I will admit to being unfamiliar with “Adventure Time” until this 3rd season arrived on Blu-ray. My kids have been asking to watch the show for a good long while and I haven’t really had the time or inclination to check out the show to see if it was appropriate for them. I’m glad I decided to check out the show first before simply sitting down with them to watch it together. It’s not that “Adventure Time” is totally inappropriate for kids, but it is not for younger kids.
Maybe it’s because I’m beyond middle school, but I didn’t find “Adventure Time” to be the riotous animated series it had been built up to be. It’s good, it’s fun, but nearly everybody I had talked to about the series was in disbelief I hadn’t watched it before because they thought it was so good. My 10 year old’s peer group watches the show, but their evaluation of its quality wasn’t taken as gospel. It was the adults I know that expressed their affection for the show.
Now with the third season on Blu-ray I was given the opportunity to see what everybody has been going on about, and I can sort of see why it is so popular. Watching 5 hours worth of episodes in a couple of days is a bit much, but as a regular television program with weekly installments or on home video to rewatch at a leisurely pace, well, I can see a lot more appeal there.
“Adventure Time” concerns itself with Jake and Finn, two brothers (one adopted) living in a sort of post-apocalyptic fantasy land. That one is a dog is almost a negligible fact and beside the point. Actually that adds to the surreal fun of “Adventure Time” and that’s what is at the heart of the show – some surreal fun. Yes, things are mostly linear and have a logic to them, but little bits like the everything burrito, the princess changing her age to oust the Earl Of Lemongrab (a guy made out of a lemon), a talking cinnamon bun, and more. It’s silly, and it is meant to be.
In a way much of the show defies explanation. There are secondary characters that pop in from time to time and occasionally take on a starring role. There’s a solid cast and this season there are a couple of fun guest stars, including Neil Patrick Harris, Weird Al Yankovic and Keith David. Each episode is self-contained but there are some overarching sub-plots to the characters. The season ends on a cliffhanger that I’m sure was resolved at the opening of season 4. There is a two-part episode in this collection so it’s not unheard of.
Special features are plentiful with audio commentaries for each of the 26 episodes included. There’s a whole host of behinds the scenes folks who rotate in and out of the booth to provide their insight. I sampled a few of them and fans will really enjoy listening to these. Then there’s an 8 minute behind the scenes featurette and an alternate opening that has to be seen.
“Adventure Time” is a decent series, fun, silly, and a little surreal. I don’t think it’s appropriate for kids under the age of about 8 or so, but that’s me. Your mileage may vary so try it out first. Actually, give a couple of different episodes a try because things really do change drastically from episode to episode. As for the Blu-ray, it may not be the best introduction to the series, but fans will certainly want to pick it up.