TV Show Reviews

‘Space Ghost & Dino Boy’: The Complete Series Blu-Ray Review – Out Of This World Adventures Are A Throwback Delight

By Dillon Gonzales
December 13, 2021
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Showcasing the episodes in the three-segment form as they originally aired, these stellar retro hits soar through space and time to deliver justice! First, intergalactic policeman Space Ghost navigates the cosmos in his tricked-out spaceship The Phantom Cruiser, battling villains like Brak and Zorak with his legendary suit and powerful wristbands. Then, Dino Boy teams with caveman Ugh and dinosaur Bronty to go primeval on the ancient menaces of their primitive home. And finally, Space Ghost flies again with more extraterrestrial adventures and thrilling takedowns. This dynamite compilation also features the dynamic six-part Space Ghost episode The Council of Doom. It’s cosmic entertainment for all!

For thoughts on Space Ghost & Dino Boy, please see my previous article here.

Video Quality

Warner Archive brings Space Ghost & Dino Boy: The Complete Series to Blu-Ray sourced from newly remastered origins. The quality of these episodes is visually dazzling with big, bright colors and nary a trace of damage to be found. There is the occasional softness with certain shots or a minuscule amount of debris due to issues with the source material, but these issues are barely worth mentioning. There is a nice amount of natural film grain present with a remarkable amount of detail and clarity to the picture. The textures of all of the environments look naturally filmic and give the series a nice sense of depth. You can still tell that the series stems from low-budget roots, but the video quality is impeccable. The black levels hold up really well with no instances of black crush to be found. It is clear that Warner Archive has taken a great amount of care to restore these episodes to their most pristine condition.

Audio Quality

The audio quality of the Blu-Ray disc is likewise excellent with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio (mono) track that presents essentially no flaws or damage. While you may have previously seen some of these episodes on TV with all manner of age-related wear and tear, these tracks provide clarity to the dialogue, sound effects and music throughout. This track will really impress even without the surround activity. This disc also includes optional English (SDH) subtitles during all 20 episodes.

Special Features

Simplicity – The Life and Art of Alex Toth: An extremely impressive 79-minute documentary on the life and career of illustrator Alex Toth featuring interviews with friends, colleagues and family members. This is made more impressive by the fact that the subjects delve into some of the more unsavory elements of his personality such as his temper while getting into what made him such an iconic artist. This is almost worth the price of admission on its own.

Final Thoughts

Space Ghost & Dino Boy is a genuinely entertaining glimpse back at the cheesy cartoons that were so important to shaping many of our childhoods. This is not the type of show that is best binge-watched, but going on an adventure or two every Saturday morning with a big bowl of cereal sounds like a blast. Fans coming in looking for Space Ghost Coast to Coast need to take a beat and realize what they are purchasing, but most Hanna-Barbera fans will be thrilled with this release. Warner Archive has simply knocked it out of the park with this Blu-Ray sporting a tremendous A/V presentation and a singular excellent supplemental feature that ties this package together nicely. Highly Recommended

Space Ghost & Dino Boy: The Complete Series can be purchased directly through the Warner Archive Amazon Store or various other online retailers.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Warner Archive has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.