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Category:    Home > Reviews > Animation > Fantasy > Comedy > TV > The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack – Volume 1 (Warner/Cartoon Network DVD)

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:

 

  1. Several Leagues Under the Sea/Eye Sea You
  2. Kid Nickels/The Sweet Life
  3. Several Leagues Above the Sea/That’s a Wrap!
  4. Cammie Island/Shave and a Haircut…Two Friends!
  5. 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


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