Hong Kong Phooey: The Complete Series

Executive Producers: William Hanna and Joseph Barbera

Starring: Scatman Crothers, Richard Dawson, Ron Feinberg, Kathy Gori, & Casey Kasam

Directed by: Charles A. Nichols
Warner Bros. Home Video
Rated NR

With the animated series of today full of special computer graphics, and sometimes hard to follow story lines, it makes one long for a simpler time. A time when the animation was not so heavily influenced by Japanese anime and the cartoons did not take themselves so seriously. The series of today tend to make one long for a time of Saturday morning cartoons with funny stories and catchy theme songs. With that in mind, the recently released Hong Kong Phooey: The Complete Series is the perfect DVD set to fulfill those long forgotten cartoon yearnings.

Created in 1974 by the geniuses behind some of the most famous animated series of all time, William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, Hong Kong Phooey follows the exploits of mild mannered Henry the janitor and his super alter ego Hong Kong Phooey. This series was originally created to cash in on the popularity of Bruce Lee and the television series Kung Fu which were very much in vogue at the time. Introduced as part of their Saturday morning cartoon package, Hong Kong Phooey was an instant favorite with young viewers.

The cartoon centers on Henry a janitor at the local police station who transform into the "number one super guy" Hong Kong Phooey whenever needed. The fact that no one seems to notice that Henry is a dog only adds to the comedy. With his faithful sidekick Spot the cat (who has stripes) and his all purpose Phooeymobile, Hong Kong Phooey thwarts criminals at every turn. Voiced by Scatman Crothers, Hong Kong Phooey was destined to become an instant classic.

The set contains two DVD's and features all thirty-one episodes of the series. The special features include a retrospective documentary called The Phoo-Nomenon which basically tells the history behind the creation of the series. It includes interviews with many of the shows creators, and interesting enough that even the casual fan would be entertained. There is also the featurette Hong Kong Phooey-The Batty Bank Gang: The Complete Storyboard which takes you through the creation of one episode and shows how the storyboards were used. This is a little dry at times, but does give some interesting behind the scene views. Lastly, there are three episodes that offer commentary from the Creative Producer Iwao Takamoto, Layout Unit Manager Willie Ito, and Hanna-Barbera Historian Scott Jeralds.

Though probably remembered now for its theme song, Hong Kong Phooey is cartoon series that should be considered a classic. With its watercolor background technique, the animation is a bit dated but this only adds to the charm. Its nice to know in a world where the Cartoon Network's Adult Swim seems to be king, there is still a place for the animated series of a by gone era. Hong Kong Phooey: The Complete Series is a charming and entertaining DVD set, and as the catch line says, "It would be a crime not to take it home."