Saturday Morning Cartoons: 1980s, Vol. 1

It's great to see the 1980s decade of cartoons getting it's own volume to shine, being that we've already seen two 1960s and two 1970s sets of the Saturday Morning collection already out. One can not stress enough that high sales of this 80s volume 1 would encourage WB to release more 80s sets in the future. It's been said the 60s volumes have not sold as well as the 70s sets and that's a shame because some of these cartoons released in volume form are about the only way they'll get to be on DVD being they're not as popular to be sold on their own. So the more 80s volumes made, the better chance we'll get the more niche' cartoons.Well on to some of the content, "Thundarr" is your classic good verus evil set in a post apocalyptic earth, the intro to the show alone is worth the price of admission. "Galtar" also shares that action vibe set and is similar to Conan in some regards. Both shows clearly deserve a complete series set and they might just get that treatment if this volume sells highly well. Also I am sure fans of "Pirates of Dark Water" would feel encouraged they might also be considered in a 1990's Volume set or a complete series being that has never been released on DVD yet.Being Warner Bros has a chat each year where fans can ask questions on shows they'll like to see released I think they do consider shows people ask for like Plastic man which finally got a release last year and I formally asked about " The Biskitts " and they actually included an episode in this volume which I am really glad they heard me on that one. Think the " Smurfs " a bit of action, comedy and adventure and down right cute puppies and a bumbling king and side kick providing laughs galore. Also for fun this set includes the " Kwicky Koala " show often featured on " Captain Kangaroo " and it was full of laughs and hi-jinks. * Note: There are 11 episodes in this collection in total and they're single episodes for each show. You can see the full list on another review here.While many people do not consider the 80s a golden age of animation I feel the 80s decade is highly prized for it's movies, cartoons and shows by many and it's having a renaissance with movies like Transformers out and Voltron, Thundercats, The Smurfs on the way. The cartoons were enjoyable, it was nothing like waking up to the Saturday morning cartoon blocks on the big 3 networks which starting in the 1990s began giving way to more live action teen shows and news shows. There are too many shows here to break down all of them one by one for me but I must say WB did a nice mix for all tastes. I really hope they will release more volumes and consider some for complete sets and from what they said in their online chat if fans do want to see more 80s cartoons please support this set, buy more than one to give as a gift to other 80s fans perhaps or even as a gift for childern of today who I am sure would have fun to see these cartoons which are often better than anything seen today.A quick wish list for a Volume 2 would be Heathcliff and DingBat/Marmaduke show, Rubik the Amazing Cube, Rickety Rocket, Popeye and Son, Pac-man show, Teen wolf, Saturday Supercade among many others. Also commericals and original bumpers from the networks/shows as extras would be great if at all possible. Also it would be great if WB could create bio pages for each cartoon on the dvd, a simple screen shot and information on when cartoon debuted and how many episodes were made would be appreciated and also to list the episodes on the packaging itself and/or on the disc themselves.Thank you Warner Bros for releasing this Volume and I hope to see many more!I would just like to add, I hope all people viewing this product page can place a vote on this review or others, the more activity the better for letting the studios know we do want more 1980s cartoon in volume or complete form. I can tell you we almost had " The Get A Long Gang " 80s cartoon complete come out a few years ago but American Greetings wouldn't give the go ahead. Now it seems studios are moving away from releasing 80s shows ie. Disney, they still haven't finished GummiBears, Ducktales etc. The more sales of these 80s show can convince studios there are many buyers out there. Thanks!September 2010^^^Update For all those who demanded " Thundarr The Barbarian " it's finally going to be for sale as a complete series, the only catch is that it is a MOD release which the studio themselves burn on to dvds, it's out September 22, 2010 and for now you have to get it at WB online direct. Though some of the WB MOD titles eventually made it here to amazon before. Also for 90s fans " Pirates of Dark water " complete is out already there as a MOD set.

I grew up in the 80's, as did my husband, so naturally we grew up on Saturday morning cartoons, along with the USA cartoon express. Most of these you'll remember right away & a few took a couple of seconds, it's a great collection. My only complaint is that it's not a bigger set, I would have liked to have seen MORE. It's a must for any 80's child to have in their collection & is great to share with your children.

I got it today and I am going to enjoy this for a very long time thanks and it came on time and my experience on here was very good

Here again, we have yet another valiant effort from the Warner Brothers clan to help us relive our Saturday mornings... this time, from the 1980s. Unfortunately, by the time the 1980s rolled around, Warner Brothers/Hanna Barberra/Ruby Spears no longer had a monopoly on "quality" Saturday Morning Cartoons. Marvel's production of Spider-Man '81, Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, and the 80's version of the Incredible Hulk, along with up-and-coming companies like Dic Enterprises, were starting to move in on the Saturday Morning Cartoon market with what would appear to be great animation of their own. While Filmation, Rankin-Bass, and Sunbow ruled the syndicated animation market, Hanna Barbera and the Warners were starting to have real competition.But, to be fair, let's talk about what HB and Ruby-Spears brought to the breakfast table each weekend (specifically, what is included in this collection). "Thundarr, the Barberian" and the animated version of "Mr.T" are both well worth a second glance (maybe even some DVD releases of their own). The show that I'm definitely looking forward to seeing again (and certainly seeing getting its just treatment from the DVD market) is "Galtar and the Golden Lance." Chuck Norris was an alright show and, seeing that it was rumored to have run for all of five episodes, it will probably only be able to be enjoyed here.This is where I'm most impressed with the Warners efforts (made even more impressed if these shows get the treatments and DVDs that they deserve; save for Chuck). However, Dragon's Lair and the Flintstone Kids I don't remember fondly and The Monchichis I don't remember period (I know it existed; even as a youth, I managed to avoid it). Shows such as these take up space for what were (in my opinion, anyway) superior programming such as the Paw Paws, the Johnny Quest reincarnation of the 80s, and The Centurions (a 'toon that has earned its due respect for a DVD release, yet isn't even rumored to be in a mixed volume). Still these are my opinions and what I remember fondly and therein lies the danger of releasing only one collection.Also, notably missing are the classic Ruby Spears logo(s) (it's earliest blue version and the more recent gold) and the "Saturday Morning Wake-up Call" preview prior to each DVD to at leasat let the viewers know what kinds of episodes they're getting into. On the one hand (regarding the preview), maybe the Warners decided to lure their viewers in with a sense of surprise; but viewers like me missed it. As to the missing end logos...well, maybe by the time that Volume 2 rolls around (should they choose to make one), whatever the issue is will have been ironed out.Anyway, some cartoon selections aside, thank you, Warners, for releasing this volume and introducing these classics to a younger generation while allowing those of us who remember Saturday Mornings fondly to revisit our favorite memories.