Warner Home Video presents

Ed, Edd, n Eddy: Complete Second Season (1999)

"Grass, paper plates, and crayon for cheese a taco does not make, Eddy."- Edd (Samuel Vincent)

Stars: Tony Sampson, Matt Hill, Samuel Vincent
Other Stars: Kathleen Baar, Keenan Cristenson, Erin Fitzgerald
Director: various

MPAA Rating: Not Rated for (nothing objectionable)
Run Time: 04h:57m:41s
Release Date: 2007-04-24
Genre: animation

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

 

DVD Review

When I looked at the back of the DVD cover and saw that Ed, Edd n Eddy has been on the air since 1999, I was shocked. I know that my daughter has been a fan of the show for quite some time, but for eight years? Catching it on the Cartoon Network from time to time myself, I gather that it is an engaging series for preteens. Whether you're a longtime fan or new to it, this new two-disc release of the second season is a great way to get acquainted.

The series focuses on the continuing adventures of three young boys who hang out in their suburban neighborhood of Peach Creek Estates. This dastardly trio spends most of their time getting into trouble, but at least all of their conning and conniving is for a good reason: the acquisition of jawbreakers. Ed (Matt Hill) is the tall, not-so-bright kid; Edd, aka Double-D (Samuel Vincent), fashions himself as an inventor and is the most respectable of the bunch; Eddy (Tony Sampson) is their bossy, obnoxious leader.

Season Two begins with Eeny, Meenie, Miney, Ed, where the kids' latest con has them running a miniature golf course in need of repairs. While Edd is fixing it, Eddy tells Ed that he thinks Double-D is an alien since he's so smart. Of course, Ed takes his science fiction seriously and seeks to prove Eddy's theory. Ready, Set...Ed! involves the boys witnessing Kevin (Kathleen Baar), their popular jock nemesis, breaking records on his stunt bike. Eddy decides that he can ride his bike just as well as Kevin, but can't seem to find a record he can break.

The next handful of shows are typical series fare, but Hands Across Ed is inspired stuff. The guys take their scamming to the next level by organizing a telethon to raise money for, well, themselves. They even hold auditions, choosing locals Jimmy (Keenan Cristenson) and Nazz (Erin Fitzgerald) among the show's acts. Arguably the funniest episode in this set, the writers also took some moral chances here, walking a fine line between harmless mocking of and trivializing the concept of telethons.

There aren't really any horrible installments in this batch of 13 (each episode features two separate cartoons), with some of the other standouts being To Sir with Ed, Honor Thy Ed, High Heeled Ed, and Cry Ed. The last of those is also the season finale, and its plot involves Eddy's jealousy of Jimmy, and the massive amount of attention he receives since he's highly accident-prone. The accidents that Eddy self-inflicts are hilariously stupid, making this episode sort of a catch-all of the Eds' crazy antics.

This is Cartoon Network's longest-running original series, and at times it's difficult to see why it has lasted so long. The three main characters aren't good role models, they're ugly kids, and are just not who the average kid would want to hang out with. Still, there's no denying that the show has that strange, CN Original Series charm that allows it to appeal to parents as well as kids. While not quite in the same class as the underrated PowerPuff Girls, this is another example that the network knows how to make a solid cartoon.

Rating for Style: B+
Rating for Substance: B+

 

Image Transfer

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

Image Transfer Review: The overall quality of these presentations is right on par with their TV broadcast counterparts. The animation is intentionally rough but there's still quite a bit of detail in the images. Colors are bright and vivid, and there aren't any flaws or blemishes.

Image Transfer Grade: B
 

Audio Transfer

	Language	Remote Access
DS 2.0	English, French, Spanish	yes

Audio Transfer Review: Each show sports Dolby Digital 2.0 audio, and the mixes are surprisingly dynamic. The surrounds come to life often, mainly for the music, but the overall audio experience is rich and boisterous. Crystal clear dialogue is also integrated into these tracks well.

Audio Transfer Grade: B 

Disc Extras

Static menu with music
Scene Access with 39 cues and remote access
Subtitles/Captions in English, French, Spanish with remote access
6 Other Trailer(s) featuring Ben 10: The Complete Season 1, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends: The Complete Season 1, Billy & Mandy's Big Boogey Adventure, What's New Scooby-Doo: Complete Season 2, Justice League Unlimited: Season Two, Batman Beyond: Season Three
2 TV Spots/Teasers
2 Featurette(s)
Packaging: Keep Case
Picture Disc
2 Discs
1-Sided disc(s)
Layers: dual

Extra Extras:

1. "I'm Not Coming In Today" - Music Video

Extras Review: A few nice extras are on board, including Behind the Ed's with the Show Creator, a 10-minute look at the series with Danny Antonucci. He goes into great detail about many aspects, including the development of the characters' walk cycles and boiling line, which are two animation techniques that are integral to the overall process.

There's also a two-minute music video for I'm Not Coming in Today, a pair of promo spots titled Ed's Origami and The Good The Bad and The Ugly, and a three-minute tutorial by Scott Diggs Underwood on how to Draw Ed. Finishing things up are a collection of trailers for other Warner releases.

Extras Grade: C
 

Final Comments

One of the goofier series to come from the Cartoon Network's treasure trove of animation, Ed, Edd n Eddy is also one of their most successful. Warner's second series DVD set keeps the laughs coming with 13 episodes that look and sound great, along with a handful of entertaining extras.

Chuck Aliaga 2007-05-01