Classic Saturday morning superheroes come to DVD in all of their cheesy, nostalgic glory. Superman, Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and the Wonder Twins Zan Jayna and their space monkey Gleek amuse us once again.
If you were a kid when these episodes aired, nostalgia is probably the only reason you might want this set. If you have kids of your own now, that might be another reason to purchase this 2-disc, 32 episode collection.
My five year old absolutely loves the set and watches it over and over. I had to review it and sit through all 32 episodes, so my ten year old and I made fun of a few technical things such as how does Wonder Woman find her invisible jet? And why did a blast from the space insects’ ray hurt Superman when he is invincible except for the occasional Kryptonite?
The animation is very dated, and occasionally you might find yourself wondering why they didn’t finish the symbol on Superman’s chest or why Robin doesn’t have a completely drawn nose. Also, the messages are very dated and trite. In-between episodes are safety lessons, puzzles, health tips, and magic tricks. I had to laugh when Wonder Woman took time out of her busy animated day to compliment someone on crossing the street correctly.
However, to state again, my five loves this set, and I loved the Superheros as a five year old, also. But my five year old is also smarter than I was - an episode featuring the Amazon has Aquaman is swimming in crystalline, pristine water, and my son said with great agitation, “Everyone knows the Amazon River is dark and dirty!” Ah, smart boy, those Amazon documentaries he watches actually teach something if it is only useful in criticizing dated superhero animation.
There is one added bonus to this set in the special features department: The Wonder Twins Phenomenon, Zan and Jayna’s Impact on Pop Culture. This worth watching if you as a child went around saying, “Wonder Twins, activate! Form of…” Form of special features. Worth watching, if only once.
My kids and I didn’t exactly watch it on Saturday morning, more like Sunday afternoon, and instead of breakfast cereal, we had cheesy box macaroni, which was fitting, I suppose, in light of the material.
But it was a good trip down memory lane and I very much enjoyed this set. High recommended for the memory factor of any kid of the Star Wars generation and their kids. Can’t say I didn’t pass something on.
The All-New Superfriends Hour: Season One, Vol. 2 is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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