Dungeons & Dragons – The Complete Animated Series – DVD Review

Written on September 26, 2009 by Marc Eastman in Television

A real classic from Saturday mornings has returned with the release of Dungeons & Dragons on DVD. The 3-disc set unfortunately has no special features, but this is a case where it really is enough to get the complete series worth of shows. There’s a special, decidedly unique, charm to this mid-80′s attempt to spin Dungeons & Dragons into something that worked for younger audiences, and as odd as it may be, there’s a surprising amount of fun available. A lot of the watchability the show actually delivers comes by way of Don Most and Willie Aames, and more generally the heavy reliance on the dialog as a driving force.

The show’s strange spin on the entry, a normal group of friends getting sucked into the D&D world and sent into adventures by the apparently all-powerful Dungeon Master, also adds a clever “character cultivation” play to things at times. Overall this is a treasure, and it’s good to see things like this getting released.

An enchanted roller coaster delivers six youth into the magical realm of Dungeons & Dragons. There, each of them gains magical talents and abilities, all the better to survive their time in the Realm. The bow-shooting ranger, the acrobat, the thief, the cavalier, the boy wizard and the barbarian are soon joined by a baby unicorn and tutored by the mysterious and inscrutable Dungeon Master. Opposing them is the evil sorceror Venger, as well as various ogres, demons, bounty hunters, dragons, lizard men, skeleton warriors and more; all intent on keeping the kids from getting back home!

Dungeons & Dragons was one of CBS’s (1983 – 1985) most popular animated series and was later broadcast on NBC (1990), FoxKids (1992), Jetix (2006) and ToonDisney (2006). Featuring the voice talents of Willie Ames (Eight is Enough), Adam Rich (Eight is Enough) Donny Most (Happy Days) and veteran voice actors Frank Welker, Jennifer Darling and Peter Cullen. All 27 episodes from this entertaining series can be found in this exciting DVD set from Mill Creek Entertainment!