THE PLOT THUS FAR
When the city is in trouble, humble and lovable Shoeshine Boy turns into his alter ego Underdog to stop a series of villains, including the evil Simon Bar Sinister and Riff Raff. And when TV reporter Sweet Polly Purebred finds herself in danger, no one but Underdog can save the day!
Now you can enjoy the 1960s cartoon canine superhero in this complete collection that includes all three seasons of the classic series. Each of the nine discs features Underdog’ s greatest adventures along with all of the original shorts from Go Go Gophers, Klondike Kat and Commander McBragg.
WHAT WE THOUGHT
“Underdog” always felt like a second-rate superhero more than a cartoony animal show. Still, it hits all of the right areas for young kids. There was nothing better than watching Underdog match wits with the likes of Simon Bar Sinister and Riff-Raff. With a gulp of a power pill, he would be off to save Sweet Polly Purebread. The stories were fun and the music helped keep the pace frantic. If your little ones have only seen the recent live-action adaptation, they’re missing out on a whole new world of super-powered animals messing with people.
The Complete Collector’s Edition bundles together the original shorts with the bonus features that used to run alongside them. There appears to be multiple sources for the video, so you should expect a great deal of dropout during transitions. However, I do appreciate the amount of editing to bridge together the most complete version of these shows. Some of the spin-off shows will be getting their own Complete Editions in the next few weeks, so I hope that the transitions are a little cleaner with those materials. Also, for the older fans. Is it just me or are the Go Go Gophers really racist?
The DVD comes with bonus cartoons, alternate episode openings and closings and commentaries. Plus, you get a featurette about the creation of Underdog and his legacy. The audio quality jumps around a lot from the openings to the main show. But, that mono to Dolby Surround jump is hardly noticeable. Still, it’s multiple discs packed with an accurate representation of the show’s original airing pattern in the 1960s. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase for classic animation fans.
RELEASE DATE: 02/21/2012
