More superhero action makes it way to disc today as Warner Home Video releases the first volume of episodes from the debut season of The All-New Super Friends Hour from 1977. A popular mystery-solving duo also get heroic in the third season of What’s New Scooby-Doo?, the latest incarnation of the classic Hannah-Barbera cartoon series, which ran 2002 – 2006.
The All-New Super Friends Hour, Season One, Vol. One is a two-disc set offering 32 episodes of the DC Comics animated series featuring Superman, Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman and Aquaman. The shapeshifting Wonder Twins, Zan and Jayna, joined the team, taking the place of Marvin, Wendy and Wonderdog from 1973’s Superfriends.
As bonus features Warner has included the featurettes One Dimensional Goodness: The Super Friends and the Good Old Days, and Origins of the Guest Stars. The former examines how the trend of conservative programming made its way into the world of the Super Friends, and includes a comparison of the characters’ treatment in future television incarnations of the Justice League as well as their appearance in comic books. The latter looks at the first animated appearances of Hawkman, Hawkgirl, the Atom, Green Lantern and other DC heroes. Show writers and producers discuss the introduction of these beloved characters to the Saturday morning line-up and their DC Comics origins. Also featured is a classic rogues gallery associated with each of the iconic crimefighters.
What’s New Scooby-Doo? The Complete Third Season features 13 episodes on one disc. In this collection of installments, the Mystery Inc. gang gets sporty as they investigate a wrestling match gone wrong, a haunted stock car race and even a mini-golf tournament terrorized by a metallic clown. The season also has Scooby and pals visiting Paris, Moscow, Hong Kong, Australia, and the Old West. Additional scenes and the bonus ‘Scooby-Doo Christmas’ episode are included.
Also released today is Happy Tree Friends: The Complete Series. Cuddly woodland critters get maimed and mangled in horrific mishaps in all four volumes of this wincingly comical animated series from Mondo Media, which comes packaged as a four-disc set from distributor BCI/Eclipse. More child-appropriate animal action can be found in Scolastic’s Clifford, The Big Red Dog: Playtime for Clifford, released today by Lionsgate Home Entertinment.
