Sealab 2021

-Warner Brothers (2000)

Summary:

It's like a Koala crapped a rainbow in my brain!

My Thoughts:

Adult Swim, what would I do without you? This block of cartoon programming has forever changed the idea that cartoons are just for kids. Sealab continued the tradition started with shoes like Space Ghost Coast to Coast with a weird recreation of the similarly named 1970s Hanna Barbara series Sealab 2020. I was too young to enjoy the series as a kid, but I have managed to catch a few episodes of this standard adventure cartoon along the way. 2021 preserves the original's crappy animation and corny setting as a playground for a surreal and often bizarre comedy. Through re-editing and new dialogue, the original Sealab footage was transformed into a beast of its own with some of the most outrageous plots on TV. In the episode, "I, Robot" the crew is enraptured with a discussion on the advantages of having a robot body, while the Sealab station is blowing up all around them. Other episodes have similar themes, and it's this type of humor that makes me keep going back for more. One of my favorites episodes has Captain Murphy trapped under a soda machine for months with his only company being a scorpion named Ben.

One of the biggest reasons to watch Sealab 2021 is its great assortment of characters. Captain Murphy, voiced by Harry Goz, is one of the funniest of the lot. In many ways he's the linchpin for most of the episodes and it’s a tragedy that the actor died a few years ago. His replacement, Captain Shanks is in no way as funny, and thankfully this Season One box set preserves Murphy at his best. Not to be completely outdone another great character is Marco, voiced by none other than Erik Estrada. There's nothing better than hearing Mr. Estrada asking a lady, "How about a shot of vitamin M?" The rest of the colorful cast of characters includes Debbie, Quinn, Stormy, and various bit players. Without this great assortment of personalities and their associated voice actors, Sealab 2021 wouldn't be half as fun.

The episodes themselves can be best described as gut-busting hilarious. There are a few that are a little off kilter, but on the whole they don't bring down this edition in the least. The final episode, “Swimming in Oblivion” is one of the best and is a great reason to purchase the edition. It’s basically a behind the scenes view of Sealab 2021 complete with a prima-donna Erik, and some candid moments from the cast like a moment when Debbie complains how the writers write her character as if they've never even spoken to a real woman, and then promptly bares her breasts. I always enjoy a good bit of self-reflection, well except when it comes to myself because then I end up crying myself to sleep.

The picture is crisp and clear, with some great looking colors. The sound mix serves its purpose, but isn't anything to wet your pants over. Like other Adult Swim releases, this one is best suited for true fans of the show that want to watch Sealab multiple times instead of just watching them on the television for free.

Extras:

Sealab 2021 is a standard cost effective DVD without a lot of extras. There's a missed opportunity by not having any commentary tracks available (Perhaps we can blame those jerks in Pod Six for that), but there's a few entertaining features nonetheless.

The pilot episode is here and I have to say I can't believe I wasted part of my life watching it. It's presented with some very candid subtitles to show that even the creators can't believe that the show was picked up. Cartoon Network must have been desperate for ideas at the time, because I can't see any executive liking the idea that much after watching the pilot. Luckily, someone out there gave it a chance.

The rest of the extras are pretty standard fair including the mostly uncensored ending to "Radio Free Sealab,” which proves that your imagination can be a lot funnier than the actual thing. For Dr. Quinn fans, there are alternate endings to the episode "I, Robot." There's also an edited version of "Little Orphan Angry" that shows one of the grifting orphans basically murdering the other instead of a shark doing it.

Score:

Episode Average: 8.5

Extras:  6

Edition: 7

-Paul