Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

The Bob's Burgers Movie Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman July 11, 2022

The history of animated sitcoms featuring families in the throes of various levels of dysfunction extends at least as far back as the venerable days of The Flintstones, though somewhat hilariously (at least to those of us with jaded senses of humor), a Wikipedia page actually devoted to listing "animated television series about dysfunctional families" (and to think some said the internet would be useless!) does not include that well remembered Hanna Barbera opus. With the advent of The Simpsons, though, things took a decided turn toward the more hyperbolic, and it's perhaps salient to note that in the CNN documentaries devoted to various decades (not necessarily just decades on television), the Matt Groening creation gets significant time devoted to its anarchic ambience and the fact that it featured clear depictions of a parent strangling a child, something that might not pass muster with the more politically correct and/or "woke" crowd these days. There's no parental strangling at hand (literally or figuratively) in this film, and in fact for fans of the television series which gave birth to this enterprise, a common sentiment might be that the Belcher family can be at least relatively sweeter (if that's the right word) than the Simpsons, and there's really nothing quite like the Homer - Bart dynamic in this particular family. The plot in the film revolves around a series of disasters involving the titular business, which is beset not just by a pressing loan payment which has fallen due, but by an eruption of a water main which creates a gigantic sink hole in front of the Belcher's business, making selling burgers even more of a challenge than it's consistently been throughout the long run of the series.

Bob (H. Jon Benjamin) and Linda Belcher (John Roberts) are understandably concerned, frankly even worried, as the story opens, as they have an upcoming meeting at the local bank where an evidently large loan payment is coming due, and which they just don't have the funds to cover. With the expectation that the bank will repossess equipment if not the entire business, Bob has decided fixing the bank's loan officer a tasty treat might be the way to win him over, which leads to the first of several musical interludes, this one supposedly documenting "happy summer times" that nonetheless have a decided whiff of melancholy wafting through them. The three Belcher kids are also highlighted in this opening vignette, with Tina (Dan Mintz) pining after Jimmy Pesto Jr. (H. Jon Benjamin again), Gene (Eugene Mirman) having "invented" an unlikely musical instrument out of a "device" he found at the restaurant, and Louise (Kristen Schaal) insisting that her by now trademark pink bunny eared cap does not cause her angst wondering if it will fall off and deprive her of "courage".

Unsurprisingly, the bank is not particularly open to trading a juicy burger for a loan payment, but that "little" inconvenience is soon dwarfed by an immense sinkhole that opens up directly in front of Bob's Burgers, providing a kind of visual glyph of the troubles the Belchers are suddenly facing. In an attempt to prove her bravery, Louise spelunks down into the crater only to discover a skeleton, which is when a frankly not very demanding enigma enters the fray, with the Belcher kids kind of working as animated "guest stars" in a previously unknown episode of The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries. Meanwhile, Bob and Linda are furiously trying to sell enough burgers to at least make a loan payment (their rent is also due, which provides a couple of other "runners" in the gag category), which takes the entire family down to Wonder Wharf, where again unsurprisingly havoc is wreaked.

One of the kind of refreshing things about Bob's Burgers in both its series formulation and this feature film version is that the family dynamic, as obviously "cartoonish" in more ways than one as it is, feels decidedly real a lot of the time, and there's none of the over addled befuddlement that, say, Homer Simpson often brings to his family, which is not to say that Bob is the very model of a modern provider, husband and father. But there's a more "unified" feeling at times to the Belcher family than in some of the many other animated aggregations that have appeared in the wake of The Simpsons. There are a number of good laughs sprinkled throughout the film, and the song score, while not exactly revelatory, is often bouncy and melodic. The animation style preserves the kind of lo-fi "hand drawn" look of the television series, but also introduces a few clear moments of more computer-esque imagery, but it's all woven together very well and adds to the general enjoyment of the film.

The Bob's Burgers Movie Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Bob's Burgers Movie is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of 20th Century Studios and Disney / Buena Vista with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. There's a charming minimalism to Bob's Burgers (both the television series and the film), and so those wanting CGI wonderment are probably going to come away somewhat disappointed from this enterprise. That perhaps niggling qualm aside, this transfer offers really secure line detail and some very nice palette suffusion. The animation style means nothing is ever really overly complex, and so there's a simplicity at play in the imagery, but there's also a lot of fun and whimsy employed. "Fine detail" as we typically address things is arguably not part of the mix here, but elements like printed matter resolve absolutely perfectly, and I noticed no compression issues whatsoever.

The Bob's Burgers Movie Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Bob's Burgers Movie features DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 audio, though I'm personally waiting with bated breath for the irate consumer who demands a replacement disc when finding out that the listed "Australian 6.2 Mono" track offered under the Audio Setup Menu isn't functional. The track is suitably boisterous and directional, especially in terms of some of the sound effects, including the eruption of water early in the film but, later, the scenes at Wonder Wharf. Music sounds nicely full bodied throughout, and all dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly. Optional English, French and Spanish subtitles are available (sadly, no Australian subtitles are offered).

The Bob's Burgers Movie Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary with the Cast and Filmmakers is stuffed to the gills with the likes of Loren Bouchard, H. Jon Benjamin, Dan Mintz, Eugene Mirman, John Roberts, Kristen Schaal, writer Nora Smith, director Bernard Derrmina, production designer Ruben Hickman (in two separate groups).


• Making of the Movie (HD; 18:52) features Bouchard again offering some background and context. Fans of the series will enjoy some of the information Bouchard imparts in this enjoyable piece, which also gets into some of the challenges working during a pandemic added to things.


• My Butt Has a Fever (HD; 5:51 theatrical version; 5:30 animatic version) is a short featuring the Bob's Burgers family. Per the timings, there are two versions available, a completed version and the animatic version.


• Deleted Scenes are unfinished in terms of animation:

  The Movie We Didn't Make (HD; 5:46) is advertised as a featurette narrated by Loren Bouchard and Nora Smith.

  
  

  Metal Detector (HD; 1:19) features optional commentary by Loren Bouchard and Nora Smith.

  
  

  Burning Piers (HD; 00:50) features optional commentary by Loren Bouchard and Nora Smith.

  
  

  Grover's Office (HD; 00:48) features optional commentary by Loren Bouchard and Nora Smith.

• Animation Extras are split into two categories:

  Animatics

  Sunny Side Up Summer (Storyboards and Rough Animation) (HD; 3:45)

  
  

  Lucky Ducks (Storyboards and Rough Animation) (HD; 2:19)

  
  

  Not That Evil (Storyboards and Rough Animation featuring David Wain) (HD; 6:39)

  
  

  End Credits (Storyboards and Rough Animation) (HD; 1:22)

  Animating the Scene

  Linda Through the Pass Through (HD; 4:34) features (non optional) commentary by director Bernard Derriman.

  
  

  Bob and Linda Go to the Bank (HD; 7:25) features optional commentary by director Bernard Derriman.

  
  

  Louise Grabs the Fuse (HD; 2:25) features optional commentary by director Bernard Derriman.

Additionally, a digital copy is included and packaging features a slipcover.

The Bob's Burgers Movie Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Some of the bounteous supplements on this disc get into the subtext of hope and optimism that this film ostensibly offers, though some with those aforementioned jaded senses of humor may wonder what a business on the brink of bankruptcy and/or a skeleton in a hole (if not a closet) may do to engender such emotions. Joking aside, The Bob's Burgers Movie should be widely enjoyed by fans of the series, but even those without much foreknowledge of the Belcher clan may find this appealing as well. Technical merits are solid and the supplements very enjoyable. Recommended.