DVD Review: Captain N and the New Super Mario World

Apparently, attaining licensing rights for older television shows is not the easiest thing to do. This would make sense in explaining why Captain N: The Complete Series was not in all actuality, complete. Instead, Shout Factory (who released Captain N) has finally released Captain N and the New Super Mario World in a two disc set.

For fans of the Captain N series who have not seen season three, this may come as a shock to you. I don’t know if they lost their production staff and moved into a basement, but season three consists of numerous changes in drawing, show format, and just about everything else you can imagine. Sure, fans may want to own the complete series, but if you are able to live without each part you might want to stick with the best portion of the series and leave Captain N and the New Super Mario World behind.

Release Information:
Captain N and the New Super Mario World originally aired on network television on September 14, 1991. Shout! Factory released the two disc set on November 13, 2007. You can find this title at online and offline retailers. At Amazon, you can purchase Captain N and the New Super Mario World for $26.99. Included with the disc are some sketches and other special features.

The Captain N and the New Super Mario World Plot:
The entire Captain N series was meant to make Mario and the other Nintendo enterprises just a little more popular. The idea was interesting in theory and it created some amusing storylines. The problem is that at some point, things changed and it did not seem to be for the better. The biggest problem I have with the Captain N series was the change of the drawings in comparison to the first two seasons. I don’t expect excellent quality for a series that is as old as this one is, but the actual character drawings are significantly different then they were previously. While this is bothersome to see, there are some amusing moments. If nothing else, it’s so bad that if you’re a Nintendo lover it will amuse you with or without the quality bling that might have made it better.

The New Super Mario World was introduced to bring attention to the newly released Super Nintendo. There are many oddities that occur in this series, but considering the fact that it’s directed at children, in a cartoon setting, it’s all in good fun. One of the things adults might notice (kids seem to overlook this) is that while the setting is Yoshi’s Dinosaur Island, the people that are not directly affiliated with the Nintendo series are shown as cavemen.

Captain N and the New Super Mario World feature all of the staple characters that you would expect to see and quite a few that make interesting choices for characters, whether they come from a Nintendo game or not. The staples include Mario, Luigi, and Princess Toadstool. Mother Brain is here, as well as Tetris blocks that are grumpy and out to hurt somebody!

There are a total of 13 episodes available for Super Mario World. Also included seven Captain N episodes, hence the name Captain N and the New Super Mario World. The Captain N episodes are severely lacking in quality. While the original series was interesting to watch, these episodes just feel thrown together in an attempt to end the series. None of the episodes in the Captain N series standout as quality episodes, but they do complete the series in a way that the Captain N box set did not.

Super Mario World, on the other hand, was only around for the first episode which contained the 13 episodes that you find on these two discs. The quality and entertainment value is a step up from the Captain N series, but again this isn’t anything that is going to win any awards.

At least half of the New Super Mario World episodes are enjoyable and offer plenty of nostalgic value. Kids seem to love them all. Mario is a likable character, as are many of the other Nintendo characters, so kids tend to get excited about seeing their favorite video game characters come to life. Some of the best episodes include “Rock TV” and “King Scoopa Koopa.”

Captain N and the New Super Mario World are not shows that are something you can’t live without, but for fans of the series they will make an interesting addition to your collection.

Storyline/Plot:
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:

Audio/Visual:
The video for Captain N and the New Super Mario World is presented in full frame video with an aspect ratio of 1.33:1. The video was created in the 90’s and while there have been significant advances in quality since that time, the video holds up well overall. There are some grainy moments and a little bit of fading, but for the most part, the video works well enough to watch the cartoon without much trouble. The audio comes in Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo. It’s not the highest quality audio available, but again, it gets the job done.

Visual:
Audio:

Special Features:
One of the coolest special features isn’t really a special feature. The DVDs have the capability to let you watch all of the Captain N episodes, all of the New Super Mario World episodes, or all of both. If you find one series or the other to be useless you can completely avoid it and see all of the episodes for the series that you want to watch. Other special features include storyboard sequences for both shows opening titles and some sketches of Yoshi, along with random animation clips.

Bonus Features:

Bottom Line:
Captain N and the New Super Mario World is entertaining for parents that were fans of the old Nintendo consoles and the games that came with them. Kids tend to love this series because of the characters that are included. If you are going on kid appeal this one hits the spot and needs to be added to your home collection. Adults tend to be choosier though, so if you are picking this up for you it may be worth renting to make sure it’s up to par first.

Overall Rating:

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