The Ren and Stimpy Show - Seasons Three and a Half-ish
by Bill Wray, Bob Camp, Chris Reccardi, Howard E. Baker, Jim Gomez
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DVD details
Actor: Alan Young, Billy West, Jack Carter, John Kricfalusi, Stan FrebergDirector: Bill Wray, Bob Camp, Chris Reccardi, Howard E. Baker, Jim Gomez
Brand: Ff
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Format: Animated, Box set, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 373 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-06-28
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: VH1 Television
DVD Reviews of The Ren and Stimpy Show - Seasons Three and a Half-ish
DVD Review: Cut? Yep. But don't let that stop you...
Summary: 4 Stars
While perhaps every fan can honestly appreciate that the show was at its visual peak before the firing of creator and Spumco founder John Kricfalusi, some are consequently too quick to disregard the show's subsequent seasons. This set, featuring the entire third season and the first half of season four, pretty much all created in the hands of Games animation, may surprise some naysayers who stopped watching the show on principle - chiefly because an awful lot of these shows are very good! Personally, this set represents to me something of a golden age as it's these episodes that I remember clearest of all from my childhood days of being mesmerised by the show. Nostalgia aside, though, I surely can't be alone in my opinion that, despite the seriously noticeable absence of Mr. K - some of the show's strongest moments are present on these DVDs.
The first major difference is the complete lack of Kricfalusi's voice work. While certain episodes toward the end of season two featured Billy West take over Ren as well as his regular job of voicing Stimpy, from season three on he is permanently the voice of both characters. The late season two episodes (as well as some of the early season three shows on this set) see him take on this task by initially providing a raspy, yet perfectly laudible, imitation of Kricfalusi's Peter Lorre/Kirk Douglas hybrid that made Ren's voice so distinctive. A few episodes in, however, and West begins to evolve the voice, adapting it to his own take on the character. While to some diehard fans this could be considered almost sacriligious, I do have to enthuse that it works very well, especially when considering the new tone the Games shows begin to take. It also seems that, aside from Mr. & Mrs. Pipe, the Salesman, Muddy Mudskipper and a few brief visual 'cameos', certain Spumco-era staples are noticeably absent - Log, the greatest product in the world for example, and the scarcely seen Mr. Horse in particular (although he would start appearing again in episodes subsequent to this set, voiced by Billy West) as well as George Liquor. In place of these old favourites some new faces are introduced, to variable reception. Haggis McHaggis (voiced by token Scotsman Alan Young) a diminutive, jaded Scottish celebrity; Wilbur Cobb (Jack Carter), a demented Hollywood bigshot with an already decaying body, and a personal favourite character of mine; as well as an onslaught of single-episode extras that range from a prodigious unicycle-riding child doctor to a pair of happy-go-lucky parasites that set up home in Ren and Stimpy's brains.
While the first half of season three maintains a distinctive appearance - albeit one lesser to the Spumco-produced shows - the main element that starts to creep in as the season progresses and season four begins is that each episode seems to end up having its own unique look and feel. 'It's A Dog's Life' and 'Eggyolkio', the closing episodes of this set, adopt a bizarre thin/thick old-timey line drawing style, while 'Blazing Entrails' and 'Prehistoric Stimpy' veer from elaborately thought-out close-up shots and background art to character animation that is barely more than a scrawl (still mightily entertaining though). 'Hermit Ren' - in which Ren and Stimpy part ways only to find that they need each other to stay sane - is engulfed by a claustrophobic, uncomfortable atmosphere, while maintaining the use of simplified animation styles and character designs that are almost out of an episode of 'Powerpuff Girls'. This feel (possibly owed to Spumco alumnus and link between the two shows, Chris Reccardi), is also present in the similarily creepy, Reccardi-directed 'Hard Times For Haggis', in which Scottish superstar Haggis McHaggis is forced to end his showbusiness career so that Ren & Stimpy can take his place. Both 'Hermit...' and 'Hard Times...' - as well as previous Kricfalusi-era shows such as 'Stimpy's Fan Club' and 'Sven Hoek' (available on the seasons 1 & 2 set) - present a display of psychosis setting in, and one just that little bit too near the knuckle for what was largely regarded as a children's show. That, however, was and is one of many aspects that always set this cartoon apart from most others - it was always able to consistently touch upon nerves and entice the viewer into daring themselves to watch more.
I'm also a touch surprised at just how much went over my head when I originally saw these shows a decade or so ago. In 'It's A Dog's Life' there are even some almost risque gags that went unacknowledged - one scene in which the duo's new adoptive owner walks in on Ren administering the Hiemlich manouveur to a choking Stimpy, sees her assume they are getting 'frisky', spray them with a hose and take them out to be neutered. This almost puts some of the out-and-out 'sex' scenes of Kricfalusi's later 'Adult Party Cartoon' in perspective. On that note, fans who enjoyed a certain undercurrent to the relationships of the characters may be disappointed that their...well...'chemistry' is pretty much gone. In these seasons they are pretty much buddies at best - and for the most part Ren is just vehemently annoyed with Stimpy. While this means just about nothing in regard to the strength of the characters and the storylines, it's something of a shame to miss the previous tenderness the two would occasionally show one another in seasons one and two (Ren buttoning up Stimpy before bed, gesturing to mistletoe and so forth).
Other standout episodes include 'Jerry The Bellybutton Elf', which features the ever-hoarse Gilbert Gottfried as a guest voice and also boasts cameo appearances from virtually every peripheral character in the Ren & Stimpy universe; 'Farm Hands', in which the affable hicks Abner & Ewalt (previously Sherriffs from season two's 'Out West') take Ren & Stimpy in to lumber them with chores and arduous farm labour; 'A Yard Too Far', which harkens back to period animation in its depiction of the starving duo's attempts to outwit the baboon that guards their potential feast of hog jowls; 'Ren's Retirement', where said chihuahua enters his autumn years and must prepare for his own funeral; In 'Bass Masters' Ren and Stimpy's fishing show is hijacked by escaped convict Wilbur Cobb, as well as Stimpy's superior fish-catching ability; and 'Stimpy's Cartoon Show', wherein the full horrors and stresses of producing an animated feature are endured by the long-suffering feline with a vicious, Kricfalusian Ren as his producer.
Some episodes, however, are not as consistently entertaining. While Gary Owens does an excellent job returning as the legendary breakfast superhero in 'Powdered Toast Man Vs. Waffle Woman', the weak story, dialogue and visuals (the original PTM episode from season two was one of the best looking of the prior Spumco shows) let it down. For opposite reasons, the strong premise of 'Eat My Cookies' (Ren & Stimpy infiltrate the girl scouts) is rendered somewhat unappealing by the interminable presence of guest voice Rosie O' Donnell. For the most part though, this is a set of thoroughly enticing and wonderfully amusing episodes from just before the show began to seriously go downhill with the ill-conceived fifth season.
The DVD itself has little by way of special features, aside from some commentary tracks - but really, what else do you need? The commentaries themselves feature Kricfalusi and his old team, who at times gracefully praise what they are watching, but for the most part bitterly (and amusingly to a degree) spew vitriol toward the show's decline in quality once it had been taken off their hands. Perhaps the most unusual feature is the commentary track by Ren & Stimpy in character, voiced by John K. and Eric Bauza, on a set where Billy West plays both.
It is worth noting that this time around the DVD packaging carefully omits the 'Uncut' claim that the season one and two set featured, much to the chagrin of long-time fans who were quick to pick up on its inaccuracy (just read some of the ludicrously furious Amazon reviews for that set). Despite what other reviewers have claimed, there are plenty of cuts made to these episodes - most of them quite small, however shows such as 'Jiminy Lummox' and 'Road Apples' are presented with whole segments omitted. Also one of the favoured shorts - 'Chicken In A Drawer' - is missing (although the credits acknowledge it), while we get to see two versions of 'Dog Water' (one colour, one monochrome, otherwise identical). If, like me, you grew up on the butchered BBC broadcasts however, you'll find a lot more unseen material here than what's missing. The only other real drawbacks would be the slightly drab picture quality for 'Ren's Retirement', and the oddly muffled sound for 'Magical Singing Golden Cheeses' - but at this point I'm just nitpicking, as both are perfectly watchable and listenable respectively. For most every other episode the picture and sound quality are excellent, and a real treat for those of us who have been depending on old VHS copies taped off the television for all these years.
So for those of you who remember this period of Ren & Stimpy and wish to revisit it, this is undoubtedly one of the most nostalgia-packed DVD sets you'll get your hands on in a long while. All the Spumco devotees who never saw these episodes may even want to check them out as well - you never know what you might stumble across that'll amuse. Even if it's just Eddie Fitzgerald's constant laugh-track.
Description of The Ren and Stimpy Show - Seasons Three and a Half-ish
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