"FRAGGLE ROCK: COMPLETE SECOND SEASON"
DVD Review
by Kevin Carr
| MOVIE: ** (out of 5 stars)
DVD EXPERIENCE: *** (out of 5 stars) STARRING Jerry Nelson as GOBO FRAGGLE Dave Goelz as BOOBER FRAGGLE Steve Whitmire as WEMBLEY FRAGGLE Karen Prell as RED FRAGGLE Kathryn Mullen as MOKEY FRAGGLE Gerard Parkes as DOC Not Rated Studio: 20th Century Fox Created by: Jim Henson, Jerry Juhl, Jocelyn Stevenson and Michael Frith Back to DVD Review Home |  |
I love the Muppets. I grew up with them. I was born at exactly the right time to become a child of these loveable creatures. I spent my formative years watching “Sesame Street,” remember when “The Muppet Show” debuted on television and was distraught with the rest of my high school when we heard the news of Jim Henson’s passing my senior year.
However, with my love for the creatures from the Jim Henson workshop, somehow I missed seeing “Fraggle Rock” until just recently. Part of this was because it originally aired on HBO, which my family did not get during its run.
I finally took the Fraggle plunge and watched the DVD of its second season. I felt somewhat guilty as I watched the show, mainly because I didn’t like it that much. Maybe it was because of the antiquated video production, which may have been high-tech in the 80s but looked cheap today. Regardless, I was not terribly impressed with “Fraggle Rock.”
The second season follows the lives of the Fraggles, who live under ground near a man’s workshop. These are innocent creatures who enjoy playing, singing and general fun. They live together with the Doozers, a race of workaholic bug-like creatures. The Doozers don’t have time to play but would rather spend their days building endless construction.
The episodes open in Doc’s workshop, but soon bring us below ground where the Fraggles play. In general, the stories follow one of the main Fraggles – Gobo, Boober, Wembley, Mokey or Red – as they learn something valuable about the world.
The problem I had with the series is its strong push to teach lessons. I suppose that was on the agenda since it’s a children’s show, but sometimes the messages are a bit overdone. For example, there’s one episode where the Fraggles learn about the silliness of war when they encounter a rival group of Fraggles in the earth. The Fraggles all come to peace in the end when they discover that they all can laugh at the same things.
I understand that children’s programming often oversimplifies things, but it’s done to a great extent with “Fraggle Rock.” In many ways, this show reminds me of a kids version of the later show “Dinosaurs,” which took the whimsical world of the Muppets to preach and push a humanist view.
Admittedly, the Fraggles are cute, but the segmented society between them and the Doozers is just too obvious. Add to this the giant Gorgs who begrudgingly live symbiotically with their underground neighbors, and you’ve got yourself one huge platform from which to preach. I’ll take the loaded ensemble of dysfunction from “The Muppet Show” any day over these Fraggles.
The DVD release comes with all 24 season two episodes on four discs. There’s a bonus disc that includes exclusive interviews with show performers and creators. There’s also a lengthy tribute to co-creator Jerry Juhl, which is heartfelt if not a bit overdone.
Also included in the season 2 DVD set is a replica of Jim Henson’s original pitch book he used to sell “Fraggle Rock” to the networks. Ultimately, this is far cuter and more imaginative than I actually found the shows.
There’s a strong fan base out there for “Fraggle Rock,” and for them, this is a great DVD. For the uninitiated, there’s better Muppet work out there to sample.
Specifications: Mono sound. Fullscreen (1.33:1). English language subtitles for the hearing impaired.
