The animation is the pits, but most of the stories hold up well and this is a real blast from the past
931377
As a child i was into all things Ape, watched the movies every Friday night when aired on c.b.s., bought all the toys (oh what they would be worth now!!!!!), the comics, and even the horrible t.v. series, so when n.b.c. ran this on Saturday mornings i was thrilled. Now i show this to my boys and even with the bad animation they love it. Some stories are pure 70's kids hokem, but some are quite good and the fun and magic of this long lost show is still there.
2713196
I'm just re-watching this now for the third time and, although the cgi animation now looks a bit dated (of course, it was made in the 90s), there is nothing about this show I don't like. Even though it was made to promote a toy series, you would never think it while watching it. The developers did such a fantastic job fleshing out the characters so that we can see their strengths and weaknesses. There are characters you love in this series, and characters you loathe. Most importantly, the villains DON'T SUCK. They are actually formidable foes that give our heroes a run for their money and the concept of the Beast Planet is pulled off in such a way as to make any encounter with it terrifying.

There are a couple of cheesy lines, but c'mon. That's what tv animation is all about. It's cheesy in a funny way. I have re-watched cartoons I loved as a kid and they are corny in a bad way and that goes to show that the series cannot appeal to older audiences. This show can appeal to people of all ages I believe. Even my dad stayed to watch the series in the old days when I had taped it off the television on the VHS.

I know it's very difficult to find this series now, but if you like sci-fi action it is definitely worthwhile picking this series up.
3255746
I don't care what anyone says, this is how older comics need to look when reproduced for todays world.  Especially when they are coming from someone who owns the original film stock or whatever. This volume is a treat in that you get a real slice of comics in late 30's and early forties. The earlier dc comics had many types of stories in them like "slam bradley" , and 'the whip' which is a zorro like character.  Of course we get great fun stories from a bygone era too. One of the highlights is a 'sandman' story from Bert Christman. The man was extremely talented and brave to say the least. He was killed fighting with the Flying Tigers (u.s. air force volunteers) in 1942 and we never got to see him get even better in his ability to tell a story well and with really good art to boot. This is vintage golden age stuff with the typical 8-10 page story or less from the various heroes. The first worlds fair issue also includes alot of info from the worlds fair of 1939; which was a fantastic place indeed. It was unfortunately happening in the world war and the depression so it didn't get the 60 million visitors it was hoping for. But it's promoters had no reason to feel shame; for it represented the best in Mankind and future possibilities like ending 'polio'. Superman himself helps out by building a exhibit to promote a cure for the dreaded disease in one story.  All three comics never looked better than they do here and that's what I want from a archive if possible.
The book is 340 pages long and therefore it has alot of vintage good comics in it.  You get stories from other D.C. greats too like the green lantern and the flash so you won't be disapointed on that regard either.  Another highlight is seeing a early Joe Kubert Hawkman story, Bob Kanes' Batman, Siegal and Shuster's early superman, jack Burnley's ( a man who drew really beautiful comics) Superman, and the underrated Paul Rienman's "green lantern"  , wonder woman by H.g. peter and Marston, plus a atom and wildcat story and more.  I was also surprised to see a "Zatara" story by Fred Guardineer in which a outlaw gang is parading  the sword impaed head off a member of zataras expedition in china.
IT's all good fun and the original comics are worth more than cheap house together so this reprint is a great deal.
And like the comic calvacade edition you get non superhero titles instead of just one story taken from title like other golden age reprints.  So it's like really reading a vintage comic book in it's entirety.
116909
This was one of my favorites when I was a kid.  In retrospect there are a couple of things that kind of detract from the show.  The way the apes referred to the people as humanoids instead of humans like in the movies was one.  The only other complaint is that the animation was a little slow.  However, the art, especially the backgrounds, were fantastic.  The stories were very good as well.  I think that the music was underrated as well.  It was very effective in establishing an eerie mood to the show.  I wish that this show would have at least made it to a second season.  I would have liked to see where the writers were going.  Its a shame that cartoons weren't as well regarded as they are today.  I would have also like to have seen special features with this DVD.
2170447
I saw this many years ago and it is still enjoyable. The way it is done, leaves something for the imagination. This is not as graphic as the films that are out now.
1148438
Seeing as I have not finished watching the entire set yet I cant give a complete review at this time.  No matter.  Initially I felt I had spent too much on a collection of old cartoons many of which I viewed as a kid years ago.  This collection is well worth the cost and then some. The inside the tunes and interviews with artists etc are a big bonus and just as entertaining as the cartoons themselves. We see Mel Blancs son talking about his dad and the voice he gave to many of these characters. Many of these cartoons do lean towards the adult which makes them that much more entertaining. Todays cartoons are much more visual and close to 3d but they simply do not have the inner quality that these 'old' cartoons have. Cartoon collector or not I cannot over recommend this set. As I said I am about half way through the set. You will get great collection at a price that may appear high but is not when compared to buying the sets seperately.  There are many hours of cartoon fun and history here and many laughs.
1754929
I'm a kid from the 80's. I adored this stuff. Even after the American series got canceled I got Transformer toys like Sixshot and the Seacons. My friends had others like the Pretenders and Scorpunock. We never seen these guys in a cartoon before and this collection gave me my chance along with learning more about God Girai etc. Let me just say, the stories are uninspired by anime standards. Watching Mobile Suit Gundam or even Dragonball Z makes the stories here look shallow. Guys just die for no reason and easily. No warning or reason other than to create more toys to sell I guess. Watch for the memories and continued animation of your favorite childhood robots, don't expect much else.
4780782
Most people probably won't appreciate this set, but as a kid watching this with the companion, Shazam will find themselves trasported back to when they too were sitting there before the limited number of channels we had then and the innocence of Saturday morning cartoons.  I couldn't give it 5 stars simply because of the acting is pretty lame at times, but it shouldn't keep anyone from appreciating it simply for the camp value.  I still love it and I am glad to have it apart of my dvd collection.
461990
This is some old classic Marvel cartoons with the primative animation. I only wish they would release a complete set with all the episodes. I am sure they are in an archive somewhere.  Why is it that Marvel fans are not asking for more of these classic masterpieces of animation.  I loved some of the old comics converted into limited animation in this one. The voices are just right. Subby himself was voiced by a prominent actor who I don't remember here.  All in all it's a treat for those who forgot these things existed so long ago.
2211787
While the story is a little hokey and dated, I found it to be brilliantly mythological and very entertaining in parts. Also, the artwork is classic. Wish comics could return to this style.
1989101
Storytelling that isn't linear and seems to be all over the place but beyond that it's some of the best drawing you're likely to see in comics today (even if the collection is a few years old). Plus the dialogue is snappy.
1043719
My 22 year old son and I love to watch these cartoons. The animation is far superior to todays cartoons.
1732187
I used to own these on VHS and I'm really looking forward to getting them on DVD. Imagine if the Adam West TV show actually tried to be serious, put it in black and white and you get an idea of what these serials are like. They didn't have the special effects and the costumes were pretty bad also, but the stories were fairly solid and fun to watch. I recommend this for hardcore Batman fans and fans of classic TV/Cinema.
3822314
To set this in perspective I'm now 70 + years old.  Back when I was a child in the 1940s I was introduced to Van Beuren cartoons by having them shown (on 16mm) at one of my birthday parties. Later in the 1950s these film became a staple of local (Philadelphia) children's television programming. Years later I purchased a 16mm rental library because it had a number of these films in it. Alas time has made these film too fragile to screen any longer.  This DVD solves that problem.

This set, from Thunderbean Animation, makes a good companion to the Image Entertainment set "Cartoons That Time Forgot" From The Ban Beuren Studio". That set  includes the final 14 films made by the Van Beuren Studio. There were, however, 26 such films. The Rainbow Parade & Toddle Tales" set includes those other 12 as well as three films from a short series called Toddle Tales. These films open with a live action segment which provides a prolog into the animated adventure. Like Van Beuren's earlies Aesop's Fables series, each of these film carries a "moral" but unlike the earlier series, it is not spelled out in text during the end credits.

As with other products from Thunderbean Animation Steve Stanchfield, includes a wealth of bonus features in this set. These span character development art, marketing materials, an on-screen essay about the Van Beuren studio, and even a music only version of one of the films.

This set is highly recommended not just for the content but for the care Thunderbean has demonstrate in preserving these  films.
2976942
I enjoy old cartoons, and i like how they made it possable to make these type of dvds...im very happy to have this collection
3630678
I won't comment on the content, since other have already done so. Rather, I'll defend the quality of these prints, which I feel is very good, considering their age. No, these prints have not been digitally restored, and do not look like the current crop of new television shows on DVD. Considering their source, most likely 16mm prints from 57 years ago, they are in surprisingly good shape. Yes, the opening intro sequence is slightly pastel in color, and the image in the intro, titles, and "outro" is slightly soft. But the other 98 percent of the film is very good. I've only watched the first of the four volumes, but I have no complaints about the quality of the product.

The colors are very "primary", much like the three-strip Technicolor films from that era. On rare occassions, the contrast is such that the color of a face may darken slightly for a moment or two. But overall, the image is very good for a film source which was probably not given the best  "preservation care" over the last half century, and the picture is surprisingly clean, free of scratches and other image debris.

These disks are not intended to knock-your-socks-off on your new 1080p Hi Def plasma television; but those who remember television when shows like this were new and when entertainment was the name of the game, will find these most entertaining indeed, and very satisfactory viewing.
3013689
This is such a great collection.  It brings back many memories from my childhood and the cartoons are still fun to watch, even as an adult.