DVD : Popeye the Sailor: 1933-1938, Vol. 1

In association with Amazon.com

Rating:

- A DVD set that's "strong to the finich!"
Popeye the Sailor is one of the most iconic characters in animation, a bloke who champions peace and only puts up his dukes when looking to set things right. As a child, the Popeye shorts were my most favorite series of all time, and that feeling has followed me into my adulthood, in which I am now a big animation enthusiast. And now, I can finally watch them in their original, uncut, black-and-white masters, the way they were meant to be seen. A plus is the choice for releasing the shorts in chronological order, allowing you to document the evolution of the series. In the first volume set, you receive 60 shorts from 1933 to 1938, two of which are from the trilogy of famous color two-reelers: "Popeye meets Sinbad the Sailor" and "Popeye meets Ali Baba's Forty Thieves". The cartoons are all amazingly animated and very humorous and charming, giving you chuckles big and little throughout. The restoration is marvelous, as there is no single speck of grain, and the sound comes in clear as a bell. Even more astonishing is the wealth of extras: several documentaries (big and small) outlining the Popeye series and various details within it, as well as a heaping helping of vintage silent cartoons from the 1910s and 1920s, including severalshorts from "Out of the Inkwell", the Fleischer Studios' first successful series!

This is a set not to be missed, for fans of Popeye, fans of cartoons, or just plain for the child in us all! And seeing as how King Features finally agreed to letting these out on official home video, you can bet the entire series is going to be treated this nicely by Warner Bros.!

Rating:

- "I YAM WHAT I YAM"
Start your Popeye collection with "POPEYE THE SAILOR: 1933-1938." All the classics as you remembered them are here uncut and uncensored with all the original paramount introductions. Great for all ages and a definte collectors item. Don't miss out on the fully restored original versions of the first ever Popeye cartoons!

Rating:

- Missing Disc 1
The order I received contained 1 copy of Disc 2, one copy of Disc 3 and 2 copies of Disc 4. It was missing Disc 1. Not impressed by this at all!

Rating:

- It's the Real Deal!
If you own any previous Popeye DVDs with poor quality video transfers, throw them out. This collection is the real deal and the 60 cartoons are beautifully restored and in pristine condition. The charm of these original Popeye cartoons to me - beyond the top-quality animation style, of course - has always been the unique blend of clever and outrageous sight gags, the hilarious ad libs and the catchy musical soundtracks. The good folks who put this all together must have feasted on spinach because this collection is also packed with informative and entertaining special features telling all about Popeye, his comic strip origins and the innovative masterminds behind these animated classics at Fleischer Studios. The only downside in the entire package are the audio commentaries from a trio who appear on a handful of the features including the color two-reelers. Be forewarned that their audio tracks are nearly intolerable to listen to and even worse, these three offer little, if any, relevant information. Granted this stuff isn't rocket science, but they obviously came unprepared and are a real disappointment. I can't imagine why the producers of this terrific collection chose to keep them on. However, the other commentators are very good so this is a minor complaint and shouldn't affect at all your decision to purchase this collection. I was introduced to these cartoon classics on TV years ago and they're every bit as entertaining as I remembered them. If you've never seen these Fleischer Studio Popeyes before, you're in for a real treat. This set was clearly a labor of love and is worth every penny spent!

Rating:

- A middle-aged superhero, with one eye and a speech impediment
What can I say that hasn't already been said about this collection? Oh well, I'll say it anyway.
I can't remember the last time I had so much fun watching cartoons. I grew up with these. When I was a kid, I was completely entertained, but simply accepted them at face value. Now, as an adult, I can fully appreciate the undercurrent of total absurdity that flows through them. Some of them make me laugh out loud. It's so refreshing seeing these restored to their original crisp, black and white glory. It's like seeing them for the first time. The depression era New York Setting featured in many of them was a real departure from what the other animation studios we're doing. I love the often gritty backgrounds framing all of the nonsense going on in the foreground. The Sindbad and Ali Baba color two reelers are absolutely stunning. I've seen them so many times over the years I practically have them memorized, but they never looked anything like they do here. Not even close. This collection is worth every penny just for those two. I just got my hands on Volume 2 and it looks like the same for the Aladdin color two-reeler. I haven't started watching that collection yet, but I had to take a peek.
There's an embarrassment of riches with the supplementary materials which strike a good balance between scholarly and entertaining. The brief "Popumentaries" sprinkled throughout the collection provide great insight and fun facts on selected cartoons. The audio commentaries are a lot of fun even if they don't always reveal a lot of in-depth information. The "Out of the Inkwell" cartoons provide a fascinating look at early animation. Even if you just have a casual interest in animation, you'll find most of the supplementary materials well worth your time. If you are more of an aficionado, you might learn something new or see something you haven't seen before.
I have one criticism. The advertising at the beginning of disc four is extremely irritating. I watch two or three cartoons at a time rather than going through a whole disc in one sitting (why eat the whole carton of ice cream when a couple of scoops will do?). Every time I put on disc four, I had to fast forward through the advertising. Hitting the menu button didn't seem to bypass it. It was annoying the first time, but after dealing with it repeatedly, it was beyond tedious. Even with that, I still have to give this collection five stars. It really delivers. Now, on to Volume 2! Popeye the Sailor, Vol. 2: 1938-1940

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