Thanksgiving has once again come and gone and that means one thing: the annual holiday shopping season is officially underway once more. Anyone looking for a unique gift idea this year need look no further than Troma Entertainment’s forthcoming release of The Toxic Crusaders: The Series. Scheduled for release Dec. 10, the two-disc collection features all 13 episodes of the short-lived series. Those episodes and their writing are key to the enjoyment of this collection and will be examined shortly. Those items are collectively just part of what audiences will appreciate in this undervalued series. The bonus content that accompanies the set adds to the enjoyment in its own right and will be discussed a little later. The episodes’ playback (production) rounds out the set’s most important elements and will also be discussed later. Each item noted is important in its own way to the whole of the collection. All things considered they make The Toxic Crusaders: The Series a must have for noy only fans of Toxie and his friends but of vintage Saturday morning cartoons (and more importantly, lesser-known cartoons).
Troma Entertainment’s forthcoming Blu-ray presentation of The Toxic Crusaders: The Series is one of the most unexpected surprises of this year’s field of new television and movie releases. It is also among the most welcome surprises, especially for those who remember watching the short-lived (mostly) family-friendly series when they were themselves kids. The collection’s appeal comes by and large through its featured episodes and their writing. All 13 of the show’s episodes are featured here in the same chronological order in which they appeared in the series’ initial run on television. From its premiere episode, which was written by Chuck Lorre (the creative force behind shows, such as Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, and Young Sheldon), to its final episode, the writing in this series is just as much tongue in cheek as the movies from which it was spawned. This even as it strove to present its ecologically minded message in each episode. Audiences will love the stories from the series’ premiere to its final episode. For some reason, the writers apparently had a thing about the elderly as Dr. Killemoff’s planned involved Tromaville’s elderly population not just once but three times throughout the series. One instance came early in the show’s run in the episode, “This Spud’s For You.” In this episode, Dr. Killemoff plans to put a chemical in the town’s food to turn everyone into elderly people who could not fight back against him. In the very next episode, “Club Fred” (the series’ third episode) Killemoff and his minions clears a retirement home of its elderly population to make way for a planned Smogulan invasion. Of course, Toxie and his friends spoil the plans. Much later in the series’ run, the writers focus on the elderly again in “Invasion of the Biddy Snatchers,” a spoof of the timeless science fiction movie, Invasion of the Body Snatchers. In this story, Smogulan bugs become evil twins of the elderly people of Tromaville and nag the city’s residents to the point of forcing them to all leave the city. Why the writers had such a focus on the elderly is anyone’s guess, but it made for some pretty funny stories.
That is just some of the writing that is so laugh-inducing here. The writers also poked fun at another ecologically minded series that was airing around the same time, Captain Planet and the Planeteers in the episode, “Mr. Earth: Superhero.” In this episode, a washed up superhero named Captain Earth comes to Tromaville and royally screws up everything in his attempts to be something and someone special. In the end, he does save the day, but the clear poking at that other series was so fun. It was sort of Family Guy-esque years before Seth McFarlane and company started poking fun at everything in pop culture. Maybe that is partially where McFarlane got the inspiration for Family Guy’s approach.
As if all of this is not enough, there is also a familiar but still funny tale in the series’ finale, “That’s No Villain, That’s My Mom!” This story is a classic mind/body switch stories, a plot device that is all too commonplace in so many television shows from the 1990s (and 80s). In the case of this story, Toxie’s mom, Mrs. Junko (which is itself a joke related to the show) ends up accidentally switching minds with Dr. Killemoff, to some pretty funny results. Between this story, the others examined here and the rest of the series’ episodes, there is so much to enjoy here in every story.
The stories themselves are just part of what audiences will appreciate about the show. The nonstop breaking of the fourth wall for instance is a nonstop joke that audiences will love. This happens as Toxie opens each episode and even as characters within given episodes make comments about the stories as they progress. Toxie even apologizes to viewers at one point when his girlfriend, Yvonne (Kath Soucie – Rugrats, Captain Planet and the Planeteers, Dexter’s Laboratory) sings at such a high pitch that it “breaks” viewers’ televisions. Speaking of Yvonne, her lack of singing ability and nonstop desire to come up with songs for every situation is itself another running gag that manages to stay fresh in every episode. This is a tribute to the talent of the series’ writers. It would have been easy for the writers to just phone in this aspect of the writing but somehow they managed in every episode to make it so funny. These are just some of the jokes that enhance the writing. When they are considered along with so many other jokes, the whole (including the stories themselves) makes for so much for audiences to appreciate in every episode.
The bonus content that accompanies the collection adds to the overall enjoyment. Both discs have extras, the most notable being the bonus vintage cartoons that accompany the presentation on the set’s first disc. The very first of those cartoons, “Christmas Comes But Once A Year” (1936) finds an inventor playing Santa Claus for a group of orphans as he makes toys for the children. The 8-minute short was directed by none other than Max Fleischer, of Superman fame. The story itself is just part of what is of interest here. The animation style is of just as much interest as the heartfelt story. Audiences get here, a cartoon that blends hand-drawn animation and what looks like stop motion at the short’s opening and end. For those with interest in the artistic side of cartoons, this is sure to generate plenty of interest.
“Snow Foolin’,” (1946) the second of the bonus cartoons, finds a bunch of forest animals taking part in various seasonal activities (E.g. bobsledding, skating, snowball throwing, ski jump) before eventually breaking into song, singing, ‘Jingle Bells.’ This moment is one of those famous “follow-the-bouncing-ball bits that was so common from cartoons and other media at that time. The whole is a great trip back in time to another age of animation, just as with ‘Christmas Comes But Once A Year.’
“Jack Frost” (1934) is the third of the bonus cartoons. Part of the ComiColor cartoon series distributed by Ub Iwerks, the short finds little bear cub Billy learning a very important lesson about being prepared and listening to his elders when he runs away from home and almost freezes to death because he did not listen to his mother and Jack Frost. The story here is just part of what makes this short so interesting. Carl Stalling handled the music for this short. For those who might not know, Carl Stalling is the famed name behind the music for so many Looney Tunes shorts, so to an extent, audiences familiar with those cartoons get a little bit of an indirect history lesson here, seeing some of Stallings’ early musical cartoon work. This adds even more to the depth of this short.
“Hector’s Hectic Life,” (1948) is the last of the set’s bonus cartoons. Yet another Christmas-themed short, this Noveltoon short follows a little dog named Hector (who is actually named Prince in the short) who is trying to keep his home clean so that the home’s housekeeper doesn’t throw him out into the cold. There is just one problem, Hector has three pups to deal with; pups who do everything they can to ruin the house, including the Christmas tree, the presents underneath and so much more. The story is one that longtime cartoon fans will recognize, as it was used more than once in shorts from the likes of Tom & Jerry, Droopy, and even some Looney Tunes shorts. This aspect in itself makes for some interest, as does the unique hand-drawn animation style. The story has a happy ending, which audiences will be left for audiences to discover for themselves. When this and the other shorts examined here are collectively considered they make for so much enjoyment. How Troma Entertainment got the rights to these shorts is anyone’s guess. Regardless they are a wonderful addition to the set.
As much as the cartoons do to enhance the viewing experience here, they are not the only bonuses included in the collection. There are also spots for Toxic Crusaders toys and an in-depth discussion on the Toxic Crusaders video game that gamers who are also fans of this series (and the Toxic Avenger franchise in whole) will enjoy. The most notable statement of this extensive discussion is that the game, available on steam, is essentially a continuation of the original cartoon. A second season of sorts, just in video game form. It is very much in the vein of Streets of Rage, TMNT the video game and other “beat ‘em up’ type games, and this is included in the discussion, too. All in all, the other bonuses are interesting, but it is the four bonus cartoon shorts that are the most notable of the extras. Together with the stories and their writing, the whole makes for so much for viewers to enjoy.
Knowing all that this set has to offer regarding its content, there is still one more positive to note. That positive is the quality of the footage. The hand-drawn exteriors give the stories such a unique look unlike most of what kids were getting from cartoons at the time that this show aired. The look of the footage in general is so nice. It hasn’t necessarily been cleaned up per se, but it does definitely still look good in its playback. All of the audio is expertly synched up with the footage, too, making for even more engagement and entertainment. The whole results in a positive aesthetic that audiences will appreciate just as much as the series’ overall content. Keeping all of this in mind, the whole of the set (whose discs are placed inside either side of the case on its own spindle, thus protecting the discs) proves a fully positive presentation that is definitely among the best of this year’s new family DVD and BD box sets.
The Toxic Crusaders: The Series, Troma Entertainment’s forthcoming presentation of the short-lived cartoon series, is a welcome addition to this year’s field of new family DVDs and Blu-rays. Its appeal comes in large part through its episodes and their writing. All 13 of the series’ episodes are presented here in the same chronological order as they appeared in the show’s initial airing. The writing used all the same tongue-in-cheek approach that was used in the Toxic Avenger movies, from the jokes to the breaking of the fourth wall to the silly stories themselves. The bonus content makes for its own interest, most notably the four bonus vintage cartoons. The playback quality of all 13 episodes puts the finishing touch to the two-disc set. It looks and sounds expert in each episode, bringing everything full circle. Each item examined is important in its own way to the whole of this collection. All things considered, they make The Toxic Crusaders: The Series one of the most surprisingly welcome additions to this year’s field of new family DVDs and BDs.
The Toxic Crusaders: The Series is scheduled for release Dec. 10 through Troma Entertainment. More information on this and other titles from Troma Entertainment is available at:
Website: https://troma.com
