For those of you who thought you had seen the last of Mr. Bean, think again. He’s back, he’s bad, and he’s… animated? That’s right, animated. I had always considered Rowan Atkinson’s character of Mr. Bean to be a cartoon character already, but now he’s actually crossed that line from the ‘real’ world into the world of animation. Being the only person in my family to find Mr. Bean funny, I still had my doubts as to whether or not the transition into cartoons would really work. So, remote in hand, I settled in to watch a few episodes of the animated Mr. Bean, hoping I would not be let down. Turns out the animated Mr. Bean is quite a pleasant surprise. I don’t think it’s possible to completely capture the brilliance of Rowan Atkinson’s live performances in an animated form, BUT the creators of this series have done the best job possible. From the first episode, I felt like I was watching Atkinson himself, complete with all the little gestures and facial features he’s best known for.

One thing that really helped with this was the fact that Atkinson was actively involved with the production, doing the voiceovers and often acting out scenes so the animators could use him as a reference.

The animation itself is quite interesting. It reminded me a bit of the “Clerks” animated series that came out a while back. The characters are drawn with very thick lines, but this style works very well with the character. Occasionally, you’ll catch the animators using a bit of computer animation mixed in, generally to great effect.

The really great thing about taking the character out of the ‘real world’ is that with animation, there is no limit to the scrapes he can get himself into. In live action, his adventures can take place anywhere. I ended up watching through all nine episodes (two stories each) in just a few days. I found them all to be very entertaining, some even laugh out loud funny.

The two discs available in this set can also be purchased separately, but I suggest just grabbing the set. You’ll save a little moola, and they are both worth having after all. There’s some extras thrown in as well, mostly in the form of trailers and filmographies, but the addition of a ‘making of’ featurette is where you’ll get your money’s worth. It runs just under twenty minutes and covers quite a bit of material as far as what goes into the production of the series.

I do wish this set included the entire run of the series, though I’m sure down the road we’ll have some extra sets that will help complete the collection.

Episodes:
Disc 1 – It’s Not Easy Being Bean
In The Wild / Missing Teddy
Mine Games / Spring Clean
Birthday Bear / The Mole
Roadworks / The Sofa
Treasure! / Homeless

Disc 2 – Bean There… Done That
Nurse! / Dead Cat
Super Trolley / Magpie
Cat-Sitting / The Bottle
Goldfish / Inventor

Starring (the voices of): Rowan Atkinson,
Extras: ‘Making of’ Featurette, Trailers, Photo Gallery, Rowan Atkinson Filmography / Biography
Specifications: Full Screen, Dolby Stereo
Studio: A&E
Release Date: 9/30/2003
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give Mr. Bean - The Animated Series a B.