The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack – Volume 1 (Warner/Cartoon Network DVD)
Picture:
B Sound: B- Extras: C Episodes: B
Why must
Cartoon Network tease me with much nonsensically small volumized set? Volume
One of The Marvelous Misadventures
of Flapjack ridiculously houses only the first 5 Episodes of Season One’s
26 episode run! I understand about
giving fans just a taste, but 5 episodes? That is plain ludicrous.
The
series uses both classic animation and stop-motion animation to give the show a
very, very unique feel. The series
centers on a young boy named Flapjack who was raised by a whale named Bubbie;
oddly enough he lived in her mouth and traveled the seas. One day Bubbie and Flapjack stumble across
(and save) a pirate named Captain K’nuckles, who tells the two a tale of a
place called Candied
Island. That one encounter gives the three reason to
team up and find the so called Candied
Island that is made
completely of candy and surrounded by a sea of lemonade. Along the way the three get is a series of
(not surprisingly) misadventures as they spend most of their time in Stormalong
Harbor and mix things up, causing mischief with the locals.
The
series is reminiscent of series like Rocko’s
Modern Life, Ren and Stimpy and
many other off-center cartoons that set the world on fire with their off-brand
of humor and animation. The characters
on the show seem to be constant contradictions of themselves and what they
stand for; leading to even more awkward and humorous situations. Captain K’nuckles is a disloyal, good for
nothing creep; whereas Bubbie stays loyal to Flapjack like a mother. The show uses both cartoony images (like the
three title characters) mixed with a grittier, more realistic style for the
rest of the odd cast. The shows
appearance is as if it hasn’t showered in….well ever; giving it a rough edge
and grossness unlike any other cartoon.
The
series has many adult like situations and jokes that will fly way over
children’s heads, but manages to keep a person of any age interested.
The
episodes included are:
- Several Leagues Under the
Sea/Eye Sea You
- Kid Nickels/The Sweet Life
- Several Leagues Above the
Sea/That’s a Wrap!
- Cammie Island/Shave and a
Haircut…Two Friends!
- Skooled/Snarked
The
technical features on this one disc set are not amazing, but get the job
done. The picture on this animated
series is quite impressive in its 1.78 X 1 presentation that is crisp, clean
and insanely colorful. It is a newer
series and lives up to the quality here on DVD that we would ask of a great
show. The audio is a tad simpler in its
Dolby Digital Stereo, but it gets the job done and is clean without noticeable
distortion.
The
extras include 4-Flaptastic Special Features including Adventures in Voice
Acting, Adventures in Animation, Misadventures in Song and Meet Thurop. The extras are ‘blah’ at best only giving
brief inside looks at voice acting, animation and song that are more or less
superficial self promotion.
I highly
recommend the series, but perhaps wait until a more substantial set arrives on
DVD or Blu-ray.
- Michael P. Dougherty II
