Filmation's Ghostbusters - The Animated Series, Vol. 1 [DVD]

Filmation's Ghostbusters was one of my favorite cartoons to watch when I was younger. While I also watched The "Real" Ghostbusters which ran in syndication and on ABC, I always preferred the Filmation Series over the Columbia Pictures version. Filmation's Ghostbusters is a spin-off from their 1975 live action series The Ghost Busters. Filmation's series follows the adventures of Jake Kong, Eddie Spenser and Tracy the super-smart-gorilla as they take on Prime Evil and his horde of ghosts who want to take over the world. These adventures take the Ghostbusters all over the world, into outer space and through time. There's humor, action and adventure in these stories and a good moral message at the end of each episode. I enjoyed watching all the episodes, but what really made me smile was the bonus material on the last disc. It was there that I learned about the history of the Filmation Studio and learned something about the great people who produced all the cartoons I used to watch as a kid. That disc showed how much heart and passion Lou Schiemer and his staff put into producing quality cartoons that shaped two generations of children's lives. I used to enjoy his work as a child, now as a writer I appreciate his contribution to the history of American animation and children's television. It was also great to learn about all the great people who came from Filmation and went on to produce a new generation of classics for a third generation of kids. People like Tom Tatarowicz, Paul Dini, David Wise, J. Michael Straczinski all started at the Filmation Studio and went on to produce shows like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Batman: the Animated Series, Shrek, Babylon Five and countless other great programs. Ink and Paint do a wonderful job of transferring these cartoons for DVD release. I used to tape these shows on VHS back in the day and the video on these are as good as the day they aired in 1986. The cartoons and the bonus material together give the viewer a comprehensive look at the work on Filmation's Ghostbusters, the history of the Filmation studios and the process they utilized to make their cartoons. This is one of the best DVD boxsets I've ever had the experience of purchasing, I wish other studios would be as thorough in producing material for DVD collectors. Everything is here from character designs, scripts, and the series bible. The only thing missing were the commercials for the toys by Schaper! Filmation's Ghostbusters Volumes One and Two are great cartoons and a Shawn James Five Star Essential Video. I highly recommend everyone pick up these boxsets!

One of Saturday morning's mainstays during the 70's was Filmation Studios' THE GHOST BUSTERS, a live-action show starring Forrest Tucker and Larry Storch (of F TROOP fame) as Jake Kong and Eddie Spencer, paranormal investigators teamed with "Tracy," a supersmart gorilla (Bob Burns in a suit) who hunt down and dematerialize ghosts. Combining a limited budget, Tucker and Storch's vaudevillian shtick and some rather imaginative storytelling, THE GHOST BUSTERS became one of the most oft-remembered shows of the '70's Saturday Morning experience. One decade later, at the height of Akyroyd and Company's GHOSTBUSTERS craze and coming off the success of HE-MAN and SHE-RA, Filmation revived the idea into FILMATION'S GHOSTBUSTERS, a syndicated animated series now reintroduced on this DVD set, which gives us the first half of FGB's 65-episode run. Showcasing colorful, much-improved animation and an even more imaginative turn at comedic storytelling that brought in elements of science fiction and time travel, FILMATION'S GHOSTBUSTERS continues the legacy of Spencer, Tracy and Kong with their sons, Eddie Jr. and Jake Jr., taking over the family business with Tracy. Armed with more ghost weapons besides their updated and venerable Ghost-Dematerializer, a number of revolving allies (such as intrepid reporter Jessica Wray and flirtatious future sorceress Futura) and the cantankerous transforming Ghost Buggy, Jake, Eddie and Tracy go into battle with the bad-tempered Prime Evil, a robotic, Darth-Vaderesque ghost who runs the spook-filled HauntQuarters in an alternate dimension. The gang's continuous mission is to stop the various schemes of Prime Evil and his gang of ne'er-do-well ghosts, who read like lost children of WACKY RACES (among them the neurotic-robotic skeleton ScaredStiff, bullying future werewolf Fangster, the Terry-Thomas-like Haunter, moronic jokester mummy Airhead, who literally lives up to his name, and the egotistical self-obsessed sorceress Mysteria). The ghost gang are often the major cause of Prime Evil's defeats; all are lazy, extremely self-promoting and somewhat incompetent at teamwork. Occasionally, some of the jokes wear thin: Eddie's constant bungling, Ghost Buggy's continuous criticism of the Busters, and Prime Evil's inability to say "Ghostbusters" without wincing are all pretty much one-note jokes. Despite this, the series shines as one of Filmation's finest efforts, and the transfers on this DVD set are excellent, with scripts, commentaries on episodes and original artwork all featured. Also on this set is "The Maltese Monkey," the first episode of the live-action GHOST BUSTERS series, soon to follow on its own DVD set release. Volume II of the animated series will be out soon as well. If you like good storytelling and would enjoy seeing another take on the notion of "ghost busters," this set would be an excellent buy. If you're an animation fan and, in particular, a Filmation completist, this set is a must-have.

Not to be confused with "The Real Ghostbusters," the animated series based on the 1984 hit film, Filmation's "Ghostbusters" was actually based on the 1975 live action Saturday morning series "The Ghost Busters" starring Forrest Tucker and Larry Storch [of "F Troop" fame] as ghost busters Jake Kong and Eddie Spenser respectively. Along with Tracy, their gorilla played by Bob Burns, Jake and Eddie fought the ghosts of historical villains. Both versions of the show were produced by Filmation. Filmation's 1986 animated Ghostbusters series featured Jake Kong Jr. and Eddie Spenser Jr., the sons of Jake and Eddie assisted by Tracy the gorilla, Jessica the reporter, Belfry the bat, and Futura the sorceress. From their Ghost Command headquarters, they battled ghosts and phantoms from fairy tales, present-day and future. Whether traveling through time and space in their transforming Ghost Buggy, or battling the evil spooks of Prime Evil at his Haunt-Quarters, the Ghostbusters would always answer the call to action with their battlecry "Let's Go Ghostbusters!" The battlecry much like He-Man's transformation scene, albeit to a lesser extent, was that scene in the show I always looked forward to, and never got tired of. I almost didn't bother to watch Filmation's Ghostbusters back in first-run because [at the time] I felt it was trying to steal The Real Ghostbusters' thunder--which it was, sort of. It's all relative however as neither animated series would've been produced if it weren't for the success of 1984's "Ghostbusters" film. Columbia Pictures (who owned the film and spin-off cartoon) settled a lawsuit with Filmation for an undisclosed sum in order to use the title in the film, but that didn't preclude Filmation's own animated attempt to capitalize on poltergeist popularity. With all of that in mind, I did watch both shows in first-run and had found there to be plenty of ghostbusting fun to be had from both shows. Hopefully, the folks at Sony who produced those infuriating Real Ghostbusters 4-episode volumes will take notes from BCI's Ink & Paint, and sometime soon package The Real Ghostbusters into a set as bountiful in episodes and extras as this Filmation Ghostbusters set. Filmation's Ghostbusters - Volume One is a 6-disc set featuring the show's first 32 [of 65] episodes in Full-Frame (1.33:1) video, plus the following Special Features: * Creator interviews with producer Lou Scheimer, writer Robby London and directors Tom Tataranowicz and Tom Sito * Ghostbusters anti-drug spot * Original 10 min. presentation of the promo pilot * Slideshow storyboard for episode 22 "Laser and Future Rock" * Image gallery of Ghostbusters heroes including the original model sheets and sketches * English & Spanish audio for all 32 episodes * Easter eggs and series trivia * Ink & Paint trailers * DVD-ROM material: the complete five-episode script for the Ghostbusters "origin story" * Bonus episode: "The Ghost Busters" live action series episode #1 - "The Maltese Monkey" featuring ghost busting trio Forrest Tucker, Larry Storch and Bob Burns "Yeah!" Episodes: 1. I'll Be a Son of a Ghostbuster (Part 1) 2. Frights of the Roundtable (Part 2) 3. No Pharoah At All (Part 3) 4. The Secret of Mastadon Valley (Part 4) 5. The Ones Who Saved the Future (Part 5) 6. Witch's Stew 7. Mummy Dearest 8. Wacky Wax Museum 9. Statue of Liberty 10. The Ransom of Eddie Spenser 11. Eddie Takes Charge 12. The Great Ghost Gorilla 13. A Friend in Need 14. No Mo Snow 15. Prime Evil's Good Deed 16. Cyman's Revenge 17. The Headless Horseman Caper 18. Banish the Banshee 19. Rollerghoster 20. He Went Brataway 21. The Looking-Glass Warrior 22. Laser and Future Rock 23. Runaway Choo Choo 24. Dynamite Dinosaurs 25. Ghostbunglers 26. My Present to the Future 27. The Beastly Buggy 28. Belfry Leads the Way 29. The Battle for Ghost Command 30. Going Ape 31. The Haunting of Gizmo 32. Ghostnappers Ghostbusters - Volume One: Feb. 27th!

I like the show, but to have the type of tech that these guys have and being able to use it instantly WITHOUT reading the instruction manual, that incidentally had never been opened by their fathers, the only two original Ghostbusters, is a bit much to swallow! The only thing that makes it easier to go down is the comedy of Eddie Spencer and the fact the brains of the outfit is a gorilla (Tracy) that builds all the tech for them but still can't talk, or at least say something besides "okey-dokey" or "no okey-dokey" if something's wrong. Did he build the Ghost-Buggy with the "Time-Turbo"? If he did, that is one smart simian, to be able to trick out a jalopy that not only, talks, flies like F-16 fighter jet, but can be programmed to go backward and forward in time! We need him working for NASA or teaching at MIT! LOL Incidentally, that ghost-changing room is mighty scary looking! No wonder Eddie screams all the way through EVERY time he goes through the changing process! Of course, it looks like Ghost Command doesn't seem to like him too much, but it comes around when he really needs it! The instantly being able to use tech you've never seen that takes you through time is the only thing that makes me give this 'toon 4 stars instead of 5. I mean I think even the great Doctor Who needed some training at the Time Lord Academy before he was able to pilot his TARDIS! Just saying. -Les

filmation cartoons are simply the best they had some of the best series of all time fat albert Ghostbusters he man she ra black star star trek.. ect nuff said you wont regret buying this set and the other volumes but you'd better get them fast I had to pay double the money for them because they are pretty much out of print now but its was worth it ..these came out in 2005 I wished id of bought them then at around 60 bucks not the 110 I paid for them but still worth it . buy them you wont regret it :)

I would rush into my bedroom every afternoon to catch this show. While the 'real' Ghostbusters were fighting Sandman and trying to save New York City, Jake, Tracy, and Eddie were shooting bubble gum at robot and werewolf ghosts. What fun. This is a great collection, as well... a nice lineup of the chronological episodes (I guess it's a season, they call it "Volume 1") and the added bonus episode from the live-action series makes a great set. Transfer looks golden. Don't know how many more of these there will be, but I hope they all come to DVD... this stuff is cartoon goodness.

Os puedo contar que despues de 3 dias que hace que pedí la serie la he recibido en España por Ups en perfecto estado. Sobre la serie viene con audio en Español Neutro (Latino) como el que todos los españoles vimos cuando se emitió en España en los años 80 y 90, la imagen es muy buena presentando una leve mejoría aunque sigue con esa caracteristica destacable que se nota que son dibus antiguos (a mi personalmente me encanta) sobre el audio como ya he dicho es Español Neutro, Latino, en Mono, suficiente ya que prefiero el audio Español original en mono que un redoblaje en Stereo con lo que ello conlleva, cambio de voces, etc... Como han hecho con la mayoria de las series de Disney (Vease Patoaventuras, chip y chop, etc...) Por lo que desde aqui solo les puedo dar un 10 a FILMATION y la distribuidora así como a Amazón. Un saludo a todos y no olviden visitar mi web [...]

My 7-year old daughter loves this and would likely give it 5-stars, but I honestly dislike this series. Annoying, poorly done version of Scooby-Doo (which rocks)

This DVD set is so entertaining! On rainy days, I bring it to camp & watch several episodes over the span of a week or two. There's 2 volumes. Both have nothing to do with the Peter, Egon, Ray, Winston (The Real Ghostbusters). Without a proton pack and trap, how do they catch ghosts, you might ask yourself? The Filmation team has Ghost Gummers & De-Materializers. Great all-around cartoon and it will always be in my Top 5 favourite cartoon series of all time.

Seid meiner Kindheit liebe ich diese Serie und hab mich riesige gefreut als ich die Serie endlich in den Fingern hielt. Dann musste ich leider feststellen, das ich die Serie nicht abspülen kann, da der Ländercode nicht stimmt. Mit einem anderen DVD Player versucht, aber genau das gleich, gebe die Hoffnung zwar noch nicht auf, aber sehr enttäuschend