Customer Reviews

Saturday Morning Cartoons: 1980s, Vol. 1

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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...

It's great to see the 1980s decade of cartoons getting it's own volume to shine, being that we've already seen two 1960s and two 1970s sets of the Saturday Morning collection already out. One can not stress enough that high sales of this 80s volume 1 would encourage WB to release more 80s sets in the future. It's been said the 60s volumes have not sold as well as the 70s sets and that's a shame because some of these cartoons released in volume form are about the only way they'll get to be on DVD being they're not as popular to be sold on their own. So the more 80s volumes made, the better chance we'll get the more niche' cartoons.

Well on to some of the content, "Thundarr" is your classic good verus evil set in a post apocalyptic earth, the intro to the show alone is worth the price of admission. "Galtar" also shares that action vibe set and is similar to Conan in some regards. Both shows clearly deserve a complete series set and they might just get that treatment if this volume sells highly well. Also I am sure fans of "Pirates of Dark Water" would feel encouraged they might also be considered in a 1990's Volume set or a complete series being that has never been released on DVD yet.

Being Warner Bros has a chat each year where fans can ask questions on shows they'll like to see released I think they do consider shows people ask for like Plastic man which finally got a release last year and I formally asked about " The Biskitts " and they actually included an episode in this volume which I am really glad they heard me on that one. Think the " Smurfs " a bit of action, comedy and adventure and down right cute puppies and a bumbling king and side kick providing laughs galore. Also for fun this set includes the " Kwicky Koala " show often featured on " Captain Kangaroo " and it was full of laughs and hi-jinks. * Note: There are 11 episodes in this collection in total and they're single episodes for each show. You can see the full list on another review here.

While many people do not consider the 80s a golden age of animation I feel the 80s decade is highly prized for it's movies, cartoons and shows by many and it's having a renaissance with movies like Transformers out and Voltron, Thundercats, The Smurfs on the way. The cartoons were enjoyable, it was nothing like waking up to the Saturday morning cartoon blocks on the big 3 networks which starting in the 1990s began giving way to more live action teen shows and news shows. There are too many shows here to break down all of them one by one for me but I must say WB did a nice mix for all tastes. I really hope they will release more volumes and consider some for complete sets and from what they said in their online chat if fans do want to see more 80s cartoons please support this set, buy more than one to give as a gift to other 80s fans perhaps or even as a gift for childern of today who I am sure would have fun to see these cartoons which are often better than anything seen today.

A quick wish list for a Volume 2 would be Heathcliff and DingBat/Marmaduke show, Rubik the Amazing Cube, Rickety Rocket, Popeye and Son, Pac-man show, Teen wolf, Saturday Supercade among many others. Also commericals and original bumpers from the networks/shows as extras would be great if at all possible. Also it would be great if WB could create bio pages for each cartoon on the dvd, a simple screen shot and information on when cartoon debuted and how many episodes were made would be appreciated and also to list the episodes on the packaging itself and/or on the disc themselves.

Thank you Warner Bros for releasing this Volume and I hope to see many more!

I would just like to add, I hope all people viewing this product page can place a vote on this review or others, the more activity the better for letting the studios know we do want more 1980s cartoon in volume or complete form. I can tell you we almost had " The Get A Long Gang " 80s cartoon complete come out a few years ago but American Greetings wouldn't give the go ahead. Now it seems studios are moving away from releasing 80s shows ie. Disney, they still haven't finished GummiBears, Ducktales etc. The more sales of these 80s show can convince studios there are many buyers out there. Thanks!


September 2010^^^Update For all those who demanded " Thundarr The Barbarian " it's finally going to be for sale as a complete series, the only catch is that it is a MOD release which the studio themselves burn on to dvds, it's out September 22, 2010 and for now you have to get it at WB online direct. Though some of the WB MOD titles eventually made it here to amazon before. Also for 90s fans " Pirates of Dark water " complete is out already there as a MOD set.

In my opinion, this DVD set (60's, 70's 80's) is for the more hardcore fans of HB and Ruby Spears toons-I personally am thankful for these DVD's. Like the previous DVD's, many of the episodes featured contain the lesser known titles/characters from the aforementioned companies. It seems people who like the more mainstream titles are always disappointed with these DVD's. As a collector of HB and Ruby Spears animation, I am thrilled to see these titles on DVD, as they most likely will never be released as a stand alone product. As mentioned in my earlier review of another DVD in this set, the only other options to obtain these titles would be to purchase VHS copies (which will eventually wear and titles are very limited and expensive), record them from TV, or take a chance and buy TV recorded episodes from someone else (I am finding this can also be expensive depending on the rarity of the title-Hint Warner Brothers, yes there is a market for these lesser known titles). I would love to see more. Especially Fangface, the various arcade titles, Plasticman, Robonic Stooges, Super Globetrotters, Motor Mouse, Space Ace, Schmoo, Micro Adventures, etc. I never thought I would see an official release for many of the titles contained on these DVD's, and only wish they would add more volumes to the sets.

I have to say that I really enjoyed all those awesome 80's stuff, from PAC-man & son / Punky Brewster / Thunder / Transformers / Monchhichis / Mr t / The Flintstones kids/ i could go on/ hope they bring all of them back/ I own 2 of the Saturday Morning Cartoons/ Volume 1970 & 1980 & plan to own more.

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!

All these cartoons take me back to when Saturday mornings used to be fun. Next to Thundercats and He-man/She-ra lies Mr.T Animated Series. I wish they would release the whole series on DVD, I am sure Mr. T himself would appreciate it as well. Other than just the one episode of Mr. T, it has a bunch of others that I absolutely remember watching, including but not limited to, the Flintstone Kids. Amazing. Now if they just added the snorks, life would be grand.

These are the cartoons I grew up with. I really hope there is a Volume II. This left me wanting more. It brought back some great memories. I had been trying to describe the Monchichi's for years and everyone thought I was crazy, now I can just show them. I love this and my 8 year old daughter loves this also. Great to show the new era of children what they had missed. Way better than the cartoons of today.

I bought this and wished there was more "MONCHICHIS" on the dvd, I do hope they release the complete series on dvd.I was not a fan at all of "thundarr","dragons lair" and "galtar" I found those cartoons boring and probably met for older people, thundarr a bit overrated.Although, "Flinstones kids","Mr.T","chuck Norris" and "Monchichis", i did enjoy and remember those cartoons..more MONCHICHIS please!

You've got to hand it to Warner Home Video for extending the Saturday Morning Cartoons collections to the '80s. The two studios they own the libraries of, Hanna-Barbera and Ruby-Spears, experienced a heavy decline during the decade, and were also outstripped by the superior syndicated efforts of Filmation, Marvel, Sunbow, and DiC. However, the choices here are a bit confusing: while Thundarr is a bona fide classic, and Mr. T and Chuck Norris are still culturally relevant, the rest of the shows are extremely obscure: Goldie Gold & Action Jack, The Flintstone Kids (H-B's first ill-advised attempt to replicate Muppet Babies), Monchichis (which seem to have gotten the nod because the toys are being sold again), Dragon's Lair (which pales in comparison to the game it was based upon), Galtar and the Golden Lance, The Kwicky Koala Show (which is definitely on the set only because of the connection to Tex Avery), The Biskitts (one of H-B's less successful Smurfs clones), and The Completely Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley. Granted, the Ruby-Spears Superman, the Smurfs, the Super Friends, Scooby-Doo, Richie Rich and the Jetsons revival are already on DVD in whole or in part, but it seems like Warner could have at least sprung for an episode from the Jonny Quest revival.

However, the most heinous aspect of the two discs is the documentary on Thundarr the Barbarian (which, to be honest, was the show I bought this release for). No credit at all is given to co-creator Steve Gerber, and the contributions of Alex Toth and Jack Kirby are glossed over. I fail to understand why a detailed explanation of the limited animation techniques used to make the show (and the extremely false claim that Ruby-Spears was the only TV animation studio to use rotoscoping at the time) rates above a discussion of Steve Gerber's first major foray into animation, and the effect of his bringing his comic book writer friends along for the ride (many of whom would follow him to Sunbow to work on G.I. Joe and The Transformers). All in all, it's a very frustrating documentary.

If you can overlook the flaws, or want to see one of the more obscure shows again, by all means purchase this set. But if you have pickier tastes, you may well want to pass.

I have been looking for cartoons that my kids could watch other than Pokemon or the other cartoons that are on tv nowadays. I want my kids to be able to watch shows that I grew up watching. Thats one reason I am glad that there is a channel like Boomerang that still shows these cartoons. My personal opinion though. Not to offend others. I would like to see more of the 80's cartoons like Pac-Man, Ghost Busters, DuckTales, Gummi Bears, Smurfs, The Wuzzles, Pound Puppies, Rescue Rangers, He Man, She-ra, Thunder cats, Heathcliffe, Shirt Tales, Gargoyles, Inspector Gadget, Snorks, The Get-Along-Gang, Pound Puppies, Captain Caveman and Son, Ewoks, The Littles and Tale Spin. Ha! Just to name most of the 80's cartoons that I can remember! I know there are some out there that you can buy DVD sets of but not enough of them have made it so this release is greatly appreciated!! Thankyou!