When you look back at the content that Hanna-Barbera Productions was putting out in the early part of their historic run of influential animated television, it is interesting to see how all of the pieces fit together. Even when their properties did not run for the longest time, the characters found a way to stick around in the cultural zeitgeist. It genuinely feels like Jonny Quest had to have produced more than 26 episodes, doesn’t it? While the immense love for their animated sitcoms such as The Flintstones and The Jetsons is well documented, it is important to remember the impact that action shows like Jonny Quest and Space Ghost and Dino Boy also had on an entire generation of burgeoning genre fans. Famed cartoonist Alex Toth had a huge hand in this with work such as Space Ghost and Birdman to his name. Although it only ran 18 episodes, The Herculoids was a notable series for Toth and Hanna-Barbera. This series served up simple sci-fi stories to cyclical, campy perfection. The series rarely strove for innovation, but the world that was created was a fun one to visit for thirty minutes at a time.
The basic flow of an episode is simple enough and does not vary much at all from one to another. The titular Herculoids are comprised of laser dragon Zok, space rhinoceros Tundro, rock ape Igoo and the shape-shifting Gloop and his son Gleep – who function as team alongside the space barbarian family Zandor, Tara and son Dorno. Together they fight to protect their planet of against any encroaching forces. The malevolent forces are about the only difference the series offers up, as you do not know if they might be fighting Raider Apes, Mutoids, or possibly the Ogs, a peculiar race of vegetable life. Much of the fun of the series is seeing the designs of these new entities introduced into the show only to be swiftly defeated by the end of the segment – each episode contains two stories. If you come into this show looking for back story or deeper character motivation, you are going to be disappointed. The show follows a pattern, and if you find comfort in the cyclical nature of conflict you should find this to be a great deal of fun. I would only warn that it might be more enjoyable if you do not try to binge all eighteen episodes at once because otherwise you might experience burnout.
Disc One:
- “The Pirates” / “Sarko the Arkman”
- “The Pod Creatures” / “Mekkor”
- “The Beaked People” / “The Raiders”
- “The Mole Men” / “The Lost Dorgyte”
- “The Spider Men” / “The Android People”
- “Defeat of Ogron”/ “Prisoners of the Bubblemen”
- “Mekkano, the Machine Master” / “Tiny World of Terror”
Disc Two:
- “The Gladiators of Kyanite” / “Temple of Trax”
- “The Time Creatures” / “The Raider Apes”
- “The Zorbots” / “Invasion of the Electrode Men”
- “Destroyer Ants” / “Swamp Monster”
- “Mission of the Amatons” / “Queen Skorra”
- “Laser Lancers” / “Attack of the Faceless People”
- “The Mutoids” / “The Crystallites”
Disc Three:
- “Return of Sta-Lak” / “Revenge of the Pirates”
- “Ruler of the Reptons” / “The Antidote”
- “Attack from Space” / “The Return of Torrak”
- “The Island of the Gravites” / “Malak and the Metal Apes”
Video Quality
Warner Archive brings The Herculoids: 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 small amount of debris due to issues with the source material, but these issues are few and far between. 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 18 episodes.
Special Features
- The Herculoids – First Family of Planet Quasar: A nearly five-minute featurette that provides a nice surface-level overview of the series from the groundbreaking nature of the creature designs, the work of Alex Toth, the place of the series in Hanna-Barbera history and more fun insights from the likes of comic creator Paul Dini, animation historian Jerry Beck, comic book/TV writer Mark Evanier, and animator Doug TenNapel.
Final Thoughts
The Herculoids may not offer much variance from episode to episode, but there is a comforting presence to the show as you get to spend time with these characters one bite-sized adventure at a time. The experience will obviously be aided if you have a nostalgic connection to it, but even newcomers should be able to find some charm in these science fiction adventures. Hanna-Barbera titles always had a special charm to them and this one is no exception. Warner Archive has released a Blu-Ray set featuring a practically pristine A/V presentation that should make fans of the series swoon. This is how you treat classic animation with respect. Highly Recommended
The Herculoids: 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.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
