For those of us who thought we had seen the last of Mr. Bean, think again. He’s back, he’s bad, and he’s… animated? That’s right, animated. This somehow seems fitting as I had always considered Rowan Atkinson’s character of Mr. Bean to be a bit of a cartoon character already. But now he’s actually crossed that line from the ‘real’ world into the world of animation. Unfortunately I’m the only person in my family to find Mr. Bean funny. I still watch old episodes of his series and laugh my darn fool head off. I consider Rowan Atkinson to be a comedic genius, with the characters of Mr. Bean and the various generations of Black Adders topping the list of his creations. Yet, I still had my doubts as to whether or not the transition into cartoons would really work.

As it is often said, comedy is all in the timing and I just couldn’t imagine any animators being able to capture all the nuances that make Mr. Bean so darn funny.

Last year, I had the opportunity to check out the first DVD collection of the new animated series, and it turned out to be quite the pleasant surprise. I still 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 was quite interesting. It reminded me a bit of Kevin Smith’s animated “Clerks” series that came out a while back. The characters were drawn with very thick lines, but this style worked very well with the character. Occasionally, I caught the animators using a bit of computer animation, but it was generally used to great effect.

Not realizing just how many episodes had been created of the animated Mr. Bean, I was actually a bit surprised to see that a third 2-disc collection was making its way onto the DVD market. (Like the first two sets, you can purchase the discs separately, but it’s a bit of a money saver to grab them in these box set formats.) My understanding though, is that this is the last set and the final episodes. This new set comes complete with eight more full episodes and this time around there are a couple of very entertaining extra features.

First up is a feature that shows various shots of Atkinson performing as Bean that were used as reference shots for the animated series. Then we get the opportunity to see Atkinson recording the vocals for the episode “Double Trouble.” I’ve always enjoyed seeing the actors behind the scenes in the recording studio for animated features and watching Atkinson at work is real treat.

Whether or not you’ll like the animated version of “Mr. Bean” really depends on whether or not you like the character in the first place. The general consensus (of which I am in the former) is that those who like the character and ‘get’ the humor will more than likely enjoy it. Those who aren’t really into “Mr. Bean”, more than likely won’t.

Episodes:
Volume 1: Mr Bean: The Animated Series: Grin and Bean It
Episode 1: No Parking; Bean's Bounty
Episode 2: Artful Bean; The Fly
Episode 3: A Royal Makeover; SuperMarrow
Episode 4: A Running Battle; Egg & Bean

Volume 2: Mr Bean: The Animated Series: The Ends Justify The Beans
Episode 1: Camping; Chocks Away
Episode 2: Hopping Mad!; A Grand Invitation
Episode 3: No Pets; Ray of Sunshine
Episode 4: Bean in Love; Double Trouble

Starring (the voice of): Rowan Atkinson
Extras: “No Parking” and “The Fly” Live Action Guide, “Double Trouble” Voice Recording, Photo Gallery, Rowan Atkinson Filmography
Specifications: Full Screen
Studio: Arts & Entertainment
Release Date: 9/28/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give Mr. Bean: Volumes 5&6 a B+.