Is Fraggle Rock Animated worth buying?

[matleo]

Trust me... it is NOT on youtube. I can seriously vouch for that. Even months... heck a year before the FR animated DVD came out.

see I've never gone looking for it so I wouldn't know.

Second option: See if your local library has either the complete animated series or one of the single FR releases that had a few animated episodes as extras, then make the decision. As think about it now the last time I saw an animated episode was when I did that (to watch the actual show not the animated one)

--Matt

 

[Drtooth]

see I've never gone looking for it so I wouldn't know.

One person I subscribed to had put them up a while before the DVD came out... by a year or more maybe. He had about 3 up, I checked them out... and then a week later he basically had to answer a question about putting more up with "Henson told me nicely to take them down."

So I wouldn't recommend anyone putting them up either.

Problem with the animated series is that a LOT of us actually had to grow up with that due to the original being on HBO exclusively. I can't say it's the worst thing Henson ever did (I can't look favorably at the watch and play videos except the one with Carol Spinney's own characters, which I highly recommend tracking down for that)... but while Muppet Babies was at least a new concept and had an original world going, FR had to bear the burden of being the animated version of a better live action show. And I still don't see what exactly was the problem with the little Muppet monsters, especially the cartoon segments... but I still say the BEST Henson cartoon was Dog City, and we can thank the wonderful animators of Nelvana for that.

They have to release THAT on DVD in full.

 

[RedPiggy]

I saw a couple of foreign-dubbed clips (something about that pink sweetwater being wine from the casks in the Gorgs' basement or something and it floods the Rock). I've also seen a clip or two of English-language ones, but they aren't there now. Red lacked some subtlety but was decent, Mokey was the same, and Rob Paulsen did a good job as Boober ... but Gobo and Wembley were just weird and my ears bleed at the thought of Junior. What I DID admire was stretching out the landscape. The cartoon, I think, did a better job showing how expansive everything might have been meant to be on the live-action show but was fore-shortened for whatever reason. The Great Hall is immense and the Gorg's property looks more like just someone's back yard. It's something I hope will be in the movie ... a sense of openness that is really missing from the live action sets in the show.

 

[Drtooth]

I saw a couple of foreign-dubbed clips (something about that pink sweetwater being wine from the casks in the Gorgs' basement or something and it floods the Rock).

And they reused the mudbunny's death song? yeah, I saw that one back when it was up in English. made the mistake of mentioning it here.

I've also seen a clip or two of English-language ones, but they aren't there now. Red lacked some subtlety but was decent, Mokey was the same, and Rob Paulsen did a good job as Boober ... but Gobo and Wembley were just weird and my ears bleed at the thought of Junior.

Rob Paulsen is a national treasure. And I'll stare anyone down their face who says different. The problem was that everyone had to work hard to sound relatively enough like the characters... Rob made them his own. he made Boober his own and he made the Trash heap his own. And he especially made Sprocket his own. His voice and acting was the most fluid of the bunch. Gobo was a bit off, considering Jerry has such a unique voice. Junior was... jeez. They couldn't get someone else? No offense to whoever played him... but it's like the did a bad Elmer Fudd and not tried to emulate the loudness and odd range of voice Junior had. And I might as well give a shout out to the Flintstone's John Stephenson who played Doc in the couple episodes I've seen on the Fragle Rock single DVD's.

Oh yeah. If you ever see one of the single DVD's cheap, pick one up. They always have a bonus episode of the cartoon on them.

What I DID admire was stretching out the landscape. The cartoon, I think, did a better job showing how expansive everything might have been meant to be on the live-action show but was fore-shortened for whatever reason. The Great Hall is immense and the Gorg's property looks more like just someone's back yard. It's something I hope will be in the movie ... a sense of openness that is really missing from the live action sets in the show.

That's the magic of not having to make big sets, big extra characters and all that. kind of like the last issue of the first part of the new Fraggle Comics series. The managed to make a story about the Doozers meeting the Gorgs... something that couldn't be done in live action.

That said, WORST Fraggle Rock version? Marvel comics. Nice artwork from Marie Severin... but they just... well... they're fun to get at a garage sale or something cheap as a collectible. But they aren't all that fun to read.

 

[beaker]

One person I subscribed to had put them up a while before the DVD came out... by a year or more maybe. He had about 3 up, I checked them out... and then a week later he basically had to answer a question about putting more up with "Henson told me nicely to take them down."

So I wouldn't recommend anyone putting them up either.

Problem with the animated series is that a LOT of us actually had to grow up with that due to the original being on HBO exclusively. I can't say it's the worst thing Henson ever did (I can't look favorably at the watch and play videos except the one with Carol Spinney's own characters, which I highly recommend tracking down for that)... but while Muppet Babies was at least a new concept and had an original world going, FR had to bear the burden of being the animated version of a better live action show. And I still don't see what exactly was the problem with the little Muppet monsters, especially the cartoon segments... but I still say the BEST Henson cartoon was Dog City, and we can thank the wonderful animators of Nelvana for that.

They have to release THAT on DVD in full.

I think I'm probably one of the only one who not only has fond memories of FR animated, but popping the episodes in I still love em'. Heck I wish it woulda gone on for another season, and I am super grateful they decided to release these. I also like the show as it came out in 1988, one of the greatest years ever(next to 1989)

 

[Drtooth]

I have fond memories too, and the few I've seen recently haven't been bad at all... though, I kinda dislike the Great Radish Round Up... Half the episode is Fraggles, Doozers and Gorgs getting dry heaves from the mere mention of Binooni Berries... over and over and over.

 

[beakerfan76]

I guess it was a running gag. Even the mention of this obviously hated fruit makes fraggles, gorgs, and doozers weak at the knees. Then again, it was funny the first time, and it makes perfect annoyance tools if someone ticked you off.