Paramount Home Video presents

The Fairly OddParents: Scary GodParents (2005)

"I know, but the coolest Halloween costumes are always the scary ones."- Timmy Turner (Tara Strong)

Stars: Tara Strong, Daran Norris, Carlos Alazraqui, Susanne Blakeslee
Director: various

MPAA Rating: Not Rated for (nothing objectionable)
Run Time: 01h:24m:31s
Release Date: 2005-08-30
Genre: animation

Style Grade	Substance Grade	Image Transfer Grade	Audio Transfer Grade	Extras Grade
A-	A-	A	B+	C-

 

DVD Review

Nickelodeon struck gold again when they debuted The Fairly OddParents on the network. The show continues to go strong, anchoring a lineup that is set to keep another generation extremely happy throughout their childhood. While I'm sure the network more and more shows during the coming years, it will be difficult to remove this current king of animated kids shows from its lofty throne anytime soon.

The scary thing, from a parents point-of-view, is that the show is addictively appealing to me too! I haven't been roped into a kids show like this since The PowerPuff Girls, which also blended kid-friendly visuals, with some nice, subtle jokes that will fly over many kids' heads and right into adults' funny bones.

Scary GodParents is a Halloween-themed collection of four episodes, with the first, and titular one being a double-length one. This is actually one of the most fun Fairly OddParents episodes you'll ever see, with the musical number that's here being a major part of its charm. Timmy hates his Halloween costume, but if you tried to pass yourself off as a mummy by wrapping toilet paper around you, I'm sure you would feel the same. He's even more upset that the rich kids have all four of the costume that he really wants, so he makes a wish that everything was real and scary, which results in some dire consequences.

Shiny Teeth is another decent one, but is probably the worst episode of the four. Timmy wants some new, ultra-shiny teeth thanks to Chip Skylark's new music video, "My Shiny Teeth and Me." But, when the evil dentist, Dr. Bender steals Chip's teeth, Timmy, Wanda, and Cosmo seek the advice of the Tooth Fairy, who equips them with a weapon that is designed to stop even the most devious of tooth thieves.

Which Witch Is Which is a decent mystery involving the origins of Dimmsdale. He manages to travel back in time and comes across the town's namesake, Dale Dim. He also finds out about the numerous witch hunts that took place, and soon discovers that he isn't immune to being branded a witch, himself.

The last, and arguably second-best episode on this disc is Timmy's 2D House of Horror. A faulty wish finds Vicki living with the Turners, and Timmy is livid. After racking his brain, he comes to the conclusion that the only way to get them out of the house is by using his best scare-tactics.

After the inevitable humdrum that sets in at this point in October, as horror DVD after horror DVD is taken in and out of my DVD player, it's nice to get a lighter slice of horror. The Fairly OddParents: Scary GodParents turns out to be just what the doctor ordered, and a great change of pace. These shows really aren't scary at all, but just having the Halloween and/or horror story elements in them is good enough when you're looking to tone down the scares without completely abandoning them. At least until the calendar's page is turned to November, that is.

Rating for Style: A-
Rating for Substance: A-

 

Image Transfer

	One
Aspect Ratio	1.33:1 - Full Frame
Original Aspect Ratio	yes
Anamorphic	no

Image Transfer Review: These great full frame transfers are just as good, if not better than the show appears on TV, thanks to lush colors and well-defined animated images. There's a ton of image detail, and a lack of color-rendering problems and print flaws doesn't hurt either.

Image Transfer Grade: A
 

Audio Transfer

	Language	Remote Access
DS 2.0	English, French	yes

Audio Transfer Review: These shows are in Dolby Digital 2.0, and they have a slightly fuller, more dynamic sound than they did on TV. There's some directionality in play, bringing the surrounds to life more often than expected. Dialogue clarity is never a problem either, which is a definite plus.

Audio Transfer Grade: B+ 

Disc Extras

Static menu
Scene Access with 8 cues and remote access
Subtitles/Captions in English
5 Other Trailer(s) featuring Rugrats Tales From the Crib: Snow White, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, The Fairly OddParents, SpongeBob SquarePants
Packaging: Keep Case
Picture Disc
1 Disc
1-Sided disc(s)
Layers: single

Extra Extras:

1. Bonus Episodes

Extras Review: The only extras are a collection of previews and the bonus episodes: Genie Meanie Minie Mo and Catman Meets the Crimson Chin. These are decent episodes of the show, but no where near as fun as the four, featured installments.

Extras Grade: C-
 

Final Comments

Overall, The Fairly OddParents is a show that is just original and witty enough to continue to please both kids and adults alike. Scary GodParents gives fans four more episodes of the show, along with a pair of "Bonus Episodes" as well. The audio and video are TV broadcast quality, but there aren't any other extras aside from the other two episodes.

Chuck Aliaga 2006-01-19