Customer Reviews

Happy Tree Friends - First Blood (Vol. 1)

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

If you like the idea of a totally sick and demented cartoon masquerading as a cute and cuddly children's cartoon, then you may want to check out the Happy Tree Friends. I was laughing hysterically within minutes of putting in this DVD for the first time.
The DVD includes 16 episodes (14 episodes, plus the original episode, plus a "bonus" episode). However, they are EXTREMELY short. Each episode runs for about 1 minute. I watched all 16 in about 20 minutes. The DVD lists a running time of 140 minutes. Apparently, they are including all of the "extras" in that running time. Of the remaining 120 minutes, most of it is the Creator's commentary (several of the creators discuss the cartoon as the episodes are played without sound next to images of the original storyboards), as well as a mini-feature where the creators go through a bunch of their earliest sketches of the characters.
In addition, there are 4 "Smootchies" on the DVD. These are take-offs of the "Tamagoochie" thingamambobs that were popular for a little while (the little digital pets that kids were supposed to "take care of" by pushing buttons to "feed" or "play" with the pet). Each "Smootchie" features a different Happy Tree Friends character, and each offers 3 buttons that lead to various disturbing deaths for the character in question. I found this very amusing at first, but the humor was wearing off by the time I finished all three options on the last "Smootchie".
All in all, I am glad I purchased this DVD, as the cartoons are hysterical. However, I am disappointed that there is only 20 minutes worth of actual cartoons, especially since there are a number of Happy Tree Friends episodes that are not on the DVD. Instead of splitting it up into 2 DVDs so they can charge twice as much, it would have been nice if they had given Volume 1 enough episodes to make it longer than 20 minutes worth. Especially since many of the episodes can be viewed for free on the Happytreefriends.com website.

i love these cartoons because they are just so wrong. so so wrong. the brutal killing of cute cuddly creatures are enough to keep a little kid and a grown adult entertained. the second and third dvds are better because they left out the openning theme song which becomes very annoying by the end of the first dvd. the second dvd has a decent amount of scenes but the third has longer scenes by about a half a minute extra a piece. overall the shock value is worth buying at least one of these dvds so you can scare off some witless relatives you want to be rid of or to please your drunk friends.

OK, first of all...THIS STUFF IS NOT FOR CHILDREN! Parents, please note that even the cover of the DVD states this. These are "adult" cartoons for the the 18+ crowd. Got it? Good!

Now, though these cartoons are great, this particular DVD is a bit of a rip-off. There are a total of 16 cartoons, each about a minute in length, plus some extras. But would it have killed Mondo Studios to put everything on one DVD instead of three? Must they be that greedy?

Back to the cartoons: incredibly violent, truly twisted and screamingly funny.

Cartoons: 5 Stars
DVD value: 1 Star
You make the call...

If you love to see furry cute animals having their eyes poked out and intestines splattered all over the road, this is it. These guys are better than itchy and scratchy. So much violence, so much blood and pain. This is a great party DVD, its a little short but worth every penny. Buy this now you wont be dissappointed. WARNING this is not for anyone under 16 years old alot of blood and violence!

Unlike many of you lucky people reading this review, I do not own a computer. I must purchase my cds, dvds and etc. over the internet on a Webtv (MSN, ask around). It does not download movies, music and it does not work half the time. What Webtv is also incapable of doing is downloading episodes of the Happy Tree Friends from their website. So when I found out that they were putting episodes on a dvd I went out and got my copy and let me tell you, I was not disappointed. I found out about these zany little guys from a family member and I was hooked from the start. The Happy Tree Friends consist of the cutest, cuddliest lil animals you've ever seen. You then get so sick from their cuteness that you just wish someone would come up and gut them like a fish with a long, sharp hunting knife and then play with their lower intestine, 5 seconds later that's exactly what happens to them. These lil guys get stabbed, crushed, cut, electricuted, drowned, sufficated, Bar-B-Qed, decapitated, and thrown into a jet engine (I left some stuff out, you know, for the children) all in the name of funny. And it is, from the time you press play till the end, if your not giving out at least one chuckle, then you sir (or ma'am) do not have a sense of humor. The dvd includes 14 episodes from the website (about a min. and a half a piece), the very first episode ever made (call it the test run), and a "never before seen episode" that you can only get here. It has 4 "smoochies", that's when they get one of the Happy Tree Friend members, puts him or her in a box on your tv screen and then you decide the lil guys fate. From choking on a carrot to seeing them sneeze their brains out (literally) to suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning to seeing them eat nine eggs then watching as they hatch in their belly and busting out like that thing in the first Alien movie, Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha. You get a commentary for most of the episodes from the creators them selves, and as you watch and listen to the commentaries you get to see the "Storyboard to episode comparisons". They have bios on 17 of the Happy Tree Freinds and you can read them all here. They have a "Pop Corn Video" were they take an episode and treat it like VH1's Pop-Up video. And last but not least, you get to see how some scribbles on a napkin made by some drunk frat guys late one Tuesday night became what is now known as one of the weirdest, wildest, funniest shows on the internet today. HAPPY TREE FRIENDS, FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY (I'm serious, I showed this dvd to my 5 and 10 year old cousins and either their very sick or have a great sense of humor.)

Don't let the charming theme tune fool you. These cartoons are sick! They star the most cutest and cuddly little animals you can imagine but they end up getting killed, tortured and maimed in the most depraved yet ingenius ways. You'll actually be gritting your teeth and looking away when death comes calling. But how can anyone be so mean to animals so cute? Animated or not these guys (especially the Vietnam Vet dude) would make great cuddly toys. Tho one might be tempted to press their faces into a lawnmower after watching this DVD too much.

The DVD is presented in full frame and has a loud, gut wrenching soundtrack that only adds to the sound of tearing flesh (or fur), breaking bones and mutilations. Extras include your own DVD Happy Tree Friend Tamagochi plus commentaries from the creators. Shame it only lasts for half an hour.

If you're even looking at this review, you know what Happy Tree Friends is, and what to expect. You'll already know whether or not you'll find the stuff on this DVD funny.

But I wouldn't really reccomend you buy this DVD, unless you just have to have the cartoons on a disc. Considering the price, and the ridiculously short run time of the DVD, this is very poor value for money - especially when you consider there's a second volume that could easily fill out this disc. The compression isn't very good on this one, so I doubt it was a space issue.

While I love the Happy Tree Friends, I just can't imagine parting with that much money for so little. I reccomend just watching them online.

THIS ANIMALS ARE CRAZY,NO MORE LOADING NO MORE WAINTING IN YOUR COMPUTER YOU CAN SEE THIS ANIMALS WITHOUT MORE LOADING BUT ONLY BAD THIS DVD DONT HAVE BUDHHIST THE MONKEY
THIS DVD CONTAINS.
4 SMOCHIES (INTERCATIVES)
14 EPISODES REGULAR
1 NEVER SEEN EPISODE (BUT THIS EPISODES IS AVAIBLE IN THE INTER)
THE ESPISODES WITH COMENTARY OF THE CREATORS
THE FIRSTS DRAWS
ORGINAL FORMULA
ESPECIAL POP CORN EPISODE
MEET THE CHACTERS OF HAPPY TREE FRIENDS

Happy Tree Friends is a gruesome, bloody, and wildly funny web comic which I am happy has made it to DVD. Follows the misadventures of a variety of characters who inevitable wind up getting murdered, or killed in slow, aggonizing and torturous ways. Laughed till I had tears in my eyes! If you don't like "Itchy and Scratchy" you probably won't like this.

As for a fellow reviewer: 'Animation Historian'
You need to relax and chill out.
Saying things like: "If watching the likes of "Celebrity Deathmatch", reading "Squeak The Mouse", getting off on seeing roadkill, and seeing intense pain in the face of someone else appeals to you, then you're the type to buy and enjoy this DVD... and get some therapy while you're at it."

I mean the way to alienate a large amount of people at one time. Seriously, bravo. I'm sure you're the kind of person who thinks people who watch "That 70's Show" are potheads, and people who listen to Marlyn Manson and Rob Zombie are devil worshippers. You don't like the show, fine. Then say you don't, but don't include in your review that if anyone else find this DVD funny, they MUST be either sick, or deranged or both.
Bad form man.

If you don't like cartoon violence, don't even watch. These little creatures take cartoon violence soaring to new heights. Basically, there is a cast of adorable characters who just happen to have minor problems - Flippy has Vietnam flashbacks that make him go on killing sprees; Handy is the handyman that has no hands; Lumpy is, well...Lumpy. Each cartoon is only about a minute long, but it is always fun to watch the different ways the writers of the show come up with to have the characters kill each other off (always purely by accident). It is just a fun show, NOT FOR KIDS, that you watch when you need your spirits uplifted.