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Dinosaurs
Seasons 3-4 DVD
Greg
James (May 7, 2007) - Just when you thought they
were extinct, the Sinclairs are back. Buena-Vista Home Entertainment has
just released the final 36 episodes of Jim Henson and Michael Jacob's pre-historic
sitcom Dinosaurs on DVD, "Dinosaurs:
The Complete Third and Fourth Seasons." If you own the first
and second seasons then you need no introduction, as this set follows
the same basic structure present on the first volume.
This 4-disc set brings over 12-hours of prehistoric comedy along with a
very fitting and informative selection of bonus features. THE
EPISODES
During the
third and fourth seasons, Dinosaurs' overall quality only got better.
From writing and production to character development and comedy, the final
seasons include some of the best Dinosaurs episodes. The show dives into
social, political and environmental commentary with its subtle (and sometimes
not-so-subtle) use of satire. Dinosaurs is a show that uses the art of
puppetry to disguise the issues of the day in comedy. Surprisingly, after
15-years, these stories and messages are as relevant as they were in the
early 1990s. The show is genuinely entertaining and funny, with great
characters and stories. The series features top-notch puppetry and visual
effects.
Consumers
may notice that the episodes on disc 4 are labeled as "bonus episodes".
This is because 7 episodes produced during the fourth season of Dinosaurs
did not air on ABC. However these episodes were included in the series'
syndication package and aired on television when Dinosaurs was rerun on
other networks. Since the DVDs present the episodes in original broadcast
order, if you want to experience the full effect of the series' chronology
watch these episodes before viewing the final episode "Changing Nature"
on disc 3.
PRESENTATION
All the episodes
appear uncut (running around 23 minutes a piece). The video looks fairly
crisp and clear - there are some minor compression issues due to jamming
of up to 10 episodes onto a single disc. It's not really distracting or
annoying, but perfectionists will be able to find some blemishes in the
quality if they go looking for it.
Dinosaurs
is presented in its original 1.33:1 full screen format (however the menus
are presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen). The audio is presented
in a Dolby Surround track. Everything on the discs has an English subtitle
track for the hearing impaired including all bonus features. Each episode
is divided into chapter stops where the commercials would be.
The main
menus on the discs are very similar to those seen on the first set. Several
previews for other Disney DVDs play at the start of disc 1 including one
for the highly anticipated "The
Muppet Show Season 2". The preview of The Muppet Show Season
2 cover art is significantly different than what Disney included
in their press release.
BONUS
FEATURES
The set features
a decent collection of bonus features and other goodies to keep fans happy
with an accumulated runtime around 65 minutes. Although the promotional
material lists the "I'm the Baby (Gotta Love Me)" music video
as a bonus feature, it is not showcased as such on the set. Instead the
music video is included in its original broadcast placement – located
at the conclusion of the third season episode "Little Boy Boo".
Audio
Commentaries - One of my wishes was for commentary tracks on
the future Dinosaurs DVDs. This set made my wish a reality as there are
two outstanding commentary tracks with some of the key players behind
the series. Commentators are Brian Henson (producer/performer/director),
Kirk Thatcher (designer/writer), Kevin Clash (performer of Baby Sinclair)
and Bill Barretta (body performer of Earl Sinclair). The commentaries
are featured on "Nature Calls" (the first episode on disc 1)
and "Into the Woods" (the first episode on disc 4). There is
so much to say about this show and the episodes - both technically and
creatively – and these commentators don't disappoint. My only real
complaint about the commentaries is that there are only two. I hope future
Henson DVDs contain commentaries tracks like these.
"Creatures
with a Cause: The Issues of Dinosaurs" - This ten minute
featurette focuses on creating the intricate layers of satire and humor
found in the show. The cast and crew discuss how they were able to create
a show that could tackle issues such as drug use, environmentalism and
racism while still balancing humor and wackiness. They also talk about
the ending of the series and how they decided to construct the memorable
last episode. Interviewees include Bob Young (creator/producer/writer),
Brian Henson (producer/performer/director), Kirk Thatcher (designer/writer)
and Kevin Clash (performer of Baby Sinclair).
"I'm
the Baby, Gotta Love Me!!" - This six-minute featurette
takes a detailed look at the character Baby Sinclair. The baby is without
a doubt the breakthrough character of the series. This great little featurette
talks about developing, creating and performing the character while the
cast also discusses the Baby's personality along with sharing their thoughts
about what made the character so appealing, loveable and memorable. I
wish they had made similar mini-documentaries for some of the other characters
(such as Earl).
Dino-Eggs
(total runtime 3:38) - If you have the first Dinosaurs DVD set
you probably are already familiar with the Dino-Egg concept. Dino-Eggs
are a series of hidden DVD "Easter eggs" scattered throughout
the set. Each special bonus clip reveals fun trivia facts, behind the
scenes insights and archival promotional material. For those having difficulty
finding the eggs, here is a list of how to uncover them:
- On disc 4's main
menu, highlight "Set Up" and press left to access an ABC's
TGIF promo for the show's premiere. (0:12)
- On disc 4 main
menu, highlight "Set Up" and press right to highlight the
"O" in Dinosaurs for a show promo in which Earl
and Fran discuss Pre-marital Sex". (0:22)
- From disc 4's
bonus features menu, highlight "I'm the Baby, Gotta Love Me!!"
and press left to select the "O" in "Features".
Press enter to see a behind-the-scenes home-video of performers playing
around on the set in costume. (1:21)
- From disc 4's
bonus features menu, highlight "Audio Commentary for Episode: Into
the Woods" and press right to uncover an egg at the top right of
the menu. Press enter for a clip of Brian Henson discussing the poetic
nature of foam latex. (0:41)
- From disc 4's
bonus features menu, highlight "Creatures with a Cause" and
press right to show an egg in the bottom left of the screen. Press enter
to see a clip of Kevin Clash discussing what it was like to meet and
know Jim Henson. (2:05)
PACKAGING
The
packaging of this box set is nice. The box sports a picture of Earl and
Fran in a pose reminiscent of Grant Wood’s American Gothic. The
set sports the traditional Digipak design that slides out the side of
the outer cardboard sleeve. There are no booklets or inserts in the case,
but the inner Digipak features the disc-by-disc episode/feature listing
along with a brief note from Brian Henson, Michael Jacobs and Bob Young.
Each disc features a member of the Sinclair Family (Earl, Fran, Robbie,
and Charlene). I’m not a fan of the disc arrangement inside of the
Digipak (which is used on most of Buena-Vista's 4-disc sets, including
the first Dinosaurs set and "The
Muppet Show Season 1"). The discs overlap each other meaning
that sometimes you have to move two discs in order to get to the one you
want.
CLOSING
THOUGHTS
The episodes
on this set are great. If you like Dinosaurs, you'll love this release.
And for the price you'll probably end up only paying around $0.75 per
episode. The bonus features are great. My main criticism is the lack of
any attention toward the vocal performances. Most of Dinosaurs was dubbed
by vocal artists (and even boasts an impressive list of big name celebrities),
however there was really no attention towards the casting, recording or
the process of giving the voice to the characters on either DVD set. Unlike
animation where the voices are recorded first and the action is set to
the vocals, here the opposite was done. It would have been nice to talk
about the voices and the guest stars.
Despite
any minor nitpicks I have, I really love these sets. In less than one
year all four seasons of the show are in my possession uncut. Disney has
given fans a respectful DVD presentation. The bonus features are satisfying
and entertaining.
If you like
Dinosaurs I really suggest that you order
this DVD set (and the first
volume). There are tons of fun episodes and a great collection of
bonus features on these discs that will keep you entertained for hours.

Discover
what you may be missing!
Learn the differences
between widescreen and pan-and-scan DVDs.
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