The adventures of cartoonist Chester Gould’s classic gumshoe character Dick Tracy have been depicted in a number of medium over the years, including comic books, theatrical serials, TV series and feature films. One of the animated incarnations of the super sleuth is now available on DVD with Classic Media’s release of Dick Tracy: The Complete Animated Series. Also hitting retail today are Dangermouse: The Final Seasons, The Wind in the Willows: The Feature Films Collection, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig Volume 7 and Bratz Passion 4 Fashion Diamondz!
Dick Tracy: The Complete Animated Series is a four-disc set containing all episodes from series, which aired from 1961 to 1964. Rather than solving all the crimes himself, Tracy acted more as a dispatcher in the series, delegating missions to junior detectives Go-go Gomez and Jo Jitsu, parodies of Speedy Gonzalez and Charlie Chan, respectively. Voiced by cartoon legend Mel Blanc, the characters are considered stereotypical and politically incorrect today, which makes the DVD all the more enticing to collectors since the show hasn’t been aired in years. Retailing for around $39.98, the set comes packaged with a limited-edition Dick Tracy comic book.
Dangermouse: The Final Seasons features all 21 episodes from seasons 7-10 on three discs. Produced by Cosgrove Hall Prods., the series follows the adventures of the world’s smallest spy and his slightly smaller sidekick, Penfold. DVD extra features include the “Town Hall Terrors” episode of Count Duckula, alternative Dangermouse theme song options; Dangermouse theme song karaoke and character descriptions. Fans can pick up the A&E Home Entertainment release for the suggested retail price of $39.95.
Also from A&E Home Entertainment and the artists at Cosgrove Hall comes The Wind in the Willows: The Feature Films Collection. The two-disc set features the whimsical stop-motion animated TV movies The Wind in the Willows and The Wind in the Willows: A Tale of Two Toads. Bonus materials include an Interview with director Brian Cosgrove, the Toad’s Road trivia game, an archival color photo gallery, character descriptions and “Paperchase,” a full bonus episode from the third season of the Wind in the Willows TV series. The set lists for $29.95.
The epic continues in Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig Volume 7, which offers the last three chapters of the popular series based on one of the most successful anime films of all time. The DVD release from Bandai Ent. and Manga Ent. includes an interview with director Kenji Kamiyama and voice actors, Ken Nishida (Gohda) and Rikiya Koyama (Kuze). Priced at around $49.98, the set comes packaged in a collectable tin case that also contains a music soundtrack CD and a collectible toy.
With so much boy’s action fare landing on shelves, there has to be something for the girls as well. Enter Bratz Passion 4: Fashion Diamondz! Based on MGA’s popular fashion dolls, the new CG-animated movie stars pals Cloe, Yasmin, Jade and Sasha, who embark on a journey of self-discovery when they take on an “express yourself” art class assignment. The girls hit the road on a cross-country search for fashion standouts and encounter far more than they ever expected. The MGA Ent. production retails for $19.98.
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