ReBoot: Seasons One & Two (1994 – 96/Shout!
Factory DVD)
Picture: C+ Sound: B- Extras: C- Episodes: B+
Being the first fully
computer animated program on television, ReBoot earned a lot of positive
attention from kids like myself back in the mid-nineties when it first aired. The show fit well alongside viewings of The
X-Men, Batman and various other animated programs of the time, but
it's unique approach to visuals set it apart from the rest. In a world before Toy Story, this was
revolutionary stuff.
Next-gen video game
systems, however, were just on the horizon. Since much of the appeal of ReBoot
seemed to be directly tied to the futuristic look of it's 3-D rendered game
worlds, it began to lose its draw when this became more of a reality, rather
than just a far-off possibility. This
was at least true in the eyes of execs at ABC, who pulled it from their lineup
after it's Second Season.
These days, the program
looks rather dated in comparison to the latest and greatest in CG animation. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. The show exudes a style indicative of when it
was made, and will resonate with my generation as a reminder of the era we grew
up in. Another positive note is that you
can still relate to the characters and they remain expressive, without falling
into the “uncanny valley” that later films, such as The Polar Express (reviewed
in Blu-ray 3d elsewhere on this site) were unable to avoid.
The image is presented in
it's original 1.33:1 aspect ratio. Picture quality on the set is good, with
sharp visuals and vivid color. Sound is
excellent, and is in Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo.
Bonus features are slim to none, but include a commentary track that
spans the first three episodes of the series. Unfortunately, early copies of the set have a
defect on the disc that causes the commentary track to cut out during the third
episode. Reportedly, Shout! Factory is
making replacement discs available if you contact them regarding the issue,
should you run into it.
Considering the possibility
of running into this error and the lack of extras, you might be better off
considering waiting things out until June of this year. When the third and fourth season set ships
out, so too will a deluxe boxed set that includes all of the episodes, and presumably,
more bonus content.
If you can't wait until
then, this still makes an excellent purchase, and I recommend it highly to fans
of the show.
- David
Milchick
