Review of Mr Bean: The Animated Series - Volume 5

Introduction

You know that an entertainment property is enjoying great success when the spin-offs appear. They can be odd pieces of marketing too, think cereals, musical toilet roll holders, action toys with opposable grip. Compared to the excesses of the media industry, Mr Bean`s movie and cartoon series seem relatively mundane. It took a while for the animation to appear, ten years in fact, but the gap between television series and animation means that we get to see Bean animated in widescreen, in surround sound where available, and in digital clarity. The cartoons were originally broadcast as 24 double episodes, which means that there are 48 to choose from, released on 8-episode discs. This is volume 5 of the series, and with each episode running to a tad over 11 minutes, the disc`s runtime is just shy of 90 minutes.

The set up is remarkably similar to the live series, with the childlike Mr Bean making his gormless way through life, applying his askew sensibilities to the problems that face him. In addition to the usual plague of misfortune and Reliant Robins, he has to deal with the constant haranguing of his landlady and her cat. But his facility with the English language is undiminished, rendering this practically a silent comedy.

The episodes you will find on this disc include…

1. Big TV
A fight over a remote control results in the necessity of buying a new set, but money is a problem.

2. Inventor
Mr Bean has been getting by on his ingenuity, but his hard work is undone when an inventor with an eye for the ladies moves in.

3. Car Trouble
When the Mini breaks down, it`s time for a new mode of transport.

4. Restaurant
A fancy night out with Teddy turns sour when Mr Bean encounters a Hollywood star.

5. Wanted
An escaped prisoner who bears more than a passing resemblance to Mr Bean causes trouble.

6. Gadget Kid
On a visit to a science exhibit at a museum, Mr Bean encounters a technically savvy tourist.

7. The Visitor
The houseguest from hell turns up, and he just won`t leave.

8. Keyboard Capers
Mr Bean feels the need to express his artistic side, a la Beethoven.

Video

It`s 1.78:1 anamorphic, it`s clear and sharp, and there are plenty of strong, bold colours. Press pause and you`ll notice some distinct aliasing, but it rarely is a problem during playback. The animation is stylised but effective. Strong black lines delineate the characters, but the motion is fluid, and the animators have done a fine job in capturing Rowan Atkinson`s mannerisms.

Audio

Each episode begins with a Dolby Surround logo, but the only flag evident is for a DD 2.0 track, and I didn`t really notice any surround flair. Dialogue is in English and Japanese (the tourist, typical!), but as in the live series, this is easy to appreciate as a silent movie, and the dialogue is on the level of sound effects. Rowan Atkinson voices his character, but I still reckon they could have got John Major.

Features

I have to write something in this bit, or the screen-grab to the left won`t appear.

Conclusion

Better to get this out of the way first… It`s a children`s television animation. If you are coming at this from the sitcom, you`ll probably be disappointed, as the edge to the character, the impish quality, has been discarded for wholesome little 10 minute stories. Ironically, since ITV no longer shows children`s television, this series wanders up and down the schedules trying to find a suitable gap.

With the usual format of problem solving and gently veiled moral, it fits children`s television to a tee. But without the anarchic edge, I found myself staring at the screen stone faced for much of the run time. This incarnation of Bean just isn`t funny. There is a run of three episodes that did make me perk up some. Mr Bean faces off against a Kirk Douglas clone in The Restaurant, and winds up getting the pneumatically bosomed girl. Wanted has a wonderful moment in prison that pays homage to some classic movies, and for a moment I thought I was watching anime again in Gadget Kid, with a Japanese boy matching Bean for mayhem.

But, I`m the wrong demographic for these cartoons, and they don`t have the universal appeal of a Tom and Jerry or Bugs Bunny that will attract adults to sit and enjoy them with their kids. They are well made, and they do tell their stories with efficiency and flair, but they aren`t worth a blind buy, and are really just for fans.