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Popeye the Sailor 1938-1940: Volume Two |
Though I don’t normally find the
opinions of consumers on online stores all the
dependable, I’ve discovered if you want to know the
real deal behind these animation DVD’s for the
“collector,” you have no choice but to go to the
online stores and hear the collectors praise or
complain about what they didn’t get in return for
their dough. For example, with this release, I
learned that there is a disc one trade in for
consumers since a few of the shorts contain
alternate opening sequences instead of the original
sequences. You may think its rabble rousing for the
sake of rabble rousing, but collectors take this
stuff seriously. At over 218 minutes long and
featuring two discs altogether, “Volume Two” or the
1938-1940 theatrical Popeye shorts is something that
will mainly appeal to only collectors. Unless some
of you reading this were alive during the forties.
Damn, you’re old. Volume Two makes due on its
promises to the collector with plenty of
entertaining shorts restored from its original
quality looking rather fantastic on screen. From
sharp defined picture, to crystal clear sound and
voice work, this is a DVD set you’ll definitely want
to enjoy Popeye at his top. The humor is still
sharp, the animation surreal, and the Fleischer
brothers often appeal to the conventions of the
theatrical crowd by breaking the fourth wall. |
| It’s a laugh to see Olive
look out into the audience and scream “Is there
a doctor in the house?!” There’s nothing really
formula about the series of shorts as the
Flesicher brothers sought to mix it up every now
and then. Sometimes Popeye fought Bluto,
sometimes Bluto appeared briefly through someone
mentioning him. Sometimes Popeye fought a
villain, sometimes Popeye was trying to complete
a task with Wimpy or Olive, and sometimes Popeye
was just being a brat to which punishment from
Olive Oil ensued. It’s something future Popeye
shorts missed the point of. There’s still a lot
to do with the character beyond watching him and
Bluto butting heads. Among some great features
are introductions before most of the toons in
the discs that discuss more of the notable guest
characters including Eugene the Jeep in one of
the better shorts of the compilation. You’ll
likely be on one short for a half hour being
compelled to watch the introduction, the
commentary and then the actual short itself, and
you have to appreciate Warner living up to their
promise of keeping the collector busy. You can
also access the commentaries and Popumentaries
lumped together, and there is of course “Out of
the Inkwell: The Fleischer Story,” a forty seven
minute story about the Fleischers and their ever
lasting legacy. Now this is a DVD collection,
folks. |
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Popeye & Friends: Volume One |
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Aimed more towards children (fingers crossed, eh?),
the salty sailor becomes a Hanna Barbera staple in
his 1976 series that I can recall with some fondness
back in the good days of syndication. This new
series is pretty much as formula and predictable as
the aforementioned Popeye series except now in
color. This Volume One DVD only has about an hour
total with eight shorts from the series and zero
extras aboard save for the menu. The picture quality
is average with the entire series presented in full
screen format. I was a little surprised that they
didn’t opt for a more defined picture instead of the
usual quality we’ve seen all Hanna Barbera series
in, in the past. “Popeye & Friends” took a more
Donald Duck and nephew approach by teaming Popeye
with a slew of his supporting characters.
No
narrative, no arc, and no central theme, the series
is a variation of: Popeye is having a good day, a
conflict is introduced, Bluto either is the cause of
the conflict or makes the conflict worse, a battle
ensues, Popeye eats spinach, battle finishes, and
Bluto is defeated thrown to the wayside run with his
tails between his legs and fight another day!
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For collectors
mainly, “Popeye & Friends” Volume One is a nice
series with some great animation and admirable
voice work all around. You have to give it to
the writers though, who seem intent on making
every cartoon seem as unique as possible within
the limitations of sticking to formula. Every
supporting character has their chance in the
spotlight with Popeye as Bluto remains the
perpetual thorn in Popeye’s side that the sailor
approaches with a casual heroism rendering Bluto
a petty annoyance. For folks who watch them in
passing, I think you’ll garner some
entertainment, but one whole sitting will find
the viewer exhausted with the series intent on
being strictly similar to the short before it.
All in all, the series is good fun if you like
your cartoons repetitive, formulaic, and
predictable; because the hardcore Popeye fan and
collector could argue that it’s all a part of
the sailor’s charm, after all. It’s just
unfortunate that there are zero extras, and the
quality is lacking.
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Felix Vasquez Jr.
6/18/08
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