All the Toons headed to you this Tuesday, March 22nd in the format of your choice…

This site’s a labor of love for all of two people, and the very little money it makes comes exclusively through people buying DVDs through the Amazon.com links scattered, quite unsubtly, throughout the site. Clicking on them costs you nothing, but each sale kicks a few sheckles back to us, so we encourage you to do so when the mood strikes. Someday it may even cover the cost of our hosting! Or so we pray… Enjoy!

Yogi Bear
DVD | Blu-ray | 3D Blu-ray

Okay I sincerely apologize for this, people. But hey, I don’t pick what or when Hollywood releases bile, because if I did this probably wouldn’t have happened. I miss Dan Ackroyd as much as anyone, but to see him outshined by Justin Timberlake doing a Boo Boo impression is a very sad thing indeed.

Speaking of sad things and Yogi Bear, the video embedded below is probably the best thing to come out of the whole CG debacle: An unofficial parody of one of my favorite films of the last decade, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Oh, and a far less embarrassing Yogi DVD appears below as well.

Venture Bros. Season 4
Blu-ray | S4 Vol. 2

If you don’t like this show, I probably won’t like you. I kinda knocked the Venture Christmas Special, but the show is easily the finest cartoon currently in production. For those of you like me who balked at the Venture Bros Season 4 Volume 1 DVD release, you’re being rewarded with a full (and extended) season in glorious 1080p High-Def.

Title screen from A Very Venture Christmas

Thrill as Brock and Dr. Venture are forced apart for the longest period in the series. Giggle as a convicted pedophile becomes Hank and Dean’s primary caretaker. Folks not equipped with Blu-ray will also be able to purchase Season 4 Vol. 2 today, but that coupled with the price of Vol 1 actually makes it more expensive than the Blu. Blu-ray for less than Standard Def?! A rare feat!

Robots
Blu-ray

Shit, am I that out of touch with modern animation? Does “From the Creators of Ice Age” really carry that much clout?! After watching a mastodon voiced by Queen Latifah yell “Yabba-Dabba-Doo!” in the third movie, I’d figure one would go out of their way to distance themselves from that low rent franchise… okay, maybe I’m too cynical.

I’ve actively disliked everything from Fox Animation has put out since Titan A.E., and yes, I’m increasingly annoyed each time Robin Williams stars as anything other than a blue genie, but I really do like the overall look of this film. And who doesn’t love robots?! That said, this new Blu comes fairly cheap at $17.99, yet it appears to be missing some of the special features from the SD release.

Garfield 1 & 2
Blu-ray combo

Speaking of CG travesties courtesy of Fox, here’s Garfield! The first film bundled along with its sequel, A Tale of Two Kitties. That is so clever! But only when you compare it to the titles Jim Davis has bestowed on his own book collections. Garfield: Out to Lunch? Garfield: Chews the Fat?! I hope he never runs out of ways to tell me his cat is comically obese!

Honestly, I wrote some high praise on A Garfield Christmas as proof that this character didn’t always suck. These films offer no evidence of that, but if you’ve got kids who don’t care about that, this combo package breaks down to $10 a film.

Easter 3-Pack Fun
DVD

Cool, and Easter set! Two of which are Rankin/Bass obscurities I haven’t seen in years. The first is a traditionally animated origin story that borrows a bit from The Velveteen Rabbit, and the other’s billed as a semi-sequel to Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town, but that’s probably mostly due to a stop-motion appearance by Fred Astaire.

Strangely enough, it’s bundled with a latter day Hanna-Barbera special I have no recollection of, Yogi the Easter Bear, which is most notable for being the last time Don Messick voiced Ranger Smith and Boo Boo before his death in 1997. I might be writing one of these up but I ain’t promising anything.

Disney’s Wild About Safety: Timon and Pumbaa Safety Smart: Healthy & Fit! Classroom Edition
DVD

What the hell is this?! I’d seen Timon and Pumbaa drop knowledge on me in the Disney Parks on occasion, but I had no idea it was available for purchase. Nor do I have any idea what a “Classroom Edition” designates, let alone why it costs $30 for 12 minutes of animation… but whatever! I’m just happy to know Disney’s still cranking out educational animation. Plus I quite liked T&P’s cartoon show, and the clips I’ve seen from other entries in the Safety First series seem to have upped the animation quality quite a bit. I’m gonna start making some kids NOW!