"SETH MACFARLANE’S CAVALCADE OF CARTOON COMEDY"
DVD & Blu-Ray Review
by Kevin Carr
| MOVIE: ***1/2 (out of 5 stars)
BLURAY EXPERIENCE: ** (out of 5 stars) Unrated Studio: 20th Century Fox Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
Seth MacFarlane, the creator of the animated hits “Family Guy” and “American Dad!,” developed a series on online short animated films that premiered on YouTube late last year. Falling into the realm of sketch comedy rather than an animated series, his “Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy” featured short bits of various characters. Being on the Internet, the subject matter is even more sordid than fans will find on television each week with his series. Jokes include different characters having sex, various pop culture and religious references and running gas through the entire series.
WHAT I LIKED
I have enjoyed the Seth MacFarlane canon of animation on FOX each week, however, I don’t think I have ever complained that what is broadcast just isn’t racy enough for my tastes. But that didn’t stop me from having more than a few good chuckles at “Seth MacFarlane’s Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy.”
Sure, all of these are still available on YouTube, but on DVD and Blu-Ray, the near-hour of goofy and raunchy sketches can play continuously, and you can lounge on your couch while you watch them. (If that doesn’t make me sound like the laziest man on Earth, I don’t know what will... but isn’t that the point of it all?)
Overall, there are some very funny gags, and I will shamelessly admit that the ones I found the funniest often involved poo or sex of some sort. I’m simple that way. After all, these are Internet shorts, where there’s no MPAA or anyone watching out for standards and practices. This makes it a great little piece of Seth MacFarlane-driven humor that you definitely won’t see on television.
As a child from the MTV Generation (who never really watched MTV, by the way, but that’s beside the point), I really did enjoy the short attention span nature of these gags. In my utter laziness and relatively busy home life, it’s nice to blast through these bits without getting bogged down in plot, character and story.
Sadly, none of the “Family Guy” or “American Dad!” characters show up in the sketches – and I would have loved to have seen a Roger vs. Stewie smack-down – but the voices behind the characters can be heard throughout. (Although there is a nod to this fact on the cover box, a quote from Stewie Griffin: “I’ give anything to be in Seth MacFarlane’s shorts.”)
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
While the majority of these sketches can be very funny, like any collection of short comedy, some bits fall flat. There are jokes in here that retread familiar or tired background, like “The Frog Prince” and “A Dog of The $25,000 Pyramid.” Others, like a particular series of sketches about a Scotsman who can’t keep his mouth shut during movies, are just a simple joke taken too far.
Other examples of the shorts seem to channel “The Far Side” in an almost ripping-off sort of way. One spot in particular, called “Cat Staff Meeting,” features a group of felines holding a meeting while dogs outside bust up their building.
However, this hour of cartoon entertainment is more consistently funny than any other sketch comedy series you’ll see on late night television.
DVD & BLU-RAY FEATURES
Both the DVD and the Blu-Ray feature a ten-minute spotlight on the red carpet premier of the compiled series. Interviews are conducted with the voice talent and the creators, along with the ridiculously hot Rachel Sterling, who doesn’t have anything to do with the Cavalcade but is fun to look at nonetheless.
The final bonus feature includes a set of still galleries, which detail the development and models of the characters seen in the various episodes.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Fans of Seth MacFarlane’s brand of comedy.
