"JONNY QUEST: THE REAL ADVENTURES – SEASON ONE/VOLUME ONE"
DVD Review
by Kevin Carr
| MOVIE: ***1/2 (out of 5 stars)
DVD EXPERIENCE: ** (out of 5 stars) STARRING J.D. Roth as JONNY QUEST Robert Patrick as RACE BANNON Michael Benyaer as HADJI QUEST-SINGH George Segal as DR. BENTON QUEST Jesse Douglas as JESSIE BANNON Not Rated Available on DVD February 27 Official Kids WB site Studio: Warner Bros./Hanna-Barbera Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
In 1996, Hanna-Barbera re-launched their seminal adventure cartoon “Jonny Quest” with a modern angle. Joining the all-boy cast was Jessie Bannon, the daughter of adventurer Race. Additionally, Jonny’s age was increased to his teenage years. These new adventures ran for two seasons, with the first volume of thirteen cartoons collected on this two-disc set, newly available from Warner Bros.
WHAT I LIKED
Back when I was a kid growing up in the 1970 and 1980s, I loved “Jonny Quest.” There simply was nothing else like it for kids to watch. The original series had very high production value and quality animation, especially for the Saturday morning chum bucket that was the Hanna-Barbera line at the time.
This new version has an updated mid-90s look to the animation style, using early software for computer backgrounds and effects, including a new virtual reality simulator called “QuestWorld.” While it might look somewhat rudimentary to the modern eye, it was pretty cool for almost fifteen years ago. Like the original series “Jonny Quest: The Real Adventures” took Jonny and his team all over the world to exotic locations to face larger-than-life mysteries.
Even though I didn’t watch this particular series when it first ran, it gave me plenty of nostalgia for the highly imaginative original show. Were it not for shows like “Jonny Quest,” we wouldn’t have other modern series like the “Ben 10” shows that dip into exciting adventure without being too cute.
I’ve watched this now with my son, who is seven years old. He loves it as much as I did the original series. It’s not a campy cartoon and takes place on a more serious plane of existence than your standard “Scooby Doo” episode or the like. I will always have a soft spot in my hear for the “Jonny Quest” cartoon, and this one was a nice adventure.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
When this series first aired, a lot of criticisms were made about adding a girl to the show. While I, like most of the “Jonny Quest” audience, might have preferred to see it stay an all-boys show, I accept this change in light of the so-called liberated 90s. Still, Jessie comes across macho enough, you might as well consider her one of the boys.
The only other issue I have is the odd choice of certain voice actors. Robert Patrick is great at Race, and the kids are voiced properly. However, George Segal just doesn’t seem to embody the character of Dr. Quest. I just keep picturing him from “Just Shoot Me,” and it takes me out of the show a little bit.
DVD FEATURES
Included on the second disc is a retrospective of the entire “Jonny Quest” phenomenon called “Jonny Quest Returns: Modernizing a Classic for a New Generation of Fans.” This 12-minute video explains how the new series was created, why certain changes were made, how it was updated for the modern age, who was chosen to voice which characters and why they brought a girl into the show.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
“Jonny Quest” fans and maybe even a few girls.
