A couple of DVD releases of note hit the street today. The first one had the privilege of being exactly that – the first one.
ReBoot, in 1994, was the first CG cartoon series to air on commercial TV. It ran for 4 seasons, but really didn’t hit its stride until the 3rd season when it introduce an arc following the characters Matrix and AndrAIa (the left most pair in the photo) as they tried to get back to their home in Mainframe. It has taken 15 years to get this series to DVD and as of March 1, 2011, the entire series is available for purchase from Shout for $69.97. If you are a fan of this series like I am, your prayers have been answered.
The second release is something that fall into the category of acquired taste. The Ellery Queen Mysteries was a TV series that aired during 1975. It starred Jim Hutton (father of Tim) as mystery writer Ellery Queen and the wonderful David Wayne as his dad. This series followed the premise of the radio series it was originally based on, in that it asked you at the end of the program to figure out whodunit. It may have been this audience interaction ( breaking the 4th wall, if you will) that ultimately led to the series being cancelled after one season. But what really makes this series a classic is that its musical theme was written by Oscar winner, Elmer Bernstein. Today, the complete series is on sale at Amazon for $19.99. That makes it the best $20 you’ll ever spend today.