Rating:  -
Richie Rich was a great favorite of mine as a kid. And I still enjoy it when the Boomerang channel plays it (they once spent a 24 hour period playing RIchie Rich). Im not the only one, im actually suprised at the number of adults who count Boomerang as one of the only channels that make cable worth paying for. These H-B collections have been great and grant these shows a long life void of the deteriation that comes from VHS. There are so many things I am hoping for because I love so much of what H-B put out. Richie Rich is one im surprised took this long to come out. I personally do not recall the Scooby portion of this hour. Regardless I am buying this exclusively for the RIchie Rich cartoons. I would like information on the amount of time this box set has in it.
(and here's hoping for "Thundaar The Barbarian", and the "Goldie Gold and Action Jack" DVD sets)
Rating:  -
As a 1970s child (growing up on 1970s TV, of course) this is one of the *few* 1980s cartoons I have loads of fond memories of (minus the "Scooby trio" here, doing nothing but bungling and bumbling their way thru every ep. The original 1969 S-D had more class, more pizazz). Anyways, I grew up with BOTH the comic book as well as the cartoon, where I watched every ep. (religiously) and, let me say, it really knows how to stay true to the original (where you see Richie rescuing Gloria, or Reggie pulling one of his countless pranks, only to backfire on him, and so on). However, one main difference here also has the storylines of Jonny Quest with the quirky gadgets/inventions of the Jetsons mixed in (two earlier H-B creations). Even Season 3, as I remember it, really had a LOT OF HEART.
One ep. shows Irona, the Riches' maid, wanting to try her hand at sports instead of just keeping house 24/7. Richie coaches her, only she ends up breaking one world record after another. So, by the end, Irona does her "weightlifting" event, where she actually lifts heavy inanimate objects from the mansion (like a piano, a statue) with the Rich family and staff acting as judges, holding up score cards and applauding. Richie then hugs Irona and says "These are the only critics you should listen to, Irona, people who love you the most!" (Awww, how sweet and nothing sugary about it, either.)
Other eps. also have Richie and co. (namely Gloria and Dollar) trying to catch villains and crooks of every type out there, from ruthless bug-like space aliens, to eccentric oddballs, such as the Giggler and Mr. Dirty, and to the baddies straight out of the comic book pages, like the Onion, Dr. Disguise, and the Shocking Lady. Richie manages to catch and nail every one them, with Dollar klutzing up in the end and providing comic relief as well.
I was eight when this came out in 1980, and it still holds true for me today: LOTS OF HEART, PLENTY OF ACTION AND FUN, AND JUST SO PHENOMENAL.
FORGET THE SCOOBY SEGMENTS: HERE, THE GANG HAS BEEN REDUCED DOWN TO A "TRIO" AND GOES SO FAR AS TO SHOW SOME EPS IN WONDERLAND OR THE LAND OZ.
Also, here's something else you all should know: this has its share of veteran cartoon voice actors (like Mr. Slate's John Stephenson in a few eps. from Seasons 2 & 3) as well as a few new up-and-comings (Nancy Cartwright, who you all know does Bart Simpson, also does the voice of Gloria).
Rating: -
Don't you just LOVE people who feel the need to spew forth their negativity??
Is this series a 5-Star classic? Well, no it's not. But it hardly rates 1 star. Hanna-Barbera at their worst was leaps and bounds above Filmation, DIC and other animation chop shops at their best. If you're a fan of Scooby-Doo, or the Hanna-Barbera library of cartoons, you'll definitely enjoy this selection. I'm only disappointed that Warner Bros.Home Video has opted to go the "Volume 1" route instead of the "Complete Series." I assume that's to keep costs down since this was an hour-long show.
My only concern is that Warner Bros. Home Video is notorious for releasing edited versions of the H-B library and calling them "Complete." I am hoping that's not the case here.
Rating:  -
After releasing Scooby Doo Season 3, Space Ghost, Birdman, & Josie & The Pussycats last year, Hanna Barbera is starting to get back to basics. The February 26th release for the first part of Season 1 of the Smurfs is exciting. And the March 18th release for the complete series for The Pebbles & Bamm Bamm Show is also exciting.
But I am so happy to see another Scooby Doo series coming to DVD! And I like Scrappy! He's absolutely adorable! I am excited for this release on May 20th! But, I am still anticipating the releasing of these titles: Wally Gator, Huckleberry Hound Volume 2, Secret Squirrel, Speed Buggy, The Jetsons Season 2, & Quick Draw McGraw.
Releasing three or four DVDs a year is not enough, when back in 2004 or 2005, they would release six or seven DVDs a year, so all I can say is: KEEP THEM COMING!
Rating:  -
There is no Fred, no Velma, no Daphne, and no joy.
Just Shaggy, Scooby, and (gulp!) Scrappy in trios of 7 min. episodes that feel like hour upon hour of torture.
You've been warned!
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