Search - Godzilla: The Original Animated Series, Vol. 1 on DVD

Hanna Barbera's 1970s Godzilla cartoon comes to DVD!

grundle2600 | Pittsburgh, PA | 04/12/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This DVD is called "Godzilla: The Original Animated Series Volume 1."

I was born in 1971. So when Hanna Barbera's "Godzilla" cartoon came out in the late 1970s, I was the perfect age for its intended audience.

This show featured the Calico, a research ship that traveled all over the world. The Calico carried all sorts of scientific research equipment with it, as well as a minicopter, a minisub, a bathosphere, a hovercraft, and a lifeboat. The Calico's crew consisted of Captain Carl Majors, Dr. Quinn Darian (a research scientist), Brock (Dr. Darian's assistant), Pete (Dr. Darian's nephew), and Godzooky. Godzooky was apparently a younger relative of Godzilla. He was also Pete's pet.

Although no episode of the show ever mentioned how the crew of the Calico became friends with Godzooky and Godzilla, it was mentioned in a press release when the show first aired: Godzooky was trapped in a coral reef, and he was rescued by the Calico's crew.

As the crew of the Calico traveled all over the world, they would encounter various monsters, creatures, bad guys, villains, enemies, etc. When they got in trouble, they could summon Godzilla by pressing a button on a small handheld signaler, which would emit a sonic frequency. Godzilla would then appear and save the day. When the signaler was unavailable, or broken, or when the sonic frequency was blocked, they could also call Godzilla by having Godzooky scream. Since Godzilla was a good guy, he would always do whatever he could to help them.

This show had lots of action, adventure, and heroism. In the 26 episodes of this series, there were monsters, dragons, dinosaurs, giant insects, volcanoes, time travel, aliens, spaceships, meteors, asteroids, missiles, tanks, and numerous references to classic science fiction and ancient mythology. The show had everything that a boy my age could ever ask for in a TV show. It was my favorite show at the time.

I still love the show today. It's not my #1 favorite any more, but it is still in my top 10.

Classic Media has issued a statement regarding the contents of this DVD. The episodes will be in chronological order, starting with the first episode of the series.

This DVD contains 4 episodes. They are:

The Fire Bird - A giant flying creature that lives inside a volcano is wreaking havoc for the people who live nearby. Godzilla has to stop the creature before it lays eggs. This is a good introduction to the series.

The Eartheater - San Francisco is being terrorized by a giant creature that lives underground and eats dirt. Buildings are collapsing all over the place. The entire city and its inhabitants are threatened. This is a very good early episode. Of the 4 episodes on this DVD, this one is my favorite.

Attack Of The Stone Creatures - A pair of giant ancient stone creatures have come to life in Egypt. Their breath creates blizzards in the middle of the desert. This is a pretty good episode.

The Megavolt Monster - While doing scientific research in the bathosphere, Dr. Darian and Brock become trapped by several giant creatures that live in a giant air bubble at the bottom of the ocean. Godzilla carries Captain Majors and Pete down there to help rescue them inside his hand, which Captain Majors says is "air tight and pressure proof." This is another good episode."

Fairly true to the Classic Godzilla movie series!!!!

Danny Jerry | md | 06/10/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This series is really one of Hanna-Barbera's best shows as the animation, writing and voice work is far superior to the other "cookie-cutter" produced shows the studio was churning out at the time. (Yogi's Space Race anyone?) It was originally presented under the title "THE GODZILLA POWER HOUR" (Not "The Godzilla Show") and was paired with a good adventure show called "Jana of the Jungle" (sadly not presented here) about a Sheena type jungle-woman looking for her lost father. Ratings for this second half of the "power hour" were awful as kids tuned out after the Godzilla segment ended. So Jana was dropped after only three months and replaced with two older, already tested HB shows and the title was changed to "GODZILLA SUPER 90".

Like many a movie series, once the box office has dried up, the next step is television. (That's right kiddies!! In ye olden days they used to turn successful movies into crappy TV shows. Not the other way around like it is now.) Shaft, Planet of the Apes, Topper, The Thin Man.... The list goes on. Godzilla was no exception. The movie series had ended in Japan in 1975 but in America he was having a revival. Godzilla vs. Megalon had been widely ditributed to theatres in summer of 1976 by Cinema Shares, a low rent distribution company best known for handly Kung Fu movies, and been a smashing success. It was the first Godzilla film in the US since Godzilla vs. The Smog Monster in 1971. It was shown on NBC in a prime time slot the following year, hosted by John Belushi in a Godzilla suit and was a ratings grabber. 77-78 saw the release of Godzilla on Monster Island, Godzilla vs the Cosmic Monster and Terror of Godzilla to weekend matinee's. A Godzilla comic book from Marvel had started in 1977. Mattel, and some other companies also, released Godzilla toys such as the giant sized SHOGUN WARRIORS Godzilla and Rodan toys, "Godzilla's Gang" set of vinyl monster dolls, a UFO smashing "Godzilla Game" and a hugely popular bendie doll sold at Toys R Us stores. Wonderland Records released an equally popular Godzilla record featuring two exciting, and new, audio adventures. Viewmaster reels ware available featuring a Marvel comics adventure in 3-D. Adding to Godzilla's career boon was the fact that eleven Godzilla movies were in pretty heavy rotation on television. (Corporate free, infomercial free UHF, those were the days.)
With all this popularity, and no more Godzilla movies available for release in America, the time was obviously right for a Godzilla cartoon.

At this time, the US rites to the Godzilla character were owned by Henry Saperstein of United Productions of America company. The creators of Mr. Magoo and Gerald McBoingboing. Saperstein had released Godzilla vs. the Thing and Godzilla's Revenge in North America through American International Pictures, held the television rites to Godzilla's latest and final film , Terror of Mechagodzilla, and had even bankrolled Monster Zero with Toho In Japan. Saperstein licensed the character to
Hanna-Barbera and the animated series was born.

Many Godzilla purists dislike the HB GODZILLA series, but I think it is pretty true to the character as he was being depicted by Toho at the time (Think Godzilla vs. Megalon), and was therefor a pretty logical progression. Some object to Godzillas physical appearance. It is obviously based on the famousAurora model kit, itself based on stills from King Kong vs. Godzilla.I happen to think that, given the limits of television produced animation at the time, its a farly faithful design.
Yes he doesn't have the movie Godzilla's voice. But I can understand
why the animators probably didn't use it. I'm guessing they just didn't think about it. They weren't intentionally trying to disregard the original
like the @$$-h0les at Centropolis. They just made an honest mistake while otherwise trying to do the right thing.

Others dislike his breathing fire instead of his usual blue beam-like weapon. I think that this is splitting hares, since the breath weapon is described as "fire" in several
of the early Japanese Godzilla films. I feel that the beam-like appearance was just a contrivance of the special effects available to Toho. Heck, in some scenes Godzilla would expell smoke, steam and fire extinguisher spray.

And still others dont like the laser beam eye rays Godzilla has.
I say," The more powers, the better"!!!!!! Whose to say that Godzilla cantshoot lasers out of his eyes. I can beleive it. He can breath fire and atomic particles. He can fly and turn himself into a magnet. He can breath at the bottom of the ocean and on an alien planet. Godzilla is my hero and he can do anything. Even shoot lasers from his eyes.

As for the show itself. I think the plots are "Right On", Man.
Some of the storys, most in fact, are simular to the Toho films. One episode in particular was very much like Godzilla vs. The Sea Monster.
There are many "island adventure" episodes like 'Sea Monster or Son of Godzilla. Some feature "ancient evils", such as giant monsters, returning after thousands of years of exile. Very much like some of Tohos monsters such as Megalon. There are alien invasion storys Just as in Destroy All Monsters or Monster Zero. There is a giant robot episode even, and many of the monster designes look like they could have jumped right out of a Japanese film. The Forgotten Islands "Cyclops", Megavolt, Watchuka and Moonlode come to mind. Heck, there is even a giant turtle!!!
The show is basically a pretty fair continuation of where the films left
off. No its not Toho, But its not Tri-Star either. So, be thankfull Godzilla fans.

On thing to look for on the DVD. The standard opening credits sequence
has been replaced on all the episodes by an alternate one that originally aired only at the beginning of the episode "The TIme Dragons"(believed to be the first episode produced) It is basically the same as the standard opening but at the end features a title card crediting Henry Saperstein and Toho pictures. This is entirely understandable really. No big deal

"