Jem - Season 3, Part 1 (1985) Review

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(More customer reviews)It is so awesome the Rhino is giving us another Jem DVD in 2004. Like they did with the Transformers and some of their other series they are splitting this up as Season 3-part 1. No Stingers and it ends before the "Hollywood Jem" episodes. I suppose it keeps the price low and gives fans something to wait for. Lets just hope the remaining episodes come out before the year is over.
I can't really see why to end the set after the episode #48 "Mardi Gras." The episode "Out of The Past" is so awesome (this is the Jacki Benton episode which gives a lot of background info on the Holograms and Jerrica's background. But I suppose it gives the next set a nice starting foundation. As a big Jem fan, #49 "Out of the Past," #50 "Britrock" and #51 "Journey Through Time" don't really fit with the "Hollywood Jem" and true season 3 episodes with The Stingers. So I would have included those episodes with this set.Also, the episodes early in this set are some of the wacky animation episodes-like "The Presidential Dillima."
Other highlights of this set include the introduction of Craig Phillips (Stormers Brother), Raya becomes the new drummer, Kimber and Stormer team up for a musical career in "The Bands Break Up," Danse becomes temporarily paralyzed, and Roxie throws a huge bash although secretly struggling with illiteracy.
As seen in some of the earlier episodes like "The Music Awards" Jem as a series tackles real life social issues-illiteracy, drug abuse, sensitivity towards people with disabilities, and more.
DVD ONE
The Talent Search 1
The Talent Search 2
Scandal
One Jem Too Many
The Bands Break Up
The Fan
Fathers Day
DVD TWO
The Treasure Hunt
Aztec Enchantment
Music Is Magic
The Jazz Player
Danse Time
Roxy Rumbles
Alone Again
DVD THREE
KJEM
Trick or Techrat
The Presidential Dilema
Rock 'n Roll Express
Mardi Gras
A must have set. Pre-order it so that Rhino continues to put out Jem at a fast pace! A good show for todays teens too.

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G.I. Joe Season 1, Part 1 (2004) Review

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(More customer reviews)This release has been postponed many times since it was first announced, but it looks we will finally be getting it now.
This volume should include the following episodes:
The Pyramid of Darkness part 1
The Pyramid of Darkness part 2
The Pyramid of Darkness part 3
The Pyramid of Darkness part 4
The Pyramid of Darkness part 5
Countdown for Zartan
Red Rocket's Glare
Satellite Down
Cobra Stops the World
Jungle Trap
Cobra's Creatures
The Funhouse
Twenty Questions
The Greenhouse Effect
Haul Down the Heavens
Synthoid Conspiracy (part 1)
Synthoid Conspiracy (part 2)
The Phantom Brigade
Lights! Camera! Cobra!
Cobra's Candidate
Money to Burn
Operation Mind Menace
Battle for the Train of Gold
Cobra Soundwaves
Where the Reptiles Roam
The Gamesmaster
Lasers in the Night

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Adventures of The Galaxy Rangers - The Collection, Vol. 1 Review

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(More customer reviews)It was the beginning of the massive use of Computer Generation Image (CGI), but beyond that, Galaxy Rangers was something unique, the tradition of the space opera working perfectly with old and new kinds of animation under the command of wonderfull scripts.
For those who don't know this the basic story is: in a far future the contact with other alien races let the human race go to the stars, creating a group of special officers of law to keep the peace in the galaxy.
But Zachary Fox the leader of this team knows well there's another mission: stop any attack of the evil Queen of Crown, who's trying to conquer the galaxy.
These things makes this show a unique combination of wonderfull animation with clever stories to people of all ages.

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Hitch a wagon train to the stars with Zachery Foxx, "Doc" Hartford, Niko, and Shane Gooseman – The Galaxy Rangers – a team of courageous pioneers committed to the highest ideals of justice and dedicated to preserving law and order across the new frontier. For the first time ever, experience episodes 1-32 of the groundbreaking series, Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers, in chronological order with all continuity and storylines intact. BONUS FEATURES: never-before-seen pilot/demo reel on-camera interview with series creator Robert Mandell select episode audio commentary with Robert Mandell, story editor Christopher Rowley and voice talent Henry Mandelloriginal music tracks and "No Guts, No Glory" music video recreated slideshow of the vintage talking storybook "Tortuna, The Outlaw Planet" 32-page "Visual Guide to Characters" collectible booklet

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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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Saturday Morning Cartoons: 1980s, Vol. 1 Review

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(More customer reviews)I'm a huge cartoon nerd who in particular loves the Saturday morning and syndicated stuff from the 80s and it's unfortunate that I think I'm both the exact target audience for a release like this as well as one of of the fans completely let down by this style of release.
Real quick, the WB presents SMC 1980s 2-disc set is a compilation of single episodes from eleven different 80s cartoons including:
Thundarr the Barbarian
Mr. T
Dragon's Lair
The Flintstone Kids
Galtar and the Golden Lance
The Biskitts
The Completely Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley
The Monchichis
Chuck Norris: Karate Kommandos
Tex Avery's the Kwicky Koloa Show
Goldie Gold & Action Jack
There's also a short 18 minute special feature called Lords of Light that reminisces on the production of Thundarr the Barbarian with a handful of talking head intervews (including some great insights from writers, as well as the creator/producers of the series Joe Ruby and Ken Spears.)
First off, for the casual fan there's a lot to like about a compilation set like this. If you're only curious about getting a taste of the various shows that aired during Saturday Morning throughout the 80s, then a set like this is great. There's a nice range of mystery solving, action, and comedy with enough recognizable highlights (the Flintstone Kids, Mr. T, and Thundarr) to offset the more obscure series (Goldie Gold & Action Jack, Chuck Norris: Karate Kommandos, and the Monchichis.) Unfortunately, even for the casual fan the set has little to no re-play value, and so it would fall into the realm of the impulse buy or one-time Netflix rental.
For the more hardcore fans the set is a disaster. On the one hand we're getting 11 shows that have never seen release on DVD before, a handful of which fans have been clamoring for, for years. Also, fans are getting an opportunity to catch episodes of series they may never have gotten a chance to see back in the day (like Galtar or the Biskitts) and it's quite possible that one episode is all they need. But on the other hand, for fans of shows like the Mr. T cartoon and Thundarr the Barbarian, this set is just a slap in the face from Warner Brothers. I'd hazard a guess to say that most hardcore fans, the people that are essentially the audience for the cartoons released on this set, don't want to settle for single episodes of their favorite shows.
The idea behind these compilations as I understand it, is for Warner Brothers to find a happy medium between spending a lot of money producing complete series and season sets of cartoons that don't sell well and the more cost effective single-disc releases for series that fans tend to hate. To be fair Warner is looking at producing sets that meet in the middle, giving fans the variety they desire with something more substantial than a 4-episode single-disc release for only one show. It seems logical, but all this set really is, is a glorified single disc release.
What Warner is really doing is cutting their target audience in half with these compilations. The people who would gladly buy full season or complete series sets for shows like Thundarr and Mr. T will most likely ignore these sets, leaving only the fans that want everything from the 80s and the fickle casual fans that are probably not all that interested in paying $20 for a set like this.
That's not to mention the people who don't realize that sets like this are limited to what WB has available in their vaults. So my guess is that a lot of casual fans think the included shows are a little too obscure and would rather have a set that features more episode from series that they remember more fondly, like Dungeons and Dragons in place of Dragonslayer, the Snorks in place of the Monchichis, or the Shirt Tales in place of the Biskitts.
At the end of the day I'm glad to have some of these episodes on DVD and I appreciate the bind Warner Brothers is in considering that past releases of complete series sets haven't sold well enough to continue on this trend. But I also feel kind of gipped on a $20 release that I'll most likely watch once while I sit pining for more episodes of Thundarr the Barbarian. Honestly, these sets would be more much attractive at a $12 MSRP...

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SATURDAY MORNING CARTOONS:1980'S V1 - DVD Movie

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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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Item Name: SilverHawks, Vol. 1; Studio:Warner Home Video

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G.I. Joe A Real American Hero: Complete Collectors Set Review

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(More customer reviews)This is actually a pretty bad ass box set. The original G.I. Joe cartoon has all the makings of classic 80s cartoons; insane and unreal action, real hand drawn animation, cheesy dialogue and, of course, lessons to be learned all around.
QUALITY:
Who cares. It's not the greatest, but did you really expect any better? It was a weekly show, produced at a minimal budget, there is only so much that can be done. Maybe I'll complain when it makes it's way to blu-ray but, for now, it's fine by me.
BONUS FEATURES (AND FREEBIES):
All the Public Service Announcements, Fan material, the original toy fair from 1963, archival toy commercials, featurettes, collectible booklet, some pretty badass rub on tattoos and a 1 GB dog tag flash drive with 2 G.I. Joe comic books contained.
PACKAGING:
The packaging is amazing. It comes encased in a pretty solid camo green box with latch and embossed window showing the G.I. Joe logo. Open it up and there is a fascimile in plastic of a military computer. Lift it up and you have all the goods. The one issue right off the bat is that the lid inside the case to get to all the items is fairly heavy as the underside has a pocket with all 17 DVDs in 2 books. This lid doesn't stay up on it's own so you have to hold it in order to get to the DVDs, booklet or anything else. A small issue but annoying nonetheless.
The discs are well done with full color and exclusive artwork of individual characters on each one. There is an empty slot at the end of the collection for the 1988 movie. Don't fret because it is supposed to be empty, there are still 17 discs as promised. Including the movie would have been a nice touch and it's a shame that they didn't (especially since it's out of print) but it's technically not what you are buying here. The book included walks you through each disc and each character.
OVERALL:
95 episodes of awesome and gnarly 80s cartoon action (yes, I just said gnarly). The 17 discs are put together incredibly well and the box, as a whole, is very well made. The disappointments (none self sustaining lid, somewhat poor quality and lack of movie inclusion) aren't enough to bring down this incredible set. Most sets usually aren't worth the inflated price tag, but this one, at a mere $145 is well worth the purchase. A buck and a half per episode plus all the bonuses? You coudln't beat that price on iTunes.

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G.I. JOE is the code name for Americas daring highly-trained special missions force. Its purpose: to defend human freedom against Cobra, a ruthless organization determined to rule the world. For the first time ever, the complete collection of the original animated series is on DVD including the final half of Season Two which has never been on DVD before.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 17-disc collectors set of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero. It is all housed in a premium footlocker package. Inside it includes all 95 restored episodes on 17 DVDs, new interviews, exclusive featurettes, rare PSAs, archival Hasbro toy commercials, the original G.I. JOE 1963 Toy Fair Presentation, fan material, printable scripts and much more! This set also includes a collectible 60-page book, exclusive rub-on tattoos and a 1GB Dog Tag flash drive (USB 2.0) with 2 G.I. JOE silent comics preloaded on the device.Bonus Features: * PSAs* Over 2 Hours Of New Featurettes* Archival Hasbro Toy Commercials* The original G.I. Joe 1963 Toy Fair Presentation * Concept Art* Printable Scripts* And more!

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The Best of She-Ra - Princess of Power (1985) Review

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(More customer reviews)My life is complete.
I have spent MANY, MANY YEARS waiting for "She-Ra" to come out on DVD, and it's FINALLY happening! HOORAY!
The release of the "She-Ra" DVD sets will be similar to that of the "He-Man" DVDs. The first "She-Ra" DVD set will consist of the movie "The Secret of the Sword" (which features He-Man and explains how Adam has a twin sister, how Adora became She-Ra, etc.) as well as five of the most popular episodes from the series, which were voted on by fans at He-Man.org. The five episodes that will be featured on the "Best of She-Ra" DVD are "The Price of Freedom," "The Sword in the Stone," "Horde Prime Takes a Holiday," "Of Shadows and Skulls," and (my personal favorite) "Sweet Bee's Home."
The quality of the "He-Man" DVD sets is incredible, and the "She-Ra" DVDs are expected to be just as good, if not better. In addition to the fully restored episodes, the "Best of She-Ra" DVD set will include a documentary, feature-length audio commentary, a music video, storyboard spreads, DVD-ROM scripts, "She-Ra" trivia, hidden Easter eggs, and two collectible comic book art cards. How cool is that?!
Also, just like the "He-Man" DVDs, the complete "She-Ra: Princess of Power" series will be released on DVD in three separate volumes beginning this fall. Each DVD set will contain a variety of special bonus features.
Words cannot express how excited I am about this DVD set! I grew up obsessed with She-Ra, and I am STILL obsessed with She-Ra! When I was a young girl I owned all the She-Ra action figures, the Crystal Castle...even that awful Crystal Falls playset that had a pump shaped like a seashell and squirted water all over everything! I had She-Ra books, She-Ra clothes, a She-Ra birthday cake...EVERYTHING! For the past 20 years I've had to settle for watching my treasured yet crappy VHS copies of the series that I always feared would fall apart at any moment. Now I'm finally going to have the entire series on DVD to enjoy in all its glory for the rest of my life! I couldn't be happier!
July 18 is already marked on my calendar...I am probably going to take the day off work so I can sit at home and watch "She-Ra" all day! I'll be able to recite the words to every episode, too, since I watched them all about a thousand times! "I am Adora, He-man's twin sister and defender of the Crystal Castle." AHHHH! I get goosebumps just thinking about it!
SHE-RA FOREVER!!!

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This two-disc set includes the five best episodes of the long-running series She-Ra: Princess of Power as voted on by fans. It also includes the 1985 feature film "The Secret of the Sword." The set is packed with special features including a documentary featurette a feature length audio commentary a music video featurette trivia collectibles and more! She-Ra: Princess of Power first aired on television in 1985 as a female-directed spin-off of the popular He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre:CHILDREN/FAMILY UPC:787364721191

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He-Man and the Masters of the Universe - Season One, Vol. 2 (1983) Review

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(More customer reviews)There's no denying it: BCI Eclipse had some incredible animated titles that risked becoming forever lost to the archives of time once the company was forced to shut its doors this past year. Fortunately Mill Creek Entertainment, which by the way is distributed by BCI's parent company, Navarre, has acquired the rights to bring many of BCI's titles to the home market once more. Even more impressive still is that these sets will be packaged up and sold as complete box sets (rather than individual season releases).
In the case of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, this set represents the complete 2002-series release by Mike Young Corporation. Coming in at a total runtime of 960 minutes, this set spans 4 discs and contains the same clear-plastic slipcase and artwork-style as the previous BCI releases.
The extras contained are only slightly less thorough than the individual season releases and include:
End of Episodes Morals
Interviews with Toyline Artists from Mattel and The Four Horsemen
12 audio commentaries
Scripts for episodes 1-40
A PDF Comic Book for unproduced episode #40
Notably missing from this set are the original art cards (a pair was included in each of the three season releases).
Now let's take a look at the show itself:
Fans are treated to what many consider the most accurate and exciting rendition of the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe saga. Debuting in 2002 under the Mike Young Productions umbrella, this latest rendition of the He-Man source material closely follows the original Filmation standard set in the early 1980s with modernized animation quality and in-depth stories that further built upon the original characters and environments. The first season consisted of the following 26 episodes:
The Beginning Part 1
The Beginning Part 2
The Beginning Part 3
The Courage of Adam
Sky War
The Deep End
Lessons
Siren's Song
The Ties That Bind
Dragon's Brood
Turnabout
Mekaneck's Lament
Night of the Shadowbeasts
Underworld
The Mystery of Anwat Gar
The Monster Within
Roboto's Gambit
Trust
Orko's Garden
Buzz-Off's Pride
Snake Pit
The Island
The Sweet Smell of Victory
Separation
The Council of Evil Part 1
The Council of Evil Part 2
Season two consisted of the following thirteen:
The Last Stand
To Walk With Dragons
Out of the Past
Rise of the Snake Men Part 1
Rise of the Snake Men Part 2
The Price of Deceit
Of Machines and Men
Second Skin
The Power of Grayskull
Web of Evil
Rattle of the Snake
History
Awaken the Serpent
In case you're just tuning in, no this isn't the Filmation version of the show so many of us recall with warm fuzzies from our youth. This is in fact the third (and most recent) animated iteration of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. Produced for Cartoon Network by Mike Young
Productions, this version ran from 2002 until 2004 where it went for two full seasons (26 in the first season, 13 in the second). Along the way it managed to snag a very well deserved Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing (2004).
While there are few who could argue successfully that anything could replace the original Filmation series, Mike Young Productions managed to capture all of the elements that made the original so successful and to bring them up to modern standards of animation quality, sound work, and script writing. As a result the mythos had been brought to an entirely new generation of fans while simultaneously pleasing fans of the original.
Without giving too much away (I hate spoilers personally), I will say that the origins of Snake Mountain will begin to unfold in the second-half of the first season in addition to the complete origin of the Dark Hemisphere which imprisons Skeletor and his minions. New characters are plentiful as well and contain some slick back-story efforts, which make even the original Mattel toys a lot more desirable. Among the notables includes the stories of Two-Bad, Cobra Kahn, Cyclone, Roboto, Moss Man, Zodak, and Stinkor. Many of these characters were never fully fleshed out in the original show (if they appeared at all) and would have remained only in the imaginations of those who played with the toys if not for the spectacular effort here. We are also treated to a couple of new looks for He-Man himself including an amped up version of he and Skeletor in combat and his ever impressive winter gear which includes a flowing fur cape and a heavy battle ax.
The Snakemen element introduced in the first season develops into sheer brilliance in the second (and unfortunately final) season! Not to insinuate that the Masters didn't have their hands full as it was with Skeletor and his minions, this time around the threats to peace and justice come in from all angles in the form of the Skeletor and company, the Snake Men, and the Evil Horde! Yes, you read that correctly- She-Ra's arch nemesis, Hordak, who just so happens to have been Skeletor's mentor, shows up in Season 2 within Skeletor's origin story that finally ties all of the loose threads of Mattel's franchise together once and for all.
I often like to wonder what ground Mike Young's team would have covered had the show continued. Would they have expanded to include He-Man's sister (She-Ra's) story arc? Could have writer Larry DeTillio revisited some of his wise dragon influence? A shame that we'll probably never know.
All in all, the show simply continued to build upon the foundation first set by Filmation in the 1980s and thanks to Mill Creek Entertainment, can be yours in its entirety for the cost of each of the single season releases.

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The battle for power continues on the world of Eternia! Join He-Man and the Masters of the Universe® as they battle against Skeletor and his crew of detestable villains in the greatest adventures ever told!These 32 episodes continue the saga of the most phenomenal stories ever created in animation! Relive the excitement as you enjoy the adventures of the universe s greatest warriors. The power has returned!System Requirements:Running Time 688 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre:CHILDREN/FAMILY Rating:NR UPC:787364651894

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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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Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers - Volume 2 (1989) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)For the last set I found it really helpful when someone posted a review containing a list of the episodes included, so I thought I'd extend the same courtesy myself:
Disc 1 contains the original multi-part pilot episode "To The Rescue" as well as
*A Creep In the Deep - a deranged fish vows declares war on the human race and vows to free captive fish everywhere
*Normie's Science Project - Normie uses his Uncle Nimno's record player which uses sound to disintegrate objects as a science project
*Seer No Evil - Chip gets a morbid prediction from a psychic at a carnival
Disc 2
*Chipwrecked Shipmunks - The Rangers are wrecked on a tropical island and meet once again with the Pi-Rats, who are looking for a treasure that Monterey and Dale have already found
*When Mice Were Men - The Rangers to go Mexico when Monterey gets a call for help from old friends of his; they are under attack by a giant bull with a personal vendetta against Monterey
*Chocolate Chips - The Rangers vacation in South America where a German man is using zombies to dig up the cacao trees and make chocolate. All of the Rangers except Dale are turned into zombies themselves, and he must save the day and the other Rangers.
*The Last Leprechan - The Rangers go to Ireland where they meet the last leprechan who is being hunted by a Banshee who wants his magical pot of Gold (One of my personal favorites)
*Weather Or Not - The other Rangers think Monterey is crazy when his weather-indicating tail keeps predicting snow; however, Monterey's tail is out of whack because Nimnoe has created a weather machine and is using it rob banks and jewelry shops.
*One Upsman-Chip - Chip and Dale compete to see who can outwit the other last ("Gotcha last!") when Chip gets too competitive and Dale ends up in Fat Cat's clutches.
*Shell Shocked - The Rangers vacation at a beach from which all the shells are conspicuously missing; Fat Cat is using them to simulate the sound of the ocean and attract fish.
*Love Is A Many Splintered Thing - Monterey's old flame Desiree returns, but is still using Monterey and working for a bad badger crime boss.
Disc 3
*Song of the Night'n'Dale - The Rangers end up in China where they find an Emperor whose sister is going to elaborate methods to convince him that he is crazy.
*Double 'O' Chipmunks - After hurting Dale's feelings, the other Rangers indulge him in his James Bond fantasies and dupe him into thinking that he is solving a case in which he must deliver microfilm. While the Rangers originally gave Dale a regular undeveloped roll of vacation photos, it gets swapped for real microfilm that is being hunted by rat thugs for their evil scientist boss.
*Gadget Goes Hawaiian - While the Rangers vacation in Hawaii, Gadget meets Louwhiney, who looks just like her. Louwhiney tricks Gadget into running survival tests for her, and Gadget learns that she has to choose one plan and stick with it.
*It's A Bird, It's Insane, It's Dale! - Dale finds a piece of Meteor that gives him superpowers but the other half is found by a criminal who steals world monuments and frames Dale.
*Short Order Crooks - Two thugs try to rob a bank through the diner next door, but the Rangers, mistaking them for average Joes, try to help them by making Monterey's famous cheese chowder.
*Mind Your Cheese and Qs - Monterey's cheese craving finally catch up with him and he must overcome them in order to save his friends from Rat Capone, who is hoarding all the cheese in town.
*Out of Scale - Chip and Dale are captured by infamous crime boss Ratso Ratskywatsky who gives them as pets to his spoiled daughter Buffy.
*Dirty Rotten Diapers - The Rangers try to bust a criminal who looks like a baby and has set up a series of robberies through a fake adoption agency.
I can only hope Disney will finish off the series with another set soon!

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The Rescue Rangers are back for more thrills, chills and smiles! Join Chip 'n' Dale along with their friends Gadget Hackwrench, Zipper and Monterey Jack as they embark on some of their most memorable adventures yet in this 3-disc collection. This time around the gang matches wits with a feisty leprechaun, encounters a villain from the deep and takes a trip to the Himalayas. Also included is the 5-part pilot episode "Rescue Rangers to the Rescue" -- on DVD for the first time ever! So fasten your seat belts and get ready to travel the world with CHIP 'N' DALE RESCUE RANGERS!

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Alvin and the Chipmunks - The Chipmunk Adventure (1987) Review

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(More customer reviews)Ok, if listening to a geek bothers you, skip this review, although you are reading a review of a chipmunk cartoon, so, "Hello, kindred spirit!" This is one of those movies I watched religiously as a kid and survived into my adulthood. Geek alert: I even still listen to the sound-track. . . the songs really are good. You get to hear the chipmunks sing about Rock and Roll and Gettin' Lucky! It really is a truly cute movie, full of rip-roaring animated chipmunk hilarity and adventure. They go all over the world on a huge and dangerous race, all the while evading two captors who are out to get them. There is a classic Chipmunks verses the Chipettes dance/sing off. Completely entertaining for all kids, and enjoyable on a completely different level now that I am an adult. Rich color, great sound, non-stop action and humor. My only complaint is that they need to get it out on DVD!

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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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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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