DVD Review – Looney Tunes: Musical Masterpieces (2015)

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Although Merrie Melodies most likely began as Warner Brothers Animation's own Looney Tunes styled response to Walt Disney’s Silly Symphony cartoon shorts that dominated the Academy Awards during their triumphant ten year run from 1929 to 1939, WB’s Melodies struck a popular chord with audiences so much so that the series (which began in 1931) lasted until 1969.

Acclaimed one-reel shorts that thusly never ran longer than ten minutes, Warner’s Merrie Melodies define the golden age of animation for the studio.

Daring in their musicality yet familiar in their packaging, the shorts – which starred some of the Looney Tunes most beloved characters (from Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd to Porky Pig and Speedy Gonzales) –grew even more celebrated with each passing year.

Frequently serving as their youngest viewer's earliest introduction to the world of classical music, the Merrie Melodies, which also took their cues from (and likewise inspired) the feature length Hollywood musicals they played alongside theatrically, additionally helped pave the way for the rock docs and music videos that would follow.

Breaking cultural barriers, the eighteen animated shorts included in this one disc collection feature everything from jazz and opera to piano concertos and the blues, illustrating the diverse range of the series.

Framing the action as part of a chase in some of their most popular hits (not unlike the way their biggest 1940’s rival, Metro Goldwyn Mayer did with their historic Tom and Jerry releases), the ingeniously crafted Merrie Melodies made each and every genre accessible to viewers of all ages and levels of musical education.

Boldly removing dialogue here and there, such as in a bulk of the revered classic Rabbit of Seville, the master craftsmen working behind the scenes strove to bring the emotion of the music front and center with each successive release.

Yet as entertaining as the diverse titles were, one of Merrie Melodies' greatest achievements was in the way it would routinely drive home the fundamentals of rhythm and tempo right alongside the story's tongue-in-cheek plotlines and occasional lessons about empathy, hard work, respect, and love rolled into the laughs.

Of course, not every offering had a larger moral behind it as we quickly discover in the often heavily censored, violent Ozarks set square dance Hillbilly Hare.

Wisely lessening the shock value of the short, (which like a few others hasn't often seen the light of day as part of the overly crowded archive collection), Hare plays right after the 1957 Chuck Jones helmed masterpiece, What's Opera, Doc? that was selected as the "greatest cartoon ever made" in a 1994 research study voted on by a thousand professionals working in the field of animation.

No stranger to the art form or devising great chases, having directed some of the best Tom and Jerry shorts in MGM history, it's always a thrill to see the Jones classic in all its glory.

One of three Merrie Melodies shorts included in the Library of Congress's National Film Registry along with the Jones directed One Froggy Evening (which happens to be featured on this DVD as well) and Duck Amuck, Elmer Fudd's familiar strains of "Kill the Wabbit" in What's Opera, Doc? are instantly recognizable for generations of viewers.

Although it's missing Duck Amuck as well as the trio of Merrie Melodies that garnered Warner Brothers Academy Awards in the category of Best Original Short, the inclusion of the still heartbreakingly beautiful Nelly's Folly, among other rarities, is a bonus.

Nonetheless, the order of the shorts is a bit awkward in places throughout the lengthy presentation. For, following the intelligent back-to-back listing of two send-ups of Walt Disney's Three Little Pigs made fifteen years apart that involve a shared character, WB’s enjoyable Oscar nominated Rhapsody in Rivets, which plays best as a prequel to Rhapsody Rabbit is positioned eleven tracks after what should technically be its follow-up title.

Boasting optional commentary tracks for the shorts including a few multiple offerings and special features for some of the disc's most iconic works, Musical Masterpieces is a thorough release that will appeal to a wide array of viewers from children to casual fans and cinephiles alike.

And given that this is a phenomenal 133 minute plus introduction to the dying art of animated theatrical shorts, I only hope that this is just the first in a series of Looney Tunes: Musical Masterpieces releases that will make their way to DVD (or better yet, Blu-ray).

Created in the era of the talkie (as silent films merged with the music that was often performed live in movie-houses across the country), the Merrie Melodies collected here serve as an entertaining and informative reminder of just how innovative the field of animation, medium of short film, and particularly the genre of musical movie-making can be.

Text ©2015, Film Intuition, LLC; All Rights Reserved. http://www.filmintuition.com Unauthorized Reproduction or Publication Elsewhere is Strictly Prohibited and in violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.  FTC Disclosure: Per standard professional practice, I may have received a review copy of this title in order to voluntarily decide to evaluate it for my readers, which had no impact whatsoever on whether or not it received a favorable or unfavorable critique.

TV on DVD: Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! -- Season 1, Volume 3: Hello Mummy (1969)

The Classic Series Continues
Where It Left Off
As A Fun Feature Length
4-Episode DVD

Read Jen's Review of Volume 2

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I tell you, the only thing scarier than clowns are ghost clowns. As Mr. Barnstorm tells the veterans of the Mystery Machine in the second episode of the most recent Scooby Snack sized serving of the vintage Saturday Morning Cartoon's debut '69 season, "when the ghost clown appears at your circus, you might as well quit."

Yet par for the course for her brainy bespectacled character, Velma remains skeptical about myths just as she does in cases involving Scooby-Doo vs. a werewolf, an ominous curse of a three thousand year old entombed Egyptian mummy out for vengeance, and a crazy puppet counterfeiter. However, soon enough, events take a more sinister and unexplainable turn in this colorful collection which leads to hypnotized trapeze acts, violin cases filled with brand new bills, fake "girl dogs" used as bait, and much more in this fast-paced eighty-eight minute DVD.

A solid quartet of episodes-- the third volume features the show's famous denouement confession word-for-word that the villain "would've gotten away with it if it wasn't for you crazy kids," as brainy Velma, dashing Fred, gorgeous Daphne (every young boy's animated crush) manage to sleuth out the truth in roughly twenty-two minutes.

While I never quite understood the unusual group dynamic that includes the dimwitted slacker Shaggy and the TV show's namesake as embodied by his trusty canine sidekick Scooby-Doo, in the disc's opener "The Backstage Rage" it became much more evident as an adult that the duo's overactive appetite usually leads them into cases and clues.

And sure enough, you'll be glad it's on DVD and not network TV filled with fast food ads as you may find yourselves crazing some "blockbuster pizzas" with Shaggy and Scooby-Doo as they stumble their way into danger... while typically the higher functioning members of the ensemble ultimately piece together the satisfying mysteries.

Despite the fact that admittedly it suffers slightly from the dated look of the show and animation that doesn't feel overly crisp, the standard sized aspect ratio and original mono sound bring you right back to feeling like you're witnessing it when it aired forty years ago. Containing a pointless bonus episode of the new animated series which loses the flavor, feel and soul of the show, you'll want to ignore that completely and focus exclusively on the other original episodes "The Backstage Rage," "Bedlam in the Bigtop," "Gaggle of Galloping Ghosts," and "Scooby-Doo and a Mummy, Too," wherein the first two episodes rank among the season's best.

Although you must be warned that the show's theme song has the tendency to stay in your head for days, even if the plots are bit too easy to predict, there's still no replacing the enjoyment of a great mini-marathon of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You provided you steer clear of Mr. Barnstorm's circus.

"The Backstage Rage" Video Clip

Text ©2009, Film Intuition, LLC; All Rights Reserved. http://www.filmintuition.com

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DVD Review: Tom and Jerry: Chuck Jones Collection

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Read Our Review of Tom & Jerry's Greatest Chases Vol. 2



Celebrate the Efforts of Veteran WB Artist Chuck Jones

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Recently when Warner Brothers was kind enough to send me Tom and Jerry's Greatest Chases Volume 2 for review-- sort of as a primer, I think for this 2-disc remastered set boasting 34 classic shorts-- I couldn't help but notice the similarities between the popular Oscar winning Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer series of theatrical shorts and Warner Brothers' own Looney Tunes.

And this makes perfect sense since the creation of Hanna-Barbera began as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's answer to the enormous success enjoyed by both Walt Disney and Warner Brothers with their Silly Symphonies and Merry Melodies shorts respectively.

However, as fate would have it-- the tonally and structurally similar styles of MGM and WB with their popular characters Tom and Jerry and Wile E. Coyote and Roadrunner would merge two decades after the cat and mouse first took up the chase.

As studios scrambled to find a way to bring viewers hooked on television back to the multiplex led to a decline in the employment of animators and existence of animation departments at various studios (save for Disney who pinched pennies but kept things running), MGM simply shut its doors and handed out pink slips to the creative geniuses behind Tom and Jerry.

While Hanna and Barbera would bounce back with their development of what's commonly referred to as "limited animation" which is faster, more cost-efficient and sitcom like than the old full-orchestra cinematic scope of their work with MGM that they developed in projects such as The Flintstones and The Jetsons, Warner Brothers soldiered on until inevitably its legendary animator Chuck Jones found himself out of work in 1964 when the studio he'd worked at for thirty years suddenly shut down that division as well.

However, Hanna-Barbera's old studio was ready and eager to snap up Jones-- offering him an unprecedented opportunity of complete creative control in taking over the long-running but then-fledgling (based on outsourced animation and under-funded efforts) Tom and Jerry series.

Bringing in veteran versatile voice talent like Mel Blanc and some of the extraordinary artists he'd worked with back at WB, Jones used the creative freedom to great effect, going against the grain of popular limited animation for the classical style of "full-animation" that was lighter on dialogue and heavier on action and art to tell the story and this can be evidenced right from the get-go on disc one of this beautifully packaged double-disc set (with a box alone that looks like a collector's item).

Although he's been widely and accurately criticized for an over-reliance on recycling the old plots of the Hanna-Barbera era of Tom and Jerry (in their brilliant '40s era you can see in Greatest Chases) as well as re-tooling some of the exact same gags he and his merry band of animation collaborators at Warner Brothers had sprinkled throughout Looney Tunes which won't go unnoticed to avid viewers of either series-- the Jones era of Tom and Jerry is far more cinematic than ever before.

And in fact, the influences of both vintage Hanna-Barbera shorts and WB cartoons are cited directly in one of two fascinating extra features-- Tom, Jerry... and Chuck which actually shows before and after comparisons of the works. When you couple some of the overly noticeable instances of "cribbing" from earlier material and trying a bit too hard to tie in with some popular culture of the '60s along with Jones' downright snobbish and slightly condescending view of the artists who'd worked on the series before him including Hanna-Barbera whose Flintstones and beyond "limited animation" technique he scoffs at, the shorts lose a bit of their luster.

Yet, taken purely on face value as a set for its content and as simply a fan of entertaining animation, it's a solid investment as Warner Brothers has painstakingly remastered the original shorts and similarly has offered them in their vintage theatrical widescreen format for the first time in numerous decades.

Changing the look of the characters themselves by making Jerry far sweeter and touching up the facial expressions of both in order to emphasize the moments just before each one loses it or their reaction to the other throughout their endless, highly violent back-and-forth battles (foreshadowing Jones' admiration for eyes. ears and mouths he'd use brilliantly with the Grinch's wicked grin in How the Grinch Stole Christmas)-- the shorts also tapped right into MGM's brilliant credit sequences of their popular 007 and Pink Panther franchises. They did so by opening with a teaser, going into some wildly inventive credit sequence and then moving directly into the cartoon. A terrific example of this can be found in Bad Day at Cat Rock which follows Tom down a manhole as he lights a match to illuminate the credits.

While the '40s shorts placed their emphasis on the foreground-- these '60s widescreen enabled picturesque shorts provide an endless supply of eye candy with incredibly intricate and detailed background images that moves from the "sets" to all of the individual little touches of "props" that is used to wondrous effect in the Charlie Chaplin Modern Times like I'm Just Wild About Jerry.

Using camera pans for a sweeping effect in The Brothers Carry Mouse Off which flows directly into what appears to be Jerry relaxing poolside only to realize that he's imagining that while stretched out on green carpeting or employing animated trickery for the magically tinged Haunted Mouse-- these are a feast for the senses. And likewise they manage to bust out of the antagonism momentarily for a touching and Disney like Snowbody Loves Me and the Hanna-Barbera directed Matinee Mouse wherein the two temporarily bury the hatchet.

With 216 minutes of content it's tough to pick a favorite but the one that I'd find myself probably replaying the most would have to be-- despite its direct tie to a classic Bugs Bunny short-- The Cat Above, The Mouse Below as Tom performs the Italian opera favorite "Figaro" to a packed house. Of course, while he's using his voice to reach those in the cheap seats, Jerry is busily trying to sleep below stage (a classic Hanna-Barbera era running gag) and war is declared between Jerry and his "noisy neighbor" in this classic favorite.

Retaining the mono sound (yet in Dolby Digital) to keep things authentic-- overall and despite some of the complaints about overlapping ideas and repetitions, visually, you're dealing with Tom and Jerry of the highest caliber with the full force of Warner Brothers' best and brightest behind them, picking up where Hanna-Barbera had left off in their Oscar winning collaborations that makes this set quiet a fun treat for classic cartoon enthusiasts.

Text ©2009, Film Intuition, LLC; All Rights Reserved. http://www.filmintuition.com
Unauthorized Reproduction or Publication Elsewhere is Strictly Prohibited.

TV on DVD: Care Bears: Tell-Tale Tummies -- Lessons from the Heart: Telling the Truth (2009)

Now Available on DVD from Lionsgate

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Drawing inspiration from all classic moral tales (both tall and true) including Pinocchio, the legend of George Washington chopping down a cherry tree and more-- Lionsgate releases a dynamite collection of eight episodes from the new CBS Saturday morning update of the '80s classic animated series Care Bears never before offered on DVD.

Of stellar quality-- much like the studio’s previous release Care Bears: Cheer, There & Everywhere-- this disc titled Care Bears: Tell-Tale Tummies places its emphasis on truthfulness.

And although according to the Lionsgate press release the target demographic is young girls ages 2-5, Tell-Tale actually exceeds that audience level. It does so superior storytelling, a better focus than the previous highly entertaining disc as all stories involve a good lesson that can than be discussed between kids and parents as the never-judgmental bears act in various ways that are identifiable from toddlers up through grade school.

Much like its cheerful predecessor-- the upbeat, bubbly animation style makes the colors nearly pop off the screen all the while retaining the full screen (or television shaped) aspect ratio of the series with 2.0 Dolby Digital Audio sound. Likewise, it utilizes the similar concept of Walt Disney Home Entertainment’s "Fast-Play" by giving you the option of viewing the eighty-eight minute disc in a "Kid-Friendly Direct-Play" mode where the episodes move from one to the next without the annoyance of returning you back to a complicated menu.

Whether the episodes center on Cheer Bear's realization that she "cannot tell a lie" after keeping Grumpy's secret involving moving a bumbleberry tree to selfishly feast on the delicious and coveted fruits of Care-a-Lot, or Share's need to confess to breaking one of Grumpy's inventions, or Oopsy's admission that his mistaken act of heroism was really just accidental, or the dangers of exaggeration or even the responsibility of the press when Share and Trueheart become the Care Bear version of gossip columnists-- the animated stories are far more worthwhile than a majority of popular cartoons.

Celebrating the idea of listening to your conscience or having a positive attitude and the realization that if friends are really friends then they'll accept you flaws and all; the disc is highly recommended to parents and those who care for young children.

So therefore, once again with this magenta colored DVD box complete with a hologram cardboard outer cover-- the Care Bears prove why they've been around for so long that the generation who grew up on them in the '80s is now relishing in the opportunity to continue sharing the lessons and heartfelt stories of the bears with their own children in the twenty-first century.

DVD Review: Tom and Jerry's Greatest Chases Volume 2

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What Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote were to Warner Brothers' Looney Tunes, Tom and Jerry were to Hanna-Barbera. As the animated duo who were so frequently caught up in chases-- not only is it fitting that the characters consisted of a veritable cat and mouse but also that Warner Brothers has released 14 more of the classic (originally MGM produced) shorts from 1944 through 1951 in the aptly named Greatest Chases series featuring the beloved cartoon icons.

While unfortunately the animation included on the 102 minute disc hasn't been touched up in the slightest and even looked lackluster and grainy on an upconvert player-- the content is what keeps the series of theatrical shorts from aging. Ingeniously animated with a frantic pacing-- the Tom and Jerry works contained on this disc helped foreshadow what the editing industry would do in action movies down the road by synchronizing everything perfectly in tune with the music. And although some Road Runner cartoons felt a tad repetitive, Hanna-Barbera's Tom and Jerry chases never got old as those responsible for the series made sure that both characters have the upper hand at some point and creativity was always at the forefront as the relentlessly pursuant cat Tom tries to ensnare the clever mouse Jerry in a variety of schemes.

Featuring some of the most renowned shorts that begin just three years after Tom and Jerry made their debut in 1940 in a wonderful and promising series which would go onto garner the animators seven Best Animated Short Subject Oscar statues-- Warner Brothers' recent Greatest Chases Volume 2 disc is notable for its inclusion of two of these award-winnings works with the 1944 released Mouse Trouble and 1945 released Quiet Please!

With the convenient option to play the disc in its entirety and let each short move into the next (along with various subtitle and language options such as English, Portuguese, French and Thai) we find Tom engaged in a literal cat-fight over Jerry, a bratty little girl forcing Tom to become a cat in the cradle by dressing him as a baby which Jerry enjoys immensely, and their endless back-and-forth dynamic that's tested when Tom learns he will inherit a million dollars provided he doesn't hurt Jerry and later as both try not to get on the bad side of the bulldog Spike.

Spike is the central character in one of the strongest shorts-- the Oscar winning Quiet Please!-- as Tom realizes he must act quickly to try and nab Jerry once and for all before the sleeping bulldog will awaken and put an end to it. And likewise Mouse Trouble is especially entertaining as well as Tom enlists the aid of a '40s version of a self-help manual to catch a mouse (from "Random Mouse" books).

However, in addition to the award-winners, there's a lot of great discoveries to be found on the disc including Cue Ball Cat which finds Jerry hiding in a corner pocked of a pool table as Tom tries to crush him, making terrific use of the animation of the billiard balls as well as when Jerry tries to become a bodyguard to a goldfish that Tom decides on a whim he wants to cook in a French recipe he hears on a radio show. Fun and fast-paced-- despite the grain, dust and sometimes less than sharp color in the animation-- Greatest Chases Volume 2 makes a solid addition for Tom and Jerry collectors.

*Note: This month, Warner Brothers is also releasing the following collectible set:

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Unauthorized Reproduction or Publication Elsewhere is Strictly Prohibited.

TV on DVD: The Jetsons -- Season 2, Volume 1 (1985)

Now Available To Own On DVD

Meet the Jetsons

View Clips from the New DVD Set

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Long before Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, Styx released "Dōmo arigatō, Mr. Roboto," and technology offered us convenient devices such as smart phones, roombas, the segway scooter, and professional home theatre installations-- Flintstones masterminds Hanna-Barbera made one giant leap for animated-kind.

Taking the same central idea of their hit prehistoric animated sitcom, they partnered The Flinstones with the new John F. Kennedy inspired space race era of the early 1960s with the debut of The Jetsons.

Essentially presenting viewers with a different spin on the classic family comedy set-up a la an animated and hipper version of Leave it to Beaver or The Dick Van Dyke Show, the premiere season of The Jetsons-- which kicked off in 1962-- offered twenty-one episodes geared towards adult viewers.

And by cleverly setting the action in a twenty-first century environment, Hanna-Barbera dealt far less with the "science-fiction" aspects of the show, instead viewing their work as another variation of a traditional sitcom by keeping the main audience-friendly dynamic of an All-American roughly middle class Caucasian husband and wife who have two children and a loyal dog at the forefront of the action.

Despite the fact that it only lasted one season on ABC in primetime, the first season was so beloved that the episodes aired continuously for more than twenty years as a staple of Saturday morning (and especially Hanna-Barbera) cartoons until it was finally re-imagined and resuscitated in 1985.

In another bold giant leap for animated kind to honor just how significant the show was to those working on it in the '80s-- the producers and casting directors decided to bring back all of the main cast-mates whose voice-work as the characters had become ingrained in the minds of viewers.

Thus, in addition to staying true to the original color palette and overall look of the show so that one can view the episodes in syndication in any order and be unable to tell-- at least initially-- which decade we were watching, the producers ensured it would be a very subtle and seamless change.

While, of course-- aside from some obvious tonal changes as the actors had all aged over two decades and sadly George O'Hanlon (George Jetson himself) had lost a portion of his vision due to illness that he recorded his performance separately repeating the dialogue back in character as he was unable to read-- it was a largely successful transition that kept in spirit with the original conception of the series.

However, luckily those in charge realized that-- given its success of two decades drawing in youthful audiences as a Saturday morning classic-- the same approach to skewer towards the middle aged demographic of the '62 primetime intended work would be inappropriate.

Thus, the show's second season adjusted the more domestic based humor of the first twenty-one episodes by finally acknowledging that it was always more successful as a show for children to watch on lazy weekends.

And similarly, the characters of boy crazy teenager Judy Jetson, child prodigy Elroy, Astro the dog (which may have been a precursor to voice actor Don Messick's most famous late '60s Hanna-Barbera canine Scooby Doo), and Rosie the unintentionally hilarious robotic maid were brought to the forefront with storylines centering largely on their misadventures.

Systematically, while aiming for a younger crowd, they upped the cute factor considerably as well as replaced some of the now outdated space ideas with a greater involvement of computerized gadgets (since this was, of course, the era of the personal computer and Apple vs. Microsoft in a new version of the "space race").

Both of these decisions can be evidenced in the opening episode of season 2 which aired more than twenty years after the previous season had ended as the writers introduced a new addition to the family when Elroy brings home an adorable alien named Orbity which hatches out of an egg discovered on a school field trip.

Including the first twenty-one season two episodes that play over the course of three DVDs in this Warner Brothers collectible Hanna-Barbera release-- that boasts a mini-documentary (just eight and a half minutes long) about the "Evolution of the Series" and switch from the '60s to the '80s when this season picked up the thread of the first one-- it's a fun trip down memory lane.

Unfortunately despite the beautiful design of the slim-packaged set, the animation on display in the episodes mostly appear grainy, muddied, and visually soft even on an upconvert Blu-ray player, which made me wish that in order to have truly made it a must-own collectible, the Saturday morning cartoon classic would've been-- if not restored-- then at least touched up.

While of course, it's still entertaining and will delight '70s and '80s babies who remember the episodes very well-- the show itself hasn't exactly aged successfully. For, overall the humor fails to hold our interest the way that other '90s and more recent animated series have accomplished with stronger writing or more complex plots than Rosie worrying that she's such an ancient robot she's going to be replaced with a newer, sleeker, and younger robot (so in essence making her-- instead of Debra Messing's Starter Wife, "The Starter Maid").

And to this end, I'm not sure how The Jetsons will compete with even faster attention spans in the next generation as children are much more accustomed to breathlessly-paced CGI in Pixar and DreamWorks features or even just the more simplistically drawn yet incredibly sharp wit served up on Nickelodeon.

As ultimately-- by comparison-- this show feels more like a time capsule than one of the cool time machines or new gadgets dreamed up by the writing staff. So aside from my reverence for it as a cartoon classic from my youth, when I think about similar works for guidance, admittedly, I have to confess that I'd still rather sit down hunt for clues with Scooby Doo than go shopping with Jane Jetson any day of the week.

DVD Review: Speed Racer: The Next Generation -- Comet Run: The Movie (2009)

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Not to be confused with 2008's commercially unsuccessful yet unfairly maligned live-action version of the classic 1967 Japanese animated series from The Wachowski Brothers (The Matrix, V for Vendetta), Speed Racer: The Next Generation is the third televised version of the cult-favorite franchise.

Originally the series started its engine as a May of 2008 Lionsgate produced Nicktoon and the channel's first in history “not to be based on an original property. While no doubt its air-date was set to help tie in with the theatrical release that would be shoved into the compactor (along with nearly everything else that month) by Marvel Studios' newborn project Iron Man-- in addition to the animated series, a series of high quality straight-to-DVD adventures were released as well.

The newest venture in the Speed Racer: The Next Generation home entertainment line that chronicles the tales of Speed's son (also named Speed) who inherited his father's passion for driving premiered this week from Lionsgate complete with a collectible replica of the character's famous Mach 6 car.

The attempts to continually improve the Mach 6-- which was built after his famous Mach 5 was destroyed-- has been a top secret priority headed up by Speed and his two best friends and fellow members of his racing team-- Lucy and Conor (who is the proud owner of the battery powered “Cyber chimp” monkey Chim Chim).



As the roughly sixty-six minute work Comet Run opens, Speed and Connor who are described by the budding photographer Lucy with amused disappointment as guys “who read Car and Driver for the articles,”are busy at work trying to invent an engine that will run completely without the need for gasoline.

However, their plans are interrupted by the announcement that the extremely short, bearded, British self-involved ridiculously wealthy trillionaire Dickie Radford has created a high-tech Eco-Car that can run a three day race on a single tank of gas.

And while Speed is inspired (at least, that is, until he meets Radford and realizes he's a jerk), Radford's automotive rival is filled with intense hate. Angered that the environmentalist tycoon has stolen the thunder away from the snake-like Zile Zazic-- who had bribed journalists to help hype his newest gas guzzling monstrosity-- Radford's arch-rival Zazic begins paying off racers to beat Radford with the lure that he'll offer them their own racing team.



Of course, while Speed's peers eagerly join up with Zazic when this particular carrot is dangled figuratively over the finish line, Speed's eyes are on a far bigger prize. And incidentally it's the exact same one that Zazic's after himself when the bragging Radford said he was so confident that his Eco-Car would finish first that if someone were to beat him, he would hand over the deed and ownership of Radford Automotive.

Soon caught between the intense rivalry and inflated egos of two of the wealthiest men on the planet, it isn't long before Speed, Lucy, Connor and even Chim-Chim realize that in addition to their diva-like behavior, there may be much more going on beneath the surface of their respective publicity stunts. But when they get some hard evidence, the gang and their Mach 6 are thrown into jeopardy as they push onward towards the finish line.



While admittedly the Radford character seems like an exaggerated and thinly disguised sinister version of the Virgin Mobile Mogul Sir Richard Branson that I'm not so sure would sit well with him-- the ideas of going green, hybrid energy, and reducing emissions are extremely topical as the film uses the kid-friendly racing platform to gently inform viewers about global warming and eco-responsibility for their own carbon footprint.

However, to kids and indeed to a reviewer who's frankly getting a bit tired of the extremely important yet far too repetitive record that's been played on the subject that made the phrase “going green” get listed as one of the most annoyingly over-used ones in the country last year (along with “staycation,” “chillax,” and “my bad,”)-- most importantly the DVD works because it's just so much fun.

Yes, the characters all feel a bit one-dimensional as their respective props kind of serve to differentiate them and provide them with a material based personality like Speed with his car, Connor with the Cyber Chimp, and Lucy with her camera but aside from some of the less than stellar animation during the walking and talking sequences-- the movie comes alive with its hyped up, extremely colorful and eye-popping racing sequences that feel essentially video game level in comparison to some of the other more stationary scenes.

Moreover, it's an exciting and cool, worthwhile message-movie that luckily "speeds" right past anything too heavy-handed with in regards to the "green" topic by making young viewers feel as though they're trying to be proactive in solving some of the obstacles faced by the animated trio (or quartet if you count Chim-Chim) as they try and avoid the usage gas in crossing the finish line with creative ingenuity. Additionally, it makes me curious about the previous titles that have so far sold more than 250,000 DVDs.

While times and cars have changed an awful lot over forty years since the Japanese version of the show first hit the airwaves-- the emphasis on speed, the character Speed, teamwork, moral integrity, and fast-paced engine revving entertainment still remains whether we're faced with Racer X, Radford, Zazic or global warming itself.