Saturday Morning Cartoons 1980’s 1
Saturday Morning Cartoons 1980’s 1
Tags: 1980's, Cartoons, Morning, Saturday
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on Saturday, March 13th, 2010 at 9:13 am and is filed under Cartoon.
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I’m a big fan of the 80s “Mr. T” cartoon series, which I’d describe as A-Team meets Scooby-Doo. I’m hoping this DVD isn’t the only way to get these episodes, which would be very unfortunate IMO.
Rating: 3 / 5
Here again, we have yet another valiant effort from the Warner Brothers clan to help us relive our Saturday mornings. . . this time, from the 1980s. Unfortunately, by the time the 1980s rolled around, Warner Brothers/Hanna Barberra/Ruby Spears no longer had a monopoly on “quality” Saturday Morning Cartoons. Marvel’s production of Spider-Man ‘81, Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, and the 80’s version of the Incredible Hulk, along with up-and-coming companies like Dic Enterprises, were starting to move in on the Saturday Morning Cartoon market with what would appear to be great animation of their own. While Filmation, Rankin-Bass, and Sunbow ruled the syndicated animation market, Hanna Barbera and the Warners were starting to have real competition.
But, to be fair, let’s talk about what HB and Ruby-Spears brought to the breakfast table each weekend (specifically, what is included in this collection). “Thundarr, the Barberian” and the animated version of “Mr. T” are both well worth a second glance (maybe even some DVD releases of their own). The show that I’m definitely looking forward to seeing again (and certainly seeing getting its just treatment from the DVD market) is “Galtar and the Golden Lance” if the rumors are true and it is indeed announced on the back cover. Chuck Norris (rumored to be announced on the back cover) was an alright show and, seeing that it ran for all of five episodes according to [. . . ], it will probably only be able to be enjoyed here.
This is where I’m most impressed with the Warners efforts (made even more impressed if these shows get the treatments and DVDs that they deserve; save for Chuck). However, Dragon’s Lair and the Flintstone Kids I don’t remember fondly and The Monchichis I don’t remember period (I know it existed; even as a youth, I managed to avoid it). Shows such as these take up space for what were (in my opinion, anyway) superior programming such as the Paw Paws, Yogi’s Treasure Hunt, the Johnny Quest reincarnation of the 80s, and The Centurions (a ‘toon that has earned its due respect for a DVD release, yet isn’t even rumored to be in a mixed volume). Still these are my opinions and what I remember fondly and therein lies the danger of releasing only one collection.
I really didn’t want to review this item before I owned it or it was even released; and I certainly didn’t want to have to review the series selection this harshly. Again, I really do applaud the Warners for their efforts here. My advice: if there are enough people out there willing to give this title a chance, thereby making a market for it, maybe more will be on their way, saving room for Scooby and Scrappy, 80’s JQ, The Paw Paws, and other such classic shows.
Rating: 3 / 5
I was quite surprised to see the average ratings (so far) given in the reviews. As a quintessential child of the 80s, the cartoons featured in the 1st volume are some of my most wanted on dvd. . . The Biskitts, Monchicchis, Chuck Norris and Mr T! These were all great shows that I remember fondly. All that plus some great looking artwork makes this one of my most anticipated releases this year. It’s just a shame we’ll probably only get one episode of each. My requests for the 2nd volume. . . PawPaws, Pac Man and Rubik The Amazing Cube!
Rating: 5 / 5