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Space Ghost And Dino Boy: The Complete Series Blu-ray Review

A double dose of Hanna-Barbera for the old school animation fans.

“Space Ghost And Dino Boy” are actually 2 animated series that aired together from 1966-1967 for 20 episodes (each comprised of 3 shorts). The CBS toon “Space Ghost” involves the titular hero (armed with powers and gadgets), his teen hero pals Jan and Jace and a monkey named Blip on their galactic adventures in foiling villains such as Zorak, The Black Widow (not to be confused with the Marvel character), Metallus, Moltor, Brak, Lokar, the Creature King, Piranor, Zeron and more. Other plots involved a time machine, the Phantom Cruiser (Ghost’s ship), monsters, robots, and so on. “Dino Boy” (AKA “Dino Boy In The Lost Valley”) revolves around a kid named Todd who parachutes out of a crashing plane and winds up in a mysterious valley where dinosaurs, cavemen and other strange prehistoric creatures reside. Todd befriends and is helped out by a caveman named Ugh, Ugh’s baby brontosaurus Bronty and a wooly mammoth named Tusko. Much like “Space Ghost,” it’s pretty much a creature of the week show as Todd and co. encounter Ant Warriors, Rock Pygmies, Moss Men, Vampire Men (not exactly creative names, are they?), Sun People among others. 

“Space Ghost” and “Dino Boy In The Lost Valley” are sort of forgotten cartoons nowadays. In fact, “Space Ghost” is more well known now for the 1994 comedic talk show “Space Ghost Coast To Coast” which revitalized the character and made him a cult hit. ‘Coast’ is also an infinitely better show to boot! The problem with “Space Ghost” as a series is that it feels like a generic cartoon with over explained plot, repetitious stories of foes being foiled, and wooden voice acting. An intergalactic sci-fi adventure should be more exciting than this. I will say villains and their designs are fantastic though. It was quite a blast to see them band together to form the Council of Doom in the 6 segment story arc that kicks off with “The Meeting.”

“Dino Boy In The Lost Valley” (which is basically a proto “Land of the Lost” if you think about it) has better world building and a more interesting story set-up than “Space Ghost” but it too suffers from derivative storytelling. Much of the time, the stories involved kidnappings, rescues, chases, fights, and Ugh saving Todd/Dino Boy. It all feels very rushed, simplistic, and slapped together. With all of that said, I’m sure there are children of the 60s and Hanna-Barbera fans who would love to revisit this series in hi-def now. This set is certainly for those people.

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 1.33:1 1080p. How does it look? The animated series has never looked better. The colors really pop here.

Audio Track: 2.0 DTS-HD MA. How does it sound? The 2.0 track is a little soft but it’s adequate for these 60s toons. 

The lone extra is the 78 minute documentary “Simplicity: The Life And Art Of Alex Toth” about the life and career of cartoonist Alex Toth.

October 25, 2020 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | animation, Cartoons, Dino Boy In The Lost Valley, Hanna-Barbera, Space Ghost, Space Ghost And Dino Boy: The Complete Series Blu-ray Review, Space Ghost Coast To Coast