My Pet Monster: The Complete Series (1987) Review

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(More customer reviews)This DVD set contains all 13 episodes (16 if you count the episodes that are split up) of the 1980s Saturday morning cartoon series on two discs.
The show follows Monster who lives with a boy named Max. When Monster wears his handcuffs, they turn him into a stuffed animal. Max often does this as a way to maintain the secret of Monster's existence from others. Max's sister, Jill, and friend, Chuckie, are the only ones that know this secret. The two main adversaries in the show are Mr. Hinkle, a neighbor who always thinks Max is up to something, but isn't sure quite sure what, and Beastur, a large monster who hates light and wants to bring Monster back to Monster Land.
I thought the picture quality was as good as most 1980s cartoon sets. I still enjoyed watching the episodes after all these years. I think a lot of today's children would enjoy the show as well. The only negative of this set is that it doesn't have any extras. If you bought the Canadian release of a year ago, this set is the same except for slightly different packaging.


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My Pet Monster is an animated series about a young boy, named Max, who goes to a toy store looking to purchase a new toy in the hopes that he will find a new best friend. What he finds is an odd looking monster with a pink face and purple body which also happens to wear mysterious cuffs around its wrists. At home, Max inspects the cuffs and attempts to remove them. In succeeding, he watches in amazement as his curious looking toy magically comes to life; growing six feet tall and having an appetite for garbage! What ensues shortly after are a series of unpredictable adventures involving Max, Monster and many of their friends, as they try to maintain the secret of Monster's existence and keep him from being dragged back into Monster Land through a dimensional door by the villainous Beastur.

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Dangermouse: The Complete Series (2007) Review

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(More customer reviews)When I was in college watching these cartoons on Nickelodeon I found a way to get my friends interested in them as well. It's a variation of the drinking game "Hi Bob" from the old Bob Newhart show. I called it "Penfold, shush". Everytime someone says "Penfold" you take a sip of your drink. If they say "Penfold, shush" or some variation of that, you finish the drink. There are episodes that will kill you if you play by the rules. Seems wrong but it kept me from looking like the creepy old guy watching kids shows after class. And lets face it, beer is good.
I have always loved British comedy. I started with Monty Python and The Goodies on PBS and have never looked back. Dangermouse incorporated much of the same dry, British wit and also had an element of Bullwinkle to it as well. For years, the only versions I could find were on VHS, and even that was a chore. They were okay, but lacked much of the narrators commentary between episodes and had the more politically correct version of Stilletto (without the bad Italian accent. The DVD sets are fantastic. It's the original material in all it's glory. And now that my 4 year old has discovered them, I've got someone to watch Dangermouse and Penfold save the world from the nefarious Baron Greenback without having to get them drunk.

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DangerMouse is the smallest secret agent in the world, not to mention the funniest. Now, from the famed animation studios of Cosgrove Hall Productions, all ten seasons of his groundbreaking, side-splitting, globetrotting cartoon adventures are available, for the first time ever, in a single box set.From their headquarters in London to the far reaches of the universe, the courageous DangerMouse and his hesitant, bespectacled sidekick Penfold set out to stop a menagerie of dastardly villains. Armed with a fantastic arsenal of gadgets, wry British wit, and puns that put the oof in spoof, DangerMouse and Penfold send up everyone from 007 to Sherlock Holmes, and save the world many times over in the process. DANGERMOUSE: THE COMPLETE SERIES features all 89 episodes from the pop-culture savvy UK serial on 9 DVDs, plus the never-airedlostpilot episode, Count Duckula episodes, theme song karaoke, and other rarities. This collection of miniscule adventures in animation is a massive cult hit and a treat for kids of all ages.DVD Features: Never-Aired Pilot EpisodeThe Mystery Of The Lost Chord ; Character Descriptions; DANGERMOUSE Theme Song Karaoke;One Stormy NightEpisode of Count Duckula;Town Hall TerrorsEpisode of Count Duckula; Alternative DANGERMOUSE Theme Song Options

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Thundercats - Season One, Volume One (1985) Review

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(More customer reviews)Thundercats was one of the best shows to come out of the 80s (Transformers being at the top), and one every fan has been eagerly awaiting to hit DVD.
Months ago, WB finally announced they would be releasing the series in a total of four box sets (33/32/33/32), which had everyone cheering for the return of one of their favories shows, in top notch DVD quality. Most of all, they were given a SRP of $64.99, thus guaranteeing the episodes must be remastered. Unfortunately, this is not the case.
For a SRP of $64.99, you get 33 episodes on six discs, but without any remastering done whatsoever. What was WB thinking? Not only do the episodes look like they were dumped down from VHS tapes (giving it a bootleg quality appearance), but there are a mass amount of errors throughout the episodes themselves. One of the major issues is with the second episode, "Unholy Alliance," which is missing all of the music (sans the opening and closing) during the episodes. However, this is only the case in the English track as both the Spanish and French versions have the music playing. Whatever the reason is, this is totally unacceptable. Hopefully WB will issue a recall and offer replacement discs.
The next negative to this set is that it is definitely no where near woth a SRP of $64.99. Yes, you can buy them cheaper online or at a retail store, but if you pay more than $30-35 for this set, then you were just ripped off. You could buy a DVD-R bootleg (not that you should) off ebay of the entire series in the same quality (if not better) for $15 more.
With other 80's shows, coming out (or have already been released) with a beautiful remastered print, and 5.1 audio, this makes this buy even worse than it seemed before. Why couldn't WB let Rhino handle this? Rhino may have their own faults, but at least they know how to NOT mess up a release THIS bad. Not to mention Rhino would have remastered the prints and mastera a 5.1 track, while this just has a less-than-satisfying-and-boring mono soundtrack.
So if you have not bought this set yet, hold off until WB fixes the set's glitches or lowers the SRP. Also, let's hope they do a much better job with Volume 2 when it comes out in Dec than they did with this. I love Thundercats, I am happy to own it on DVD and replace my tapes from Toonami, however, the price is unacceptable for a crappy release as this.
WB, Thundercats deserves to be treated just with respect as you have done so with Looney Tunes, and as much as Rhino did so with Transformers!

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In a distant galaxy, the world of Thundera is in crisis. The planet's structure has become unstable and is near collapse. With their destruction imminent, Thundera's denizens--known as the Thundercats--escape in a spaceship and plot a course for a new home. While in transit, the Thundercats are attacked by evil mutants and their craft is irreparably damaged. Jaga, the eldest Thundercat, sacrifices himself in order to pilot the ship safely to its destination: Third Earth.

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SilverHawks, Vol. 1 (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)Soar with the Silverhawks on wings of silver and nerves of steel against the evil Mon*Star and his mob in Silverhawks - Volume One. Though not as successful as Thundercats (the show lasted just one season), Silverhawks, featuring the same production team and voice talent as Thundercats proved arguably just as popular. This 4-disc set contains the first 32 [of 65] episodes from the series; English, French and Spanish audio; English & Spanish subtitles; plus the following Special Features: "Partly Metal, Partly Real: Remembering Silverhawks" featurette, plus an exclusive Sneak Peek at DC Universe's Wonder Woman animated original movie.

Episodes include:
1. The Origin Story
2. Journey To Limbo
3. The Planet Eater
4. Save the Sun
5. Stop Timestopper
6. Darkbird
7. The Backroom
8. The Threat of Dritt
9. Sky-Shadow
10. Magnetic Attraction
11. Gold Shield
12. Zero the Memory Thief
13. The Milk Run
14. The Hardware Trap, Part 1
15. The Hardware Trap, Part 2
16. Race Against Time
17. Operation Big Freeze
18. The Ghost Ship
19. The Great Galaxy Race
20. Fantascreen
21. Hotwing Hits Limbo
22. The Bounty Hunter
23. Zeek's Fumble
24. The Fighting Hawks
25. The Renegade Hero
26. One on One
27. No More Mr. Nice Guy
28. Music of the Spheres
29. Limbo Gold Rush
30. Countdown to Zero
31. The Amber Amplifier
32. The Saviour Stone


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SILVERHAWKS:SEASON 1 VOLUME 1 - DVD Movie

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The Smurfs Season 2, Vol. 2: Smurfy Tales (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)The dvd consists of 5 episodes. I do not understand why it takes months to release 5 episdes, at leasts with volumes I and II, there were 20+ episodes. I like this dvd better than the previous one- True Blue Friends, because Gargamel is at least one of the villians in 3 or 4 of the episodes. I would like for the next dvd to be Volume III consisting of 20+ episodes.

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Tiny, blue, international celebrities the Smurfs--all 101 of them--dwell joyfully together in a medieval forest village. Only three apples tall, they live in mushroom houses and take their morning showers with dewdrops. Papa Smurf, wise beyond his 543 years, gently rules a raucous clan that includes Brainy, Jokey, Clumsy, Vanity, Grouch and that luscious femme fatale, Smurfette.But Gargamel, the local wicked wizard, despises the Smurf's happiness. With his fiendish cat, Azrael, Gargamel schemes to capture the Smurfs. Luckily, the Smurf village cannot be found unless a Smurf leads the way, and the Smurfs are as resourceful as they are lovable.

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The Smurfs - Season One, Vol. One Review

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(More customer reviews)The 80's gave us a golden age of Saturday morning cartoons. I can't think of any other era that had such a wide variety of different themes and approaches. These days most shows fall into the Japanese anime/card game genre. Back then you had several genres. One of them was the child friendly, parent approved, sugary sweet cutesy cartoons. The Smurfs has to be the top of the heap of those shows. The reason being was good production values and solid pacing of their stories which makes even a sedate and "safe" show fun to watch.
My first experience with the Smurfs wasn't this television. In fact my first exposure to the little blue creatures were in the form of little plastic figurines sold at the local Hallmark card store. I only knew of them as different little blue guys who wore different clothes that apparently denoted their profession or interest (I personally had the Karate Smurf and the Police Smurf) and they were created by somebody named Peyo (according to box that held the Smurfs). The television translation of the only thing I know about Smurfs was different, but appropriate.
You see every Smurt in the cartoon has some characteristic, trade, or skill that sets them apart from the rest. In this colony of 100 Smurfs you would have a baker, poet, carpenter and other useful trades along with Smurfs who were lazy, clumsy, vain (and were named as such). Each episode was about their interacting with each other and their surroundings based on who they were. Top it all off with a Papa Smurf to keep them all in line and a human wizard named Gargamel who wants (of all things) to eat the Smurfs and get the gist of show.
This simplistic premise was all you needed to make a fun, if overly cutesy, series that would evolve each season with new characters and themes. One of the most memorable things about the show was the use of classical music played in it's full brilliance. Not toned down or "lightened up" for the kids. It helped give me a good appreciation of the genre of music at a young age. The animation was solid and the style of the show actually lended itself to the limited frames per second that Saturday morning cartoons were stuck with to keep their budget low.
Some might overly analyze the show and see things like how the Smurf commune and soceity promote communism. To be honest that's what they were. Communists. Everybody helped out in the betterment of their society as a whole and apparently everything was shared. The theory of communism would actually work in such a small community if done right, and the Smurfs didn't have such hangups over greed and power that normally keeps any utopian ideal from happening... or at least Pappa Smurf was always there to keep his Smurfs from taking it too far.
What you are getting in this DVD set is the first half of the first season. The original plan was to put all 28 episodes onto one set, but apparently the studio changed their mind and now you get 19 episodes. Still that's six hours of content. On top of the standard eps you also get two bonus features: The Smurfs Springtime Special (an Easter holiday special) and Smurfs: The Music Video (which is not much more than the title theme with clip highlights of the show set to the music). Not much else on the extras category.
The good news is this DVD set has been remastered and Warner Home Video announced that the episodes are uncut. For purists that's really the only important thing. Don't expect Dolby Digital or anything like that. This is strictly a monophonic affair just like the show was back in the 80's. If you have kids and don't want them to see anything too violent or socially disruptive then this is a good show for you. For those of you who remembered the Smurf from when you were kids and long for their return here you go.

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The long wait is over...the Smurfs on DVD for the first time ever! They're finally here! Handy, Hefty, Grouchy, Brainy, Lazy, Smurfette, Papa Smurf and more favorites bring you the greatest show on Smurf - on DVD for the first time ever. It's Season One, Vol. 1 of Smurfs' Adventures, the Emmy-winning animated series [Outstanding Children's Entertainment Series 1982-83] that delighted Saturday morning cartoon fans for nearly a decade. Of course, where Smurfs are, you'll also find evil wizard Gargamel and his cat Azrael - plus monsters, dragons and trolls - keeping our three-apple-high heroes on their tiny blue toes throughout 19 cartoon escapades. Ready for adventure, laughs and enchantment? Abso-Smurfly!DVD Features:FeaturetteMusic Video

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G.I. Joe A Real American Hero: Season 1.1 (1983) Review

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(More customer reviews)"G.I. Joe - A Real American Hero" is literally the classic animated series that became an iconic series for thousands of fans who loyally collected the many awesome merchandise from Hasbro and continues to be a popular toy line today.
Although, the series was released in 1984, the series has spawned several of animated series and CG films. In 2008, the 3 3/4 action figures and vehicle line celebrated its 25th Anniversary and in 2009, earlier in the year, fans were treated with a more darker and more violent animated series with "G.I. Joe Resolute" and by the Summer of 2009, would be treated with the live action film and a release of a G.I. Joe video game.
So, what better time than now but to enjoy the classic 1985 animated series through SHOUT FACTORY's "G.I. JOE - A REAL AMERICAN HERO - SEASON 1.1" on DVD.
The DVD release is the second release of the popular animated series (the first was released through RHINO, note: RHINO only released season 1 and the first half of season 2) and both releases has its key differences which I will discuss further in my review. It's important to also note that some of the episodes for the first season were featured on DVD's that were included with various Hasbro toy box sets released in early 2009.
For starters, the series is not based on the original GI Joe toys that were released in the 1960's but is based on the Hasbro toyline which started in 1982 and the comic book series from Marvel Comics. The series was created by Ron Friedman and the first season on this DVD set comprised of three mini-series that aired in 2004-2005. The mini-series which consisted of "The M.A.S.S. Device", "The Revenge of Cobra", "The Pyramid of Darkness" and five separate episodes.
Here is a brief synopsis (no spoilers) for each episode:
DISC 1: THE M.A.S.S. DEVICE
* EPISODE 1 - The Cobra Strikes - Cobra has developed the ultimate weapon known as the M.A.S.S. Device. and attempt to steal a military satellite. Duke is captured.
* EPISODE 2 - Slaves of the Cobra Master - G.I. Joe tries to counter Cobra's M.A.S.S. Device with their own.
* EPISODE 3 - The Worms of Death - GI Joe takes the battle against Cobra undersea. Meanwhile, Snake Eyes goes to the arctic to find a radioactive crystal element.
* EPISODE 4 - Duel In The Devil's Cauldron - Cobra and G.I. Joe try to get the final element to activate their own M.A.S.S. Device.
* EPISODE 5 - A Stake In the Serpent's Heart - Destro takes Scarlett as a prisoner and the action-packed finale of the first G.I. Joe mini-series.
DISC 2: THE REVENGE OF COBRA
* EPISODE 6 - In the Cobra's Pit - Cobra attacks a G.I. Joe convoy and steals a high-powered experimental laser.
* EPISODE 7 - The Vines of Evil - Flint, Mutt, Junkyard and Roadblock are caught by vines in the Cobra's Pit of Chaos.
* EPISODE 8 - The Palace of Doom - G.I. Joe sends various teams to different regions around the globe to find the three fragments of the Weather Dominator before Destro and Cobra get to it.
* EPISODE 9 - Battle On the Roof of the World - Cutter, Wild Bill and Spirit battle the Baroness and Cobra on the Island of No Return.
* EPISODE 10 - Amusement Park of Terror - Storm Shadow infiltrates Joe headquarters. Meanwhile the battle in the Arctic continues.
DISC 3: THE PYRAMID OF DARKNESS
* EPISODE 11 - The Further Adventures of G.I. Joe - Tomax and Xamot seize control of G.I. Joe's Moon Star space shuttle.
* EPISODE 12 - Rendezvous in the City of the Dead - Shipwreck and Snake Eyes try to evade capture from Cobra.
* EPISODE 13 - Three Cubes to Darkness - G.I. Joe captures Tomax and Xamot plans to rescue him.
* EPISODE 14 - Chaos in the Sea of Lost Souls - Alpine and bazooka are joined by Quick Kick. Meanwhile, Cobra Commander activates the Pyramid of Darkness.
* Episode 15 - Knotting Cobra's Coils - G.I. launches a full-scale assault on the Cobra Temple.
DISC 4:
* EPISODE 16 - Countdown for Zartan - Zartan infiltrates the Worldwide Defense Center and tries to destroy it.
* EPISODE 17 - Red Rocket's Glare - Cobra uses Tomax and Xamot's company Extensive Enterprises to purchase the Red Rocket food chain and use its location for secret missile launching bases.
* EPISODE 18 - Satellite Down - Cobra knocks a secret military satellite out of orbit and G.I. Joe races to its location before Cobra gets to it.
* EPISODE 19 - Cobra Stops the World - Cobra plans to take control of the world's fuel supplies.
* EPISODE 20 - Jungle Trap - Cobra kidnaps Dr. Shakur and plans to attack cities using the flow of lava.
* EPISODE 21 - Cobra's Creatures - Cobra plans to use the animals of the world against humanity.
* EPISODE 22 - The Funhouse - Flint, Bazooka and others hve to fight their way through the deadly Cobra Temple.
"G.I. Joe - A Real American Hero" will be released on July 14th but the 17-disc, 95 episode complete series will be shipping on June 22nd and will be bundled with many special features including a USB "Dog Tag" 1GB flash drive, collectible booklet and more..
VIDEO & AUDIO:
"G.I. Joe - A Real American Hero" is in full color and presented in Dolby Digital. I have been asked by many G.I. Joe fans how SHOUT FACTORY's DVD's compare to the original RHINO DVD's.
In terms of video quality, there is a slight (very slight) difference between SHOUT FACTORY's picture quality and RHINO's picture quality. SHOUT FACTORY features a little less compression it would seem. I was comparing the scenes and it's very slight. In fact, SHOUT FACTORY's version seems a wee bit brighter.
But I wanted to compare a scene in the first episode where Cobra Commander and Destro were overlooking a computer after they were looking at crystals for the M.A.S.S. device. The reason I chose that scene is because it exhibits a lot of dust and scratches, compression and wanted to see if it was cleaned up. One thing I notice that both still had similar issues but a main key difference was that the size of the dust in the RHINO version were clumpier. Granted, its there if you pause and look at a frame but for most people, they are not going to see this. But there was no digitally remastering for those who were interested in knowing. The dust and scratches still exist and are part of the master.
I was also asked if the errors from the original series such as two Timbers in a scene or Scarlett sporting a mind control device (when she wasn't supposed to wear one, among a few errors from the original animation were fixed in this new release. These errors were part of the original master and is on the final cut. So, I doubt there will be any measures to correct those errors and that it's more than likely these will permanent errors that are part of the original animation.
I was also asked if the opening themes were the ones featured on the original broadcast. And the opening theme for all episodes on Season 1.1 is the version with Flint pointing as starting off with his scream of "Yo Joe!" and ending with a large Cobra spaceship crashing into the ground.
As for audio quality, this is where the RHINO and SHOUT FACTORY versions are quite different. The RHINO version features a Dolby Digital 5.1 audio which utilizes the surround channels and the LFE of your subwoofer and shows up on my receiver as Dolby Digital 5.1. Vocal tracks were featured on the center channel, music on the surrounds (and were louder than the dialogue track) and utilizing front channel and the subwoofer for the booms.
For the SHOUT FACTORY version, the audio is featured in Dolby Digital but does not take advantage of surround channels or LFE. In fact, the setting I ended up choosing on my receiver was "All Channels on Stereo".
SPECIAL FEATURES:
"G.I. JOE - A Real American Hero - Season 1.1' comes with a good number of special features. Included are:
DISC 1:
* Looking Back with Writer Ron Friedman, Part One - (7:03) Ron Friedman talks about why he had a voice over on opening theme of what G.I. Joe and Cobra is. Also, discussion of how he learned to write for children and how to get them to buy the merchandise and how he was involved with test groups for the toys.
DISC 2:
* Looking Back with Writer Ron Friedman, Part Two - (7:03) Ron Friedman talks about how he was hired from Hasbro and how important it was for him to create the characters and get kids to enjoy the characters and buy the merchandise. And how he would make episodes focusing on a primary group of characters and swing characters and how he came up with the style of voices for the characters.
DISC 3:
* Looking Back with Writer Ron Friedman, Part Three - (4:44) Ron Friedman talks about how he teaches a class in screenwriting at USC and Chapman University and how he asked by his students about his work on G.I. Joe and is asked to sign autographs and how he loves the G.I. Joe fandom.
DISC 4:
The fourth disc contains quite a number of special features. Bare in mind that these commercials are old and are not in the greatest of quality but nevertheless, was great to see included in this Season 1.1 set.
* Knowing is Half the Battle PSA's - (3:42) A total of seven PSA's that can be played separately or to play all. PSA's featured:
--- Alpine - What to Do When You're Lost
--- Barbeque - What to Do If Your House is On Fire
--- Deep Six - Don't Swim When It's Storming
--- Mutt - Don't Pet Strange Dogs
--- Quick Kick - Take...Read more›

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G.I. Joe is the code name for Americas highly-trained special missions force. Its purpose: to defend human freedom against Cobra, a ruthless terrorist organization determined to rule the world!In 1983 Hasbro made a bold statement when it relaunched its classic toy line of military action heroes as an adventure-based team of unique characters, each with his, and her, own specialties. And because it captured the imaginations and hearts of boys and girls aspiring to make a difference in the world, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero was an immediate success lasting over 25 incredible years. Now you can relive the original animated adventures of Duke, Scarlett, Snake Eyes, Flint, Lady Jaye and rest of the Joe team with this 4-disc DVD set of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, including the first part of the series inaugural season, the three annual 5-part miniseries that started it all: The MASS Device, The Revenge Of Cobra: The Weather Dominator and The Pyramid Of Darkness.

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The Smurfs Season 2, Vol. 1: True Blue Friends (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a single DVD with the following episodes on it:
S-Shivering S-Smurfs - An early winter comes to Smurf Village and Tracker is the only one prepared and saves the village.
Turncoat Smurf - Gargemel uses his dog to track down the Smurfs after finding Brainy's laundry.
The Smurf Who Couldn't Say No - Pushover Smurf is used to do all the work and puts out the Fox Fire awakening a monster.
The Haunted Castle - Johan & Peewit' meet a ghost in a drought filled countryside with the Smurfs help they end the drought.
The Black Hellebore - After the king is poisoned by the potion maker, to wake the king Johan & Peewit' need the antidote from Homnubus. The potion maker later uses the evil Hellebore flower to try and take over the kingdom.
The title sequence of each episode is the newest of the three opening sequences that I know of. The one on the Season 1 DVD's was something about Smurfs being good and Gargemel being Bad, the one from most of when I was growing up had Gargemel chanting "total destruction from mountain to shore", and this one was used when Peewit' & Johan were main characters has Papa singing while the dam is bing built. I don't know if there was an additional opening for when the Smuflings were in the show.
This DVD has the same issue that the Season 1 DVD's did where the menu is much louder then the episodes. I just wish that they would have continued to release the seasons, this was just a tease of what should have been released.

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The Smurfs are a group of over 100 bluish, three-apple tall creatures who live in the mushroom homes of Smurf Village. They are led by 543-year-old Papa Smurf (who doesn't look a day over 530). Their lives would be perfect were it not for the villainous Gargamel, a wizard who spends his days trying to capture them to eat, turn into gold, or for other evil reason. Gargamel's cat Azrael adds to the menace, always looking for a smurfalicious snack.. Its Season Two, Vol. 1 of Smurf Adventures, the Emmy-winning animated series [Outstanding Childrens Entertainment Series 1982-83] that delighted Saturday morning cartoon fans for nearly a decade.

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Legend of Zelda: Complete Animated Series (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)First of all, I want to say that it is truely awesome to finally have this on DVD. I was a huge fan of the Super Mario Bros. Super Show when I was a kid, and I always looked forward to Frisdays for the Zelda episodes.
The Zelda cartoons, themselves, are a lot of fun. Granted, they are a little silly and could even be considered 'cheesey' from a certain point of view, but they are what they are. They may not come across as serious as some of the video games (i.e. Ocarania of Time), but this is perfect for something targeted at kids. I was 9 when this show came out, and I loved it. And I love looking back on it now.
If I were rating just the cartoons, in-and-of themselves, and not the DVD as a whole, I would give it 5 stars.
But, as you've probably noticed, I only gave it three stars. And I have reasoning behind this.
I just picked this DVD up earlier this week as well as the recently released boxed set of the Super Mario Bros. Super Show.
The SMBSS set is the first in a series of box sets that will collect all of the non-Zelda episodes of the series. There are 24 episodes on that 4-disc set, complete with all live action segments and all cartoons (it even has the previews for the Zelda episodes).
Having bought that at the same time, I found it very disapointing that all of the complete live-action segments were not included on this Zelda release (only a handful of episodes include them). Being that I am kind of a 'completist' and wanted to have the whole 'Super Show' series in as complete of a manner as possible, I found this to be a let down.
Personally, I would have much prefered if the SMBSS set had also included the Zelda episodes complete with live-action degments, and this particular Zelda set had just been a separate release for people who only want the Zelda series, and don't care about the live action stuff or the Mario cartoons. I would have liked to have all of the episodes in order, but could have dealt with separate releases if all the live action stuff had remained intact.
If you are someone who is only interested in the Zelda cartoon, and don't care about the rest, then this will be right up your alley.
If you are a completist like me, you will be at least somewhat disapointed.However, even after taking acceptance of what content is included on this set, it still seems silly that the thing is 3 discs and costs as much as it does. During the Super Show episodes, the cartoon segements only accounted for about half of the running time, with the live action stuff being the other half. Since this only mostly includes the cartoons parts with only a few exceptions, there is no reason that this shouldn't be a 2-disc set and about 5 to 10 dollars cheaper.
It costs about the same as the SMBSS set, which is 24 complete episodes on 4 discs. This is only 13 (mostly) partial episodes when taking the live-action stuff into account. They seem to be trying to give it the appearance that you are getting more than you truely are. And it is extra disapointing since both releases are put out by the same distributor.
So, its up to each individual to decide if it is worth their money. I just wanted to put the info out there of what exactly is included in this set to not give anyone false hopes (particularly anyone who may have already bought the SMBSS set and not this one). It's certainly not a bad buy, and I do not regret buying it, but it won't fully satisfy the completists out there.

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The complete series on DVD for the first time!Link is back to protect Princess Zelda and the Triforce of Wisdom from the clutches of the evil Ganon. The Legend Of Zelda – The Complete Animated Series (spawned from the massively popular and influential ‘80s Nintendo game) is an exciting classic that captures all of the adventure, action and nostalgia that makes The Legend Of Zelda a beloved fan favorite! The Legend Of Zelda – The Complete Animated Series (all 13 episodes) is available for the first time on this expansive 3-Disc Set.The animated series The Legend Of Zelda debuted in 1989 on Fridays during The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! week-daily broadcast. It originally aired in conjunction with the first Legend Of Zelda game release and breathes life into the characters of Link, Princess Zelda and the evil wizard Ganon - fleshing out their personalities with a little bit of romance and a dash of humor.Like the game itself, each episode follows the adventures of Link as he bravely defends the kingdom of Hyrule from the evil wizard Ganon and his dim-witted minions, yet also manages to find time to try to steal a kiss from Zelda.EPISODES:The RingerCold SpellsThe White KnightKiss ’N TellSing For The UnicornThat Sinking FeelingDoppelgangerUnderworld ConnectionsStinging A StingerA Hitch In The WorksFairies In The SpringThe Missing LinkThe Moblins Are Revolting SPECIAL FEATURES *Selected Original Live-Action Segments from The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! *Interactive Legend Of Zelda Match Game *Legend Of Zelda Trivia Quiz *Downloadable Character Sketch Gallery

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Dungeons & Dragons: The Complete Animated Series Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This was my #1 favorite cartoon series when I was eleven years old in 1983. I watched it religiously on TV back then, and when we got our first VCR, I recorded every re-run and watched those videotapes until I wore them out. Naturally, I was excited to hear this show was finally coming out on DVD. I bought the complete series box set released by BCI right away. All the episodes look great in terms of picture quality. Not to mention, the special features are surprisingly plentiful for an old, mostly-forgotten Saturday morning cartoon, and it really brought back some great memories.
Then I discovered a very disappointing problem. And I'm going to sound like a real nit-picker here - but I gotta state my case...
Any dedicated fan of this show is familiar with the episode "The Dragon's Graveyard" - generally considered to be the best episode of the entire series. That's the one where the kids decide to destroy Venger (the ultimate, evil bad guy) once and for all. They plan to do this by convincing Tiamat (the ultimate, evil 5-headed Dragon) to help them. It's a very cool story, because the good guys basically team up with one arch villain in order to settle their grudge match with another arch villain. As a kid in the 80's, I videotaped this series and "The Dragon's Graveyard" was one episode that I went back and watched repeatedly. So, I know that episode almost by heart. One of the things I always loved about that episode, and which I still remember clearly, was its powerful musical score. Especially during the scene where Venger throws fireballs at Uni, the baby Unicorn, nearly killing her, and the scene at the end, where the kids have their final, climactic battle with Venger, pin him against a rock, and lead hero Hank has to make the ultimate decision whether to kill Venger, or let him go. From watching and re-watching this particular episode to death on videotape, I remember very clearly that during these scenes the music had a fast, chaotic, rushing quality - a theme not heard frequently in other episodes - which racheted up the energy and took the drama way beyond typical Saturday morning cartoon fare.
And yet, while watching this same classic episode on the BCI-released Dungeons and Dragons DVD set, I noticed that this music had been completely replaced with slower, formulaic sections of music that can be regularly heard elsewhere in the series. This change in the music made the scenes described above considerably less effective, severely weakening the emotional impact of this episode.
Allright, now - yes - I realize how trite and ridiculous it must sound for a 30+ year old man to be nit picking the DVD quality of one single episode of a Saturday Morning cartoon show he loved when he was eleven. But the whole reason I bought this DVD set in the first place was to re-experience the innocent fun of those childhood memories, and instead I got a diluted version of that experience.
As a matter of fact, in the "Episode Trivia" section, it even mentions that another version of "The Dragon's Graveyard" episode exists, with a completely different musical score... and when I read that, all I could think was, "Yeah, no kidding, and you bozos put the weaker of the two versions on the DVD set. Thanks a lot!"
So... that's my one huge disappointment with the BCI set, and I'm guessing other fans who are total geeks for this show, will notice and be bothered by it, too.
NOW HERE IS THE GOOD NEWS... In 2009, Dungeons and Dragons was RE-RELEASED in a new DVD set, by a company called Mill Creek Entertainment. I had heard rumors that this new release RESTORED ALL of the ORIGINAL MUSIC used on the show, thus presenting every episode AS IT APPEARED, WHEN IT WAS ORIGINALLY SHOWN on TV in the early 1980's. At first I wasn't sure if I should believe the rumors... Then I saw that the Mill Creek release was selling for a surprisingly lower price than the BCI set... Low enough that I decided it was worth giving it another shot.
So, I ordered it, and let me tell you as a knowledgeable fan, that yes - the Mill Creek Entertainment release DOES include all the episodes with their original music. THIS is "The Dragon's Graveyard" as I remember and love it. Be advised, the Mill Creek release contains no Special Features, which is unfortunate, but I find myself not caring about that. The important thing is to have all the original episodes in their original form. And again, the price on the Mill Creek set is also a lot cheaper than the price on the BCI set, so it's hard to complain about the lack of "extras".
Bottom line - this is a great cartoon series. But if you want to experience this show in its original form - do yourself a favor: Snub the BCI set, and buy the Mill Creek Entertainment set. Take if from a long time fan of this show. I was deeply disappointed with the BCI set, and very, very happy with the Mill Creek set.


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The complete Dungeons & Dragons series! In this extremely popular series an enchanted roller coaster delivers six youth into the magical realm of Dungeons and Dragons. There, each of them gains magical talents and abilities, all the better to survive their time in the Realm. The bow-shooting ranger, the acrobat, the thief, the cavalier, the boy wizard, and the barbarian are soon joined by a baby unicorn and tutored by the mysterious and inscrutable Dungeon Master. Opposing them is the evil Sorcerer Venger, as well as various ogres, demons, bounty hunters, dragons, lizard men, skeleton warriors and more, all intent on keeping the kids from getting back home!

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