Criterion DVD Menu Design

Criterion Collection DVDs and Blu-rays have menu screens designed as extensions of the cover art, with animated transitions and soundtrack excerpts that set the tone before the film even starts. Most DVD menus are functional afterthoughts, a list of options over a looping clip. Criterion treats the menu as the first frame of the viewing experience. For their release of Mulholland Drive, the menu uses the film's unsettling ambient score and abstract blue lighting. By the time you press play, you're already in the mood the director intended. Special features are where Criterion really distinguishes itself, with video essays by film scholars, director and crew interviews, and alternate cuts or deleted scenes presented with the same care as the main feature.