Hair High: Standard Edition – Deaf Crocodile (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 2004
Director: Bill Plympton
Writer: Bill Plympton
Cast: Eric Gilliland, Sarah Silverman, Dermot Mulroney, Keith Carradine, Michael Showalter, Hayley DuMond, Justin Long, Tom Noonan, Zak Orth, Beverly D'Angelo, Martha Plimpton, Ed Begley Jr., David Carradine, Matt Groening, Don Hertzfeldt

Release Date: April 21st, 2026
Approximate Running Time: 77 Minutes 2 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: R
Sound: DTS-HD Stereo English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $30.95

"Legendary animator Bill Plympton's (The Tune, Mutant Aliens) cheerfully unhinged and wildly hormonal tribute to 1950s teen romance opens on star quarterback Rod (voiced by Dermot Mulroney) and head cheerleader Cherri (voiced by Sarah Silverman) as the unchallenged king & queen of Echo Lake High School. Enter scooter-driving Spud (Eric Gilliland) as the bumbling new kid in school, who quickly runs afoul of Rod and Cherri—but will love unexpectedly blossom between the geek and the prom queen?" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Hair High comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 35.2 GB

Feature: 22.4 GB

Vital Passenger delivers a solid encode; the source looks excellent.

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD stereo mix in English with removable English SDH. The audio sounds clear, balanced, and robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras for this release include two short films directed by Bill Plympton: Shuteye Hotel (7 minutes 24 seconds, 1.78:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital stereo, no dialog just screams and sound effects) and Horn Dog (4 minutes 46 seconds, 1.78:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital stereo, no dialog just barking and sound effects), "Ani-cam"—Timelapse of Bill's animation table as he drew Hair High (6 minutes 49 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo with music from the film playing in the background), a voiceover session with Sarah Silverman (3 minutes 4 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a voiceover session with Ed Begley Jr. (6 minutes 34 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a storyboard-to-voiceover-to-final-edit breakdown of a scene from Hair High (1 minute 58 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with Bill Plympton and composer Maureen McElheron, moderated by Dennis Bartok of Deaf Crocodile (58 minutes 10 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), footage from the film premiere in Poratoland with Bill Plympton, cast and crew (13 minutes 11 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a video essay by film critic Celeste de la Cabra titled Horny High:  Sex, Identity and Animated Anarchy in Hair High (10 minutes 45 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival audio commentary with Bill Plympton, and an audio commentary with animation producer and podcaster Adam Rackoff, podcaster and film critic James Hancock, and filmmaker and podcaster Martin Kessler.

Shuteye Hotel: A film noir-infused murder mystery at a hotel where a lot of guests are dying.

Horn Dog: A horny dog tries to impress a female dog he fancies.

Summary:

Bill Plympton directed Hair High. He’s known for The Tune, Mutant Aliens, I Married A Strange Person!, and Idiots and Angels.

Two teens who were in love and died tragically rise from their final resting place out at sea and return to the prom for their revenge.

Whether it's a film about marriage, aliens, or high school, all of Bill Plympton's have one thing in common: an absurdist humor that’s overflowing with innuendo. In Hair High, Bill Plympton places the narrative in a 1950s setting characterized by a gothic horror aesthetic. However, his distinctive drawing style is consistently detached from reality and is instantly recognizable.

Although the main attraction of a Bill Plympton is his distinct style of drawing, when it comes to the voice acting, he’s able to draw notable names. Hair High features his most impressive cast to date: Sarah Silverman (School of Rock), Dermot Mulroney (Young Guns), Keith Carradine (Nashville), Beverly D'Angelo (National Lampoon's Vacation), Martha Plimpton (The Goonies), Ed Begley Jr. (A Mighty Wind), David Carradine (Kill Bill Volume 2), Matt Groening (The Simpsons), Justin Long (Jeepers Creepers), and Tom Noonan (Manhunter). The voice acting throughout is pitch-perfect, and the cast excels at bringing the characters to life.

Two scenes with a couple on their way to the prom bookend the narrative, which is mostly a lengthy flashback. While sitting in a diner, the owner tells them the story of Cheri and Spud, who died tragically driving off a cliff into the ocean. The narrative remains consistently engaging, successfully building momentum toward its impressive revenge-themed ending. Ultimately, Hair High is easily Bill Plympton, making it a perfect introduction for someone who's never seen one of his films.

Hair High gets an excellent release from Deaf Crocodile that comes with a solid audio/video presentation, two bonus short films, and insightful extras. Highly recommended.

Note: There is a deluxe release of Mutant Aliens that comes in a slipcase and a 60-page book with an essay by film critic Walter Chaw (Film Freak Central) and an essay by longtime Plympton collaborator John Holderried.

Written by Michael Den Boer