It might not be so obvious to you, but when someone like me is lucky enough to be able to share my opinion with you about the things we watch, we also often have the opportunity to view a lot of things we'd rather not. After all, as much as I'd like to tell you only about the movies and DVDs that are good, I really should, in god conscience tell you about the ones that aren’t so. What happens though is that we get a little jaded, to the point that we often create an opinion about something before even getting the chance to see it… and this can color our perspective. Where the product might be too bad, we can sometimes make it sound worse simply because we had to watch it. However, on the other side of the coin there are times when the exasperated gasp of having to watch something is replaced by the surprise of quality unexpected. This happened to me just last week when I received a copy of the first three seasons of "The Adventures of the Gummi Bears."

I had never seen this particular cartoon, but fully expected that it would be one of those badly animated shows that was created for the sole purpose of selling toys (even though I could not remember there ever being Gummi Bear toys). It was actually my wife who talked me into sitting down to watch some of them, telling me about how much she loved the show when she was growing up.

So, under the guise of watching the show with our three-year old daughter, I sat down to check out the Gummis. What I found was a surprisingly funny show that had me not only laughing, but also quite taken aback by some of the concepts that were being used for plots. The series takes place during the Middle Ages (think Renaissance Festivals), and at a time where the Gummis were considered to be myths, having not been seen for hundred of years. They are accidentally re-discovered by a young page by the name of Calvin. Over the course of the series, they are also discovered by the young princess Calla as well as the evil Duke Igthorn.

Many of the episodes deal with the Gummis defeating Igthorn in his attempts to take over the good King Gregor's kingdom. Others deal with the relationships within the clan, but not in the cloying way that usually defeats the quality of most shows aimed at younger audiences. As magic is a big part of the Gummis way of life, there are episodes that deal with the attempt to change someone's personality and what a disaster that can become. There was even an episode where a hat was created that could change the appearance of whoever was wearing it to look like anyone the wearer wanted, but not the voice. This was a particularly humorous episode and the writing was so creative and sharp that it had me laughing out loud through most of it.

The series originally started airing back in 1985 and ran for several seasons. The overall quality of the series was elevated by the casting of some of the top voice actors of the time. Behind the Gummis we could hear the voice work of the late, great Lorenzo Music, Paul Winchell, June Foray, Rob Paulsen, Roger C. Carmel, Tress MacNeille and Bob Cummings. The voice of Calvin was performed by several actors, most notably by a then mostly unknown David Faustino during part of the 3rd season.

Disney is releasing the first full three seasons in a 3-disc set this month, and not only is my wife thankful for the chance to relive one of her favorite cartoons from her childhood, but I'm thankful for the opportunity to learn for myself what a wonderful show it was. And both of us are now able to share the enjoyment with out little girl, who seems to love the Gummis just as much as we do!

Episodes:
A New Beginning
Zummi Makes it Hot
Someday My Prints Will Come
Can I Keep Him?
A Gummi in a Guilded Cage
The Oracle
When You Wish Upon a Stone
A Gummi By Any Other Name
Loopy, Go Home
A-Hunting We Will Go
The Fence Sitter
Night of the Gargoyles
The Secret of the Juice
Sweet and Sour Gruffi
Duel of the Wizards
What You See is Me
Toadie's Wild Ride
Bubble Trouble
Gummi in a Strange Land
Light Makes Right
Up, Up, and Away
Faster than a Speeding Tummi
For a Few Sovereigns More
Over the River and Through the Trolls
You Snooze, You Lose
The Crimson Avenger
A Hard Dazed Knight
Do Unto Ogres
For Whom the Spell Holds
Little Bears Lost
Guess Who's Gumming to Dinner
My Gummi Lies Over the Ocean
Too Many Cooks
Just a Tad Smarter
If I Were You
Eye of the Beholder
Presto Gummo
A Tree Grows in Dunwyn
Day of the Beevil Weevils
Water Way to Go
Close Encounters of the Gummi Kind
Snows Your Old Man
Boggling the Bears
The Knights of Gummadoon
Mirthy Me
Gummi Dearest

Extras: None
Specifications: Full Screen, Dolby Digital Mono
Studio: Disney
Release Date: 11/14/2006
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR

We'll give The Adventures of the Gummi Bears: Seasons 1-3 an A.