DVD Corner

Rocko’s Modern Life- The Complete Series DVD Review

“Rocko’s Modern Life” still holds up as a classic 90’s toon.

“Rocko’s Modern Life” is a 52 episode animated series that follows the adventures of Rocko (the wallaby), his dog (Spunky) and his pal Heffer (a Steer) in O-Town. Throughout the course of the series, viewers can expect to see stories about Rocko’s neighbors (Mr. and Mrs. Bighead), a turtle named Filburt who goes from job to job, a hellish DMV trip, a super powerful vacuum cleaner, Spunky falling for a mop, Rocko having dinner with Hef’s family, Filburt becoming a lounge singer, Thanksgiving and Christmas, a camping trip, a garage sale, Rocko going to France, broken glasses, the Chameleon Brothers, nail biting, Filbert and Hutch becoming an item, wrestling, Fleko the fly, a bully from Rocko’s past, hypnosis, and much, much more. Note: With a few exceptions, most episodes contain 2 stories each.

Aside from ‘The Legend Of Korra,” most of the programming on Nickelodeon these days is safe and disposable entertainment. It may seem surprising, but back in the early 90’s, Nickelodeon was at the forefront of groundbreaking animated (and live-action) series that appealed to children, teens, and adults. One of the most memorable of these 90’s shows was none other than “Rocko’s Modern Life.” To say this show would never be on Nickelodeon these days is an understatement. Creator Joe Murray and the writing staff didn’t hold back (in terms of content) as they included violent, gross out, and even sexual material in this toon. For some, it was a disgusting show in the vein of “Ren And Stimpy,” but for others, it was a refreshing change of pace from the repetitive and formulaic animated series that were so often aired.

Personally, I couldn’t get enough of this show. Along with other Nickelodeon shows like “Are You Afraid Of The Dark?,” “Doug,” and “Rugrats,” ‘Rocko’ was a fixture of my childhood. Sure, the show could be gross with its bizarre fixation on eyeballs and brains, but the catchy theme songs, well developed characters and random, funny, and witty storylines kept me tuning in.

While just about every episode has merit, there are (of course) highlights. My personal favorites include “Junk Junkies” (which features Mr. Onion Head), “Popcorn pandemonium” (which perfectly captures the modern theatrical experience), “Canned” (which sees Rocko trying to find a new job), and “A Sucker For The Suck-O-Matic” which cleverly spoofs advertising and technological advances (in this case a super vacuum).

Video/Audio:

The episodes, which are presented in fullscreen, haven’t been remastered and look as they did during the standard definition broadcasts. While this may be a disappointment for some, I think most fans will be happy to finally have the chance to own all of the episodes.

The Mono track is satisfactory, but it’s hardly the level of quality we hear on most releases these days.

Extras:
* Selected scene commentary by show creator Joe Murray on season 3. He talks about the show, the crew members, “Wacky Delly,” the dead bird puppet, “Fortune Cookie,” “Fatal Contraption,” etc.
* “Wacky Delly Live 2012”- A live cast reading of the episode in L.A. from 2012. Highly entertaining and hilarious. Easily one of the best extras I have seen in awhile.

* “Trash-O-Madness”- The original pilot episode. A real treasure for fans.
* While not quite an extra, the DVD cover has a great two page art spread of character drawings.
* 4 behind the characters featurettes with Joe Murray showing how he draws Rocko, Heffer, Filburt and the Bigheads.

Summary: “Rocko’s Modern Life” is one of the best animated series of the past 25 years and I highly recommended picking this complete series set up.

March 7, 2013 - Posted by nicklyons1 | DVD review | Rocko's Modern Life- The Complete Series DVD Review