Johnny Bravo – Season One (1997/Cartoon Network/Warner Bros. DVD)

 

Picture: B     Sound: B     Extras: B     Episodes: B+

 

 

Ohhh! Mama!  Johnny Bravo is a wonderfully brilliant animated series that harkens back to classic Hanna Barbera styling and slapstick humor.  The series originally premiered in 1997 on Cartoon Network and finally ended its long run in 2004.  The series is now considered an animated classic (royalty if you will) for Cartoon Network and among many diehard fans.  It managed to start the career of many big names in the animation business; with creative gurus like Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy) being a writer on the series. The series remains fresh and funny after all this time; leaving audiences always wanting more.

 

Johnny Bravo follows the antics of the dimwitted Johnny as he gets himself into an array of odd situations; most of the time centering on getting the ladies.  Whereas Johnny may be a lady chaser, he is also a kid heart and a mama’s boy.  He is blindly optimistic as he is shot down by chick, after chick; yet is oddly never discouraged.  His obsession with his hair and women coupled with his heart of gold, make for an interesting character that is fun to watch.  The series is well written and manages to stay on target as it emphasizes the hilarity that can exist in the simplest situations.

 

The episodes are composed of multiple (usually unrelated) segments and are as follows:

 

Disc 1:

 

- Johnny Bravo / Jungle Boy in "Mr. Monkeyman" / Johnny Bravo and the Amazon Women
- Super Duped / Bungled In The Jungle / Bearly Enough Time!
- The Sensitive Male! / Bravo Dooby-Doo
- Date with an Antelope / Did You See a Bull Run by Here? / Cookie Crisis
- I Used to Be Funny / My Fair Dork / Twas the Night
- Blarney Buddies / Over the Hump! / Johnny Bravo Meets Farrah Fawcett
- Blankey Hanky Panky / Talk to Me, Baby / Hip Hop Flop
- Beach Blanket Bravo / The Day the Earth Didn't Move Around Very Much / The Aisle of Mixed-Up Toys

 

Disc 2:

 

- Substitute Teacher / A Wolf in Chick's Clothing / Intensive Care
- Jumbo Johnny / The Perfect Gift / Bravo, James Bravo
- Going Batty / Berry the Butler / Red Faced in the White House
- The Man Who Cried "Clown" / Johnny Real Good / Talky Tabitha!
- Johnny Meets Adam West! / Under the Big Flop / Johnny Meets Donny Osmond

 

 

As you can notice from the episode titles alone, there is an overwhelming amount of pop culture references throughout the series.  No only does Johnny Bravo utilize classic slapstick comedy, but also delivers intelligent and well written episodes that are multifaceted and memorable.  A truly great series that will stand the test of time.

The technical features on this first Jonny Bravo set are very nice all around.  The picture is solid as it has vivid and bright colors with a crisp image and framing blacks.  Whereas many other series fail to deliver (especially in early season releases) Johnny Bravo manages to pull it off with good picture quality.  The sound is a bit simpler in its Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo format, but the mainly dialogue driven series comes through clean and clear without any softness or distortion.

 

The extras are another admirable feature on this set as they include a bunch of interesting features.  Extras include Bringing Up Johnny Bravo: Feature on How an Iconic Animation Star Was Born, Commentary on 3 Key Episodes by Creator Van Partible and Other Creative Personnel, The Sensitive Male! Temp Track: Seth MacFarlane Temp Track for This Episode’s Songs and Johnny Bravo Original Pencil Tests for 2 Episodes.  All in all there is not a wasted extra and it is nice to see Johnny Bravo getting the proper treatment.

 

Hey! Ho! Ohhhhh! Mama! It is time to get this set…

 

 

-   Michael P. Dougherty II