The Film
Cartoon Network's Adventure Time is a cute, crudely drawn story about a boy named Finn (voiced by Jeremy Shada) and his dog Jake (Futurama's John DiMaggio), who just happens to have magical powers to grow big or small at will. Um, what? It's not exactly your typical kiddie cartoon, but that's probably why the show is so insanely popular and well, insanely insane.
It's quite a trippy show -- and the kids just seem to love it. So will you, because an episode of Adventure Time is easy on the eyes and the mind. However, it's also weird and wildly entertaining.
Let's just remember that this is a show that features Jake the dog as Finn's hilarious "adoptive brother" and best friend. (Think Bender, in four-legged form.) The two buddies spend the better part of Adventure Time: The Complete First Season dealing with zombies who crave sugar, the Wall of Flesh, a talking heart named Ricardio, Gary the Mermaid, a Never-Ending Pie-Throwing Robot (that's N.E.P.T.R. to you!), getting turned into a giant foot, and everything else that comes with being residents of the Land of Ooo.
Adventure Time: The Complete First Season has a total of 26 episodes, which run around 11 minutes each.
Despite the pretty colors and animation, Adventure Time certainly isn't for everyone. There are some portions that are on par with a very bad acid trip. Episode one's candy-crazed zombies sent my 6-year-old running from the room. It's just as well, since there are terms ("sucks," "friggin, "eat it") that I don't need him working into his first-grade vocabulary. Also, I'm not sure that I'm ready to explain the rules of a round of "7 minutes in Heaven."
That's not to say that it's all crude humor and mayhem. There are some nice messages hidden in here. Plus, it's pretty hilarious. My college self would have cut many classes to inhale every episode of this show .Adventure Time: The Complete First Season is a trippy, pretty funny 286 minutes.
The Picture
Adventure Time is a hand-drawn show. There's none of that fancy computer-generated stuff here. The end result is sort of primative, but it's all part of the show's charm. The 1.78:1 transfer also has a perky color palette, which is perfect for Princess Bubblegum's super-pink appearance and the rest of her candy kingdom. The Land of Ooo in general is a place that really pops with bright colors. That's certainly this release's strong point. The show itself isn't exactly busting with the type of detail that you'd see in a Pixar flick or anything, but what you see here is as detailed as Adventure Time gets.
The Sound
At this point, we've established that this isn't your typical kiddie cartoon. The release's Dolby Digital 2.0 track pretty much matches that experience. Because it only has two channels, it's not the immersive experience you want it to be. However, the show certainly uses everything it's got to pack a nice punch into every episode. The dialogue is very clear throughout, but there are plenty of bold moments, such as when Finn breaks his royal promise, when the Ice King gets angry, when the gnomes kill old ladies, when the asteroid appears, and more.
The Extras
Final Thoughts
At first glance, Adventure Time: The Complete First Season probably isn't something you'd consider buying on a whim. It's on Cartoon Network, but it definitely has a reach well beyond a wee audience. It's creative and really weird, and if you like either of those things in animated form, you'll probably whip through this single-disc set with a smile.
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