“Super-toon extraordinaire Freakazoid! Freakazoid! Runs around in underwear Freakazoid! Freakazoid! Rescues Washington D.C .Freakazoid! Freakazoid!
Unless something better’s on TV Freakazoid! Freakazoid! His brain’s overloading. It has a chocolate coating. Textbook case for Sigmund Freud Freakazoid! Freakazoid!”
Only from the mind of Steven Spielberg and the gang that brought us Animaniacs could such a cartoon series and superhero be found. From 1995 to 1997 it could all be found as near as your television set, with the oddball Freakazoid series from Spielberg and Warner.
“Check out Dexter Douglas, Nerd computer ace. Went surfing on the internet And was zapped to cyberspace He turned into the Freakazoid. He’s strong and super-quick
He drives the villains crazy ‘Cause he’s a lunatic”
Dexter Douglas was your average nerd, until one Christmas a faulty computer chip sucked him deep into the bowels of the internet. There he was transformed and bestowed with incredible strength and mind control. He could bend reality with just a thought. Soon he’s gathered a collection of characters and a Freakalair. With plenty of nods to Batman, Freakazoid turned the comic world of superheroes on its head. The series included some of the zaniest characters imaginable. Lobe was his usual arch nemesis. He looked a lot like Brain from Pinky and The Brain and shared his diabolical schemes. Steph is Freakazoid’s Girl Friday and general love interest and sidekick. Chief of Police Cosgrove is his best buddy. He also serves as Freakazoid’s diversion from whatever business is at hand. Cosgrove would often lead him away from the duty at hand for some mundane activity or another. There were other heroes and bad guys, but this group made up the vast majority of zany elements for the series. The Lobe would devise new ways to destroy our hero, but they always backfired.
”His home base is the Freakalair Freakazoid! Fricassee! Floyd the Barber cuts his hair Freakazoid! Chimpanzee! Rides around in the Freakmobile Freakazoid! Freakazoo! Hopes to make a movie deal Freaka me! Freaka you! He’s here to save the nation, So stay tuned to this station. If not, we’ll be unemployed Freakazoid!”
The show only lasted two seasons, so this is the end of the road for the crazy hero. It wasn’t because folks didn’t “stay tuned”, but the show had pretty much run its course. The addition of Jonathan Harris, our own Doctor Smith, as Professor Jones was a fresh injection of blood into the show. The humor was always a bit off center, and I’ll admit that it works only in very small doses. The animation style was very much a blend of Warner’s Loony Tunes and the superhero genre. It was often quirky and laughed too hard at its own jokes. In the end it appealed to a very small core, but loyal group of people, ultimately too narrow for its cost of production. This set is really only for fans. I wouldn’t recommend you go out and pick this up until you’re sure the brand of humor is up to your tastes.
Video
Each episode is presented in its original full frame broadcast aspect ratio. The colors are actually pretty good here. Lines are well defined, and the animation appears pretty smooth. The prints are in good shape. There is a hint of compression trouble, but with so many cartoons on each disc, that’s what you get.
Audio
The Dolby Digital 5.1 or 2.0 tracks do exactly what it was originally intended to do. It delivers dialog and some mid-range music. Nothing to write home about, but nothing to distract.
Special Features
Liebeslied Fur Normadeus: Brought to you by Anubus Market, food good enough to eat, this 20 minute piece is part mockumentary and part crew interview clips. Joe Leahy, the show’s narrator and announcer, has a lot of fun with this feature. They address the show’s ending and the changes that happened in season 2.
Final Thoughts:
It’s a quirky show that I’ll admit I didn’t always get. This is all that I saw, and perhaps the first season would have set it up a little better for me. I don’t know. I would tell you more about the show, but it’s not an easy show to get right away. I suspect you either get it or you don’t. I didn’t. With that it’s very hard to recommend this show to anyone who hasn’t already made up their minds. To do otherwise would be unfair to you and your dwindling money supply. “I took an oath. I promised to only use my skills for the forces of good.”
