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Ren and Stimpy: The First 10 Cartoons (Vol. 1) (UMD)
Region 1 • Unrated • Dolby Digital • Available Now
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Paramount has settled on a plan of releasing their TV shows on UMD: make them “samplers” with no extra features. So how did this release turn out?
Thoughts on the TV Show
If there is one tragedy I hate to happen to a great TV show, it’s that it gets cancelled in its prime. The second and perhaps worse tragedy is that the show quickly careens downhill until it finally is a small, pale shadow of its former self.
Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened with Ren and Stimpy. The first two seasons were fantastic, and the art direction was just insane. But soon, the show lost its original charm (thanks in part to creator John Kricfalusi leaving the show) and the later half of the second and third seasons sucked. And don’t get me started on the travesty that is the Adult Party Cartoons... man oh man, did they ever destroy their own creation with that one. Those were about the worst episodes of ANY show I have ever seen.
Thankfully, this TV UMD “sampler” contains the first 10 cartoons, which are all gems. The episode listing is:
-Stimpy’s Big Day/ The Big Shot
-Robin Hoek/ Nurse Stimpy
-Space Madness/ The Boy Who Cried Rat
-Fire Dogs/ The Littlest Giant
-Marooned/ Untamed World
So you really get 5 full episodes, with a total of 10 cartoons. Those clever marketing guys...
The whole UMD runs at 121 minutes, so you do get a good value with the price (as low as $14 at Wal-Mart). I’m just glad Marooned/ Untamed World made it on there... one of my favorite episodes.
Video Quality
The video is in the original 4x3 format, so you can zoom into the picture or stretch it full screen if you want. Otherwise, there will be vertical black bars on the left and right of the screen.
The video quality looks good, nothing amazing. The reds tend to bleed, and the show isn’t as vibrant as I had hoped, but it still looks just fine.
3/5
Audio Quality
I was actually surprised at the sound... it can sometimes sound really, really good when it needs to. Check out the Untamed World cartoon at 5:27 to understand what I mean... the bass and echo effects are really cool.
The UMD sounds loud and the music sounds great. A better than expected audio experience, that’s for sure!
4/5
Extras
No extras... no nothing. We do get a real nice menu with a play all and separate episode selections, and that’s it.
While I could whine and complain that HBO is releasing their TV on UMD with 2-3 disc UMDs and all the extras intact, it’s obvious Paramount wants to keep their releases as a simple sampler pack. Eh, that’s OK I guess...
1.5/5
Overall…
While Buena Vista and HBO have shown you CAN do TV releases with lots of bonus stuff, Paramount has their own way of makin UMDs. Lack of extras aside, the nice price with good picture and sound should make this a no brainer for fans of the show. If you have never seen Ren and Stimpy, this is a great place to start.
3/5
