The two Trey Parker and Matt Stone films are celebrating milestone anniversaries this year.
The Big Picture
- Celebrate the anniversaries of the
South Park
movie and
Team America: World Police
with 4K releases featuring special features like sing-a-long versions and behind-the-scenes goodies. -
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut
(1999) and
Team America: World Police
(2004) bring Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s raunchy humor to the big screen. -
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut
and
Team America: World Police
arrive on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray on June 25.
2024 marks the anniversaries of plenty of iconic films, and two beloved musical comedies celebrating milestones happen to come from the same filmmakers — Trey Parker and Matt Stone. The South Park duo will see their feature-length efforts, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut and Team America: World Police, turn 25 and 20 years old this year. To commemorate the occasion, both films are getting the 4K treatment for the first time, complete with plenty of special features, including a sing-a-long version of the former, for fans to explore. Both are available to pre-order now and will be released on June 25.
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut debuted in June 1999 and, for some time, was the highest-grossing R-rated animated film ever released with $83.1 million worldwide until Sausage Party finally surpassed it in 2016. Following the rise of the beloved adult animated show in 1997, it was released to capitalize on its popularity with a story of massive scale and comedic musical numbers that made it feel less like a feature-length episode. The film tracks how Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny sneak into an R-rated movie featuring their favorite Canadian duo, Terrance and Phillip, leading to the outbreak of WWIII as their parents declare war on their Northern neighbors. A riff on censorship and other musicals like Les Misérables, the movie leaves the four boys to stop their parents, Satan, and Saddam Hussain, and save the world, all while delivering classic songs like the Oscar-nominated “Blame Canada.”
Released in October 2004, Team America: World Police adds Parker and Stone’s raunchy and controversial sense of humor to puppetry akin to Gerry Anderson‘s Supermarionation style. The film primarily satirized Hollywood blockbuster actioners, American politics, and celebrity activism as it follows the titular Team America’s plan to thwart the villainous machinations of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il and manage relations with the influential Film Actors Guild with the help of thespian-turned-agent Gary Johnston. Pam Brady joined the pair as a writer on the film, while Parker worked behind the camera as director in addition to providing voices. While being generally praised by critics and audiences, a few big names in the industry also gave the riotous puppet film their stamp of approval, including the late Stephen Sondheim and Edgar Wright.
What Else Is Included in ‘South Park’ and ‘Team America’ 4K Releases?
Parker and Stone have kept things going stronger than ever since the release of their two musical comedies. South Park most recently aired its 26th season in February last year along with a new special, South Park: Joining the Panderverse, in October and is secured for much more thanks to an eye-popping $900 million megadeal with Paramount+. Outside of television, a new video game, South Park: Snow Day, was released last month, marking their tenth foray into the gaming space. The re-releases of Bigger, Longer & Uncut and Team America now allow viewers to explore their ambitious earlier projects crisper than ever and with plenty of goodies to dive into, from music videos to commentary and behind-the-scenes featurettes that explain the many challenges of working with puppets:
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut
- Commentary by Matt Stone and Trey Parker
- “What Would Brian Boitano Do?” Music Video
- Theatrical Trailers
- Sing-A-Long Version of the Film
Team America: World Police
- Team America: An Introduction
- Building the World
- Crafting the Puppets
- Pulling the Strings
- Capturing the Action
- Miniature Pyrotechnics
- Up Close with Kim Jong-Il
- Dressing Room Test
- Puppet Test
- Deleted/Extended Scenes and Outtakes
- Animated Storyboards
- Theatrical Trailers
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut and Team America: World Police arrive on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray on June 25. Pre-orders are open now on Amazon here and here. Additionally, the four boys and their sleepy little mountain town are returning to theaters through Fathom Events, with the South Park movie’s sing-a-long version enjoying a limited re-release from June 23 and June 26. Tickets are available now.
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999)
- Release Date
- June 30, 1999
- Director
- Trey Parker
- Cast
- Trey Parker , Matt Stone , Mary Kay Bergman , Isaac Hayes
- Runtime
- 81 minutes
This article was originally published on collider.com