MAGILLA GORILLA: THE COMPLETE SERIES

DVD Review by Jon Cooke

Own it on DVD --- August 15, 2006 classiccartoonsdvd.com

There are a number of things to enjoy about the show. The characters are well designed, all likable, funny and the voice acting is top notch (thanks to the talents of Allan Melvin as Magilla and Punkin Puss, Don Messick as Ricochet Rabbit, Howard Morris as Mr. Peebles and Mushmouse, Jean Vander Pyl as Ogee, and the one and only Mel Blanc as Droop-Along). The show also has an incredibly catchy theme song (which, as you will see later in this review, made for one of my biggest disappointments with this DVD set).

However, I will be honest and tell you that Magilla Gorilla has never really been one of my favorite Hanna-Barbera series. The show is not on par with H-B's previous groundbreaking hit shows that have rightly become true TV classics such as Huckleberry Hound, The Flintstones, Yogi Bear, and Top Cat. Magilla almost seems like a turning point in the studio's history, where the cartoons started to become more and more generic with unmemorable plots, poorer animation, etc. (no doubt caused by the demand, budget, and deadlines of the changing face of TV animation in the mid- 1960s). There are some stand-out cartoons during the show's run and the earlier cartoons are easily the best of the bunch.

Even though I think Magilla is overall a mediocre show, it still deserved a much better DVD treatment than what Warner Home Video has given us. I have been a big supporter and fan of Warner's series of incredible Hanna-Barbera box sets in the past. However, it saddens me to report that they seem to have really dropped the ball on this set.

The most glaring omission is the absence of the show's famous opening theme song. This is possibly one of the most memorable openings in television cartoon history and it is no where to be found on the set. I was expecting to see the classic opening where the sun rises over Peebles' pet store and hear the familiar chorus of "We've got a gorilla for sale..." as soon as I hit the "Play All" button. Sadly, this wasn't the case. I then scanned through all the bonus features and clicked around for Easter Eggs to no avail. There are NO show opening titles, closing titles or interstitials/bumpers (a/k/a the "Curtain Calls") anywhere on the set. We do get to see a glimpse of the opening as part of the "Here Comes a Star" promotional film which is part of the bonus features and that's all. The sad part is knowing that the material DOES exist as it has aired on Cartoon Network and Boomerang in the past. An oversight like this is unacceptable and unbelievable.

I was also dismayed by the picture quality. It looks like Warners put zero effort in restoring the cartoons. I was blown away by how great and colorful all the Yogi and Huck Hound cartoons looked on DVD and was expecting the same here. However, the transfers are all over the map, ranging from decent to downright poor. This set has some of the worst transfers I have seen on an official WB DVD release. A lot of cartoons (especially a number of the Mushmouse shorts) look like they were sourced from overly bright, blurry, beat-up old 16mm prints.

These two "Punkin Puss" title cards are an example of how wildly the picture quality varies from one cartoon to the next.

There are some interesting extras most notable of which is a black and white promotional film that was shown on local stations to promote the upcoming debut of the Magilla Gorilla Show called "Here Comes a Star." It features George Fenniman (of Groucho Marx's "You Bet Your Life" fame) being invited to take a tour of the Hanna-Barbera studios where Bill and Joe give him a behind-the-scenes look at their latest show. There are some awkward edits during the 24 minute film that lead me to believe that it may have been edited on this DVD release (but I do not know that for sure).

Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera introduce Magilla to the world in "Here Comes a Star".

Other extras include an "interactive" retrospective where you can view a brief documentary on each of the show's main characters by clicking on pictures of them. These are mostly just fluff but it is nice to see memories by voice actor Allan Melvin and layout artist Jerry Eisenberg. Historian Jerry Beck is on hand as well, but his role is basically just describing the characters to us. Another bonus is a short clip of Hoyt Curtin and Bill Hanna singing the Magilla theme while Hoyt plays the piano. I am not sure where this clip originated from, possibly some sort of H-B anniversary special. Both men are in their later years in the clip. There is also the standard batch of "bonus" trailers for other WHV DVD sets.

Left: Allan Melvin (voice of Magilla Gorilla). Right: Bill Hanna and Hoyt Curtin sing the show's famous theme song.

Jerry Eisenberg and Jerry Beck as they appear in the bonus features.

Folks who grew up on these cartoons will enjoy revisiting them and maybe sharing them with the little ones. Plus, having all the Magilla/Punkin Puss/Ricochet shorts in one handy set is easier and cheaper than trying to catch them all on Boomerang. However, collectors who have been impressed (and a bit spoiled) by some of the past Hanna-Barbera sets released by Warners will likely be let down. Sadly, I can't really recommend this set unless you can get a good discount on it. Here's hoping that future box sets will be put together by folks who know and care about the material. No more monkey business, please.

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