On September 13, 2002, Shout! Factory‘s release of Cool World Collector’s Edition on Blu-Ray is certain to raise eyebrows.
This adult animation won’t be for everyone. Unlike Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), it breaks the mould since not all cartoon movies were considered family friendly. It’s a black comedy from 1992 which predates Monkeybone (2001). And although the latter two were box office bombs during release, both have gained cult status since.
Plus, when David Bowie wrote a song for it, titled Real Cool World (see below), what could go wrong? It’s unfortunate that this music video isn’t included and the reason may be due to not having a high quality source to remaster from.
Fans can pre-order at ShoutFactory.com or Amazon USA.
From the Press Release
Directed by underground animation legend Ralph Bakshi (The Lord of the Rings), Cool World stars a remarkable cast of Kim Basinger (L.A. Confidential), Brad Pitt (Mr. & Mrs. Smith), and Gabriel Byrne (The Usual Suspects). This hybrid animated/live-action dark comedy creates a fantasy world where human characters and animated roles coexist and showcases Bakshi’s unique and creative animation style.
Cool World Collector’s Edition features a new 4k scan of the film from the original camera negative approved by Bakshi himself, as well as the new retrospective featurette “The Wild Minds of Cool World” including brand-new interviews with star Kim Basinger, director Ralph Bakshi, and producer Frank Mancuso, Jr.
When ex-con cartoonist Jack Deebs (Gabriel Byrne) was behind bars, he found escape by creating Cool World, a cartoon series featuring a voluptuous vixen named Holli Would (Kim Basinger). But the ‘toonsmith becomes a prisoner of his own fantasies when Holli pulls him into Cool World with a scheme to seduce him and bring herself to life. A hard-boiled detective (Brad Pitt) – the only other human in Cool World – cautions Jack with the law: Noids (humans) don’t have sex with doodles (cartoons). The flesh proves weaker than ink, however, as Holli takes human form in Las Vegas, starting a trans-reality chase that threatens the destruction of both worlds. With a splashy mix of stylish animation and colourful live-action sequences, Cool World delivers the hottest action around!
Bonus Features:
- NEW 2022 4K scan from the original camera negative, approved by director Ralph Bakshi.
- NEW The Wild Minds of Cool World – A retrospective featurette including brand-new interviews with star Kim Basinger, director Ralph Bakshi, and producer Frank Mancuso, Jr.
- Trailers
Real Cool World Music Video
