Space Ghost and Dino Boy: The Complete Series (2007)

2 Discs DVD

When thinking of Space Ghost, most pop culture enthusiasts today would think of the Adult Swim program Space Ghost: Coast to Coast where a macho-voiced superhero hosts his own talk show. What some may not know is that this animated icon that mingles with random celebrities was once an actual superhero in the animated world, and he was not regarded as a late night king. The television series Space Ghost, which was released by Hanna Barbara and created by Alex Toth, aired on the CBS network in the 1960s. Once again, the magic of DVD digs up this time capsule with 20 full-length episodes now available.

Space Ghost (voiced by infamous announcer Gary Owens) is a first rate superhero who flies through the galaxy looking for trouble. Most problems are found by his childish sidekicks, one of whom is voiced by a prepubescent Tim Matheson. Space Ghost comes to the rescue with his invisibility powers when Brak, Zorak, or Moltar attack. It is also helpful that his ship comes equipped with the proper shielding to fight fire attacks.

Each episode of Space Ghost clocks in at around 21 minutes with three segments included in each episode. While the first and third bits are solely devoted to Space Ghost, the middle segment is devoted to an 8-minute episode of Dino Boy. Serving as something a little different from rest of the show, this tells the story of a young boy who lands in a mysterious prehistoric world. He manages to survive dinosaur and saber tooth attacks with the assistance of a buff caveman named Ugh and an overexcited pet dinosaur with the same mannerisms of Dino from The Flintstones.

The Space Ghost and Dino Boy cartoons are certainly aged and the two-dimensional animation would probably come off as primitive to those living in a CGI world. Getting enjoyment from these cartoons is entirely reliant on personal taste. When it comes to animation, the cartoons from Hanna-Barbera have withstood the tests of time and are still entertaining today. These particular episodes are enjoyable because of their short and sweet stories that last no longer than 8 minutes a piece. There is really no mystery as to who will win in these old-fashioned cartoons, but there is always a question of how. Space Ghost and his crew always manage to find a way out of their sticky situations and their methods of escape are never dull. There is always a hilarious fix.

One of the highlights worth mentioning here are the villains. The villains from Hanna-Barbera cartoons are about as classic as baddies out of a Batman comic. On this DVD, we get to see the origins of Zorak and Brak, who have also become fixtures on the Adult Swim animation block. There is no getting around how the villains are originally created from essentially anything. Moltar the lava man is one striking example with the token haggard facial features of any Hanna-Barbera antagonist.

Simplicity: The Life and Art of Alex Toth
There are not many special features on the DVD, but this epic documentary compensates for that problem. This biographical retrospective of character designer and artist Alex Toth runs at an hour and 18 minutes. Friends and family Toth, along with other artists influenced by his work, reflect on his life's work and his actual life. Toth's children recount stories, both good and bad, about their father. While a legendary artist, the man led a tormented life, but was still loved and admired by many. Animation fans will surely cherish this, but I think non-fans will appreciate this as well.

The DVD contains 20 episodes featuring Space Ghost and Dino Boy. As a non-fan of these cartoons, I felt like an excited kid watching these episodes, and I can only imagine the excitement felt by those re-experiencing these adventures for the first time since childhood. This collection may be for animation and television enthusiasts only, but I still think it is a worthy addition to any collection.

Questions? Comments? Just want to talk movies? Drop me a line at dodd@movieweb.com