Adult Swim’s hit stop-motion series takes aim at George Lucas’ space opera with Robot Chicken: Star Wars, which arrives on home video today after some delay. The disc was pushed back to coincide with various Lucasfilm activities, including its presence at the San Diego Comic-Con and the August theatrical release of the CG-animated epic Star Wars: The Clone Wars but now fans can finally add it to their collections. Also debuting on disc today are Transformers Cybertron: The Ultimate Collection, Comedy Central’s TV Funhouse, the 1990 animated movie The Marzipan Pig and a big collection of 600 classic cartoons.
A loving tribute and spoof from Robot Chicken creators Seth Green and Matthew Senreich, Robot Chicken: Star Wars is a half-hour special that features the voices of Star Wars creator George Lucas, Mark ‘Luke Skywalker’ Hamil, talk show host Conan O’Brien, Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane, former wrestler Hulk Hogan and others. Green directed the special and produced with Senreich through their Stoopid Monkey Prods., along with Alex Bulkley’s and Corey Campodonico’s ShadowMachine Films.
The Robot Chicken: Star Wars DVD is available for the suggested retail price of $14.97. Bonus features include behind-the-scenes featurettes, more than two hours of commentary, an animation meeting, deleted scenes, alternate audio, time-lapse sequences, a photo gallery, video of the Star Wars Celebration IV Convention panel presentation, trailers and a sketch-by-sketch commentary track dubbed ‘Chicken Nuggets.’
Cybertron, the Trasformers home planet is on the brink of destruction by a black hole in the series Transformers: Cybertron. To save their world, Optimus Prime and his fellow Autobots set out on an intergalactic scavenger hunt to find the lost Cyber Planet Keys before they fall into the hands of the evil Decepticons. The keys have the power to unlock Cybertron itself, creating the greatest Transformer the universe has ever seen. This Gonzo-produced series first aired on Cartoon Network in 2005.The seven-disc set carries a suggested retail price of $59.98.
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has put out a two-disc set featuring all eight uncensored episodes of Comedy Central’s TV Funhouse, a short-lived series that combined live action, puppets and animation. Playing like a twisted kids’ show for adults, the show has host Doug presenting themed shows with help from his puppeted Anipals. The series spun off from creator Robert Smigel’s animated ‘Saturday TV Funhouse’ segment of NBC’s Saturday Night Live. Featuring commentary by the creators and the Anipals, appearances by Triumph the Insult Comic Dog on Comedy Central, dirty outtakes, behind-the-scenes footage and commentary by the Anipals, the set carries a list price of $28.49.
Animated by award-winning producer-director Michael Sporn, The Marzipan Pig is based on the award-winning book by Russell Hoban. Tim Curry narrates the tale of a marzipan pig who is lost when he falls behind the sofa. In his loneliness, the pig’s feelings of love reach out, in a strange chain of events, to an owl, a mouse and a hibiscus flower. Extras include the short Jazztime Talk, narrated by Ruby Dee. First Run is also releasing another Michael Sporn classic, Abel’s Island (1988) which was nominated for an Emmy. This adaptation of a beloved book by William Steig, this beautifully animated piece centers on a mouse who’s separated from his wife during a terrible rainstorm. Curry also narrates this piece, which is paired with The Dancing Frog. Both DVDs are priced at $14.95.
Mill Creek Ent., a home video distributor that specializes in giving genre fans a lot of bang for their buck by packaging various movies together, gives us the Giant 600 Cartoon Collection. For $29.98, toon lovers get approximately 3,720 minutes of classic cartoon fun featuring such beloved characters as Popeye, Woody Woodpecker, Casper the Friendly Ghost, Betty Boop, Felix the Cat, Little Lulu and Clutch Cargo, The Three Stooges and more. All 600 shorts are bundled together on 12 DVDs.
