The Angry Beavers: Seasons 1 & 2

“Beaver Fever: Contract It”

Growing up in the mid and late 1990's, I was huge fan of almost every Nicktoon Nickelodeon put out. A decade or two later I have to question what in the hell happened to good, *original* Nicktoons and why it took so long for Nickelodeon to release this massive backlog of material. Sorry Nickelodeon, no matter how you try and bill it Dragon Ball Z Kai will never be a true "Nicktoon" nor will any of these other cartoons you have based off brain-dead movie IPs. Real "Nicktoons" aren't transplants from other stations or comics. Real Nicktoons are what you're releasing with these sets from Shout Factory and I will line up around the corner to buy these over anything you produce today.

As high as my standards may be for what constitutes a Nicktoon, even I can't say these cartoons have survived the years completely unscathed. As sure as I was that something like Rocko's Modern life would be as good as it was back in 1996, current realities where more than enough to snap me out of my nostalgia filled bliss. Don't get me wrong, these shows are still great but they're being viewed by a much older viewer and it's obvious that some episodes and seasons are simply better than others. The Angry Beavers Seasons 1&2 set is no different, although my experience with it has been a bit more favorable than some of the other releases.

Season one starts out extremely well on the first disc but some trouble starts brewing even before season two takes the stage. Some of these episodes have rather bizarre settings and characters. While there isn't an episode I'd flat-out call a failure, I usually crave the episodes (like "You Promised!") where things are a bit more streamlined. Still, the series generally makes up for its low points with the elements that make up its world like the cheesy black and white horror movies that Dag and Norbert are always watching, something that’s cleverly given its own episodes with the excellent "Food of the Clods" and "The Day the Earth Got Really Screwed Up."

CONCLUSION:

That said I'm eager to own all these sets despite how time has slightly changed my perception of these cartoons. It's not always easy to dive in and enjoy them as I once did, but in general these cartoons are light-years beyond what children are watching now. I have to say I find that rather troubling, but at least parents who grew up with the Angry Beavers can change that.

Overall Score: 7/10