While each episode is packed with battle scenes, the emphasis of the series was using the stories to teach kids valuable, pro-social lessons.
This DVD set brings together the first 33 episodes of the original series. One of the highlights being "Prince Adam No More", where Adam wrestles with his dual identity when his father admires He-Man more than him. In the fan-favorite "Teela's Quest", Teela searches for the identity of her birth mother. We even get to see Orko's homeworld and his girlfriend in "Dawn of Dragoon."
While each episode is packed with battle scenes, the emphasis of the series was using the stories to teach kids valuable, pro-social lessons. In the end, the good guys give us the moral of the day and I kept waiting for someone to say, "Knowing is half the battle." Also, the show's writing staff consists of several luminaries such as: Janis Diamond ("Law & Order"), Paul Dini ("Batman: The Animated Series", "Superman: The Animated Series"), D.C. Fontana ("Star Trek"), and J. Michael Straczynski ("Babylon 5").
Here's a rundown of the episodes:
-Disc 1-
"Diamond Ray of Disappearance"
"The Cosmic Comet"
"The Shaping Staff"
"Disappearing Act"
"She-Demon of Phantos"
"Teela's Quest"
"The Curse of the Spellstone"
-Disc 2-
"The Time Corridor"
"The Dragon Invasion"
"A Friend in Need"
"Masks of Power"
"Evil-Lyn's Plot"
"Like Father, Like Daughter"
"Colossor Awakes"
-Disc 3-
"A Beastly Sideshow"
"Reign of the Monster"
"Daimar the Demon"
"Creatures of the Tar Swamp"
"Quest for He-Man"
"Dawn of Dragoon"
"The Royal Cousin"
-Disc 4-
"Song of Celice"
"Orko's Favorite Uncle"
"Wizard of Stone Mountain"
"Evilseed"
"Ordeal in the Darklands"
"The Return of Orko's Uncle"
-Disc 5-
"The Defection"
"Prince Adam No More"
"The Taking of Grayskull"
"A Tale of Two Cities"
"Search for the VHO"
"The Starchild"
VIDEO:
The video is presented in nonanamorphic fullscreen with an aspect ratio of 1.33:1. This is probably the best this show has ever looked. The colors are vibrant and there's very little blemishes noticeable.
AUDIO:
The audio is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo. It sounds great, although a remixed 5.1 track (similar to the "G.I. Joe" and "Transformers" releases) would have been nice.
EXTRAS:
The extras are found on Disc 6 and they include:
"The Secret Origins of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" - Interviews with the producers, writers, and animators as they discuss the creation of the show.
"The Stories of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" - The writers of the show talk about the stories created for the show.
There are also animated storyboards, character profiles and video clips, trivia facts, and episode scripts found through the magic of DVD-ROM. The set also comes with two post cards with artwork by comic book artists, Alex Ross and Bill Sienkiewicz.
FILM VALUE:
I was never the biggest He-Man fan, I was more of a G.I. Joe guy. The stories are a bit silly and the animation is dated but, this DVD set is a fun-filled trip down memory lane. It's a must-have for all you cartoon fanboys.
While each episode is packed with battle scenes, the emphasis of the series was using the stories to teach kids valuable, pro-social lessons. In the end, the good guys give us the moral of the day and I kept waiting for someone to say, "Knowing is half the battle." Also, the show's writing staff consists of several luminaries such as: Janis Diamond ("Law & Order"), Paul Dini ("Batman: The Animated Series", "Superman: The Animated Series"), D.C. Fontana ("Star Trek"), and J. Michael Straczynski ("Babylon 5").
Here's a rundown of the episodes:
-Disc 1-
"Diamond Ray of Disappearance"
"The Cosmic Comet"
"The Shaping Staff"
"Disappearing Act"
"She-Demon of Phantos"
"Teela's Quest"
"The Curse of the Spellstone"
-Disc 2-
"The Time Corridor"
"The Dragon Invasion"
"A Friend in Need"
"Masks of Power"
"Evil-Lyn's Plot"
"Like Father, Like Daughter"
"Colossor Awakes"
-Disc 3-
"A Beastly Sideshow"
"Reign of the Monster"
"Daimar the Demon"
"Creatures of the Tar Swamp"
"Quest for He-Man"
"Dawn of Dragoon"
"The Royal Cousin"
-Disc 4-
"Song of Celice"
"Orko's Favorite Uncle"
"Wizard of Stone Mountain"
"Evilseed"
"Ordeal in the Darklands"
"The Return of Orko's Uncle"
-Disc 5-
"The Defection"
"Prince Adam No More"
"The Taking of Grayskull"
"A Tale of Two Cities"
"Search for the VHO"
"The Starchild"
VIDEO:
The video is presented in nonanamorphic fullscreen with an aspect ratio of 1.33:1. This is probably the best this show has ever looked. The colors are vibrant and there's very little blemishes noticeable.
AUDIO:
The audio is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo. It sounds great, although a remixed 5.1 track (similar to the "G.I. Joe" and "Transformers" releases) would have been nice.
EXTRAS:
The extras are found on Disc 6 and they include:
"The Secret Origins of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" - Interviews with the producers, writers, and animators as they discuss the creation of the show.
"The Stories of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" - The writers of the show talk about the stories created for the show.
There are also animated storyboards, character profiles and video clips, trivia facts, and episode scripts found through the magic of DVD-ROM. The set also comes with two post cards with artwork by comic book artists, Alex Ross and Bill Sienkiewicz.
FILM VALUE:
I was never the biggest He-Man fan, I was more of a G.I. Joe guy. The stories are a bit silly and the animation is dated but, this DVD set is a fun-filled trip down memory lane. It's a must-have for all you cartoon fanboys.
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[release]17106[/release]