How many times in my reviews have I mentioned I love animation? Too many to count, I suppose. I’m always on the lookout for something new, something old (something borrowed, something blue even…) in the world of animation. I often tune in to the various networks devoted to cartoons (or the more politically correct… animated shorts) and am usually unimpressed by what I see. Every now and again I catch a show that is well-written enough to keep my attention past a first episode, but for the most part, the new stuff is dribble. Recently, thanks to the folks at A&E Home Video, I had the chance to check out a new… or rather… old animated series. And, as with the case with a lot of A&E releases, it is a show that I hadn’t heard of before. It is called “Danger Mouse” and from what I understand, he was quite popular in the early 1980’s British television.

Originally created back in 1981 by Cosgrove Hall Productions, the company responsible for “The Wind and the Willows” and “Count Duckula”, “Danger Mouse” is a surprisingly hilarious send-up of all of the old James Bond and Sherlock Holmes films. DM (as he is known), is a super secret agent who is called upon to save the world whenever evil rears its ugly head. He shares his home and adventures with his sidekick, Penfold (a neurotic hamster if there ever was one), who gets most of the best lines of the show.

When I popped in the first (of two) discs, I was almost turned off of the show because the animation in the title sequence was extremely rudimentary. But, being that I believe in giving a fair chance to anything new (er… old) I opted to keep watching. Within the first few minutes I was shocked to find the banter to be extremely sharp and witty. There are a huge amount of pop culture references (for the time), most of which were quite funny. The series is definitely kid friendly, but like most of the better Warner Brothers cartoons, a lot of the humor comes from the dialogue. Kids will enjoy the cutesy animation and gizmos, but adults with a love for pop culture will laugh their butts off. And just as I though there were enough jokes to go around, I was surprised to see a direct nod to the film “Alien” and the “Dr. Who” franchise.

The new DVD release contains all 16 episodes of the first two seasons, as well as a never aired Pilot episode. The quality of the transfer is fair, and while there are a lot of blemishes, none of the episodes are in any way difficult to watch.

Now that I’ve been properly introduced to “Danger Mouse”, I can see why it was such a popular series. At one point you could actually find “Danger Mouse” mugs, hats, and all sorts of memorabilia. I may just have to keep my eyes peeled at the next flea market!!

Episodes:
Rogue Robots
Who Stole the Bagpipes?
Chicken Run
The Martian Misfit
The Dream Machine
Lord of the Bungle
Die Laughing
The World of Machines
Ice Station Camel
A Plague of Pyramids
Custard
Close Encounters of the Absurd Kind
The Duel
The Day of the Suds
The Bad Luck Eye of the Little Yellow God
The Four Tasks of Danger Mouse

Starring (the voices of): David Jason, Terry Scott, Edward Kelsey, Brian Trueman
Extras: Never Aired Pilot Episode “The Lost Chord”, Character Descriptions
Specifications: Full Screen, Dolby Digital Stereo
Studio: A&E
Release Date: 5/31/2005
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give Danger Mouse: Seasons 1&2 a B.