Friends DVD - The Complete 1-10 Season

DVD - Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends: Complete Season 1 DVD - This DVD features Season 1 of the classic cartoon of that silly moose, Bullwinkle and his smart squirrel friend, Rocky, in the original broadcast order. The DVD also contains cartoons of the other famous characters from the series, including Dudley Do-Right & Mr. Peabody! The deluxe package comes with a 16 page booklet to follow as you watch each classic hysterical episode! ²²

The duo's main adversaries are Pottsylvanian spies Boris Badenov and Natasha Fatale. Rocky and Bullwinkle always unwittingly stumble into situations that attract the interest of these spies. Boris is a master of disguise, but even the Cold War's best spy training cannot protect him from Bullwinkle's inept bumbling, which often saves the lumbering moose and his squirrel friend from danger. ⁹

It took the pair eight months to drum up interest from the networks and advertisers, with General Mills finally coming aboard as the show's sponsor. The show, now re-titled Rocky and His Friends, joined ABC's weekday afternoon lineup in the fall of 1959. The series ran in that timeslot for two seasons before jumping networks and joining NBC's primetime schedule. This move saw another title change - The Bullwinkle Show. After a year in primetime, Bullwinkle moved to NBC's Sunday afternoon lineup. Over the next decade, reruns of the series jumped back and forth between ABC and NBC, running as late as 1981 on the latter network. ⁹

You can never have enough Friends. With this Deluxe 4-Disc Set of the Complete Season One, you have more: each episode contains Never-Before-Seen Moments every fan of Friends will savor. You'll be in fabulous company. ⁶

Through thick and thin, Friends has become one of the most enduring viewing habits in television history. This deluxe 4-disc set of the Complete Second Season delivers a richer roast of Friends pleasure, as each episode now includes Never-Before Seen Moments to make each serving more delicious. More Bonus Features have been percolated to make this the best Friends home video experience yet. ⁶

This deluxe 4-disc set of the complete season three offers even more Friends, since each episode incorporates never-before-seen moments that make each visit with them even more special. Irresistible bonus features add to the friendliness of it all. Pull up a couch and enjoy. ⁶

In this Deluxe 4-disc set of the complete Season Four, you'll discover more reasons to rejoice: each episode contains never-before-seen moments not originally broadcast. The set is also loaded with exclusive special features. Watch and rediscover why Friends are TV's unbeatable buddy system. ⁶

Starting in London, finishing in Las Vegas and bookending with weddings in both places, bet on this Deluxe 4-Disc set of the complete Season Five. Each episode boasts Never-Before-Seen Moments not originally broadcast. And you'll hit the jackpot with winning bonus features. You can't lose with Friends. ⁶

The features of the DVD are passable. Three of the episodes include commentary from executive producers Kevin S. Bright, Marta Kauffman, and David Crane. One of the more interesting features is Joey's Game Show Challenge, a Friends trivia game based on a game show that Joey auditions for in the season. ¹²

The show's sunny, goofball humor is accentuated by its incredible vocal talent. Producer and writer Bill Scott provides the voices of Bullwinkle, Dudley Do-Right, and Mr. Peabody. June Foray voices both Rocky and Natasha, while Paul Frees handles Boris. Just as important to the tone of the show are the narrators - Edward Everett Horton for "Fractured Fairy Tales" and William Conrad for the main Bullwinkle segments. Narration plays a major role in Rocky, and it is hard to imagine that the show would be as funny without the voices of Everett Horton and Conrad. ⁹

While it is commendable that Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends is being preserved on DVD, there are a few problems with this set that may annoy both novices and purists alike. The first is a minor quibble. Since the show has been broadcast under several different names over the years, it was decided that for this DVD release the series would be dubbed "Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends." This has led to the sometimes clumsy superimposition of the new title onto preexisting opening credits and interior bumpers. In most sequences it is barely noticeable, and many viewers will probably not be bothered by this at all, but in some sequences, the editing is jarring. ⁹

Over the past ten years or so, almost every major television network and cable channel has begun to run a transparent channel logo on the bottom right hand corner of the television screen. This was started to help maintain viewers' channel awareness in a time when the number of available channel options was mushrooming. This marketing tool is annoying, but viewers have become accustomed to what now seems like a permanent addition to the television screen. What is the point of this unnecessary intrusion? Viewers of the DVD have knowing purchased or rented it and therefore do not need to be reminded of the fact that they are watching Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends. Hopefully this will be dropped from future releases. Note to DVD producers: Crawls have become distractingly ubiquitous on TV newscasts. ⁹

The twenty-six episodes that make up season one are divided onto four discs. Each of the four discs are decorated with a portrait of one of the gang - Rocky on disc one, Mr. Peabody on disc two, Snidley Whiplash on disc three, and Natasha on disc four. The four discs are housed in a digipak colorfully decorated with all of the characters from the show. A folder in the digipak holds a booklet, and the digipak itself slides into an equally colorful cardboard sleeve. ⁹

All six of the friends bring characteristics to the show that make the viewer feel like they know them. Each one of the characters is funny in their own way and due to the shows fast pace there is never a boring episode. ³

All 23 episodes from season nine--including "The One Where No One Proposes," "The One with the Male Nanny," "The One Where Monica Sings," "The One with the Boob Job," and the two-part season finale "The One in Barbados"--are included in a four-disc set. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital Surround; Subtitles: English, French, Spanish; audio commentary on selected episodes; documentary; featurette; interviews; music video. ¹⁴

Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends employs a primitive animation technique. Its palette has the faded look of a child's drawing that has been created using cheap crayons and half-dry markers. What the series lacks in production values, however, is more than made up for in its visually interesting compositional style. Dirt and scratches are evident, as are the limitations of the low-budget animation, but for the most part these episodes look much better than they have previously looked in syndication. ⁹

All good things must come to an endand so, too, must the adventures of the Central Perk sextet. Along with the broadcast version of the double-length "The Last One," this limited collector's edition also includes a special version with bonus footage not seen on TV. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital 5.0; bonus pilot episode; music video; more. ¹⁴

Bye Bye Nerdy": Ever wonder why Mac has no friends other than imaginary ones? Bloo finally clues in—and he rejects his best friend as "a big, giant nerd." So Bloo tries to train Mac to be cool. ¹⁰

All of season one's extras are included on disc four. First up are four "Dear Bullwinkle" segments in which a Bullwinkle puppet provides advice to fake viewer mail. These segments were never aired and were filmed as lead-ins to commercials. The puppet is rather disconcerting - imagine if Mickey Mouse was reinterpreted as a Muppet and you will understand the strange feeling these clips produce. The segments run a total of seven minutes. The film quality is poor, but that is to be expected with this type of archival material. Some of the "letters" are illustrated with clips from old silent movies). The final segment is presented in a somewhat incomplete form - it is a black-and-white work print, complete with a technician clapping the marker board before the take. ⁹