Regular Show: The Complete First & Second Seasons

Details: By Loron Hays; 19 July 2013

{2jtab: Movie Review}

The Regular SHow - Blu-ray Review

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Created by the rich mind of J.G. Quintel, Cartoon Network’s newest original series Regular Show is anything but what its title suggests. The animated series focuses on the hilarious misadventures of a blue jay named Mordecai (voiced by Quintel) and a raccoon named Rigby (William Salyers) as they go about their business as - of all things - groundskeepers. In a brisk 23 minutes, one episode of the series takes the humdrum routine of Mordecai and Rigby’s job and whittles it into a fun series of extraordinary adventures that will have you clutching your sides and wiping the tears from your eyes.

The city park is managed by a gumball machine named Benson (voiced by Sam Marin) who has an incredibly short fuse and is always at his wit’s end. It’s his duty to keep Mordecai and Rigby busy, mind you. Aided by his Yeti co-worker Skips (voiced Mark Hamill) Benson must – while also appeasing his wealthy yet childishly naive and big-headed boss Pops Maellard (also voiced by Marin) – work twice as hard to keep his crew from slacking off.

The show is rather simplistically designed – think Beavis and Butthead, I suppose, and you get the idea – but hidden in that design is a superb richness that is strangely complex and unorthodox. In many ways it quite clearly takes its cues from some of the better quality, hipper animation from the early 1970's. We're not quite talking Fritz the Cat here, but we're also light years away from Hanna Barbara. On a purely visual level, Regular Show actually bears more than a passing similarity to many of the very early original animated segments used in Sesame Street. My point is that, as popular as it is (now in its fifth season) this isn’t Adventuretime-like material where the eyes are constantly bedazzled with bizarre on-screen occurrences. This is subdued entertainment where dialogue and writing take front and center precedence.

The characters – sounding not at all like your typical cartoon character - are imagined quite uniquely, too. Pops has a super large head. Benson’s gumballs get quite a few good looks inside the glass dome he has for a head. And Rigby looks only the tiniest bit like a raccoon. While quite lively, the cartoon never pretends to be anything but an absurdist dialogue-based comedy. The action sequences are snappy and are usually set to a cheesy song from the 1980’s - Loverboy’s “Working for the Weekend” makes an appearance.

Regular Show is a blast for children and college-aged students. Across 40 episodes - two seasons' worth - released here in this set, one simply cannot wait to uncover the supernatural forces at work to hijack the drab from Mordecai and Rigby’s world, replacing it instead with cart chases with a giant coffee bean, some 8-bit Atari monster unleashed to do harm, and whatever else type (BROS! BROS! BROS!) abomination the writers can think up for the episode.

The throwback charm of Regular Show is indeed simplistic but never – as its name suggests – does the show come across as regular. And, with the release of Season One and Two from Comedy Central, it can be yours to enjoy time and time again.

{2jtab: Film Details}

MPAA Rating: This title has not been rated by the MPAA.
Runtime: 440 mins.
Genre: Animation | Adventure | ComedyTagline: Don't Scream...Just Swim!
Distributor: Cartoon Network Studios
Offical Site:
Release Date: September 6, 2010
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: July 16, 2013

Synopsis: The daily surreal adventures of a blue jay and raccoon duo that attempt to deal with their mundane jobs as groundskeepers at the local park.

{2jtab: Blu-ray Review}

The Regular SHow - Blu-ray Review

Component Grades
Movie		Blu-ray Disc


Blu-ray Experience

Blu-ray Details:

Available on Blu-ray - July 16, 2013
Screen Formats: 1.78:1
Subtitles: English SDH
Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (192kbps)
Discs: 50GB Blu-ray Disc; Two-disc set (2 BDs); UV digital copy; Digital copy

Warner Bros presents Regular Show on blu-ray with a 1080p/VC-1 encode shown in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio. The result of computer made animation designed to look like pencil-drawn characters against a waterpaint background is simply inspiring. Details are crisp. Lines are thick. The color palette is different for each episode. If confined to the park, it will carry mostly muted and earth tones. But when we head to alternate dimensions or other worlds, colors tend to pop and explode without over saturation. The audio is a bit lackluster, riding in on a simple Dolby Digital 2.0 track, with very little effort put behind it. You can still hear characters and such, but it could've been better.

Supplements:

Commentary:

Each of the 40 episodes has an optional commentary. Some feature creator JG Quintel solo, others feature JG with guests. This is awesome material that is a must for any fan of the show. Definitely not a wasted moment here.

Special Features:

The Emmy award-wining hit comedy for Outstanding Animated Program arrives with over 2 hours of bonus content. The first unaired pilot of the show is included and so are some involving animatics and pitches. You'll also find interviews, the original show pilot, pencil and CG tests and other bits and pieces, like the "Party Tonight" video, that are worth a look, especially if you're a fan. There also appears to be a hidden menu that – if you discover it – provides even more material concerning photos, original designs, and a 3-minute print documentary. Fans, rejoice!