Why So Blu?

I Married A Strange Person! (Blu-ray Review)

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to marry someone who accidentally unlocks godlike cartoon powers, I Married a Strange Person! has you covered. This 1997 animated cult classic by Bill Plympton is finally on Blu-ray, and it’s just as weird, wild, and wonderfully warped as you remember. But how does it look and sound in HD? And what’s packed into the disc? Let’s dig into this off-the-wall release from Deaf Crocodile.

 

Film 

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to marry someone who suddenly develops reality-warping powers, I Married a Strange Person! has your answer — and it’s bonkers. Bill Plympton’s 1997 animated cult classic blends absurdist comedy, sci-fi chaos, and good old-fashioned cartoon anarchy into one unforgettable trip. And now, it’s finally available on Blu-ray thanks to the restoration-loving folks at Deaf Crocodile.

I don’t think I’ve seen any of Bill Plympton’s work since the early ‘90s, when his wonderfully warped shorts popped up on The Edge. They were brilliant back then, and the energy carries over full force here. Plympton’s hand-drawn style — often looking like it was scribbled with colored pencils and crayons — gives I Married a Strange Person! a completely unique texture that digital animation just can’t touch.

Being that this film comes from the late ‘90s, it’s impressive how great it still looks. The animation pops in HD, but what really surprised me is the cinematography. Yeah, cinematography — in an animated film! There are Dutch angles galore, and the whole thing carries a kind of off-kilter rhythm that feels like German expressionism filtered through MTV. Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but the visual language here is way smarter than the film’s gonzo humor lets on.

So, is this Blu-ray worth picking up? If you’re a fan of cult animation, twisted love stories, or just love seeing indies treated right in HD, the answer is yes. Let’s dive into the transfer quality, audio mix, and all the weird, wild special features packed into this disc.

Video 

NOTE: Stills are provided for promotional use only and are not from the Blu-ray.

Encoding: MPEG-4 AVC

Resolution:1080p

Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1

Region: A

HDR: N/A

Layers: BD-50

Clarity and Detail: The detail here is excellent for a hand-drawn feature from the late ’90s. You can see every pencil stroke, every textured smudge, and it honestly makes the whole thing feel even more alive. There’s a lot of personality in the imperfections, and this transfer lets it shine without over-smoothing anything.

Depth: For a 2D animated film, there’s surprising depth — especially during those wild, reality-bending scenes where characters stretch, warp, and melt. Foreground and background elements are nicely layered, which keeps your eyes engaged even when the story goes off the rails.

Black Levels: Black levels are solid across the board, with no major crushing or greying out. The line work is clean and consistent, which is key in a movie this visually chaotic.

Color: Color is where this disc really pops. The crayon-like palette bursts with saturated reds, greens, and yellows, and the transfer maintains that without bleeding or banding. It’s a feast for fans of Plympton’s surreal style.

Flesh Tones: N/A

Noise and Artifacts: No major noise or compression artifacts to speak of. The image is clean without looking artificially scrubbed. It feels organic — like a sketchbook brought to life.

Audio 

Audio Format(s): DTS-HD MA 2.0

Subtitles: English SDH

Dynamics: The mix is pretty dynamic for a 2.0 track. Musical swells, cartoonish sound effects, and bursts of chaos all hit with plenty of punch. Nothing gets lost in the shuffle, and it all feels appropriately oversized for the film’s over-the-top tone.

Height: N/A

Low Frequency Extension: N/A

Surround Sound: N/A

Dialogue: Dialogue is consistently clear, even during the more manic sequences. Whether it’s romantic whispering or screaming madness, the voices are nicely balanced against the sound effects and score. For a stereo track, it really holds up — clean, crisp, and totally in tune with the film’s energy.

 

Extras 

Deaf Crocodile packs this Blu-ray with a generous set of extras that fans will love. You get two of Plympton’s later shorts — Guide Dog (2006) and The Loneliest Stoplight (2015), the latter narrated by Patton Oswalt — both looking sharp thanks to new scans. There’s also a fresh video interview with Plympton himself, moderated by Dennis Bartok, plus a lively commentary track featuring animation producer Adam Rackoff, film critic James Hancock, and Plympton’s longtime collaborator John Holderried. Toss in new cover art by Beth Morris and high-quality Blu-ray authoring by David Mackenzie of Fidelity In Motion, and you’ve got a disc that’s as thoughtfully weird as the movie itself. If you’re into more offbeat animated cult films, check out our Tamala 2010 Blu-ray review — it’s another wild ride worth discovering.

 

Special Features

• Two classic Plympton shorts:
  • “Guide Dog” (2006, 6 min.), newly scanned & restored for this release
  • “The Loneliest Stoplight” (2015, 6 min.), narrated by Patton Oswalt
• New video interview with Bill Plympton about the making of STRANGE PERSON!, moderated by Dennis Bartok of Deaf Crocodile.

 

Summary 

I Married a Strange Person! is as bold, bizarre, and brilliantly hand-drawn as ever, and this Blu-ray from Deaf Crocodile gives it the respect it deserves. With a crisp video transfer, clean audio, and a nice batch of thoughtful extras, this is a cult animation release worth grabbing — especially if you’re a Plympton fan or just into weird cinema. If you liked what you read, feel free to click on any of the links or thumbnails on this page — your support helps keep the site going so we can keep bringing you high-quality Blu-ray reviews like this one. We seriously appreciate it.

 

I Married A Strange Person! is available on Blu-ray!

 

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