DASTARDLY & MUTTLEY IN THEIR FLYING MACHINES:
THE COMPLETE SERIES (1969-1970)
Label: Warner Archive
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 459 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Fullscreen (1.33:1)
Director:
Cast: Paul Winchell, Don Messick
Datardly & Muttley and Their Flying Machines was another Hanna-Barbera spin-off of the wildly popular Wacky Races. It ran from 1969-1970, spanning 17 episodes, featuring the vocal talents of beloved voice actors Paul Winchell and Don Messick as the voices of Dastardly and Muttley. The animated series follows the exploits of the titular duo, now flying aces in World War I, as members of the Vulture Squadron, alongside the unintelligible Klunk and his fraidy-cat side-kick Zilly, as they attempt to thwart the Yankee Doodle Pigeon from delivering top-secret messages to enemy forces.
I grew up in the mid-70s so I certainly saw my share of Dastardly & Muttley in reruns as a kid, but keep in mind we had like three channels back then, and these days I cannot say the formulaic show has really triggered anything nostalgic upon rewatch, Certainly not the way the Jonny Quest and Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! do, those are near and dear to my heart, these flying buffoons, not so much. it's too silly and too repetitive, each episode is basically the same set-up with different wacky looking flying machines and contraptions, people fall from the sky, Muttley snickers repeatedly, and the squadron fails to achieve their goals of capturing Yankee Doodle Pigeon, rinse, repeat. On top of that I never liked the character designs and the backgrounds were abysmally cheap looking.
That said, I can still appreciate the lovely restoration work and that went into restoring these toons, they look amazing, and if this zany series gives you a nostalgia-boner you are in for quite a treat, they have never looked better on home video.
Audio/Video: Dastardly & Muttley in Their Flying Machines get a region-free 2-disc Blu-ray set from Warner Archive looking quite wonderful, plenty of color, the animation lines look terrific, and there's plenty of texture and tight-knitt film grain as well. Audio comes by way of English 2.0 DTS-HD MA 2.0 with optional English subtitles. the track has been nicely cleaned-up and is well-balanced, the voice talents and sounds effects are crisp and upfront in the mixes.
Extras include the The Vulture Squadron's Greatest Misses, Dastardly and Muttley's Spin-Offs: What Wacky Races Wrought, plus a pair of Audio Commentaries on “Stop Which Pigeon?” and “Balmy Swami” by designers Iwao Takamoto, Jerry Eisenberg, Scott Awley, and Scott Jeralds. The 2-disc Blu-ray arrives in a dual-hubbed keepcase with a single-sided sleeve of artwork.
Special Features:
- The Vulture Squadron's Greatest Misses
- Dastardly and Muttley's Spin-Offs: What Wacky Races Wrought
- Audio Commentaries on “Stop Which Pigeon?” and “Balmy Swami” by designers Iwao Takamoto, Jerry Eisenberg, Scott Awley, and Scott Jeralds
Screenshots from the Warner Archive Blu-rays:
Buy it!
#ad
