Shout! Kids’ Latest Pound Puppies Compilation Is Another Great Watch For The Whole Family

Courtesy; Shout! Factory/Shout! Kids/Hub/Hasbro Studios

Shout! Kids released the latest collection of episodes from Hub’s award-winning series Pound Puppies this week.  The latest collection of episodes from this update on the original 1980s series is just as much a jewel as the series’ previous compilation DVDs.  The episodes included in this compilation make it so enjoyable first and foremost because of the episodes’ writing.  By connection, audiences will appreciate the subtle lessons taught through some of the episodes.  Intentional or not, there are some subtle lessons taught through some of this set’s episodes.  It makes the set all the richer.  And last but not least, viewers (especially parents) will appreciate this latest compilation is the list of guest appearances.  Some very big names lend their talents to Pound Puppies in this collection.  Whether it be the guest talent, the lessons, the writing or all three factors together, Pound Puppies: A Perfect Match proves to be another wonderful set of episodes for the whole family.

The writing behind this collection of episodes is the central point of impact for this DVD.  Those that are familiar with this incarnation of Pound Puppies and with the original series from the 1980s know that both series emulate the classic WWII-themed sitcom Hogan’s Heroes in their theme songs.  The new Pound Puppies has taken things to a higher level, actually giving Ace and his canine friends an underground base just like Col. Hogan and his Allied forces friends in Hogan’s Heroes.  As viewers will see in this set’s opening episode, the writers even emulate Hogan’s Heroes in terms of the writing, too.  In “The Yipper Caper”, viewers see McLeash bring in a giant dog feeding machine just to impress his superiors much like Col. Klink would do in Hogan’s Heroes.  Klink was always taking on some wild, hair-brained scheme to impress his higher-ups.  On the other side of things, audiences hear Ace tell Yipper that the Pound Puppies have homes outside the shelter, but they stay there to help others.  Audiences familiar with Hogan’s Heroes will again recognize quite the similarity there.  This writing is a wonderful homage to the golden era of television and takes things one step farther than the original Pound Puppies series.  That homage is just the tip of the iceberg in what makes the writing so fun in these episodes.  Just as impressive to note is the fact that the show’s writers are able to time and again find ways for the Pound Puppies to complete their missions without McLeash ever knowing.  This is the case throughout all five episodes, not just the opener.  Again, this is an homage to Hogan’s Heroes.  It’s one more way to potentially get young viewers started on the road to an appreciation for television’s Golden Era.  And for that, the show’s writers are more than deserving of their applause.

As one should be able to tell by now, the writing behind the episodes included in the latest Pound Puppies compilation DVD is key to the collection’s overall enjoyment.  Even older viewers will appreciate the writing thanks to its throwback to what is one of television’s greatest ever sitcoms.  Just as important to these episodes are the lessons taught through the episodes.  “Hello Kitten” teaches a not so subtle lesson about the ability of people to get along and be friends despite opposing backgrounds.  It does this by having the youngest of the pound puppies help a kitten find his perfect person.  There’s just one problem.  The Pound Puppies’ feline counterparts, led by a feline mirror image of Ace is set out to keep the young kitten from becoming friends with dogs and finding a person for the kitten themselves.  In the end, the cats learn that it’s okay to be friends with dogs.  The secondary lesson taught here is that one must let go of things from the past.  All holding onto the past does is make a person bitter.  “Beauty is only Fur Deep” teaches a lesson about being one’s self when a much talked about dog comes to Kennel 17.  The Pound Puppies have their hands…*ahem*…paws full when the seemingly humble dog turns quite self-centered on getting a new coat of fur.  It creates lots of problems for the Pound Puppies especially when he shoots down the little girl they said was his perfect person. He of course learns a rather valuable lesson from this experience that viewers of all ages will appreciate.

The lessons taught through the episodes culled for Pound Puppies: A Perfect Match and the general writing that pays homage to Hogan’s Heroes both make this latest compilation of episodes just as enjoyable as previous Pound Puppies DVDs. There is one more factor to consider in this DVD that makes its episodes so fun. That final factor is the list of guest stars that lent its talents to each episode. J.K. Simmons (Spiderman 1 – 3) and Tress MacNeille both share their talents in the episodes included in this DVD. Go figure, Simmons voices a character in “Working K-9 To 5” that is a newspaper man. Hmmmmm, now where have we seen that before? His character is even presented much in the same vein as J. Jonah Jameson from director Sam Raimi’s Spiderman Trilogy. MacNeille (The Simpsons, Futurama) voices a fellow canine in another episode. It’s only a bit part. But parents that know McNeille’s voice will love hearing her voice here, too. And of course, the true queen of comedy herself, Betty White, returns once more as the voice of McLeash’s not so nice mother. These are just some of the guests that appear in the episodes collected for this DVD. Also on board on these episodes are: Tara Strong (Rugrats, The Powerpuff Girls, The Fairly Odd Parents), E.G. Daily (Rugrats, The Powerpuff Girls, Chalk Zone), Diedrich Bader (Batman: The Brave & The Bold, Napoleon Dynamite, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy), Danny Cooksey (Salute Your Shorts, Diff’rent Strokes, Tiny Toon Adventures) and so many others. The fact that so many well-known actors and actresses would lend their talents to these episodes shows just how respected a series it proves to be. Parents will recognize most (if not all) of the names mentioned here. And that alone is enough to give the DVD just one watch if not more. And it is most definitely deserving of far more than just one watch.

Pound Puppies: A Perfect Match is available now in stores and online. It can be ordered online direct from Shout! Factory’s online store at http://www.shoutfactory.com/product/pound-puppies-perfect-match. More information on this and other releases from Shout! Factory and Shout! Kids is available online at http://www.shoutfactory.com and http://www.facebook.com/shoutfactoryofficial. To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

New Box Set A Fitting Final Release For The Angry Beavers

Courtesy: Shout! Factory/Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon and Shout! Factory have had a very successful partnership in recent years, releasing a handful of classic Nicktoons.  The two companies have partnered to release multiple seasons and complete seasons of The Wild Thornberrys, Aaahhh!!! Real Monsters, and Danny Phantom just to name a few.  Now the companies’ partnership has resulted in the release of another complete series in what is one of Nickelodeon’s key cartoons in The Angry Beavers: The Complete Series.

Next to Rocko’s Modern Life: The Complete Series, The Angry Beavers: The Complete Series is only the second complete series released by Nickelodeon and Shout! Factory among the Nicktoons releases put out to date.  For those that are perhaps new to this series, its run from 1997 – 2001 was a very pivotal point for the network.  That is because when this cartoon debuted, it was unlike any of the other Nicktoons still on the air at that point.  Whereas other shows such as Rocket Power, Rugrats, and Hey Arnold! bore a certain heart, The Angry Beavers was more akin to the likes of Cartoon Network’s What A Cartoon show.  That’s because of the all-out, zany story lines of each episode.  From Dagget becoming a forest ranger in Season One to dealing with their sisters and dad in Seasons Two, Three, and Four, the show’s stories are just good turn-off-your-brain entertainment.  This is just as true with every one of the show’s other episodes, too.  Each season’s episodes collectively marked the beginning of a new age of Nicktoons for Nickelodeon.  Of course, the stories were only part of the formula that made the Angry Beavers stand out among the Nicktoons of that time.

The zany storylines of this cartoon obviously garnered the show a solid audience in its run.  That’s evident as its four-season run was right on par with its predecessors and those that were on the air at the same time.  It’s not all that set the show apart from other Nicktoons, though.  The show’s animation also set it apart from other Nicktoons.  As with the story lines, its animation was also more akin to those cartoons that audiences would have seen on Cartoon Network’s What a Cartoon Show.  That factor partnered with the completely off the wall story lines leaves little doubt as to why the show was as successful as it was.  Now that the complete series has been released to DVD box set, there is at least one last factor that helps to make this show a favorite among its fans once more.  That factor is something that has set Shout! Factory apart from other companies from early on.  It is the set’s packaging.

Now that The Angry Beavers: The Complete Series has been released, fans of this standout Nicktoon can finally re-live another part of their childhoods in proper fashion.  That’s because all four seasons of the show have been collected in a single, properly packaged box.  All sixty-two episodes have been culled on ten discs and presented exactly as they were presented in their original stand-alone boxes.  The set’s first and final discs both have their own spaces on the inside front and rear of the box.  All of the set’s other discs each have their own spot on the plastic inserts that have helped conserve space on other releases from Shout! Factory and Nickelodeon.  Those same inserts have also served to protect the discs from being scratched.  This, in turn, allows each episode to be enjoyed for far longer than had they been packaged in older, less ergonomic packaging that other companies use.  So it is one more feather in the cap of both Shout! Factory and Nickelodeon.  The complete series set will be available Tuesday, July 30^th in store and online.  Fans can order the set online direct from the Shout! Factory store at http://www.shoutfactory.com/?q=node/217521.  Fans that order the box set through this site will also have a chance to receive a free 12” x 18” Angry Beavers lithograph.  Only 200 lithographs were printed.  So they are in extremely limited quantity.  It’s first come first serve.

To keep up with all of the latest releases from Shout! Factory, fans can “Like” the official Shout! Factory Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/shoutfactoryofficial or check in daily at the official Shout! Factory website, http://www.shoutfactory.com.  Fans that want to see other Nicktoons such as Rugrats and Doug get a proper release can go to the Shout! Factory Facebook page and bombard the company with messages in favor of getting those most classic of Nicktoons released properly, too.  After doing that, fans can go to the Phil’s Picks Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/philspicks, and “Like” it to keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news.  Fans can also keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.