PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law-Volume 2 (2004)

Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law-Volume 2 (2004)

If you create a user account, you can add your own review of this DVD

Released 8-Nov-2007

Cover Art

This review is sponsored by
BUY IT

Details At A Glance

General Extras
Category Animation Menu Audio
Audio Commentary-(9 episodes, assorted cast and crew)
Gallery-Superty
Deleted Scenes
Alternative Version-Nude Courtroom Scene
Featurette-Making Of-Records of Records (4:33)
Music Video-Mr. Passerby (1:56)
Featurette-Birdman Stripper (0:42)
Featurette-Behind The Scenes-(6:15)
Featurette-Making Of-CGI Clip (1:11)
TV Spots-(12)
Featurette-Bluetube Moments (3:19)
Trailer-Sealab 2021 Season 1; Aqua Teen Hunger Force Season 1
Trailer-The Brak Show Season 1
Rating Rated M
Year Of Production 2004
Running Time 150:37
RSDL / Flipper No/No
Dual Disc Set
Cast & Crew
Start Up Menu
Region Coding 4 Directed By Richard Ferguson-Hull
Vincent Waller
Ben Jones
Robert Renzetti
Studio
Distributor

Madman Entertainment
Starring Stephen Colbert
Thomas Allen
Maurice LaMarche
Paget Brewster
Case Gatefold
RPI ? Music Michael Kohler
Jon Dilling
Dawn Hershey


Video Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame Full Frame English Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio None
16x9 Enhancement No
Video Format 576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio 1.33:1 Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures No
Subtitles None Smoking No
Annoying Product Placement No
Action In or After Credits No

NOTE: The Profanity Filter is ON. Turn it off here.

Plot Synopsis

    Who's the man in the suit? Who's the cat with the beak? It's Harvey Birdman, the super hero with power of Attorney! With his assistants, the eagle Avenger, and Peanut, Harvey is the legal representative of all those cartoon characters you'd forgotten about from the 60's and 70's. Don't like seeing animated heroes from your childhood exposed and embarrassed? Objection over-ruled!

    This Season Two set includes thirteen episodes in total, each running roughly eleven minutes, with episodes 1 to 8 on disc one, and episodes 9 to 13 on disc two.

  1. Back To The Present - The Jetsons travel back in time to sue mankind for the catastrophic effects global warming has on the future.
  2. Blackwatch Plaid - Birdman's boss installs security cameras throughout the office, raising all kinds of privacy issues. Secret Squirrel has been incarcerated for indecent exposure.
  3. Grape Juiced - Grape Ape is forced to put his Rhythmic Gymnastics career on hold after he's accused of using performance-enhancing drugs.
  4. Peanut Puberty - Peanut is experiencing unwanted appearance of his powers and is the butt of all jokes in the office. A lot of double entendres in this episode.
  5. Gone Efficien...t - It's cost-cutting time at Sebben & Sebben. Harvey is forced to take on his sworn enemy, X, as his secretary while defending Yakky Doodle.
  6. Droopy Botox - Harvey is made vice president of Sebben & Sebben when Droopy's botox case is thrown out of court, but he starts feeling sorry for the disfigured dog.
  7. Guitar Control - Quick-Draw McGraw has been apprehended for carrying a concealed weapon, his Spanish guitar.
  8. Booty Noir - Reducto meets his nemesis in the form of a giant posterior. Birdman defends Wally Gator after a shootout with the police.
  9. Harvey's Civvy - An old foe is suing Harvey to the tune of $1Million for pain and suffering. His foe's secret weapon is an evil leprechaun defence attorney, setting the stage for a large-scale class action against Birdman as all manner of weird, costumed former opponents come out of the woodwork.
  10. X Gets The Crest - Harvey loses his crest to his nemesis, X, in a card game. Ricochet Rabbit needs legal defence after being charged with recklessly damaging his town.
  11. Birdgirl Of Guantanamole - Secret Squirrel's friend, Morrocan Mole, is arrested as a suspected terrorist. Sebben's daughter, Judy, is visiting the firm for work experience and decides to become Birdgirl.
  12. Beyond the Valley of the Dinosaurs - Harvey is transported through a time portal in Potamus' hot tub into pre-historic times.
  13. Evolutionary War - Captain Caveman is suing the state for refusing to include Evolution in the history curriculum of his son's school.

    With its dry, sarcastic humour and unrelenting sexual innuendo, this material is most certainly not for children. If you have fond memories of watching cartoons as a kid and enjoy seeing classic animated characters lampooned, Harvey Birdman is sure to please.

Don't wish to see plot synopses in the future? Change your configuration.

Transfer Quality

Video

    The second series is presented on disc exactly as it was broadcast on television, 1.33:1 full frame. There are corrupted, overlapping frames in the transfer, which indicates to me that this is an NTSC conversion.

    The image is generally sharp and clear with no dire issues to report. Some jagged edges can be seen in the animation from time to time, but nothing too distracting.

    Colours are bold and rich, with no rendering inconsistencies to be seen.

    MPEG compression noise and blocking varies in severity, and is visible in most episodes. Expanses of a single rendered colour can appear very noisy at times.

    There are no subtitle streams included.

    Both discs in this set are single layered (DVD5 format).

Video Ratings Summary
Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    The show's original English soundtrack accompanies each episode, presented in standard Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo (192Kb/s).

    The English dialogue is clear and easy to follow, although it does move very fast during some scenes. Audio sync is as good as could be expected.

    The stereo soundfield is used to great effect, panning foley effects and passing objects from one side to the other. Characters often move across the screen and their footsteps and voices can be heard clearly panning with them.

    The music contained in the series ranges from contemporary pop to dated, very cheesy 60's brass. It's all very tongue in cheek, and totally hilarious.

    The subwoofer and surround channels are obviously not utilised.

Audio Ratings Summary
Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Extras

Menu

    The menu pages are static and 16x9 enhanced, with audio. The commentaries can be found by selecting the episode individually via the episodes menu.

Disc One

Gallery- Superty

    More hilarious innuendo, in the form of a text book detailing how to utilise the 'power band' on one's wrist. Four pages.

Audio Commentary- Blackwatch Plaid

    The show's creators and voice actor Stephen Colbert discuss the writing process, as well as the live action segments that are often inserted.

Audio Commentary- Peanut Puberty

    The show's creators again, with Thomas Allen, the voice of Peanut, discussing the voice recording process.

Audio Commentary- Guitar Control

    Michael and Eric are joined by actor Maurice LaMarche, who voices Quick-draw McGraw in this episode.

Audio Commentary- Booty Noir

    Creators Michael and Eric are joined once again by Stephen Colbert, the voice of Reducto. This is a hilarious episode, and the commentary does it justice.

Disc Two

Deleted Scenes (0:54)

    There are three deleted scenes in all. These are basic line drawings and can be accessed via the episodes menu.

Audio Commentary- Harvey's Civvy

    The writer/creators Michael Ouweleen and Eric Richter laugh and giggle their way through this commentary as they discuss voice recording and dialogue.

Audio Commentary- X Gets The Crest

    This commentary features Eric and the main voice cast. A lot of laughs in this one.

Audio Commentary- Birdgirl of Guantanamole

    Creators Michael Ouweleen and Eric Richter join Paget Brewster, the voice of Birdgirl, in this commentary as they discuss potential future episodes featuring her character, among other vulgar topics I cannot mention here.

Audio Commentary- Beyond the Valley of the Dinosaurs

    Michael, Eric and Chris (the voice of Potamus) talk about the episode, his comedy work and the mechanics of voice acting.

Audio Commentary- Evolutionary War

    Episode Director Richard Ferguson-Hull is joined by nine other staff, comprised of a cross section of animators and colourists. They take credit for the pieces they worked on and discuss the animation process. Very 'shop-talky' this commentary, and way too many participants crowded around the mic.

Alternate Version- Nude Courtroom Scene (0:46)

    Exactly as the title says. A familiar scene from the series, with clothes-less characters.

Featurette- Records of Records (4:33)

    Each of the main cast are shown voicing their characters in a small window alongside familiar scenes from the series.

Music Video- Mr. Passerby (1:56)

    A brief music clip that creatively uses samples of dialogue from the series.

Featurette- Birdman Stripper (0:42)

    Apparently this is a fan-contributed piece. Strange.

Featurette- Behind The Scenes (6:15)

    A little peek at animators and other staff working on the series.

Featurette- CGI Clip (1:11)

    A memorable sequence from the season finale is shown progressively in each stage of animation, from storyboards to finished product.

Promo Spots (12)

    There are twelve TV spots, each running for about 30 seconds.

Featurette- Bluetube Moments (3:19)

    Behind the scenes, as the sound effects are being recorded.

Madman Trailers (2)

    Trailers for other animated titles; Sealab 2021 Season 1, Aqua Teen Hunger Force Season 1 and The Brak Show Season 1.

R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.

    Ours appears to be identical to the Region 1 version, even down to the menus.

Summary

    Harvey Birdman is very entertaining, but viewing the entire set in one sitting can be difficult. If you're fond of the classic Hanna-Barbera cartoons, this is a must.

    The transfer is faithful to the show's TV presentation.

    The extras are brief, but the commentaries are a highlight.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

© Rob Giles (readen de bio, bork, bork, bork.)
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Review Equipment
DVDDenon DVD-3910, using HDMI output
DisplaySanyo PLV-Z2 WXGA projector, Screen Technics Cinemasnap 96" (16x9). Calibrated with Video Essentials/Digital Video Essentials. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 720p.
Audio DecoderBuilt in to DVD player. Calibrated with Video Essentials/Digital Video Essentials.
AmplificationDenon AVR-3806 (7.1 Channels)
SpeakersOrpheus Aurora III floor-standing Mains and Surrounds. Orpheus Centaurus .5 Front Center. Mirage 10 inch powered sub.

Other Reviews NONE