It’s been awhile, but we’re back with a new volume of Bullz-Eye for the Kiddies. These children- and family-oriented discs don’t come in at a rapid pace, so we sometimes have to wait a little while to stockpile enough for another column. Sorry, we know how much you’ve been waiting for this – we’ve gotten all of your E-mails – but, at least, your patience has paid off!
Jakers! – Sheep on the Loose: It’s gotten to the point where I actually look forward to this show when my daughter’s watching PBS Sprout on cable. And, really, what’s not to like? Computer-animated Farm animals talking in Irish accents…? C’mon, people, get behind me on this! Seriously, though, it’s a show that’s full of lessons and morals, but the writing is fantastic, particularly in the way it tackles serious subjects without getting too morose about it. “Waking Thor” finds Ferny the cow dealing with the death of his goldfish, Thor, and it’s handled in an exemplary manner, indicating that loss is loss if you love the person who dies, whether it’s a goldfish or a parent. There’s a particularly great line when Piggley’s dad asks the kids if they’ve considered a wake for Thor, and Piggley responds, “Oh, there’s no wakin’ him, Da. We’ve seen him; he’s done.” This episode also has a running subplot where Wiley the sheep – voiced by Mel Brooks – is bored out of his mind; another sheep suggests a rousing game of cricket, to which Wiley responds, “What, are you kidding? That’s the same as being bored!” Definitely one of the best animated shows that PBS has to offer.
The Fox and the Hound 2: You know, if we all team up and go over to the Disney studios en masse, at least one of us ought to be able to make it through security, into the corporate offices, and punch somebody – preferably an executive – in the face for greenlighting all of these fucking straight-to-video sequels, prequels, and “mid-quels” to classic films. What’s a “mid-quel”? It’s where they invent a new story and claim that it occurred off-camera at some point during the original flick…and that’s what this story is. Tod the fox and Copper the bloodhound are still in their youth when Copper, who feels as though he can’t do anything right, discovers that he can howl pretty darned well, which leads him to join a traveling band of singing dogs who are performing at the county fair. Tod gets jealous, of course, and by the end of the film, Copper returns home and the status quo is reinstated…but not before we’ve heard a few tunes from Reba McEntire, who voices one of the singing dogs. If you remember the sweet story of the original “Fox and the Hound,” stay away from this completely unnecessary flick that does nothing but try to scrape a few more bucks into the Magic Kingdom’s bank vault.
Sonic the Hedgehog – The Complete Series: I realize I’m totally showing my age here, but I just couldn’t care less about seeing “Sonic the Hedgehog” coming out on DVD…but, then again, maybe it’s not an age thing. I mean, I don’t have any overwhelming desire to see the animated “Pac-Man” cartoon come out on DVD, either. The whole idea of video game characters being turned into half-hour animated series just smacks off somebody wanting to make a few extra bucks, and there are very few occasions where I’ve been a fan of a cartoon with such origins. Also, Jaleel White’s too-exuberant performance as the ever-speedy Sonic always reminds me of Slurms McKenzie from “Futurama.” I keep expecting him to suddenly yell, “Whimmy-wham-wham-wazzle!” Still, you can’t fault Shout! Factory for their presentation of the series; once again, they’ve done a top-notch job that will please the fans to no end.
Garfield and Friends – Behind the Scenes: Man, I used to love Garfield when I was a kid. I used to buy the collections of his comic strip every time a new one came out, and while I can’t say how things are going with his daily adventures nowadays, I certainly laughed a lot back then…so when Jim Davis got around to animating his feline creation, I was there to watch those escapades as well. (In fact, I have a very fond memory of my grandfather literally slapping his knees in laughter at “that crazy cat, Garfield.”) In recent years, I’ve become a big fan of the writings of Mark Evanier, who helmed the series, so that’s just an additional reason for me to enjoy the show. But this collection…? Just an excuse to milk a few more bucks for 20th Century Fox. Davis selected the episodes himself, apparently, but the “U.S. Acres” segments have been unceremoniously excised, an action which will leave your children mystified, since the characters are shown prominently in the opening credits. Stick with the more complete multi-disc sets; there’s nothing on here that can’t be found in a more complete form on one of those.
The Milton the Monster Show: If “Sonic the Hedgehog” made me feel old, then this set made my mother-in-law feel a bit younger…because although I’d never seen a single episode before, she proceeded to demonstrate her knowledge of several of the characters’ theme songs. “Milton the Monster” aired from 1965 to 1966 and featured the adventures of Fearless Fly (an insect superhero), Flukey Luke and Two Feathers (a cowboy detective and his Native American companion…who, for no apparent reason, spoke in an Irish accent), Stuffy Durma (a hobo who’s struck it rich, a la “The Beverly Hillbillis”), Muggy Doo (a con-artist fox), and Penny Penguin (think Chilly Willy with an attitude). Milton himself appeared not only as the host of the show but also in his own cartoons, along with Professor Weirdo, Count Kook, and their pals Heebie and Jeebie. It’s telling, of course, that this show didn’t last long and isn’t spoken of in the same reverential tones as “Underdog” or “Rocky and Bullwinkle,” but it’s good, clean fun…and TV geeks will go crazy for the test footage from a live-action “Flukey Luke” short film, as well as the silent but illuminating home movies of creator Hal Seeger walking alongside folks dressed up as Milton the Monster and Fearless Fly for a mid-1960s toy fair in New York City.
Prince Valiant – The Complete Series, Volume 2: I gotta admit, if there’s one Sunday comic I invariably skipped over when I was a kid, it was “Prince Valiant.” It’s a bit weird, I guess, given that I was (and remain) a comic geek…but on Sundays, I was just looking for instant gratification: set-up, punchline, done. This animated series, however, makes me regret having skipped over the strip for all these years. It’s written and performed better than half the live-action dramas that’ve covered Arthurian legend – voice actors include Robby Benson, Tim Curry, James Avery, Samantha Eggar, and Efram Zimbalist, Jr. – and it’s not underselling it to suggest that it’s the most interesting series to emerge from Ink and Paint DVD’s animated reissue campaign since the “Flash Gordon” series from the late ‘70s. If you enjoy tales from the Medieval era, check this out immediately; it’s so intelligent and well-done that you’ll be hard pressed to think of it as just a cartoon.
