Rejoice “Bump in the Night” fans, Mill Creek has re-released the entire series of your beloved stop motion animated series on DVD. Every single episode is included in the new release, including the once rare episodes like “Night of the Living Bread” and “Twas the Night Before Bumpy.” Every single frame is included from every episode, so you can breathe easily, and pop in your DVD’s to celebrate one of the many misunderstood animated gems of the nineties.
The great Jim Cummings plays monster Mr. Bumpy, a green harmless monster who sings a lot and lives for eating socks, hence why we’re always missing them. He lives on the floor of a messy room alongside Squishy, a friendly monster from the toilet, as played by Rob Paulsen, and the friendly rag doll Molly Coddle. The trio always finds themselves in new situations, and corrects their troubles with a good song and dance number peppered throughout every episode.
When “Bump in the Night” premiered as a Saturday Morning cartoon back in 1994, even as an eleven year old, I knew the show just wouldn’t last very long here in America. Though it was promoted alongside the other surefire hits for kids, “Bump in the Night” was almost immediately taken off of Saturday morning line ups. After years and years of fans hoping for a complete series release, it’s here again (after a 2010 Shout! Factory release) and I’m happy to say Ken Pontac’s series is so much better than I remember it being. Back in 1994 I didn’t give the show a fair shake, admittedly, and only watched a few episodes.
Today it’s a fun and unique animated fantasy with some wild animation and unique soundtrack that will appeal to a select audience. Cummings is at full energy as Mr. Bumpy, offering an enthusiastic turn as a weird but lovable little monster, and the show has aged quite well. Featured in the DVD are unused songs and a very fascinating sketchbook of original sketches of the characters, that begins with a long and insightful introduction by creator Ken Pontac, who takes great pride in the show to this day. If you’re a nineties kid, or animation buff, “Bump in the Night” is worth collecting and a lot of fun.