Product Details

• Actors: Tracy Grandstaff, Wendy Hoopes, Julián Rebolledo, John Lynn, Paul Williams
• Directors: Aaron Augenblick, Anthony Davis, Chris Prynoski, Eric Fogel, Gloria De Ponte
• Format: Animated, Box set, Color, Dolby, Full Screen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Dubbed: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 8
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: MTV / Paramount
• DVD Release Date: May 11, 2010
• Run Time: 1606 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (445 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0019N8P2W
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,206 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Daria: The Complete Animated Series" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Turns out that Clarissa did not explain it all, like what a sick sad world it is, how much student life sucks, and how the notion that it is great to be young is a storybook fantasy. Daria, which aired on MTV between 1997 and 2002, does not paint a rosy picture, but this so-called outcast for whom suburban life "is one smart-ass joke" gave sardonic voice to the disaffected. "I'm not miserable," Daria states, "I'm just not like them." She's not kidding. Though she's referring to the "interesting idiots" she suffers none too gladly at Lawndale High School, she could well be talking about the women normally paraded on MTV, the hedonistic spring break partiers, serial daters, spoiled sweet sixteeners, and tabloid tarts like Tila Tequila. And then there's Daria, an animated (just barely) character who after five seasons and two movies (both included in this eight-disc set) managed to survive high school with her sense of self unbowed and uncompromised. Daria came a long way, baby. Before she got her own series, she was a recurring character on Beavis and Butt-head, a brainy foil for the two heavy metal imbeciles, whose pet name for her was "Diarrhea." Daria relocated her to Lawndale and introduced her self-absorbed yuppie parents and her airhead, popularity-obsessed younger sister. It also gave her a best friend and kindred misanthropic spirit, Jane Lane. Their deadpan and sarcastic banter has lost none of its incisive edge. The broadly drawn high school stereotypes--vapid cheerleaders, fashion-plate mean girls, corruptible administrators, empty-headed jocks--seem unworthy of their contempt. But the series really hit satiric pay dirt when it addressed "profound and fundamental moral issues of life," such as one episode in which Jane joins the track team out of spite, but becomes a track star, alienating Daria, who is not above enjoying some of the perks of Jane's newfound popularity. When all reverts back to, for want of a better word, normal, Daria remarks, "The system continues, you haven't redeemed yourself, and we're ostracized anyway… Hey, they really are preparing us for the real world." Daria comes to DVD with 99 percent of the original music changed due to rights issues, regrettable, but that shouldn't be a deal breaker, especially for those making Daria's acquaintance. The special features almost compensate. They include an animatic version of the pilot episode "Sealed with a Kick," a series retrospective featuring series creator Glenn Eichler and key members of the voice cast, Daria and Jane episode intros, and a Top Ten video countdown hosted by the duo (videos not included). --Donald Liebenson

Product Description

The people of Lawndale just don't get Daria Morgendorffer. She's cool with that. See, Daria was born alienated, and now she's just trying to make it through high school with as little human contact as possible. Popularity, friends, activities... whatever. Daria lacks enthusiasm, but she makes up for it with sarcasm. Includes all five seasons plus both movies!

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

431 of 443 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Is It Out Yet?: Daria the Complete Animated Series February 8, 2010

By Reconnecting To My Childhood

Format:DVD

Finally!!! A whole generation will be able to go back to a time when the world felt smarter in many ways and when teenagers were the hope of the future rather than oversexed, immature, corporate packaged fad followers (Or maybe we were but the corporations had to be less obvious about it?). Ironically, MTV, the channel that originally broadcast this brilliant show about Daria and her witty friend Jane to a mostly likeminded audience have now begun to cater to, or some would say go out of their way to create and perpetuate, an immature drama addicted generation of Britneys and Kevins who only want shows like The Hills or Jersey Shore. Ah, look how far we've come.

This 8-Disc set contains all five seasons and both TV Movies:

Season 1

Esteemsters
The Invitation
College Bored
Cafe Disaffecto
Malled
This Year's Model
The Lab Brat
Pinch Sitter
Too Cute
The Big House
Road Worrier
The Teaching of Don Jake
The Misery Chick

Season 2

Arts n Crass
The Daria Hunter
Quinn The Brain
I Don't
That Was Then, This Is Dumb
Monster
The New Kid
Gifted
Ill
Fair Enough
See Jane Run
Pierce Me
Write Where It Hurts

Season 3

Daria!
Through A Lens Darkly
The Old and the Beautiful
Depth Takes a Holiday
Daria Dance Party
The Lost Girls
It Happened One Nut
Lane Miserables
Jake of Hearts
Speedtrapped
The Lawndale File
Just Add Water
Jane's Addition

Season 4

Partner's in Complaint
Antisocial Climbers
A Tree Grows in Lawndale
Murder, She Snored
The 'F' Word
I Loathe a Parade
Of Human Bonding
Psycho Therapy
Mart of Darkness
Legends of the Mall
Groped by an Angel
Fire!
Dye! Dye! My Darling!

Daria TV Movie: Is it Fall Yet?

Season 5

Fizz Ed
Sappy Anniversary
Fat Like Me
Camp Fear
The Story of D
Lucky Strike
Art Burn
One J at a Time
Life in the Past Lane
Aunt Nauseum
Prize Fighters
My Night at Daria's
Boxing Daria

Daria TV Movie: Is it College Yet?

That's 65 episodes and 2 TV Movies which adds up to 1606 minutes, or over 26 hours, of Daria!

Special Features For The Set Are:

Original Pilot: Sealed With A Kick (10 Minutes Long)
Music Video: Mystik Spiral Music Video "Freakin' Friends"
Daria Day Intros
Top Ten Video Countdown Hosted by, who else, Daria & Jane
Cast & Crew Interviews!!!
Never Before Seen Mystik Spiral Spin-off Script

All in all this set is great for us fans who have waited so long, even if it can't live up to being entirely worth the wait. Firstly, I am thankful that they released the entire series at once so we never had to worry about poor sales or stupid executives only allowing partial release of the series. Secondly, I did enjoy the special features but wish they'd had more, maybe some commentaries, to make up for the absence of proper music. There is also a paper inside the set telling us, in Daria fashion, to be happy we got the set at all and I found it funny and in tone with the show. That said it would have been nice to have a proper booklet with episode summaries and show facts to go along with it.

Watching the show with the music changes I will say it's still a funny and enjoyable show, but even to those who say they didn't pay much attention to the music, I think you'll still sense an absence. It's not enough to ruin my enjoyment of this great series but I can best describe it by saying when I watch the show without proper music it feels as though one of the main characters is missing. I still enjoy it but in the back of my mind I keep wondering when and if that main character will return. At any rate getting the complete series with a few special features for this price is more than worth it.

To sum up this show is great regardless but it does suck that songs inevitably had to be changed and left out since the late 90's and early millenium music is a character of the show. I personally say five stars for this series but I have to give this set 4 stars because I do miss the music and wish there had at least been some more in depth special features to make up for it or even a book with proper episode listings. Still, this is a great buy for any Daria fans - just remember to only get as excited about it as you imagine Daria would have been and you should be fine.

*Kind of upset that the Looking Back In Annoyance Special wasn't included on this set yet the Jane and Daria Top Ten Countdown was. Oh well, still 4 stars from me.

291 of 319 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars A Little Disappointing April 29, 2010

By Manda216

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

After waiting so many years for Daria to be released on DVD, this set is kind of a let down. I realize that Daria can't be released with the orginal music, but watching the show is different without the music that went along with the time period. That said, I'm so glad to have a Daria DVD collection that it almost doesn't bother me. But what feels kind of insulting is the piece of paper inside the DVD case explaining that the show can't be released with its original soundtrack, and basically saying that we should just suck it up and be glad that we got a DVD collection at all. That's all that comes with the DVDs (which are packaged in a crappy case that keeps falling apart when I open it). No booklet, no episode guide, just a slip of paper telling us that the music is gone and we should just get over it. I feel like the fans who have waited so long deserve something more. It feels kind of like MTV throwing the DVD set at my head and saying, "Here it is! Happy now?!" Um, thanks MTV...I guess it's better than nothing.

87 of 92 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Intelligence is *not* completely dead! March 16, 2010

By Wendy C. Rigney

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

In the era when MTV still gave a crap about not pandering to the lowest common denominator with its programming, there was "Daria".

The irony is, "Daria" was spun off from the ridiculous, but admittedly amusing, "Beavis and Butthead" series. Where that show gleefully wallowed in the stupid and moronic, "Daria" went in the opposite direction. Using her sarcasm, commentary, and general cynicism, the show showed that one could be intelligent and blunt but still be entertaining. In its way, the show dealt with the usual crap of being a teen without being preachy, moralistic, or boring. And it assumed that the audience was smart. Which MTV obviously no longer does.

Admittedly, I am not in the demographic for this show (30s), but a smart show is a smart show, and I have waited for this series for ages. It is long past time this series is finally being released. Maybe it will make some remember when MTV was relevant, socially aware, and treated young people like thinking beings and not Barbie and Ken dolls for reality TV crap. I think - if one like smart shows with an edge - one would love "Daria", regardless of age. (Ironically, I think the character of Daria, if she existed naturally, would have plenty to say about the state of the channel today that she originated from. And none of it good! LOL!)

On the downside, I am 99.999% sure there will be music deletions and substitutions, the dreaded "rights issues". While I do wish that would be left intact, I guess I could see where it would be cost prohibitive, and this series is too good to sit in a vault because of it. Which is why I still give this DVD set five stars regardless of that issue. So, I will live with the music changes. But complain. Daria would be pleased!

In short, if you like animation, wit, fun, intelligence, and snark (of which there is plenty!), let "Daria" entertain you! You'll feel smarter for it.

Edited to add, as I have answered another review via the comment link, and it may not be readily seen: Daria the Musical episode *is* included on this DVD set, making it, as advertised, the "complete" series! Its production number was 301; however, MTV used "Through A Lens Darkly" as the Season 3 premiere years ago, and the DVD order is the same way. Daria The Musical is episode #7 in Season 3, as it was when it originally aired. And it is the one episode retaining its original end music over the alter egos/credits.

Also, regrettably, "Is It College Yet" is again the edited version, but from another account here in the discussion thread regarding this set, MTV tried for the unedited version, but the master of the audio and video could not be located to synchronize, so the edited version it is. There is also the belief that copyright played a role in using the edited version, as well. However, one episode in the grand scheme of things is not bad!