Review of Danger Mouse: The Danger Mouse Collection

Introduction

Wherever there is danger, he`ll be there...

Ah yes, DangerMouse. An absolute classic, celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2006. DangerMouse, made his initial appearance on ITV, way back on September 28 1981, and ran for 11 years. Since the advent of cable and satellite, the adventures have been broadcast on some of the more niche TV channels, but the BBC has recently bought the rights to show the episodes, although no transmission date has yet been set. It was also the first UK cartoon to make it big on American TV it also proved a huge global hit being shown in over 70 countries. According to Cosgrove-Hall, DangerMouse even out-performed a Superman movie premiere on UK TV attracting 21.59 million viewers compared to a mere 16.76 million for the Kryptonite-fearing hero! It also came third in Channel 4`s recent 100 Greatest Kids TV Shows.

I don`t think I need to explain DM really do I? Well, here`s a very brief summary just in case. DangerMouse is supported by his loveable bumbling assistant Penfold, as they battle to save the world from the clutches of the evil Baron Silas Greenback and his henchman Stiletto Mafiosa. Colonel K is DangerMouse`s boss, and he has other agents around to help DM, including Agent 57 (a master of disguise) and Flying Officer Buggles Pigeon. Another notable villain who appeared in the series was Count Duckula, who then got his own show!

To celebrate the 25th anniversary, there are 6 new single DangerMouse DVD titles and a complete 12-disc collection. I could run down all of the episodes here, but you`ll be asleep by the time I finish as there are so many of them!

Video

Full frame transfers all round, and the episodes all vary in quality. Some are great, some not quite so good. There`s nothing unwatchable, but it`s not hard to forget that you`re watching a 25 year old cartoon. You can see a quite clear development of the show through the years though.

Audio

Nothing really ground-breaking about the sound, although it is good to hear the vocal talents of David Jason, Brian Trueman and Terry Scott, who made a great Penfold.

Features

A little bit of behind the scenes footage, showing the actors voicing the characters, and some new interview footage. There also some other bits and pieces that have previously been released, like the pilot episode.

Conclusion

Still a quality cartoon after all these years.

The later shows, after Brian Trueman left, were never as good, but some of the early episodes still produce some great laughs. Some good old fashioned puns, some gentle humour and some very silly storylines make this a true classic.

Whether you`ll want to own 12 DVDs full of DangerMouse in nice big box set is a tricky question. Collectors and completists might want to take the plunge, but the more casual nostalgic might be happy with just one or two discs to take them back to a time when cartoons were really all about fun and not about selling pokemon cards, toys etc.

Anyway, before I go off on a familiar rant about the state of TV today I`ll just say that if you like DM then one or more discs from these sets will be fine for you. If you love DM, then you`re probably going to go after the box set.