has a number of legacy bonus features, as well as the sing-along version of the film for the first time.

• Commentary by Matt Stone and Trey Parker

• “What Would Brian Boitano Do?” Music Video (2 minutes, 44 seconds)

• Theatrical Trailers

• Teaser Trailer (55 seconds)

• Theatrical Trailer #1 (1 minute, 32 seconds)

• Theatrical Trailer #2 (1 minute, 51 seconds)

• Sing-A-Long Version of the Film

South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut is a Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment release. It’s 81 minutes and rated R.

Street Date: June 25th, 2024