Mr. Bean: The Animated Series Set #3

 

Picture: B-     Sound: B-     Extras: C     Film: C

 

 

Someone once asked me what Mr. Bean was and I took a moment, pondered the question, and then began to answer.  Mr. Bean could best be described as like watching the worst parts of a Charlie Chaplin movie, only in color, and British, but without the British humor because he doesn’t talk, so without a British accent, but with a little car, so it’s mostly visual gags, but not really funny like Benny Hill, but like a PG rated version of a wannabee Benny Hill, only once again not that funny upon repeat viewings.  Most people by now are aware of who Mr. Bean is, especially after a feature film that was made, and with more people getting channels from the BBC with the aid of satellite and such. 

 

As if Mr. Bean wasn’t stretching the comic stretch a tad to begin with someone had the idea to take that to a whole new level by animating him.  What I can say is that the animated version really reflects much of the live action show to an incredible likeness, which for some viewers is its downfall since it’s like a cartoon version of a show that never had much going for it anyway.  I realize that there is a huge fan base that follows Mr. Bean, but how much can you really take of him?  A few giggles here and there at his stupidity as he tries to make a Turkey or get his car out of a parking lot, but the same formula gets to the point of a broken record just going on and on, only there is no record there, but just the needle scratching against metal. 

 

What can be said for the animated version though is that ideas can be stretched much further since it’s easier to animate a few ideas than actually have it all set up and shot for real.  You also have the advantage of making Bean do things that the real Mr. Bean couldn’t.  Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean) is a funny guy as anyone who has seen Rat Race might believe, but only in doses.  Doses is not a good word to describe this animated set since it includes two DVD’s full of episodes and this is only one set. 

 

Episodes:

 

No Parking/Bean’s Bounty

Artful Bean/The Fly

A Royal Makeover/SuperMarrow

A Running Battle/Egg and Bean

Camping/Chocks Away

Hopping Mad!/A Grand Invitation

No Pets/Ray of Sunshine

Bean in Love/Double Trouble

 

In addition to these episodes there are some bonuses, which include Mr. Bean acting out the part live and doing his voice recording, which are of the ‘behind the scenes’ variety and are short and sweet.  There are 8 total episodes here, which are 22 minutes each in length and divided into two stories for each episode.  I personally think that they skits should have been a tad shorter like the live action Bean.  Fans will probably think the opposite, but oh well.  Also included are some trailers and photo galleries.

 

The full-frame picture is fairly solid for being a TV quality animated program.  Colors are vivid and detail is sharp considering the source.  I would be curious to see these shows in PAL format to see if they are a bit sharper, but otherwise these look good enough for the time being.  The 2.0 Dolby Stereo is good as well with nothing overly exciting or challenging happen sound design wise, so keeping it simple was probably the best route to go. 

 

While I might not be the biggest promoter for Bean, I can say that this is a good set for those that enjoy his work, even when it is animated.  The same formula works here too and will probably appease fans that are still hoping for a return of the infamous live action character.

 

 

-   Nate Goss