STREET DATE: JULY 4th
Official Synopsis:
The legend began with Prince Valiant and his quest for Camelot… with brave knights and shadowy practitioners of evil…with high honor and deep magic… with the thrilling and treacherous journey from boyhood to manhood. In a time when people still believe in wizards, the legend continues with Prince Valliant fulfilling his dream of becoming a Knight of the Round Table… with the exploits of Prince Valiant and his friends as they uphold the ideals of Camelot…with Merlin as Prince Valiant’s guiding light in his struggle to defend Camelot from tyrants who threaten to destroy it.
Our Take:
I'll be honest; despite the fact that The Legend of Prince Valiant was on the air for two seasons, I don't remember it existing at all. Then again, that's what I love about BCI Eclipse's new Ink and Paint label; not only do they release the big guns on DVD, like He-Man and She-Ra, but they also cater to die hard fans of lesser-known properties. Obviously, Prince Valiant has a built in fanbase due to the long run of Hal Foster's Prince Valiant comic strip, so I imagine this set will find more than a few interested buyers.
I can't say the show is overly thrilling for me; it's a little on the talky side, and although there are some decent action sequences, it tends to be a bit clunky for the most part. The overly bombastic 90's synthesizer music doesn't exactly help matters, either. However, for fans of the show, BCI Eclipse has done their usual terrific job of putting together a great DVD set. With a fifth disc devoted almost entirely to extra features, here's what comes in the set:
* Interviews - Conversations with series creator/producer David J. Corbett (7 minutes), writer Brooks Wachtel (13 minutes), and comic strip historian Rick Norwood (15 minutes).
* Commentaries - Two tracks with creator/producer David J. Corbett, writer Brooks Wachtel, and voice artist Noelle North.
* Storyboard Gallery (14 minutes) – A slideshow of storyboards from the award-winning episode “The Flute.”
* Character/Background Gallery – A slideshow of character paintings and background drawings.
* Episode Scripts - Five scripts that can be read via DVD-ROM.
The Legend of Prince Valiant probably won't create too many new converts to the prince's adventures, but for those people who are already fans, be it of the cartoon or the comic strip, BCI Eclipse has put together a nice DVD collection for you.
Overall Picture:
Show: C+
DVD: A-
- Mike Spring
Editor
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