Release Info:
Theatrical Release: 1998-2003
DVD Release Date: January 20, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $45.92

I loved the Powerpuff Girls. I watched the show regularly throughout its entire run of six seasons. There weren’t a lot of cartoons I was fond of in the 90s, but The Powerpuff Girls was one of those shows I just loved. The show ran from 1998-2003 before being shown in reruns on a variety of different cartoon networks. I still watch the show when and if I can, even though I’ve already seen most of the episodes.

You see, I grew up in the 80s. There was no better time for cartoons then in the 80s. I grew up with The Smurfs, Care Bears, Garfield and Friends, Rainbow Brite, The Gummi Bears, Shirt Tales, The Get Along Gang, Duck Tales and many other cool cartoons. Then the 90s came and as the decade progressed, cartoons decidedly went downhill. As I aged, I yearned for the good ol’ days, while shows I watched were replaced by the likes of Doug. Though decent enough to watch, these cartoons didn’t hold a candle to the shows I watched as a kid.

So, when The Powerpuff Girls came on television I was ecstatic. The show was witty. It didn’t talk down to kids the way many of the shows today seem to do, and adults could watch and enjoy this cartoon as much as the kids. I find that today, many cartoons dumb down their humor and speed up the story to the point where only the hyper, technology obsessed kids of today will find the show enjoyable. Back in the day, cartoons could still be funny and kid-friendly and yet remain intelligent. The Powerpuff Girls had this going for the show.

Add in the fact that the superheroes are girls and we have a great, positive message filled show that little girls can look up to, as well as little boys. The vast majority of heroes are male, so its nice to have something girls can enjoy just as much as boys. If you want to introduce the kids of today to a great, family-friendly cartoon that everyone in the family will want to watch, picking up this 10th Anniversary Edition Box Set of The Powerpuff Girls is definitely the way to go.

The The Powerpuff Girls: The Complete Series Plot
There were six seasons of The Powerpuff Girls for a total of 78 episodes. It’d take forever to list plots for all of the episodes. Instead, I will be listing the episodes and then letting you know a little bit about my favorite episodes from each season.

Season One

“Insect Aside/Powerpuff Bluff”
“Monkey See, Doggie Do/Mommy Fearest”
“Octi Evil/Geshundfight”
“Buttercrush/Fuzzy Logic”
“Boogie Frights/Abracadaver”
“Telephonies/Tough Love”
“Major Competition/Mr. Mojo’s Rising”
“Paste Makes Waste/Ice Sore”
“Bubblevicious/The Bare Facts”
“Cat Man Do/Impeach Fuzz”
“Just Another Manic Mojo/Mime For Change”
“The Rowdyruff Boys”
“Uh Oh Dynamo”

Favorites from Season One:
“Mommy Fearest”: The professor falls for the evil Sedusa disguised as the pleasant Ima Goodlady.
“Fuzzy Logic”: Fuzzy Lumpkins goes nuts on Townsville, wreaking havoc and leaving chaos in his wake. Only the girls and a flying squirrel can stop Fuzzy!
“Mr. Mojo’s Rising”: Mojo Jojo has more tricks up his sleeves as he reveals he was the Proffessor’s assistant, after Mojo kidnaps him.

Season Two

“Stuck Up, Up, and Away/Schoolhouse Rocked”
“Collect Her/Supper Villain”
“Birthday Bash/Too Pooped to Puf”
“Dream Scheme/You Snooze You Lose”
“Beat Your Greens/Down n’ Dirty”
“Save the Day/Los Dos Mojos”
“A Very Special Blossom/Daylight Savings”
“Mo Job/Pet Food”
“Imaginary Friend/Cootie Gras”
“The Powerpuff Girls Best Rainy Day Adventure Ever/Just Desserts”
“Twisted Sister/Cover Up”
“Speed Demon/Mojo Jonesin”
“Something’s a Miss/Slumbering with the Enemy”

Favorites from Season Two:
“Daylight Savings”: A very early curfew and bedtime makes stopping Mojo Jojo impossible for the girls. Try explaining that to the Professor who is taking advice from Ms. Keane on the matter.
“Twisted Sister”: The Powerpuff Girls create a fourth sister when they grow tired of fighting bad guys. Unfortunately, she’s not exactly sure who the bad guys are.

Season Three

“Fallen Arches/The Mane Event”
“Town and Out/Child Fearing”
“Criss Cross Crisis”
“Bubblevision/Bought and Scold”
“Getting’ Twiggy with It/Cop Out”
“Jewel of the Aisle/Super Zero”
“Three Girls and a Monster/Monkey See Doggy Two”
“Candy is Dandy/Catastrophe”
“Hot Air Buffoon/Ploys R Us”
“Helter Shelter/Power Lunch”
“Powerprof”
“The Headsucker’s Moxy/Equal Fights”
“Moral Decay/Meet the Beat Alls”

Favorites from Season Three:
“Jewel of the Aisle”: When a robber makes off with an expensive diamond, he foolishly loses it in a box of cereal. When the Professor buys the box of ‘Lucky Captain Rabbit King’ cereal with the diamond in it, he tries to disguise himself to get the diamond back.
“Criss Cross Crisis”: An experiment gone wrong by the Professor has everyone in Townsville switching bodies. This gives Mojo Jojo the perfect anonymity he wants to cause trouble in Townsville.
“Moral Decay”: Buttercup goes cash crazy when she accidentally knocks our one of Bubble’s teeth and Bubble gets $1 from the tooth fairy. Wanting more money, she starts knocking out the teeth of her villains and cashing in on them with the tooth fairy.
“Gettin’ Twiggy With It”: When the class hamster is being pet sat by one of the kids, Mitch Mitchelson, it soon becomes clear that Mitch isn’t very nice to Twiggy.
**”Meet the Beat-Alls”: This episode is worth it for all the references to the Beatles.

Season Four

“Film Flam”
“All Chalked Up”
“Get Back Jojo,” “Him Diddle Diddle”
“Members Only”
“Knock It Off”
“Superfriends”
“Nano of the North”
“Stray Bullet”
“Forced Kin”
“Keen on Keane/Not So Awesome Blossom”
“Power-Noia”
“Nuthin’ Special/Neighbor Hood”

Favorites from Season Four:
“Forced Kin”: The tables are turned on Mojo Jojo when he has to team up with the Powerpuff Girls to fight some very smart aliens.
“Film Flam”: Bernie Bernstein seems genuine when he decides to make a film about the crimesaving the Powerpuff Girls do. However, his bad attitude towards Bubbles sings a different tune.

Season Five

“Monstra City/Shut the Pup”
“I See a Funny Cartoon in Your Future/Octi-Gone”
“Toast of the Town/Divide and Conquer”
“Burglar Alarmed/Shotgun Wedding”
“Save Mojo/Substitute Creature”
“The Boys are Back in Town”
“See Me, Feel Me, Gnomey”
“Pee Pee G’s/Boy Toys”
“Seed No Evil/City of Clipsville”
“Lying Around the House/Bubble Boy”
“Documentary/Girls Gone Mild”
“Curses/Bang for Your Buck”
“Silent Treatment/Sweet ‘n Sour”

Favorites from Season Five:
“Shotgun Wedding”: When the Professor goes on a trip to study up on Fuzzy, he almost ends up seeing wedding bells instead.
“Pee Pee G’s”: It looks like the girls have had a midnight accident (if you get my drift), but they refuse to believe that’s really why their bed is wet.

Season Six

“Prime Mates/Coup D’Etat”
“Makes Zen to Me/Say Uncle”
“Reeking Havoc/Live and Let Dynamo”
“Mo’ Linguish/Oops I Did It Again”
“A Made Up Story”
“Little Miss Sunshine/Night Mayor”
“Custody Battle/City of Nutsville”
“Aspirations”
“That’s Not My Baby/Simian Says”
“Sun Scream/City of Frownsville”
“West in Pieces”
“Crazy Mixed Up Puffs/Mizzen in Action”
“Roughing It Up/What’s the Big Idea”

Favorites from Season Six:
“Reeking Havoc”: When the Professor makes his infamous chili, the entire town faces an epidemic. The girls must stop the ‘fart-fest’ before it gets out of hand.
“Crazy Mixed Up Puffs”: The girls’ arguments intensify when Mojo Jojo finds a way to literally keep them together.
“I See a Funny Cartoon in Your Future”: This episode rocks because it pays homage to Rocky & Bullwinke. June Foray lends her voice for this.

Storyline/Plot: 5 out of 5 stars
Replayability: 5 out of 5 stars
Acting: 5 out of 5 stars
Directing: 5 out of 5 stars

Audio/Visual:
Before I mention the quality of The Powerpuff Girls: The Complete Series, which is by no means bad, I have to rant a little about something I rarely talk about. This set was bound to be huge. One of the things that Cartoon Network did attempting to save space (or money) was utilizing both sides of the disc. While this was mildly annoying the thing that really got to me was the size of the overall set. It’s huge! The set is housed in regular sized DVD cases rather then the thiner cases, which would have made a great deal more sense.

The quality for The Powerpuff Girls: The Complete Series has its ups and downs. In the beginning things aren’t quite as impressive as they could be, but the series progresses quite nicely. Children’s cartoons often come with their faults, but Powerpuff Girls looks pretty good for something that has been off television for awhile. The art for the girls is just plain cute. They are adorable and they are crime fighters. Visually speaking the colors are good and there are few errors. At most you have some occasional grain. This disappears as the episodes go on. At the end, things look flawless.

The audio is covered by Dolby Digital 2.0 and it sounds fine. The sound effects are tons of fun, the music works just fine for what it is, and I never had a problem understanding the dialogue. I did not notice any major differences in the sound from season one to season six. Unlike the video, things were good from the start and they stayed that way.

Visual: 4 out of 5 stars
Audio: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Bonus Features:
When it comes to bonuses, The Powerpuff Girls: The Complete Series offers a mixed bag. There is a much greater amount of quality special features here than in the previous sets, but only a few of them are truly exciting. If you are expecting to be absolutely wowed by this set, you might have a problem with what you receive. However, there are a few goodies here. Just don’t expect perfection because it will not be available to you.

If you have the season one set of Powerpuff Girls already then you probably won’t find anything new on the first season discs. You receive some pilot type episodes and the original college short, “The Whoopass Girls: A Sticky Situation”. The college short is fun because it comes in the penciled version as well as the main finished version. Sadly though it comes without commentary. The pitch worthy pilots “Crime 101″ and “Meat Fuzzy Lumpkins” are also on this disc. Some audio tracks and additional animation are also added for some of “The Whoopass Girl” episodes.

There is an interesting CNN piece that looks at the work Cartoon Network once did. It contains interviews and a good look at what used to be awesome about Cartoon Network. There is an episode of Space Ghost Coast to Coast, “World Premiere Toon In” that was included as a way of introducing various Cartoon Network Shows including Girls and other amusing shows like Johnny Bravo. A ton of promose wrap out the first set of features and by a ton, I mean close to 20.

“Staylongers” and “Anger Management” begin the season two set. In addition to the promos, commentary has been added. The commentary tracks don’t add too much. If you want a good laugh and are interested in hearing something amusing you might like the commentaries, otherwise you won’t be too amused. The only other thing on the season two set is three little Show and Tell type pieces about the girls that they handle themselves. They are cute, but pretty short.

Seasons three through five are pretty slim pickins with each season offering a little less than the one before. Season three is home to a mere two music videos. The first is “I’m a Super Girl” by Shonen Knife and the second is “Signal in the Sky” by Apples in Stereo. The nice thing about these videos is that they include newer graphics and when they are added to old video footage they are quite fun to watch.

Another promo is added here along with the videos, but that’s it. Season four includes a couple of promos and a nearly hour-long Christmas special, “Twas the Fight Before Christmas.” It is becoming more and more unfortunate to see that many of the features that were added to separate DVDs were left out.

There are a number of things included here, but for everything mentioned it seems that something has been left out that was available on a previous release. Season five includes the least of the special features. There are only four promos to watch with season five and they don’t add a whole lot to the bunch.

The sixth season is filled with mainly new features. There are a few promos, but the majority seems to be all new stuff. A new tenth anniversary episode is included. While “The Powerpuff Girls Rule” is done in flash, it has the look of the original series and it really feels like one of the old episodes. This was one of the best features by far, just because it’s nice to see the Girls back in action.

Another great feature is “The Powerpuff Girls: Who, What, When, Where, Why, How…Who Cares?” This documentary lasts for around 30 minutes and it offers plenty of information about the history of the show. It’s funny but informative. Along with the history, the documentary offered interviews, art, and plenty more information on the show. Had all of the features been like this they certainly would have received a higher rating.

Bonus Features: 3 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line:
The Powerpuff Girls: The Complete Series offers all of the episodes from the six seasons of this series. This show is awesome. If your kids are not watching it already, they need to start. You can introduce your children to this amazing show by purchasing the The Powerpuff Girls: The Complete Series, which is fairly affordable, considering how many episodes are included in this set. Add in some pretty good bonuses and this set is well worth the purchase. The Powerpuff Girls: The Complete Series is highly recommended.

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: Cartoons, TV on DVD, DVD Review, PowerPuff Girls, Bubbles, Buttercup, Blossom

Release Info:
Original Air Dates: 2007-?
Season Air Dates: December 26, 2007-April 5, 2008
DVD Box Set Release Date: August 19, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $17.49
Episodes: Episodes #4-16 of Season One (January 2008-April 2008)

After watching the first three episodes of Transformers Animated in the first DVD release, Transformers Animated: Transform and Roll Out, I just had to review the 13 remaining episodes that are presented on the Transformers Animated: Season One DVD. That’s right folks. In order to own the entire first season of the show, you have to buy this 2-Disc set and the previous DVD release. It’s kind of shoddy of Hasbro to do it that way, but what can any of us do (save for give the DVD a negative review in this department and complaining real loud) to change this?

So, I’ve already mentioned a flaw with this DVD. Don’t be alarmed because there are plenty of good things about this series. Since I’ve already mentioned one of the bad parts I should also mention I’m not in love with the show’s portrayal of Optimus Prime. Originally, Optimus is a skilled leader and fearless protector of both Autobots and humans. In this incarnation, Prime has been changed to allow for a somewhat differing storyline from the original show. The only leading he has done has been when working construction and his inexperience shows in his actions. While this is a slightly interesting twist, it’s the only thing I truly disliked about this series.

That being said, the animation is excellent. I really like the updates and visual care taken with the newly designed Transformers. The storylines are tight and well written. The characters have more depth and more time is spent on each individual as opposed to talking about the Transformers as a collective whole. I also like the idea that the setting is Detroit (I’m from Michigan – so I have a soft spot for series set here). That’s a purely selfish thing on my part.

So, I guess you’re wondering if this show is worth watching. Kids are going to love Transformers Animated. Those who remember the old cartoons can appreciate the show. There are several references to the original series and the care taken not to overly step on any of the original series creators’ toes (excluding the changes to Optimus) is highly visible. Of all the latest Transformers incarnations to make their way on to television, I have to say that Transformers Animated is one of the best.

The Transformers Animated Plot
The first season aired 16 episodes. The first set of episodes (#1-#3) are available on the Transformers Animated: Transform and Roll Out DVD. Episodes #4-#16 are available in this set. You can read a little bit about the first three episodes in my review of Transformers Animated: Transform and Roll Out. The basic premise is that the Autobots come to Earth (and wind up in Detroit City) with the AllSpark. The Decepticons, of course, follow them, creating havoc and panic in their wake.

Here is a list of all of the episodes included in the Transformers Animated: Season One 2-DVD Box Set:

“Home Is Where the Spark Is” – Making their home near Detroit City, the Autobots use a former auto-parts shop as their headquarters. They’re hoping to be ready when/if the Decepticons return. The head of Megatron has, in the meantime, come back online. With his super powers, he is able to take control of multiple robots and launch a major attack on Optimus and the other Autobots.

“Blast From the Past” – In a retro look back at the Dinobots, Professor Sumdac realizes that he has created a group of bots that can think for themselves. This leads to a battle between the Dinobots and the Autobots.

“Thrill of the Hunt” – An episode about Ratchet, this Autobot must deal with his past and part in the Autobot-Decepticon War. When Lockdown, his Decepticon enemy, shows up, the past and the present will coincide.

“Nanosec” – In an episode that features the Autobot fan favorite, Bumblebee, the Autobots face a new threat and its up to Bumblebee to try and stop him. This time it’s a new villain known as Nanosec.

“Total Meltdown” – Engineers should never tamper with Transformers. When a super engineer tampers with the system in Bumblebee, he turns into a a robot that burns holes in the Autobots when he touches them.

“Along Came a Spider” – It’s Halloween for the Autobots. Bumblebee and Bulkhead are celebrating the human event with Sari. Of course, it can’t be a true celebration without a Decepticon interrupting the fun. When Blackarachnia shows up the celebration is threatened.

“Sound and Fury” – When Sari gets a new toy, Bulkhead is suspicious. It isn’t long before he discovers that the toy is evil. Of course, convincing Optimus and the other Autbots of his discovery is easier said then done!

“Lost and Found” – Two Decepticons that haven’t been on the show yet, Lugnut and Blitzwing, go head to head with the Autobots.

“Survival of the Fittest” – When Sari is kidnapped, Prowl and Bulkhead head off to find her. Trying to find the Dinobots, who seem to have been the ones to kidnap her, the two Autobots must also deal with the bizarre Captain Fanzone, who follows them to the mysterious island where they’re heading.

“Headmaster” – One of the ex-employees of Prof. Sumdac tweaks with the system of an Autobot. Once he has control of the Autbot, he heads out into Detroit City to have some fun!

“Nature Calls” – When the Autobots detect unusual readings (cybertron readings) from within the forest, Prowl, Bumblebee and Sari head into the forest to find out what is causing them.

“Megatron Rising – Part 1″ -Under the guidance and planning of Megatron, Starscream, Lugnut and Blitzwing start to attack the Earth. With Optimus doubtful of his ability to lead, he inadvertently causes Sari to run away, only for her to end up in the clutches of Blackarachnia.

“Megatron Rising – Part 2″ – Megatron has been rebuilt. He leads the Decepticons in their battle to take over the Earth. When the Autobots are unable to stop them, they must turn their attention towards protecting the AllSpark, no matter the cost.

Storyline/Plot: 4 out of 5 stars
Replayability: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Acting: 5 out of 5 stars
Directing: 5 out of 5 stars

Audio/Visual:
Presented at an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, standard for a cartoon, I’m surprised by how good the animation and visual quality look for the episodes in season one of Transformers Animated. These episodes truly look amazing. There have been animation updates and the quality is drastically improved from the quality of the original series, thanks to advances in animation techniques. What helps is a crystal clear picture with barely any visual flaws.

The audio quality for this DVD is also fairly standard for television cartoons. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo track gets the job done. While this isn’t as dynamic as a 5.1 track, the sound effects, dialogue and music all come through with clarity and no need to play with the volume. There is also a Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo track in Spanish. Closed Captioning is available with both tracks though subtitles are not an option.

Visual: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Audio: 4 out of 5 stars

Bonus Features:
While Transformers Animated: Transform and Roll Out had a few, really neat bonuses, the release of Transformers Animated: Season One without anything other than a still gallery is yet another disappointment. While the most disappointing part of this show is the actual DVD release (and not the show) it is frustrating to see less than stellar television shows getting better treatment than a show like this.

Bonus Features: 1 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line:
While certain liberties were taken to update Transformers Animated from the original series, a reflection of the past is evident in the care taken by this show’s writers. While there are some minor issues concerning Optimus Prime and it totally sucks that you’ll have to buy the first three episodes in addition to the Transformers Animated: Season One DVD, fans of the series and Transformers in general, will definitely want to check this Cartoon Network series out.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: Transformers Animated, Hasbro, Season One, DVD Review, TV show, Optimus Prime, Cartoon, Kids

Release Info:
Original Air Dates: September 19, 2005-October 2, 2006
DVD Box Set Release Date: July 22, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $39.99
Episodes: 52 in total

On occasion, I’ll check out what other reviewers have said about the television shows that I’m reviewing, as well. Wanting to find out more about Transformers Cybertron, I googled the series name and came across an array of websites with information and reviews about the show. I was surprised to find that one reviewer had no idea the Transformers were popular. They’ve only have had countless series, a line of products including a successful toy line and more. Of course, they’re really not well known, unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past 20 years!

I have to admit I was somewhat apprehensive about watching Transformers Cybertron – The Ultimate Collection. This box set is filled with 52 episodes from the series. I’m not overly fond of the shows Cartoon Network comes up with and since Transformers Cybertron was on the network I wasn’t sure how fond of this series I would be. In the grand scheme of Transformers television series, Transformers Cybertron is ok. Neither exceptionally well done nor horribly terrible, this series falls somewhere in between; slightly better than those series of mediocrity yet less than the most dazzling of series, the original, of which I grew up watching.

Transformers Cybertron is the third in a series of Transformers series that originally aired in Japan. The other two series are Transformers Armada and Transformers Energon. I’ve been told (though I don’t speak Japanese and don’t know about the original show) that this is a fairly decent dub of the original Japanese show. It remains faithful to the storyline and the action of the original series. Either way, this is one show I enjoyed watching with my son. I knew he’d like the action and most kids who are into these kinds of shows should enjoy Transformers Cybertron, as well.

The Transformers Cybertron Plot
The plot behind Transformers Cybertron revolves around the fact that the planet, Cybertron is threatened by the development of a massive black hole. The black hole was created by the destruction of Unicron. At the beginning of Transformers Cybertron the Transformers are heading to Earth. That’s the closest planet that is friendly to the needs of the Transformers. Before they go, they decide they will take on the form of various types of vehicles and machines so humans won’t know of their existence. The ‘more than meets the eye’ thing is for certain in this series.

Before the Autobots leave Cybertron, an ancient known by the name Vector Prime approaches them. Prime tells of the ancient Cyber Planet Keys. The keys hold the key to stopping the blackhole and saving Cybertron. It is up to the Autobots to find out everything they can about the Cyber Planet Keys before it’s too late. Vector Prime gives them a map, which shows the hidden location of the keys, on four different universes, but this wouldn’t be a Transformers cartoon without the Decepticons interfering. Megatron steals the map and both the Decepticons and Autobots head to Earth where the real fun begins.

The 52 episodes in the Transformers Cybertron – The Ultimate Collection Box Set, are split up amongst seven discs:

DISC ONE
- Fallen
- Haven
- Hidden
- Landmine
- Space
- Rush
- Speed
- Collapse

DISC TWO
- Time
- Search
- Deep
- Ship
- Hero
- Race
- Detour
- Savage

DISC THREE
- Sand
- Champion
- Ice
- Honor
- Primal
- Trust
- Trap
- Invasion

DISC FOUR
- Retreat
- Revelation
- Critical
- Assault
- Starscream
- United
- Cybertron
- Balance

DISC FIVE
- Darkness
- Memory
- Escape
- Family
- Titans
- Warp
- Giant
- Fury

DISC SIX
- City
- Ambush
- Challenge
- Scourge
- Optimus
- Showdown
- Guardian
- Homecoming

DISC SEVEN
- End
- Unfinished
- Beginning
- Inferno

The voice talent is decent, for the most part. It is the story that lacks both depth and originality. That’s really the only thing that prevents this series from being both memorable and magnificent.

Storyline/Plot: 3 out of 5 stars
Replayability: 4 out of 5 stars
Acting: 4 out of 5 stars
Directing: 3 out of 5 stars

Audio/Visual:
The visual quality for the episodes included in the Transformers Cybertron – The Ultimate Collection Box Set are all filmed at an aspect ratio of 1.33:1. The standard full frames are the same quality you’d see if you were still watching Transformers Cybertron on Cartoon Network. The vibrant colors come through and contrast is nice. The show is presented with computer generated Transformers and classical animation for human characters, backgrounds and pretty much everything else. As you might imagine, the show has a modernized look. There are only minor instances of pixelation and not many other animation errors.

Considering the fact that Transformers Cybertron is geared towards a pint sized audience, Paramount provided the bare minimum in terms of audio. The English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo track is nice, but it’s not as dynamic as a show like this deserves. The action-packed sequences could have rocked a 5.1 surround track like nobody’s business. Still, the 2.0 comes through loud, clearly and serves its purpose. Closed Captioning is available for the hearing impaired.

Visual: 4 out of 5 stars
Audio: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Bonus Features:
There are absolutely no bonuses included in the Transformers Cybertron – The Ultimate Collection Box Set. It’s kind of a jip considering how much you pay and how many discs are in this set, but there’s not much that can be done about this save for complaining to Hasbro and Paramount about it!

Bonus Features: 0 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line:
Kids, this isn’t your father’s Transformers. Parents, this isn’t going to be like the cartoons you grew up with, but the familiar faces of Optimus Prime and the gang still elicit some feelings of nostalgia. If you can get past the animation changes and see this for the up-to-date, semi-hip show it is today then you might actually like Transformers Cybertron. While this wasn’t my favorite adaptation of the Transformers series, it wasn’t horrible either. If you’re a Transformers fan, or you have kids you know (or think) will be interested in this series then why not go ahead and purchase it? Everyone else should rent it just to make sure this series doesn’t step on the toes of past Transformers series and creators.

Overall Rating: 3.07 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: Transformers Cybertron, The Ultimate Collection, Cartoon Network, Animated, series, Japan, Megatron, Decepticon, Vector Prime, Optimus Prime

Cartoon Network is nearly as bad as the primetime networks. Any time a show seems to be interesting it is canceled. Instead, other, less desirable cartoons are played over and over on the channel. My son won’t even watch the network anymore. I can’t say I necessarily blame him. I really liked Teen Titans. While it definitely had its corny moments, I’m not ashamed to say I could watch it with the kids or on my own. This show was funny, action-packed, and overall entertaining. By default, that meant Cartoon Network just had to cancel it.

I don’t know who is more disappointed at the somewhat abrupt ending with the unresolved Season Five episode, “Things Change”, the kids or me. I wanted to know what happened to Beast Boy, if Terra was back and what the heck that villain was made of that they couldn’t seem to defeat. I wanted to see the Teen Titans go out on a high note. By jove, I wanted to know what was in Robin’s suitcase! The finale didn’t give me any of that. I feel robbed and so do many other fans who didn’t want the series to end.

Release Information:
Made in part by Cartoon Network and Warner Bros. Animation, Teen Titans premiered on Cartoon Network on July 19, 2003. The show ran for five seasons before being canceled unexpectedly following the fifth season. The fifth season ran for 13 episodes from September 24, 2005 to January 16, 2006. The last show featured a rather open-ended sequence that left many fans disheartened by its lack of finality. The series also aired many of its episodes on Kids WB, which is when my son (and I) first started watching the show.

Warner Home Video is set to release Teen Titans – The Complete Fifth Season on DVD. This two-DVD set features all 13 episodes plus a special features section on the second disc. Teen Titans – The Complete Fifth Season is set to be released on July 8, 2008. It can be pre-ordered online at Amazon for $14.99 USD. After Tuesday, you should be able to pick up a copy of this DVD at most retailers where you can purchase DVDs.

The Teen Titans – The Complete Fifth Season Plot
Teen Titans is based on the various Teen Titans comic series’, specifically the Teen Titans series from the 1980s ‘The New Teen Titans’. This was the most popular incarnation of the comic book series and it included all of the main characters that are featured on this animated series. Following the success of this animated show, two new comic series based on the animated <em>Teen Titans</em>, the most popular being ‘Teen Titans Go!’, were released by DC comics.

The Teen Titans are made up of a group of teenage superheroes. The leader of the Teen Titans is Robin (Scott Menville), half of the Batman and Robin duo who has decided to play it solo. He ends up meeting the other Teen Titans (this is shown in the fifth season episode, “Go!”) and they are a very good team, so that is how the force if formed. The main Teen Titans group is also made up of Cyborg (Khary Payton), a half-man, half robot he’s super strong with way cool mechanical/technological abilities, Raven (Tara Strong), a somewhat cynical empath with telepathic/psychic abilities and other intense powers, Starfire (Hynden Walch), a naïve yet caring alien with the ability to shoot glowing green blasts of energy and fly, and Beast Boy (Greg Cipes), a green colored animorph who can change into any and every animal he wants.

The fifth season is made up of 13 episodes. They are split up across two discs. Here is a list of each episode with a brief description for each of them.

-DISC ONE-
#5.1 – “Homecoming – Part One” – This explores Beast Boy’s life before the Teen Titans. He used to be a part of the Doom Patrol. Even though the Doom Patrol was his adoptive family, Beast Boy has felt bad ever since the time when he was told to destroy the Brain, the leader of the Brotherhood of Evil. Beast Boy chose to save his family and eventually leaves the Doom Patrol over this decision. Now the Doom Patrol needs him. They’ve been captured by the Brotherhood of Evil and it’s up to Beast Boy and the Teen Titans to help them.

#5.2 – “Homecoming – Part Two” – Taking place from when the last episode left off, Beast Boy has chosen family over destroying the Brotherhood again. He must redeem himself in order to win back favor with the Doom Patrol, but at a price he might not be willing to pay when it comes to the members of both the Patrol and the Teen Titans team.

#5.3 – “Trust” – As the Brotherhood of Evil establishes the Teen Titans as their newest enemy, allies of the Titans (all young superheroes) are targeted and eliminated. In this episode, Madame Rouge takes on Hot Spot.

#5.4 – “For Real” – With the Teen Titans gone from Jump City (off to fight the Brotherhood of Evil) the Titans East team is hanging out in Titan Towers. It is their job to be looking over the city. When Control Freak attempts to take on the Titans he is shocked to realize the ‘true Titans’ are gone. Miffed, he sets up a set of challenges to see if Titans East are worthy of being called Teen Titans.

#5.5 – “Snowblind” – A Siberian town is being attacked by what they believe is an abomination. In the meantime, Starfire gets separated from the team in a snowstorm. She’s rescued by a nice stranger named Red Star. What she doesn’t know is he’s somehow related to the village attacks.

#5.6 – “Kole” – When the Titans team are destroying Dr. Light’s newest invention (at the North Pole) they discover an under the surface prehistoric land. There they meet Gnarrk (a caveman) and Kole who has the ability to control crystal. In fact, she can turn herself into one. Needing crystal to make his invention work, Dr. Light sets out to capture Kole and use her, in crystal form, for his invention.

#5.7 – “Hide and Seek” – Raven gets stuck with the duty of transporting three kids, Melvin, Timmy and Teether. The three are developing their superhero powers and are targeted by the Brotherhood of Evil. With Monsieur Mallah trying to capture them, Melvin insists her imaginary friend, Bobby, will protect them.

-DISC TWO-
#5.8 – “Lightspeed” – After the Titans East gang returns to Steel City, Kid Flash must ensure the HIVE FIVE behave themselves. Their leader Jinx is anxious to do something notorious to get noticed by the Brotherhood of Evil. When Kid Flash tries to befriend her, she comes up with the idea to turn him over to Madame Rouge. Prepared to prove the HIVE FIVE are worthy of being a part of the Brotherhood, Jinx is shocked to learn that things aren’t always what they seem when it comes to the Brotherhood.

#5.9 – “Revved Up” – Ding Dong Daddy has stolen a suitcase containing Robin’s most prized possession. He’ll only give the suitcase to Robin if he wins a race. He has more than enough tricks up his sleeve to keep the Titans from winning the prize.

#5.10 – “Go!” – This is an origins story. In it, we see the way the Teen Titans met, as Starfire escapes from imprisonment and makes her way to the Earth. Of course, Starfire’s captors don’t want to let her go so it’s up to the Titans to keep her safe and defeat them before they destroy the city.

#5.11 – “Calling All Titans” – The Teen Titans split up to recruit young superheroes for their cause against the Brotherhood. Before they can make it back to Jump City to rest up for the final battle, the Brotherhood makes their attack.

#5.12 – “Titans Together” – The final battle is here. The Teen Titans and their allies take on the Brotherhood of Evil (and all their new recruits) in the final showdown of good vs. evil.

#5.13 – “Things Change” – After the final battle has ended, the Teen Titans return home. Things have changed in the months since they’ve been gone. A new foe that can transform into any substance it touches takes on the team, but Beast Boy has other thoughts on his mind. He thinks he has seen Terra, alive and well. So, he sets out to see if it really is her.

There were some really great episodes in this fifth season of Teen Titans. My favorites include “Go!”, “Homecoming – Part Two”, “Hide and Seek” and “Calling all Titans”. I really liked “Things Change” though the episode left me thirsting for more. The episode ended as it should have, but there were so many unanswered questions. It makes me angry that Cartoon Network canceled this show.

Teen Titans – The Complete Fifth Season features a set of episodes designed for an audience between the ages of 9-14. This is a show kids and parents can enjoy together. It is fun, sometimes corny, full of adventure and wholly entertaining. I wish they’d revive the series because sadly, cartoon animation for this age group will have a hole unfilled by new shows that were once occupied by Teen Titans and the soon to be ending The Batman unless something new that’s just as good comes along.

Storyline/Plot: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Replayability: 5 out of 5 stars
Acting: 5 out of 5 stars
Directing: 5 out of 5 stars

Audio/Visual:
The animation for Teen Titans is a cross between typical Japanese anime and American animation styles. This is where the show has received criticism, but I really like it. That being said, the video for the show is your standard full frames in a 1.33:1 aspect ratio. Typical for animated shows, this works for Teen Titans – The Complete Fifth Season. The animation appears to be flawless, as it should for a show that is only a few years old. The colors are stunningly vibrant. There is no dirt, noise, grain or other visual errors. Everything looks excellent. For such a standard format, this show looks amazingly great.

There are a plethora of audio options available on the Teen Titans – The Complete Fifth Season DVD. I, obviously, used the English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo sound. This sounds great for an action packed show. I would have liked to have been given the option of a much more dynamic, 5.1 surround track, especially since the show is driven by sound effects and action sequences, as well as music montages and standard dialogue. While things come through clearly, I’m just saying a bigger and better soundtrack would have been nice.

I liked the fact that I didn’t have to toggle with the sound at all. The sounds were even and came through clearly. Other sound tracks available are in Spanish and French. Both are Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo tracks, which I’m sure are magnificent. I recommend the English, but that’s just me. Closed Captioning and subtitles are available in English, for the hearing impaired.

Visual: 4 out of 5 stars
Audio: 4 out of 5 stars

Bonus Features:
Teen Titans – The Complete Fifth Season includes one primary bonus feature. This is called “The Friends and Foes Featurette Gallery”. The gallery gives an overview of the most prevalent friends and foes of the fifth season of Teen Titans. More than just a look at the characters, each group is featured with the Teen Titan creators and crew explaining why they were included in the particular season.

The Friends and Foes included in this bonus feature are the Doom Patrol, Titans East, the Brotherhood of Evil, Honorary Titans and the Gordanians. While there is only a few minutes of material presented for each foe or friend, the information is relevant and interesting. Overall, this bonus is excellent and provides a little extra something for fans of the series. This bonus is available on the second disc.

The second disc also includes trailers for The Richie Rich/Scooby Doo Hour Season 1, Vol. 1, Ben 10: Race against Time and “Speed Racer: The Game”. On the first disc, you can find web info for websites such as the one for DC Comics. This also lists copyright information for the characters used in the Teen Titans series and comic books.

Bonus Features: 3 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line:
I love the cartoon Teen Titans. Beast Boy is hilarious and the characters all have great dynamics with one another. The writing might be fading a bit this season, but I think part of the problem is the storylines were never completely resolved. Overall, I highly enjoyed the final season of Teen Titans. If you liked this show, like comic-themed animation, have a sense of humor and you like watching shows that any audience can watch (kids or adults) then you need to pick up Teen Titans – The Complete Fifth Season. This is one of the best cartoon sets Warner Home Video has released this year. Pick this one up while you can.

Overall Rating: 4.36 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: Teen Titans – The Complete Fifth Season, Warner Home Video, DVD Review, DC Comics, Kids Show, Kids WB, Robin, Starfire, Raven, Beast Boy, Cyborg, Brotherhood of Evil

I grew up watching the original Transformers television series. It was one of the shows I never missed. With the success of the live action Transformers movie it was only a matter of time before another Transformers cartoon was produced. This came in the form of the 2008 Cartoon Network television show, Transformers Animated. While the Transformers have been given a new, updated look they still retain enough for fans of the original series to feel nostalgic about it.

I have a 13 year old son, who is a fan of this series. This was one show that I could enjoy watching with him. While I think it is slightly shoddy of Hasbro and the distributors to release just the first three episodes of the series on this Transformers Animated: Transform and Roll Out DVD, I think it is even shoddier if the rumors are true and the August release of Season One includes all the episodes from the season but these three, so fans of the series have to buy Transformers Animated: Transform and Roll Out as well as the Season One DVD release. Still, this show is enjoyable enough that fans of the show will want to purchase both this and the Season One DVD if they must.

Release Information:
Transformers Animated airs on the Cartoon Network. The three episode pilot for the series premiered on December 26, 2007. It seems as though the three episodes were made so they could also be combined together into one movie-style episode, which is how it is available on the Transformers Animated: Transform and Roll Out DVD. The first season aired for 16 episodes, which ended in April of 2008. The show is now in its second season and this season debuted a week after the first season ended.

The Transformers Animated: Transform and Roll Out DVD was released on June 17, 2008 by Hasbro through Paramount Home Entertainment. The rest of the first season is set to be released in August of 2008. The Transformers Animated: Transform and Roll Out DVD can be purchased at Amazon for $14.49.

The Transformers Animated: Transform and Roll Out Plot
The three episodes that make up 90 minutes of an animated feature were originally presented as the episodes “Transform and Roll Out: Part One”, “Transform and Roll Out: Part Two” and “Transform and Roll Out: Part Three”. The storyline for the three-episode pilot actually pays homage to the original series. There are some references to the original series that those who never watched it will miss. The storyline doesn’t deviate that far from the original storyline for the Transformers, so fans can appreciate the updates made to the characters, the animation and the story without being too upset about those changes.

Taking place in Detroit, in a future that isn’t so far away, the episodes begin with an introduction to how the Transformers came to be on the Earth. Things begin on Cybertron, as the story explores how the Autobots came to be, and how Ratchet discovers the Allspark. The Allspark is wanted by the evil Decepticons, who fight the Autobots for it. As a result, the Autobots crash into the Earth, along with a badly destroyed Megatron. The Autobots end up falling into a state known as stasis (sleep). When they awaken 50 years have passed and New Detroit is facing a crisis.

Dr. Isaac Sumdac (Tom Kenny) is an inventor whose work on a nanobot bug gets out of control. With the bug able to escape Sumdac’s laboratory and create havoc in New Detroit, the Autobots must step in and help the humans before the city is destroyed. To do so, they make themselves known to the humans, who gladly accept their help, when they realize the Autobots can help them get rid of the bug.

With so much going on, the Autobots really don’t have much time to spare. The soft spot Bumblebee (Bumper Robinson) has for the human race ensures that the doctor’s eight year old daughter, Sari (Tara Strong) is able to stow away in him in car form. While at the underwater hideaway of the Autobots, Sari encounters the Allspark. Some very interesting things happen to her before Optimus Prime (David Kaye) and the rest of the Autobots discover her.

However, the Autobots have more pressing issues. Starscream has returned to Earth and he wants the Allspark. He’s willing to do almost anything to get it. There is a lot more to all three episodes and all of them flow together fairly well. Of course, you have fade in fade out moments like you would for commercials, but it is easy to look past any of the breaks in the story since the episodes obviously all go together.

I like the new Transformers. They have a lot of personality. There is only one thing that bothers me and that’s the part where the Transformers let everyone know who they are. It really defeats the purpose of the Transformers being robots in disguise. Even in the movie, the Transformers made it clear they live among us without humans knowing. I know this is me being nitpicky, but I would have liked a little more anonymity for the Autobots.

The Transformers Animated episodic writing is quite brilliant. I like the added humor and the storylines are tight. The acting is excellent. Many of the top voice actors of this generation have a part in Transformers Animated. I also think it’s pretty cool they set the series in New Detroit. As a Michigan resident it’s nice to see the city a little more positively represented then it has been on other television shows.

Storyline/Plot: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Replayability: 5 out of 5 stars
Acting: 5 out of 5 stars
Directing: 4 out of 5 stars

Audio/Visual:
I really like the updated animation for Transformers Animated. These aren’t the Transformers of my youth. They’re a lot more technologically advanced. They sort of look like you always imagined the Transformers would look. The video quality of Transformers Animated: Transform and Roll Out only helps the animation out. The colors are good, with a lot of vibrancy to the color palette. The video for Transformers Animated: Transform and Roll Out is presented in 1.33:1 standard full frames. This is your basic transfer for an animated show. There were very few visual errors with no visible grain or dirt.

The sound for Transformers Animated: Transform and Roll Out comes through clearly. Presented in English Dolby Digital Stereo, this is a standard though not overly dynamic soundtrack. There is also a Spanish Dolby Digital Stereo track. There is nothing necessarily wrong with the sound. It’s just not anything special. Closed Captioning is available in both languages.

Visual: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Audio: 3 out of 5 stars

Bonus Features:
While I wasn’t expecting any bonuses I was pleasantly surprised to find one really cool bonus on the Transformers Animated: Transform and Roll Out DVD. Technically, there are two bonuses, but they’re the same kind of bonus. There are two very funny shorts that feature the new Transformers. In one, Optimus Prime is talking to an elementary school group of children about being a Transformer. The kids seem bored with his discussion until one of the kids asks him to transform and all of the questions thereafter revolve around that part of being a Transformer. This was my favorite of the two shorts.

The second short features Bumblebee and Prowl. Bumblebee is giving Prowl a hard time and teasing him. Together, the two shorts are very short (as is to be expected). I believe both shorts are less than a minute separately. The original animation is excellent, and the shorts are both funny so despite being so short they are actually worth watching. This was a great added bonus I didn’t expect on this DVD.

Bonus Features: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line:
The Transformers Animated: Transform and Roll Out DVD may only contain the three episode pilot for the first season of Transformers Animated, but it is still a lot of fun for both kids and their parents. If you’re like me and grew up in the 80s you most likely will enjoy the updates. They aren’t offensive enough to take away from the original show, but are flashy enough to keep a new, technology-driven generation interested. As for the new generation who never had the chance to see the original show, Transformers Animated: Transform and Roll Out is a must have DVD. Every kid should get to experience the Transformers in cartoon form and Transformers Animated is a worthy adaptation of the old series.

Overall Rating: 4.21 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: Transformers Animated, Transform and Roll Out, DVD Review, Kids Show, Cartoon, Hasbrom Cartoon Network

Growing up, I loved He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. My brother and I played with Castle Grayskull. I remember having figures for Prince Adam who turned into He-Man, Cringer who turned into Battle Cat and Skeletor. We probably had other figures, but those are the ones I for sure remember. We lived happily in the land of make believe as we played He-Man for hours at a time. Fast forward nearly twenty years and a new generation is exposed to a new He-Man and a new series aptly named, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.

The animation for this version of He-Man was updated for a 21st century audience. Now, like other 80s cartoons that are being reinvented, I had to decide whether recreating one of my very favorite childhood cartoons was a good thing or not. I had avoided watching the show on television unintentionally. My son was watching it and I didn’t even realize it. So, when I was told I had the chance to review He-Man and the Masters of the Universe – Volume One I mustered up my strength and courage, hoping for something at least somewhat entertaining. I haven’t seen any type of He-Man cartoon since what…1987? I was expecting the worst. What I ended up with was a happy surprise.

Release Information:
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe – Volume One is the first 13 episodes of the first season. This series first aired on August 26, 2002. It lasted for two seasons. Due to poor advertising on the part of Cartoon Network (according to fans) the show was canceled before an extended second or third season could be produced. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is now somewhat of a cult favorite, much like its predecessor series.

On February 19, 2008, Navarre Corporation released He-Man and the Masters of the Universe – Volume One. Released in a three-DVD set, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe – Volume One, is available both online and offline, for purchase. The He-Man and the Masters of the Universe – Volume One DVD is available at Amazon, for $16.99.

The He-Man and the Masters of the Universe – Volume One Plot
This He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is fun entertainment for the whole family. Parents who enjoyed the original series, as I did, will enjoy a look back at a remake of a series they remember fondly. Children get to see a new, fun adventure series that parallels the story of a cartoon they never really knew existed. I recommend this series for kids between the ages of 5-14 though plenty of “big kids” will love it, too. The creators of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe were about as respectful as they could be towards the original series. For that, I’m grateful.

The first thirteen episodes are split up on three discs. The episodes include:

“The Beginning: Part One”
“The Beginning: Part Two”
“The Beginning: Part Three”
“The Courage of Adam”
“Skywar”
“The Deep End”
“Lessons”
“The Siren’s Song”
“The Ties That Bind”
“Dragon’s Brood”
“Turnabout”
“Mekaneck’s Lament”
“Night of the Shadow Beasts”

The storyline features on a young prince named Adam, whose father, King Randor, rules over the land of Eternia with his wife, Queen Marlena. Adam is special because he has been chosen to be a hero by The Sorceress of Castle Grayskull and the Council of Elders to keep the powers of evil from taking over Eternia. At the same time, he is to protect the secrets of Castle Grayskull. The ironic part is that Adam cannot tell anyone that he is He Man. He is often labeled a coward by the girl he likes, Teela, a warrior teen who thinks that Adam is a wimp since he always disappears during battles. The only one who knows his secret is Teela’s adopted father and Randor’s close friend/basic second in command, Man-At-Arms.

He Man is joined by his stead, Battle Cat, who is Adam’s ‘fraidy cat tiger, Cringer, when not in battle mode. There is also a creature, Orko, that knows Adam is He Man. Becuase Orko has such a big mouth, Man-At-Arms constantly has to remind him to shut up. Most of the comic relief from the show comes from Orko. In this version, Battle Cat doesn’t talk though this doesn’t take away from the enjoyment of the show. Together, with the Masters of the Universe (including Man-At-Arms, Man-E-Faces, and Teela), He Man fights off the evil Skeletor and his cronies that include the mouthy Evil-Lyn amongst others. All of the episodes show the evil-doers coming up with ideas to either take down He Man, take down Eternia, or distract He Man so they can take over Eternia. Of course, He Man never lets them.

The voice acting for He-Man and the Masters of the Universe – Volume One is decent. Sure, it isn’t the original Skeletor (who was fabulous) or He Man, but the ninja turtle, Clarke does a decent job of making He Man sound mature and confident and Adam sound like a young teen. The distinction makes He Man and Adam harder to imagine as being the same individual. I always thought, like Superman, He Man’s true identity was just a little too obvious in the original, but that’s just me. Skeletor sounds almost identical, but not quite, so the creators did a good job of not making this series too different. Overall, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe – Volume One is entertaining. That’s what is important.

Storyline/Plot: 4 out of 5 stars
Replayability: 4 out of 5 stars
Acting: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Directing: 4 out of 5 stars

Audio/Visual:
I was surprised to find that He-Man and the Masters of the Universe – Volume One was transfered at a 1.78:1 aspect ratio in anamorphic widescreen. This must be because the cartoon was originally made less than ten years ago. The creators of the show wanted to go all out on this one. The picture looks great. There are no visible errors animation wise or with the video quality. I was impressed.

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe – Volume One features Dolby Digital Stereo sound in English. Sure, it’s not nearly as impressive as the video quality, but its still a decent soundtrack. I didn’t need to fiddle with the volume. Everything came through loud and clear. It was good, but not spectacular.

Visual: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Audio: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Bonus Features:
Spread out across the three discs that make up He-Man and the Masters of the Universe – Volume One are bonus features. There are commentaries by Dean Stefan, Ian Richter, and Gary Hartle on the disc one episodes “The Beginning: Part One”, “The Beginning: Part Two”, “The Beginning: Part Three” and “The Courage of Adam”. There are more commentaries on disc two by Larry Ditillio, Gary Hartle, Ian Richter, and Dean Stefan on the episode “Lessons. There is a DVD-Rom feature on disc three, which features all 13 scripts for the episodes in this set. There are multiple galleries including a sketch gallery, a heroes still gallery and background gallery.

Additional features are also found on disc three. There are animatics for “The Beginning: Part One”, “The Beginning: Part Two” and “The Beginning: Part Three”. There is a featurette that comes in at 25 minutes entitled “World of He-Man”. There are also extended video commentaries for all of the episodes on discs one and two that featured commentaries. You will get art cards with this DVD set. At the end of each episode, there is a moral to the story. Overall, this set is filled with bonuses, making it well worth purchasing for fans of the series.

Bonus Features: 5 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line:
Okay, I’ll admit it. I liked the 13 episodes presented on He-Man and the Masters of the Universe – Volume One more than I thought I would. It’s not the original series, but it is incredibly respectful for fans of the original to enjoy. It expands on many of the storylines from the original and makes what we already know of the story, more interesting. If you like He-Man and the Masters of the Universe in any of its incarnations, you need to check He-Man and the Masters of the Universe – Volume One out. Rent it just in case, you’re a die hard fan of the original series. If you’re like me though, you’ll want to own both sets…this and the original.

Overall Rating: 4.07 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Volume One, Cartoon, Remake, DVD Review, Family, Cam Clarke, Gary Chalk

If you like Storm Hawks, the original, Cartoon Network show about a group of teenage defenders of the sky and the mountain top communities that are located within their realm, then you will want to purchase a copy of Storm Hawks: Tales from the Atmos. These are actual episodes from the first season of the series. While this isn’t my favorite cartoon, I was impressed by this series. I can see myself turning it on if nothing else seems to strike my fancy, but I won’t say that I’m going to go out of my way to watch the show. It’s good, but not addictive.

Release Information:
Storm Hawks: Tales from the Atmos is going to be released by Sony Pictures on January 15, 2008. This set of Storm Hawks cartoons features five episodes from Season One of the popular television show, which airs on Cartoon Network. Storm Hawks: Tales from the Atmos has episodes that aired from June 25, 2007 to July 23, 2007.

Released together with the very first five episodes of the series, which were included on Storm Hawks: Hawks Rise Again, Sony has offered the first ten episodes of Season One, with the series now in its third season. I can already hear fans complaining about the series being split up in five episode chunks. However, the price for one disc is somewhat reasonable. On Amazon both DVDs are selling for $14.99 a piece.

The Storm Hawks: Tales from the Atmos Plot
Storm Hawks: Tales from the Atmos picks up where its predecessor DVD, Storm Hawks: Hawks Rise Again left off. This DVD features episodes 1.6-1.10. These episodes are named, “Best Friends Forever”, “The Black Gorge”, “Absolute Power”, “Velocity” and “Fire and Ice”. While I won’t go into too much detail concerning the actual plot of the series, you can check out my review of Storm Hawks: Hawks Rise Again for that, I will say that the show revolves around a group of teenagers called the Storm Hawks. Finn, Piper, Stork, Radarr, and Junko are led by the last descendant of the original Storm Hawks squadron and the newly appointed Sky Knight, Aerrow. Together they will defend the kingdom of a thousand mountaintops, Atmos from its enemies, in particular, the evil Cyclonians.

On the Storm Hawks: Tales from the Atmos DVD, the second set of five episodes begins when Piper quickly befriends Lark, a mysterious stranger who seems anxious to get to know Piper and the rest of the Storm Hawks. With Lark, looks can be deceiving and when Piper finds out Lark’s true identity, she must defend herself and the other Storm Hawks in order to survive the battle. From there, the Storm Hawks are stranded in the Black Gorge. No one has ever escaped the Black Gorge so it is up to Stork to guide them out of what seems like a situation they cannot win. After escaping the Gorge, Aerrow must head out with Starling, an ally Sky Knight, to battle Repton and his cronies of Raptors. As a result, he leaves Finn in charge of the Storm Hawks ship. With all the power going to his head, the Storm Hawks may be in more danger than Aerrow and Starling.

The last two episodes on the disc feature Aerrow, who finally has the chance to show off his skills with his transforming motorcycle. As he enters the big motorcycle race on Terra Samharr he must not only beat the usual cast of characters, he also must beat a mystery man clad in a mask, who certainly doesn’t play fair. Once the race has ended, Repton is back for some additional action. He’s taking over Terra Blizzaris. The icy terrain really heats up, to the point where the Storm Hawks must team up with the Absolute Zeroes to cool things down.

I found this set of five episodes nearly as engaging as the last four. If you have a Storm Hawks fan in your house, both DVDs are a necessity. At this time, it isn’t clear whether a season one disc with all of the episodes will be made available. Unfortunately, you’re going to have to buy them in these sets if you wish to own the episodes at this time. Luckily, they aren’t too expensive, but waiting for additional episodes to be released does seem like a pain for fans of the show. I am of the belief that DVD Box Sets should be released in seasons, but that’s just me. Ultimately, you’ll need to decide if paying for the episodes five at a time is worth it to you.

Storyline/Plot: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Replayability: 4 out of 5 stars
Acting: 4 out of 5 stars
Directing: 4 out of 5 stars

Audio/Visual:
As I mentioned in the review for the Storm Hawks: Hawks Rise Again, the quality of the DVD is decent. The colors are vibrant and the drawing is quite intensive. Some of the animation does seem to have the occasional error in pixelation and some soft spots in the transfer. Storm Hawks: Tales from the Atmos was transferred at an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. This full fame presentation is good enough that you won’t be distracted by any slight animation or visual errors.

The audio is great. It’s presented in English and has English and Spanish Subtitles as well as Closed Captioning. The sound comes through crystal clear. There is no need to play with audio options on your television and no sound adjustment is needed between episodes.

Visual: 4 out of 5 stars
Audio: 5 out of 5 stars

Bonus Features:
There is only one bonus feature included on the Storm Hawks: Tales from the Atmos disc. This bonus, which is called “The Cyclonians” takes a quick look at, yep, you guessed it…the Cyclonians. These are the enemies of the Storm Hawks squadron and all of Atmos. While this isn’t an in depth look and doesn’t run for more than 1-2 minutes, if you aren’t exactly sure of who each character is, each Cyclonians name is listed then a few seconds of animation shows the character in action. It’s not much, but it is more than what most cartoon DVDs seem to offer.

Bonus Features: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line:
Storm Hawks: Tales from the Atmos is enjoyable. This is the type of show that young boys and girls are going to enjoy. It’s perfect for what you would assume to be a Cartoon Network audience. While some adults, particularly a male audience, are going to get into Storm Hawks, this show won’t be for everyone. With its unique concept, it’s worth giving Storm Hawks a try. You should be able to catch it on Cartoon Network (check local listings) before purchasing Storm Hawks: Tales from the Atmos. If you like it though, I recommend buying this disc so you can watch your favorite episodes any time you want.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: Storm Hawks, Tales from the Atmos, Cyclonians, Master Cyclonis, Aerrow, Piper, Junko, Lark, Radarr, Starling, Finn, Stork

You know the drill. You’ve seen it before. It’s Scooby Doo. What more is there to it? When Scooby Doo was first created, it was done so with a formula. That formula has, for the most part, been followed to a T, throughout most of the various series. What’s New, Scooby Doo? is just one of the many and sadly, if you’ve seen one episode of Scooby, you’ve seen them all. So, why do these series keep getting made? Part of it is money and the other part is the characters. Scooby and Shaggy are just so loveable. Who can resist hearing Scooby’s famed “giggle” and watch the two bring on trouble on their quest to find their latest ‘Scooby Snacks’?

Release Information:
What’s New, Scooby Doo? was one of many different variations of the Scooby Doo television show. This one aired for three seasons and brought in the voices of many past Scooby Doo alumni including Frank Welker, Casey Kasem, and Mindy Cohn. What’s New, Scooby Doo aired from September 21, 2002 to January of 2006. Reruns of the three seasons of the series currently air on Cartoon Network.

What’s New, Scooby Doo – Season Three was released on January 8, 2008 by Turner Home Entertainment and Warner Bros. The season is available in a two disc set. There is 288 minutes of Scooby Doo fun included in the What’s New, Scooby Doo – Season Three box set. The two disc set is available through Amazon for $16.99. This is the average price I’ve seen for this set at most of the major retailers that you can purchase this set at both online and off.

The What’s New, Scooby Doo? – Season Three Plot
What’s New, Scooby Doo? – Season Three is a newer version of the original Scooby Doo television series. While I’m not sure how much I like the fact that Casey Kasem claims that Shaggy is a vegetarian (didn’t he used to eat huge sandwiches all the time?!) because I’m pretty sure that’s just Casey trying to make Shaggy just like him.

Regardless, What’s New, Scooby Doo? – Season Three is a fun show if not a bit repetitive. It’s the same Scooby Doo fare I grew up with, you grew up with, your kids have grown up with, your grandkids are growing up with…eh you get the picture! There are 13 episodes included in the What’s New, Scooby Doo? – Season Three two-disc box set. The episodes that aired in season three and are included on this DVD are:

#3.1 – “Fright House of a Lighthouse”
#3.2 – “Go West, Young Scoob”
#3.3 – “Wrestle Maniacs”
#3.4 – “Ready to Scare”
#3.5 – “Famed and Dangerous”
#3.6 – “Diamonds are a Ghouls Best Friend”
#3.7 – “A Terrifying Round with a Menacing Metallic Clown”
#3.8 – “Camp Comeoniwannascareya”
#3.9 – “Block-Long Hong Kong Terror”
#3.10 – “Gentleman, Start Your Engines”
#3.11 – “Gold Paw”
#3.12 – “Reef Grief!”
#3.13 – “E-Scream”

In this set, there is typical, Scooby Doo mystery solving with many of the voices you’ll recognize. There’s the voice God himself, Frank Welker as both Fred Jones (the part he originated) and Scoobert “Scooby” Doo. Casey Kasem reprises his most famous role as Norville “Shaggy” Rogers, a role he also originated. Mindy Cohn from Facts of Life fame returns as Velma Dinkley. She took over the role of Velma from B.J. Ward in 2004. The role of Velma was originated by Nicole Jaffe in the original, Scooby Doo, Where Are You series. Finally, Daphne Blake is spoken to perfection by well known voice actress, Grey DeLisle (Avatar: The Last Airbender, Grim & Evil), who has been voicing Daphne since 2001. She took over after a long list of actresses portrayed Daphne including Mary Kay Bergman, Heather North, and Kellie Martin.

I liked only a few of the episodes in this box set. One of them is “Camp Comeoniwannascareya” where Shaggy and Scooby go to camp as counselors, and as you might expect trouble and danger soon finds them. “E-Scream” was mildly humorous due to the fact that the cute, cuddly and deadly Fuzzy Terror is released at a Video Game Conference. As you can imagine, there’s plenty of irony in this episode.

I also really liked “Fright House of a Lighthouse”. In it, Velma meets her match in the ‘know-it-all’ independent detective, Verona Dempsey (Grey DeLisle). Verona and the Scooby Gang are both investigating a haunting at a lighthouse on Lake Michigan near the Wisconsin home of Fred’s Uncle Karl. Believed to be the ghost of a former Lighthouse Keeper, there is plenty of Scooby Doo fun to be had.

By the same token, by the end of What’s New, Scooby Doo? – Season Three, I was ready to move on to watching something else. I can only take so much Scooby Doo at one time. The stories are all similar with different locations and somewhat different plots. Still, you know the gang of Mystery Inc. is going to solve a mystery. It’s going to look like a ghost story or the story some other metaphysical being. In the end, there is going to be a logical explanation for everything, which is solved by Velma and someone is going to call them “those meddling kids” at some point during the episode.After a while, that gets repetitive and is one major downside to this series. Of course, with three seasons’ worth of the same old thing over and over, the lack of humor becomes apparent and the episodes suffer as a result.

Storyline/Plot: 3 out of 5 stars
Replayability: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Acting: 4 out of 5 stars
Directing: 3 out of 5 stars

Audio/Visual:
The visual quality of What’s New, Scooby Doo? – Season Three is pretty much your basic quality for a cartoon television series. The video was transferred at an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 and is displayed in full frames. While colors are lush and verdant and there are no problems with pixilation or compression errors, the transfer isn’t impressive at all. It’s standard and about the same quality as each episode had when they aired on television.

The Dolby Digital Stereo Surround Sound is equally unimpressive. The sound is standard, typical and while the mix seems to be decent enough that no volume adjustments are needed between episodes, it isn’t anything special. A 5.1 mix would have been nice, but usually cartoon DVDs don’t worry about improving the sound. That is a downside, in my opinion.

Visual: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Audio: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Bonus Features:
There are two bonuses included on the What’s New, Scooby Doo? – Season Three DVD. The first one is a Christmas Special that aired during the first season of What’s New, Scooby Doo? called “A Scooby Doo Christmas”. There is also a game on the DVD. This trivia game is called “Do You Know Your Scooby”. You’ll get to answer questions in the setup of a live-action game show about Scooby and other characters from the Scooby Doo franchise. While the offerings aren’t much, what is there is fun enough to hold your attention for a short time.

Bonus Features: 3 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line:
If you like Scooby Doo, and chances are, you already know if you do, then you will want to consider purchasing What’s New, Scooby Doo? – Season Three. The show is child friendly. Kids of all ages will love this cartoon though I can see it appealing the most to audiences 5 and up. While this isn’t the end all be all of Scooby Doo series, this is one of the better, newer versions of the show. You may want to try to catch an episode of What’s New, Scooby Doo? on Cartoon Network, since reruns of the show air on a daily basis. If you like it, I recommend the purchase.

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: What’s New Scooby Doo, Season Three, Warner Bros, Frank Welker, Casey Kasem, Mindy Cohn, Grey DeLisle, Scooby, Shaggy, Velma Dinkley, Daphne Blake, Freddy Jones

It’s hard to compare Storm Hawks to another cartoon. You might say it’s sort of like a Yu-Gi-Oh type of cartoon (minus the card playing) meets He-Man and Transformers in one. Still, that isn’t even an accurate description. Ultimately, Cartoon Network hit pay dirt when they commissioned the creation of the series Storm Hawks. I can’t say I love the series to the point where I can’t miss an episode. I also can’t say that I didn’t enjoy watching Storm Hawks because I did. I just think this show is more enjoyable for teens and tweens as opposed to an adult audience.

Release Information:
This disc contains the first run of episodes from the Storm Hawks television series, which is on Cartoon Network and is currently in its third season. The episodes on the Storm Hawks: Hawks Rise Again DVD ran from May 25, 2007, when the show first debuted on the network, and June 18, 2007. All of these episodes are a part of the first season. There are also a few, unconventional bonuses.

Sony Pictures is releasing Storm Hawks: Hawks Rise Again along with a second disc, Storm Hawks: Tales from the Atmos, on January 15, 2008. LI Kids has been given the privilege of reviewing both DVDs. Storm Hawks: Hawks Rise Again can be found online at Amazon and at both local and national retailers. The price for this disc at Amazon is $14.99.

The Storm Hawks: Hawks Rise Again Plot
Storm Hawks: Hawks Rise Again is made up of the first five episodes of the series. The five episodes included on this DVD are “Age of Heroes: Part I”, “Age of Heroes: Part II”, “Gale Force Winds”, “The Code” and “Tranquility Now”. These episodes aired in 2007 as 1.1-1.5 and really set the tone for the entire series. This show is going to appeal to both boys and girls though it will primarily have a male audience. I can see both tweens (maybe 7-8 until 12) and younger teens (13-15) really getting into Storm Hawks. It doesn’t make an effort to segregate to certain age groups. The humor is slightly juvenile for adults to enjoy too much, though the action sequences are cool enough for men out there to think this show is worth watching.

Storm Hawks takes place in the fantasy world of Atmos. The world is made up of thousands of mountaintop communities and all of them are guarded and protected by its own Sky Knight. The Sky Knights were responsible for keeping Atmos at peace and removing the enemies of the kingdom from it. The primary enemies were thieves and rogues though the most dangerous enemies were the Cyclonians, a race that has been trying to take over Atmos and destroy the Sky Knights forever.

History tells us that the greatest Sky Knight in Atmos led his own squadron called the Storm Hawks. Their mission was to unite Atmos and get rid of all of its enemies forever. This valiant Sky Knight and his Storm Hawks were defeated due to a betrayal by one of his own and his mission failed with no hope of success until the present, which is where the series begins in “Age of Heroes: Part I”. The first person we meet is the person who gives us the aforementioned history lesson. His name is Aerrow.

Aerrow is a teenager, a Sky Knight, and the last living descendant of the original Storm Hawks. As a newly knighted Sky Knight, Aerrow is teaming up with an unlikely group of teens who are going to form a new Storm Hawks squadron and squash the enemy once and for all.

Aarow is joined by Finn, who is the smart ass of the team, Junko, who is the strength of the team, Piper who is some sort of specialist, the primary pilot, Stork, and Radarr, who is a creature of some sort that plays co-pilot for Aerrow in the same manner R2-D2 did for the Jedis. He’s multi-purpose as he works as a technical specialist and a sky machine repairman all in one. He looks more like a cross between a drunken cat and a Neopet than a piece of metal like R2. Speaking of sky machines, the way in which Aerrow and the other Storm Hawks travel is through funky motorcycles that transform (hence the comparison earlier to Transformers) into cool looking flying machines.

In the first five episodes of Storm Hawks the team faces one of its biggest enemies. Despite the fact that Aerrow is a Sky Knight, no one takes his group seriously. They’re just a group of teenagers. Aerrow finds out one of the older Sky Knights, the Dark Ace has betrayed his oath to always defend Atmos and has teamed up with the leader of the Cyclonians, Master Cyclonis, to take over Atmos. The Dark Ace has stolen the most precious stone in Atmos, the Aurora stone, which will aid Cyclonis’ mission. Aerrow and the Storm Hawks must try to intervene. Unfortunately, it is all of the Cyclonians versus the five of them, plus another Sky Knight, Starling.

From here, the Storm Hawks must rescue the granddaughter of the Terra Gale Resistance and Liberation Front. They meet the very interesting Dove, who has apparently been kidnapped by the Cyclonians. What they find when they sneak in to rescue here is more than they bargain for and then some. The Storm Hawks also have to compete against another group, known as the Rex Guardians for the prized Phoenix Stone and the last episode on this DVD has the Storm Hawks fighting Snipe and Ravess (Cyclonians), two enemies of the Atmos. Unfortunately for them they might just have to do it without their strong man, Junko. Ever since Finn lost his Knuckle Busters, fighting just isn’t the same for Junko. If the Storm Hawks don’t find a solution to this problem they might be severely lacking in their ability to defeat the enemies effectively.

Overall, this show is enjoyable. It has the right blend of action, humor, and attitude in it. It isn’t violent to the point where I wouldn’t let my child watch the show. I think children as young as 5-6 could get into Storm Hawks though I think it is going to be the older kids, the tweens especially, that are going to like the show the most.

Storyline/Plot: 5 out of 5 stars
Replayability: 4 out of 5 stars
Acting: 4 out of 5 stars
Directing: 4 out of 5 stars

Audio/Visual:
Storm Hawks: Hawks Rise Again was transferred at an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. It is displayed in fullscreen, which is typical for a cartoon/television show. The visual aspect of Storm Hawks: Hawks Rise Again is fairly decent. The animation sort of reminded me of video game animation and in some of the scenes it seemed like there were some pixelation problems during some of the transitions. I think this is just the way the show was developed, but it was so minor a problem it didn’t really bother me. The actual visual elements of the show totally rock. I want a flying, transforming motorcycle with a crystal-inspired turbo engine, too!

The audio for Storm Hawks: Hawks Rise Again is stellar. From the catchy, action-inspired theme music to the spoken text, everything comes through loud and clear. The sound is in English for this Region 1 disc and subtitles are available in both English and Spanish. Closed Captioning is also available for the hearing impaired. Overall, there are no complaints with the sound. Most of the sounds stuck to the front though those that swelled to the back were full and robust, complimenting the action and excitement going on, on the screen.

Visual: 4 out of 5 stars
Audio: 5 out of 5 stars

Bonus Features:
I wasn’t expecting Storm Hawks: Hawks Rise Again to have any bonuses. Most cartoons do not seem to have them, especially cartoons that air as a television series. Though the offerings aren’t huge, they are better than nothing. There is a quick montage (maybe two minutes tops) called “Storm Hawks Squadron”. This shows off the skills of each of the members of the Storm Hawks team. There is another short featurette, maybe a minute in length, entitled “The Storm Hawks Weapons”. This features everything from Piper’s Energy Staff to Aerrow’s Twin Energy Blades. It also includes enemy weapons like Master Cyclonis’ Crystal Staff and Snipe’s Energy Mace.

Finally, the bonus section offers previews for upcoming DVD releases by Sony Pictures. The list of previews includes Spectacular Spiderman: Animated Series, Cole and Dylan Sprouse’s new movie, The Prince and the Pauper, The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep, The Final Season, Daddy Day Camp, Roxy Hunter and the Mystery of the Moody Ghost, Are We Done Yet? , Surfs Up, and The Last Day of Summer/Shredderman Rules.

Bonus Features: 3 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line:
The thing that I liked the most about Storm Hawks: Hawks Rise Again is the fact that the series and the episodes contained on this disc are original. I had to think before I could find any type of comparison for this show. While it does contain elements of other cartoons from the past and present, there really isn’t anything like it on television. I had pretty much given up on Cartoon Network, which no longer airs cartoons that are worthwhile these days, but Storm Hawks really is a winner. Give this DVD and the series a try. If you like fantasy, action, and fun, I definitely think you’ll enjoy Storm Hawks.

Overall Rating: 4.2 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: Storm Hawks, Hawks Rise Again, Cartoon Network, Aerrow, Radarr, Stork, Finn, Piper, Junko, Sky Knight, Atmos