Welcome to Marwen is based on the real-life story of Mark Hogancamp (Steve Carell), an artist who was beaten and kicked nearly to death outside of a bar after mentioning to some patrons that he liked to wear women’s shoes. After the attack, he lost all memory of his personal life before the incident, was no longer alcoholic (the one bright side of the horrific incident), and was unable to draw. So he turned to photography as his new artistic outlet, and as a way to deal with his trauma and express his feelings.

In his yard, Mark built the fictional World War II era Belgian town of Marwen, and populated it with dolls named for and created with the likeness of people Mark knows in the real world. In Mark’s mind, these dolls come to life and have adventures, often confronting obstacles that mirror what Mark is going through in his own life. Mark has never fully dealt with the aftermath of his attack, and is still frightened by the whole situation. His alter ego in Marwen is Cap’n Hogie, a tough soldier and fighter pilot who constantly finds himself face-to-face with a group of the Nazi’s—aka the men who attacked him—who regularly capture and torture Hogie. However, protecting the village of Marwen is a band of gun-toting Glamonistas—Anna (Gwendoline Christie), who is based on Mark’s monthly in-home caregiver; GI Julie (Janelle Monáe), who is based on a wounded vet he met in rehab; Roberta (Merritt Wever), who is based on the owner of a local hobby shop; Carlala (Eiza Gonzalez), who is based on the waitress at the restaurant where Mark works part time; and Suzette (Leslie Zemeckis), who is based on the star of Mark’s favorite adult film series. Mark’s fantasy world also includes The Belgian Witch, Deja Thoris (Diane Kruger), who is a master of time and constantly trying to manipulate shake things up in the world of Marwen.

As the film opens, Mark discovers that a new neighbor has moved in across the street. Nicol (Leslie Mann), a veterinary technician with a heart of gold, moved there to get away from her clingy boyfriend Kurt (Neil Jackson). She and Mark quickly become friends—she doesn’t seem to find Mark strange or weird, and as Nicol starts to show him attention, Mark starts to develop feelings for her, the way he does for all the women in his life. Meanwhile, Mark has been avoiding his lawyer, who wants him to attend the sentencing of the men who attacked him, to ensure that they are given proper punishment. But Mark isn’t ready to see these men and re-live his brutal attack. But through interacting with his dolls in his fantasy world of Marwen, Mark is able to finally confront the issues that are holding him back from moving on in his life.

Welcome to Marwen is a visual feast. The way these dolls come to life for their WWII adventures is amazing. They not only look like dolls/action figures, but they also resemble the actors who portray them, and retain the essence and emotions of their performances. The transitions between the fantasy world of Marwen and the real world are seamlessly blended, making the collision of these worlds a visual delight. What is happening in Marwen often parallels the story of what is happening to Mark in the real world, and this boundary between real and fantasy can become blurred.

The story itself is an inspiring one—a man learning to overcome a traumatic experience and find a new way to enjoy and experience life and a new outlet to express his art. It is really interesting to see how Mark uses Marwen and the stories he makes up there as a way to test things before implementing them in the real world. He uses this fantasy world as a sort of therapy to help him deal with the traumatic events he has gone through. And despite everything that has happened to him, Mark still has a childlike innocence and a promising, hopeful outlook on life.

That said, with a slight change in score, this film could easily be mistaken for a creepy stalker horror movie. The audience is supposed to find Mark endearing, but he often comes off as creepy serial killer type. When he first sees Nicol moving in next door, he is watching her through binoculars from his darkened living room. Then, shortly after meeting her in person, he has already created a doll with her name and likeness, and woven her story into Marwen. Any normal person would go running if they discovered this—I found it a little bizarre how Nicol seems perfectly OK with this, and is seemingly oblivious to Mark’s infatuation with her. And this is even before he tells her about his obsession with women’s shoes, and how putting them on allows him to “feel the essence of the woman”.

Universal’s Blu-ray release looks and sounds great. The picture is clean, without any noticeable grain or artifacts, with an excellent color palette and a lot of detail. The special effects look amazing—the dolls really feel like they are coming to life and interacting with the real world. The audio track provides clear dialogue, makes the WWII battles of Marwen feel completely immersive. This is especially noticeable right from the opening sequence as a battle is underway, and the room is filled with the sounds of planes overhead and explosions and gunfire coming from all directions.

The Blu-ray and DVD discs come packed in a standard HD keepcase with a slipcover, which also contains an insert with a code to redeem for an HD Movies Anywhere digital copy of the film, as well as a bonus digital movie. Both the Blu-ray and DVD discs include the same selection of bonus material—8 deleted scenes, and 4 behind-the-scenes featurettes with the cast and filmmakers. It is fascinating to see how the dolls were brought to life and given the faces and emotions of the actors who portray them.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:55:56)

Blu-ray:
• 1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
• Audio: English Dolby TrueHD 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1, English DVS (Descriptive Video Service)
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish

DVD:

• 480i / Anamorphic Widescreen 2.39:1
• Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1, English DVS (Descriptive Video Service)
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
• Closed Captioned

Digital (for redemption deadline, see NBCUcodes.com):

• Movies Anywhere-compatible HD Digital copy of the film
• Bonus Digital Movie (Redemption Deadline 9/22/2019)
  Additional bonus digital movie redeemable at www.upherewards.com. At the time of this review, the list of available titles includes Charade, Jarhead 2: Field of Fire (Extended Version), Mallrats, Slapshot, Vertigo and Pillow Talk, but these change every 4 months or so.

Extras:

The same bonus material is included on both the Blu-ray and the DVD discs.

• Deleted Scenes (11:22)
  Collection of 8 deleted scenes. Play All, or select from:
  • Hogie Fights the Nazis (1:00)
    Rough computer animation and motion capture of a fight that breaks out after the Nazi’s see Hogie wearing women’s shoes.
  • Benz Reassembles (:58)
    Additional animation and motion capture of Benz reuniting the two halves of his body and re-joining the other Nazis.
  • Tea Pots (1:52)
    Mark spies on Kurt outside Nicol’s house, and then on Nicol unpacking her teapots.
  • Little Hogie Startles Mark (1:13)
    Mark is talking to lovingly to his Nicol doll when he’s interrupted by Hogie.
  • Mark Startles Deja (1:46)
    Mark overhears Deja trying to subliminally influence Hogie while he is sleeping.
  • Flying Jeep (:59)
    Motion capture footage of the dolls inside their flying Jeep on the way to the courthouse.
  • Demaryius Finds Mark Walking (1:46)
    Mark’s lawyer finds him walking home from the hobby shop, and once again tries to convince him to go to the sentencing.
  • Mark Runs Into Kurt Again (1:55)
    Mark visits Nichol’s house, only to find Kurt at the door wearing nothing but a towel.
• Marwen‘s Citizens (3:51)
  A look at the characters and the film’s talented cast. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director/co-writer/producer Robert Zemeckis, and stars Steve Carell (“Mark Hogancamp”/”Cap’n Hogie”), Leslie Mann (“Nicol”), Diane Kruger (“Deja Thoris”), Gwendoline Christie (“Anna”), Janelle Monáe (“GI Julie”), Merritt Wever (“Roberta”), Leslie Zemeckis (“Suzette”) & Eiza Gonzalez (“Carlala”).
• A Visionary Director (4:53)
  Robert Zemeckis talks about the inspiration for the film, and the cast and filmmakers talk about working with the legendary director. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director/co-writer/producer Robert Zemeckis, producer Jack Rapke, production designer Stefan Dechant, costume designer Joanna Johnston, composer Alan Silvestri, executive producer Jacqueline Levine, producer/2nd unit director of doll still photography Steve Starkey, and stars Steve Carell, Leslie Mann, Diane Kruger & Eiza Gonzalez.
• Building Marwen (4:03)
  The cast and filmmakers talk about creating the 1/6 scale world of Marwen, and making the dolls look like the actors. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with producer/2nd unit director of doll still photography Steve Starkey, production designer Stefan Dechant, director/co-writer/producer Robert Zemeckis, set decorator Hamish Purdy, doll poser D. Martin Myatt, miniature effects supervisor Dave Asling, hair department head & doll hair designer Anne Morgan, costume designer Joanna Johnston, and stars Steve Carell, Janelle Monáe, Eiza Gonzalez & Leslie Mann.
• Living Dolls (4:02)
  A look at how the dolls were brought to life, using motion capture to combine the actors’ body, eyes and mouth performances along with the digitally-animated dolls for a truly unique look. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director/co-writer/producer Robert Zemeckis, visual effects supervisor Kevin Baillie, associate producer Derek Hogue, producer/2nd unit director of doll still photography Steve Starkey, and star Steve Carell, Leslie Mann & Gwendoline Christie.

Final Thoughts:

Welcome to Marwen is a visually stunning film that successfully captures a man’s struggle to come to terms with his traumatic experience. The performances are excellent, especially where most of the actors are taking on dual roles, one in the real world, and one in Marwen. The one downside is that real-world Mark often comes off a little more creepy than endearing. But overall, the film has a nice message of wonder and hope, and being happy being who you are. Universal’s Blu-ray looks and sounds excellent, and includes a nice assortment of bonus material. This is definitely one worth checking out just based on the visual effects alone.