Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Happy Freak-A-Day! It’s FREAKAZOID! on DVD!

Today, FREAKAZOID! Season Two was released on DVD to much rejoicing… and pie!


For more information on the show and previous DVD release, read my review of FREAKAZOID! Season One HERE.

FREAKAZOID! (1995-1997) was a happy anomaly, even among the high-quality, (mostly) all ages fare of the WB Network’s Saturday Morning lineup of the mid-late nineties.

Looking at it today, you could say “It was Family Guy, before there was Family Guy!” Slapstick, verbal humor an adult can enjoy, pop culture references galore, fourth wall breaking, and story-delaying humorous digressions that punctuate almost every episode!

So taken was I with this unique and outstanding animated satire, that it became a major stylistic influence on my freelance scriptwriting for Disney comic books like UNCLE SCROOGE! Watch the show, then read my comics… it’s rather obvious!

When Ben Stein and Hollywood’s Jack Valenti play themselves in episodes – and animated parody guest players range from Rush Limbaugh to Pope John-Paul II, you know you’re out of kiddie territory. Though Pinky and The Brain show up too – as well they should!

Alas, Saturday morning WAS “kiddie territory” and, while at 11 am, FREAKAZOID! preformed well enough to merit renewal, a Second Season shift to 8 AM resulted in its premature cancellation.

But, with this release, we now have the entire series to enjoy over and over again.

So let’s enjoy regular cast voices Ed Asner, late night’s Craig Ferguson, Jonathan Harris of LOST IN SPACE, everyone’s favorite sophisticate Ricardo Montalban, and the incomparable Paul Rugg as Freakazoid for their final 11 episodes.

Finally, how’s this for irony… with this release, we can now say that FREAKAZOID! outlasted the WB Network
! I only hope that Jamie Kellner walks through Best Buy this week!

HUGGBEES!

4 comments:

Chuck Munson said...

There's a DVD for me, someday a DVD for me... (with many apologies to "West Side Story"). When all is again right with the world I inhabit I will have this. So spot on, Joe.
BTW, I've entered the 20th Century myself and set up a blog last night. I called it "A Web Around My Blog" at chuckmunson.blogspot.com. Nothing there except a welcome, but more to follow.

Thad said...

STFU. Freakazoid sucks.

ramapith said...

Thad being bitter? I'm shocked... shocked, I tell you!

Joe Torcivia said...

Now, now… David! Thad is entitled to his opinion… and Jamie Kellner’s!

If he can watch “Bonjour Lobey” without even cracking a smile, he’s a better man than I!