Search - Adventures of the Gummi Bears, Vol. 1 - Seasons 1-3 on DVD

Extremely fond memories of a classic series

JMotts | Philadelphia | 08/29/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears finally gets its well-deserved DVD treatment. I think that Gummi Bears was the first of Disney's syndicated animated shows in the 80s, and paved the way for later classics like Duck Tales and Tale Spin.

I came across recordings of these shows a short while ago and watched a lot of them. Even though the show is nearly twenty years old, I was struck by the quality of the animation and the voice work, which included veteran voice actors like June Foray (of Rocky the Flying Squirrel fame) and Paul Winchell (best known by people my age and younger for his work as Tigger).

The rich fantasy setting of this show and the detail put into the Gummi Bears and the remnants of their old society are impressive. I think most impressive was that the fact that this show was not made to market action figures, like so many other shows of the 80s. All of the Gummi Bears are distinctive and each has their own appeal, and the other heroes and villains are likewise well-developed and fun to watch, whether it's Cavan and Princess Calla or the villain Duke Igthorn.

There is a lot of humor and heart, enough to please adults as well as children, which is always the mark of a great program. I actually still remembered one episode from nearly twenty years ago, "For A Few Sovereigns More", which surprisingly had a great reference to Clint Eastwood that made me laugh harder as an adult than I did when I was a kid.

Overall, this is a great series that is possibly even better now than when it was first released, and one that is definitely worthy of owning.

"

The Vanguard of late 80s/early 90s Disney cartoons- Finally

B. Smythe | Washington DC | 08/25/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Finally!!!! Gummi Bears is on DVD!

It should have been released with DuckTales, if not before then. Thankfully, Disney is releasing it.

Gummi Bears had superb writing and was the perfect show for a kid. I could never get over how sharp the animation was. This cartoon would be the vanguard for the Disney Afternoon. Before it played in the Disney Afternoon, it aired on Saturday mornings. It was always my number one goal to catch it at 10 or 11 AM. Gummi Bears held its own among other great hits of the 80s.

Lets hope they start DVD 1 with the very first episodes and don't mess it up like they did DuckTales. I think DuckTales and the others sold well enough for Disney to realize there is a market for their late 80s and early 90s cartoons. These years were the golden years for recent Disney animation. None of the new cartoons or any of the late 90s cartoons hold a candle to the Disney Afternoon originals.

I think Disney heard the consumers and made the right choice. If it sells, they'll probably release the whole series. Thanks Disney (or whoever in the Disney bureaucracy made this possible)!
"

Brilliant show, so-so picture quality.

Animationfan | England | 12/31/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The Gummi Bears is my number one all time favourite animated TV show, which is why I was so excited when it was announced it was coming to DVD. IT is a superb animated show, action packed, full of wonderful characters.

I do have a problem with the DVD though. There are too many episodes on each disc leading to compression. A dual layered disc can only hold 4 hours of material with good picture quality, if the running time goes over that then picture quality suffers. The first two episodes in particular look pretty bad, in fade ins and outs the picture is actually pixellated. If you do a search for the first episode on youtube, you will actually find a version on youtube with a better picture than on the DVD. Now that is wrong! Splash the cash a bit Disney, if this had been a 4 disc set, there would be no problem! I know i wouldn't mind spending a couple more dollars if it meant better picture quality!"

Makes me think of my childhood

T.E. | New Mexico,USA | 12/08/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was 3 years old when the show came on back in 1985. Although I remember watching it later on very fondly. I hadn't seen these shows since I was a kid, until they came out on DVD for the first time ever. It was certainly great watching these again.

While the set is devoid of featurss, it houses 2 years worth of episodes and half the show's run on TV. 47 Episodes total are here in 3 Discs. And who cares if they're not re-mastered or enhanced in any way. These were brought to DVD just as how they were supposed to be enjoyed, just like they were when they aired. We're lucky Disney finally decided to revisit this show on DVD.

I suggest getting it! It's definitely worth the price and a great add to the Disney collection!"