See Wes Anderson’s "Grand Budapest Hotel" Storyboards
05.05.2020

The storyboard animatics, with audio commentary from Anderson, were unveiled ahead of the Grand Budapest Hotel’s Criterion Collection release. 

Having their works inducted into the classic catalog for film aficionados is usually seen by filmmakers as a high honor, especially given the Criterion Collection’s mission of collecting “important classic and contemporary films.” New Criterion releases are also a real treat for movie buffs, as the Collection’s DVD and Blu-ray discs come packed with extra content, deleted scenes, and additional audio tracks with director’s commentaries. Criterion is also known for giving its films revamped cover artwork, often featuring unique visuals that put it in stark opposition to run-of-the-mill mass DVD releases. 

Grand Budapest Hotel is not the first of Wes Anderson’s movies to be inducted into the famous collection—Criterion already boasts seven films directed by the acclaimed auteur, known for his proclivity for pastel colors, fairy-tale like narratives, and perfectly symmetrical frames: Bottle Rocket, The Darjeeling Limited, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Moonrise Kingdom, The Royal Tenenbaums, and Rushmore. 

Grand Budapest Hotel has been one of Anderson’s biggest and best-received films. Released in 2014, the picture stars an ensemble cast packed with stellar talent, including the likes of Ralph Fiennes, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, Saoirse Ronan, Willem Dafoe, Edward Norton, and Bill Murray. The picturesque story about a concierge working in a famous mountainside resort and his young protégé garnered much critical acclaim and netted the director four Academy Awards, five BAFTAs, and a Golden Globe. 

While the film’s profusion of color is one of its most memorable features, fans will now have the opportunity to see it stripped of its trademark palette. Created during preproduction by Anderson himself, the simple, colorless sketches offer viewers a glimpse behind the scenes at the earliest stages of creating a modern film. Below, you’ll find the first five minutes of the storyboard animatic—to see the rest, as well as additional behind-the-scenes footage, interviews, and hear the director’s own commentary, you will have to buy the Criterion Collection release of the film. Wes Anderson fans can find it HERE.