Lippy The Lion and Hardy Har Har (*)/Ultraman: The Adventure Begins (1987)/Ultraman Decker (2022 - 2023)/Ultraman Arc (2024 - 2025)/Wally Gator (*both 1962 - 1963/Hanna Barbera/Warner Archive/all Complete Series Blu-ray Sets)

Picture: B-/B+/B+/B+/B- Sound: C+/B+/B+/B+/C+ Extras: D/C+/D/D/D Main Programs: C+/B/B/B/C+

PLEASE NOTE: The Lippy The Lion and Hardy Har Har and Wally Gator Blu-ray sets are now only available from Warner Bros. through their Warner Archive series and can be ordered from the link below.

Now for more nostalgia TV, including a classic that is still running with new shows....

Lippy The Lion and Hardy Har Har (1962 - 1963) is another one of the early Hanna Barbera TV shows that featured fun characters and were very child-friendly early on in the history of TV animation. Though color TV was not arriving in a big way until 1965, the studio made their shows in color knowing color TV was coming and to future-proof their catalog. Produced on 16mm film for syndication, a market badly in need of product, with Lippy (Daws Butler) amusingly trying to find them the most of what they need in necessities (et al) with the least amount of effort and Hardy (Mel Blanc) hanging around no matter how wacky the consequences of all this is.

Running for one season and 52 adventures, the great voice acting duo is able to keep the fun and energy going for these simple situations and there are some laughs (some unexpected or unintended) throughout that make it a solid show that holds up better than you might expect. It is not loud and constantly hitting the (young) audience over the head with ideas, something we rarely see now, giving it a new value the makers could have never imagined.

There are no extras.

Ultraman: The Adventure Begins (1987) is a vintage animated feature that's now on Blu-ray from Mill Creek and is a perfect addition to their growing Ultraman titles on disc from their library.

A three person flying acrobatic team survives a crash with a strange meteor that fuses their bodies with beings from Nebula M78, who have come to Earth to protect the doomed planet from monstrous Kaiju threats. This animated film reminded me in some ways of the Fantastic Four in terms of its approach using a team dynamic vs otherworldly threats and the heroes building compassion.

The animated series features the voice talents of Michael Lembeck, Chad Everett, Adrienne Barbeau, Stacy Keach Sr., Lorna Patterson, and Robert David Hall.

Special Features include both US and Japanese versions of the series.

The 27th entry in the franchise, Ultraman Decker: The Complete Series and Movie (2022 - 2023) and predecessor to Ultraman Omega lands on Blu-ray from Mill Creek with a loaded edition that includes all 25 episodes of the series and the Ultraman Decker Finale: Journey to Beyond. This modern take on Ultraman shows just how far the franchise has come since the early days of its inception. What makes the series charming is how it uses old school techniques (guys in monster costumes and miniature cityscapes) mixed with modern special effects technology to make some very interesting and beautifully choreographed battle scenes with the kaiju.

The live action series stars Hiroki Matsumoto, Sae Miyazawa, Masaya Kikawada, Yuka Murayama, Nobunaga Daichi, and Kayano Masuyama.

The 25 episodes include Day of the Attack - Kanata's Resolve - Move out, GUTS-Select! - The Destructive Monster Awakens - Glutton of the Lake - Subterranean Monster Appears! and Appears! - The Light of Hope from the Red Planet - Light and Darkness, Again - Standing Tall for Someone Special - Man and Monster - Machine God Deployed - Neomegas Strikes Back - Jumble Rock - Birth of a Dark God - A Promise for Tomorrow - Stay as You Are - Investigation from the Past - Invitation from Another Dimension - Warriors on the Moon - Lord Ragon - The Price of Prosperity - The Fall of Bazdo - The Sky of Despair - End of a Dream, and The Light Far Beyond.

Special Features:

Ultraman playable card from the Ultraman card game

Collectible booklet Episode guide and linear notes.

The 34th series in the franchise, Ultraman Arc (2024 - 2025) is now available in a four disc set the consists of the series plus feature film. Featuring amazing special effects and lots of action, the show captures the spirit of the original series with more modern filmmaking techniques.

The series and film stars Kho Muzutani, Kolchiro Nishi, Yu Sakuma, Eriko Sato, Hinako, Tanaka, and Taketo Kubota.

25 episodes of the series include Arc to the Future - Legend in the Woods - Unleash Your Imagination - On the Kaiju's Trail - Ocean on the Mountain Ridge - Welcome to the Akebono Inn - The Full Moon's Answer - Internet Kanegon - Goodbye, Rin - To My Distant Friend - Message - You Are Givas - Shu's Report - Flash of the Past - The Wandering Future - The Light of Fear - Demon Slicing Meteor Sword - Arc Cooperation Request - The Transcending Wish - What is Passed Down - The Dream Bird - The Man in the White Mask - Calamity Thrice - The Descending Dream and Time to Run, Yuma!

Special Features: Collectible booklet and card.

Wally Gator (1962 - 1963) might be remembered a little more than Touche Turtle or Lippy The Lion and Hardy Har Har, but its form that same early cycle of child-friendly shows Hanna Barbera smartly produced to establish themselves and permanently establish the idea of television animation as its own thing. The title character (Daws Butler again) lives in a zoo and everyone thinks he is there all the time, including those who run it, but he gets out when he wants to and does what he wants. Too bad this often leads to mayhem.

I seem to remember this getting syndication play a little longer than Touche or Lippy for whatever reasons, most of these shows made for only a single seasons and syndicated as much as possible as the various studios made (including live action productions) other shows that no second seasons were ever intended to be made. Unless one of the shows were a big hit (Space Academy made Jason Of Star Command possible) that was it, though some of these characters might make appearances (at least cameos) in other later shows.

We get 53 adventures here, Wally drives Zookeeper Mr. Twiddle (Don Messick) nuts as all kinds of wacky things happen, thanks to Wally ability to treat the zoo like a hotel. The comedy style these early animated series established still works and is as charming as it is amusing. I'm glad Warner Archive was able to save this series too.

There are no extras.

Now for playback performance. The 1080p 1.33 X 1 digital High Definition image transfers on Lippy and Wally can show the age of the materials used, both (like Touche Turtle, also reviewed elsewhere on this site) produced on 16mm film versus 35mm like other animated TV of the time, which is fine but not always great. Color is nice and consistent, but fine detail is just not here on the episodes. These look better than I have seen them look since I was a child and the opening for all the Wally shows looks like a new footage that is not 16mm or original from its first broadcasts, so it looks better than all the episodes that follow. The DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0 Mono lossless mixes on both also show their age and are among the early Hanna Barbera productions that had limited sonics, no matter what film format they were shot on. Like the picture, the sound has been restored and remastered as much as possible, but only so much could be done with what is here and what vault materials survived.

Ultraman: The Adventure Begins is presented in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray disc with an MPEG-4 AVC codec, a full frame aspect ratio of 1.33:1 and a lossless, English DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0 mix which captures the look and feel of the film perfectly. This is definitely a nice looking restoration that doesn't show its age in terms of presentation with visually pleasing animation throughout that is in the same vein as other Hanna Barbera adventure/action cartoons of the time. This set includes an all new English dub for the series.

Ultraman Decker is presented in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray disc with an MPEG-4 AVC codec, a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and a English DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit) lossless mix. The presentation on the disc is pretty solid overall with no glaring issues that detract from the presentation.

Ultraman Arc is presented in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray disc with an MPEG-4 AVC codec, a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and English and Japanese DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0 Stereo (48kHz, 24-bit) lossless mixes. The show looks fantastic on disc with little to complain about in terms of its high definition presentation.

To order the Lippy The Lion and Hardy Har Har and/or Wally Gator Warner Archive Blu-ray sets, go to this link for them and many more great web-exclusive releases at:

https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/ED270804-095F-449B-9B69-6CEE46A0B2BF?ingress=0&visitId=6171710b-08c8-4829-803d-d8b922581c55&tag=blurayforum-20

- Nicholas Sheffo and James Lockhart (Ultraman)

https://letterboxd.com/jhl5films/