The Garbage Pail Kids Movie 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

The Garbage Pail Kids Movie 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf January 21, 2026

Producers moved fast on “The Garbage Pail Kids Movie,” which is based on a sticker trading card line from Topps that was known for its extreme grossness, stirring up the interests of concerned parents and school administrators as the line grew in popularity. The cards debuted in 1985, and a feature film was pushed through production for the summer of 1987, working to cash in on a kid trend that burned pretty brightly during its peak, but whatever made the line so appealing to the target audience definitely didn’t translate to the big screen. Co-writer/director Rod Amateau has the considerable challenge of creating a story for a franchise built on vivid visuals, coming up with a picture that can’t escape its extremely limited budget. “The Garbage Pail Kids Movie” is a pretty rough sit, with Amateau winging it for most of the run time, hoping to find success with strangeness that’s never inspired.

The Garbage Pail Kids have landed on Earth, reuniting with dark magician Captain Manzini (Anthony Newly), who’s well aware of their predilection for destructive mischief, hoping to keep them in their can. Teen employee Dodger (Mackenzie Austin) is a troubled kid trying to catch the eye of Tangerine (Katie Barberi), an aspiring fashion designer involved with Juice (Ron MacLachlan), Dodger’s primary bully. Accidentally unleashing the Garbage Pail Kids, Dodger meets Greaser Greg, Valerie Vomit, Nat Nerd, Ali Gator, Foul Phil, Windy Winston, and Messy Tessie, and the aliens are happy to have a new friend to help them on their mission to break friends out of the State Home for the Ugly. However, the monstrous gang looks to get used to life on Earth first, while Dodger makes use of their clothing design skills, hoping to win over Tangerine as she prepares to dominate a local fashion show.

There’s probably no way to make sense of the Garbage Pail Kids, so Amateau goes the alien route, turning the ghoulish creations into visitors from beyond, though they have a working knowledge of life on Earth. Details about origin are missing, but perhaps that’s for the best, as “The Garbage Pail Kids Movie” mostly focuses on individual achievement in gross-osity, examining the little creatures and their extreme looks and abilities, including Nat Nerd’s fondness for urinating on himself. Messy Tessy keeps the snot flowing, Windy Winston loves to pass gas, and Valerie Vomit enjoys puking (though she takes her time to do it). Ali Gator? Well, he’s a special one in the picture, maintaining a fondness for eating human body parts, especially toes, and he keeps a box of severed limbs for snacking. But don’t worry folks, the aliens aren’t out to murder Dodger, in need of a friend to help them on their mission to stage a prison break.

“The Garbage Pail Kids Movie” is gross and should be gross, reflecting at least the initial appeal of the trading cards, giving young collectors a thrill through extreme and mischievous displays of art. The feature looks to transform stickers into cinema, creating a tale about “Pandora’s pail” and Dodger’s effort to win over an unexpectedly loathsome character in Tangerine, who’s portrayed as manipulative and deceptive, and she has terrible taste in boyfriends, as Juice lives to torment Dodger, even putting in the work to cover the kid in raw sewage. Naturally, the bullied boy takes a bath in front of all the Garbage Pail Kids and Captain Manzini, but that’s only one scene of uncomfortable oddity in a feature that’s filled with strange happenings.

“The Garbage Pail Kids Movie” plays like it was made up as it was shot, with Amateau chasing random ideas instead of building a stronger narrative to support the feature and its descent into madness. The aliens soon reveal a gift for creating clothes, helping Dodger in his quest for Tangerine, even working out a musical number while they set up their very own sweatshop. The Garbage Pail Kids eventually break out into the community, causing havoc at a movie theater that’s showing a Three Stooges picture, and a few of them make it into the “Toughest Bar in the World,” charming a biker gang. “The Garbage Pail Kids Movie” chases every whim, periodically returning to an alien bodily function skill to maintain some contact to the card world, but Amateau doesn’t have the budget to do amazing things here. He’s working with cheap sets and stiff animatronic heads, and the young cast reveals their inexperience repeatedly, allowing Newley to easily steal the endeavor with his laudable commitment to the material and its battle to become a viable movie.

The Garbage Pail Kids Movie 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Screenshots are taken from the Blu-ray

"The Garbage Pail Kids Movie" was previously issued on Blu-ray in 2015 by Shout Factory, and Vinegar Syndrome returns to the title with a UHD release, listed as "presented in Dolby Vision HDR and newly scanned and restored from its 35mm original camera negative." Detail is strong throughout the viewing experience, handling the many textures of the Garbage Pail Kids and their strange appearances. Bumpiness and snot-iness remains intact, along with fibrous outfits for the gang and their human friends and enemies. Skin particulars are present on non-aliens as well. Sets are limited, but depth remains and decorative additions are plentiful, allowing viewers to fully explore frame information. Exteriors maintain dimension. Color is alert, with period hues offering bright pinks and blues on outfits, along with sharp silvers. Primaries are intact, and skin tones are natural. Blacks are deep, securing evening activity. Highlights are tasteful. Grain is heavy and film-like. Source is in good condition.

The Garbage Pail Kids Movie 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA maintains the chaos of "The Garbage Pail Kids Movie," leading with clear dialogue exchanges that secure performance choices and antics. Scoring offers crisp synth support, and soundtrack selections are equally defined, with sharp vocals. Sound effects are broad but appreciable, and atmospherics are acceptable.

The Garbage Pail Kids Movie 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features actors Mackenzie Astin and Kate Barberi.

• "Tangerine's Dreams" (27:01, HD) is an interview with actress Kate Barberi, who shares biographical information, learning the joys of acting at a young age, beginning her career on the stage. Blaming then-boyfriend Mackenzie Austin for her participation on "The Garbage Pails Movie," Barberi beat other actresses (including Jennifer Aniston) for the part, struggling with some inexperience issues during the shoot as a teenager. Memories from production are shared, along with heartbreak as her relationship with Astin ended in the middle of production, requiring them to exercise professionalism while dealing with some emotional scenes. Additional co-stars are celebrated, and the interviewee shares candid thoughts on the release of "The Garbage Pail Kids Movie," enduring nasty reviews and industry indifference at the time, only to find the offering grow in popularity over the decades.

• "Anything is Possible" (26:09, HD) is an interview with animatronics artist Hal Miles, who was initially inspired by work on "Mighty Joe Young" as a child, learning more about the industry and the artistry of stop-motion animation. Developing a career in commercials as a teenager, Miles was eventually ready for Los Angeles, eventually finding work with John Carl Buechler. Technical challenges on "The Garbage Pail Kids Movie" are shared, with Miles even pulling out some mechanical parts from the animatronic creature heads to share with the camera, helping to understand the labor that went into design. The interviewee celebrates the little people cast, praising their skills of performance and endurance during the difficult shoot. Miles also has the original music single that was handed out at previews for the picture, and shares his production parking pass and a stern note from Buechler created on the set. He also points out an amusing error on the poster for "The Garbage Pail Kids Movie."

• "The Artful Dodger" (27:16, HD) is an interview with actor Mackenzie Astin, who was 13 years old at the time of production on "The Garbage Pail Kids Movie," eagerly trying to start a film career after spending years on the television show, "The Facts of Life." His father, John Astin, tried to talk him out of it, but Astin persisted, sharing his appreciation for director Rod Amateau and his veteran status in the industry. Co-stars are remembered, with Astin actually dating actress Kate Barberi through some of the shoot, enduring a break-up along the way. Creature effect demands are also identified, forcing the little person cast to endure horrible conditions to keep up with the shoot. The interviewee offers an anecdote about a stunt driving mishap that damaged a classic car, and he discusses the strange cult longevity of "The Garbage Pail Kids Movie," trying to remain philosophical about the experience.

• "The Kids Aren't All Right" (21:21, HD) is an interview with actors Arturo Gil and Kevin Thompson, who share their casting stories, tasked with learning more about the Garbage Pail Kids and deal with director Rod Amateau's strange vision for the picture. Time in the creature suits is recalled, putting the cast on edge while battling extreme heat and heavy heads, which limited sight and hearing options. Casting is explored, with both Gil and Thompson sharing memories of on-set relationships and creative opportunities with ad-libbing. Additional technical and stunt challenges are identified, challenging the actors during the shoot. Response to the "Garbage Pail Kids Movie" is shared, with Gil discovering an empty theater when catching the picture during its initial theatrical release.

• "On the Set" (6:22, HD) is an interview with 1st AD Thomas Irvine, who had some awareness of the Garbage Pail Kids collector cards before shooting began on the picture, eventually working inside a warehouse with no air conditioning. Job responsibilities are detailed, and the interviewee praises creature effects and casting.

• "The Effects of 'The Garbage Pail Kids Movie'" (11:46, HD) is an interview with design supervisor John Carl Buechler, who was initially tasked with creating a proof-of-concept test for "The Garbage Pail Kids Movie," trying to retain the gross-out world of the collector cards and up the cutesiness for the producers. Special effects artist Gino Crognale also appears in the featurette, facing the challenge of turning the world of Garbage Pail Kids into a workable picture. With only six weeks to prepare, Buechler describes the "grueling shoot," making the feature without air conditioning and enough time to perfect ideas.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:02, HD) is included.

The Garbage Pail Kids Movie 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"The Garbage Pail Kids Movie" makes its way to climatic mayhem around town and at the fashion show, with Amateau repeatedly returning to shots of half-naked women and violence, creating confusion over the intended age-range for the picture. Madness wins out in the end, but missing from the mix is a healthy sense of humor and cinematic artistry, keeping the viewing experience more dispiriting than enjoyable. "The Garbage Pail Kids Movie" plays cheap and rushed, offering a half-finished screenplay of ideas to help make a quick buck on a waning trend, handing the project to a filmmaker who clearly had no idea what he was getting himself into.