The Criterion Collection has officially announced “The Wes Anderson Archive: Ten Films, Twenty-Five Years”, a highly anticipated 4K Ultra HD box set featuring the first ten films by visionary director Wes Anderson. Spanning from his 1996 debut Bottle Rocket to 2021’s The French Dispatch, this collector’s set will be released on September 30 and is now available for pre-order.
A Legacy of Artistry in a Single Box Set
Anderson, known for his distinctive visual style and symmetrical storytelling, has maintained a long-standing relationship with Criterion since Rushmore (1998). While many of his films were previously available on Blu-ray and DVD — including Criterion versions through The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) — this 4K UHD set represents a curated cinematic journey rather than just a technical upgrade.
“We’ve been working on it for some time,” Anderson shared during an interview on the Filmmaker Toolkit podcast. “I like the idea of having this set. It’s ten movies, it’s an even number.”
No Director’s Cuts — But Carefully Refined Restorations
Unlike auteurs such as Wong Kar Wai or Terrence Malick, who are known for re-editing or recoloring their films for later releases, Wes Anderson took a more restrained approach. “I’m not big on, ‘let’s make a new version,’” he said. “For me, it’s like the movie has gone out and it sort of belongs to the audience at that point.”
That said, Anderson did utilize this opportunity to fix minor visual and audio issues that didn’t translate well in previous home video formats.
“There were things that didn’t translate quite right in the original versions that we corrected,” Anderson noted.
Why the Criterion Box Set Matters
This box set is more than just a celebration of Anderson’s iconic aesthetic; it’s a statement of artistic unity. As Anderson explained, he views his films as a connected universe:
“I used to say, I feel like the characters from one of my films could walk into another of my films and fit into that world.”
By placing his early work in a single, cohesive archive, Anderson offers fans a way to explore his cinematic language across decades.
Films Included in the Collection
The 10 films in The Wes Anderson Archive include:
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Bottle Rocket (1996)
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Rushmore (1998)
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The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
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The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
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The Darjeeling Limited (2007)
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Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
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Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
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The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
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Isle of Dogs (2018)
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The French Dispatch (2021)
What’s Next for Anderson
While preparing this release, Anderson has also been busy with his new film The Phoenician Scheme, distributed by Focus Features. It is currently playing in select theaters and will open nationwide on Friday, June 6.
For fans and collectors alike, The Wes Anderson Archive offers a definitive and beautifully restored collection of one of modern cinema’s most iconic voices.
