THE VENTURE BROS.: THE COMPLETE SERIES (2004-2018)
Label: WBHE
Region Code: 1
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 1,968 Minutes
Audio: English Dolby Digital 2.0 (Season 1), Dolby Digital 5.1 (Seasons 2-7) with Optional English Subtitles
Video: Standard-Definition Full Frame (1.33:1), Standard Definition Widescreen Full Frame (1.78:1)
Voice Cast: James Urbaniak, Christopher McCulloch, Michael Sinterniklaas, Patrick Warburton, Paul Boocock
Adult Swim's The Venture Bros. (2004-2018) was a parody cartoon that took the piss out of 1960's adventure and sci-fi cartoons like Johnny Quest, Space Ghost and other 60's super-hero toons, in it the unethical and underachieving super-scientist Dr. Thaddeus "Rusty" Venture (voiced by James Urbaniak, American Splendor); his teen sons Hank (voiced by Christopher McCulloch) and Dean Venture (voiced by Michael Sinterniklaas), and bodyguard, Brock Samson (voiced by Patrick Warburton, The Tick) set off on misguided adventures, often up against their archnemesis, the butterfly winged villain The Monarch, as well as Baron Werner Ünterbheit, the Phantom Limb, and eco-crusaders turned diabolical organization The Guild of Calamitous Intent, lead by the mysterious shape-shifting
leader The Sovereign.
This release is the first to collect all 82-episodes from the long-running Adult Swim action-adventure toon, the kicker being that it's DVD and not Blu-ray, which is weird to me as over half of the seven seasons are currently available on stand alone Blu-ray sets! Whatever WBHE. Anyway, just having all these on one set is quite convenient, and will allay any fears about Cartoon Network or it's parent company pulling the series from streaming in the name of tax breaks or just not wanting to pay royalties.... it happens, sadly, look at Batgirl and Star Trek: Prodigy just to name a few. Physical Media folks, physical media, it's important, those digital libraries and streaming services do not guarantee content, you do not own a digital copy, you are only renting it until the rights expire. I am not a die-hard venture Bros. fan so I am usure if these episodes are completely uncut and uncensored, or if there are any missing episodes like we saw with Aqua Teen Hunger Force set. If you are aware of any missing or censored episodes chime in in the comments! The show never did get a proper ending as it was cancelled post season seven, but there is a straight-to-streaming and video film titled The Venture Bros.: Radiant Is the Blood of the Baboon Heart, which debuts July 21st on the Max streaming service.
Audio/Video: All 82-epsodes arrive in DVD spread out over 14-discs in standard-def. It is what it is, and thankfully even in SD the gorgeous animation still shined with clean animation lines and vibrant colors throughout - this is a gorgeous animated series and it's pretty sad we don't get it on Blu-ray. Audio chores include Dolby Digital 2.0 for the first season and on the remaining six seasons, each with optional English subtitles.
Extras include Audio Commentaries on (almost) every Episode with Series Creators Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer alongside a rotating panel of guests. Each seasons also gets a collection of Deleted Scenes, and there are also various promo, audio outtakes, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and my favorites - additional special episodes like Pilot – The Terrible Secret Of Turtle Bay, A Very Venture Halloween, and All This and Gargantua-2 + Epilogue.
The 14-disc set arrives in clear Epik Pak cases with the free floating disc hub that most of these bulk sets come in these days, which caused me to almost drop the discs on the floor when I first opened it. The artwork is 2-sided but not reversible, I dig the faux-Egyptian hieroglyphics, which is also replicated on the side loading slipcase. Inside there's an insert with an episode guide and an incomplete list of special features.
Special Features:
Season One:
- Episode Commentaries
- Pilot – The Terrible Secret Of Turtle Bay
- Bonus Episode
- Deleted Scenes
- Behind The Scenes of the Venture Bros. Live Action Movie
- Animating Hank and Dean
Season Two
- Episode Commentaries
- Tour of AstroBase Go
- Deleted Scenes
Season Three
- Episode Commentaries
- Deleted Scenes
Season Four
- Episode Commentaries
- Deleted Scenes
- Comic-Con Promo
- "Lost" Open
- So This Is Captain…
- Finale On-Air Promos
Season Five
- Episode Commentaries
- Deleted Scenes
- Fax My Grandson
- A Very Venture Halloween
- From The Ladle To The Grave – The Shallow Gravy Story
Season 6
- Episode Commentaries: Every episode is given an audio commentary
- Deleted Scenes
- Season 5 Recap
- All This and Gargantua-2 + Epilogue
- ID Tags
Season 7
- Episode Commentaries
- Deleted Scenes
- Ghost In The Pro-BLEM
- Sirena Goes Off…:
- Promo
