The Legend of Prince Valiant - The Complete Series, Vol. 1 (1991)

The 1990s cartoon series THE LEGEND OF PRINCE VALIANT animated Arthurian lore with a fun blend of action drama and fantasy. The series followed the mythic adventures of the eponymous prince (voiced by '70s heartthrob Robby Benson) as he journeyed to Camelot to train as a knight at King Arthur's fabled Round Table. Vibrantly animated and creatively told the series also boasted the vocal talents of Efrem Zimbalist Jr. Samantha Eggar and Tim Curry. This collection presents the first volume of episodes.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: CHILDREN/FAMILY Rating: NR UPC: 787364696796 Product Description

Prince Valiant is a great cartoon

Prince Valiant is a really enjoyable cartoon, it has a great storyline and very interesting characters. I always enjoy a cartoon that has a continuing storyline. Prince Valiant's adventures start when he leaves his parents to find the kingdom of Camelot and become a knight of the round table, along the way he makes friends who wish to join him on his quest. When Valiant and his friends reach Camelot, they begin training to become knights of the round table and must help defend Camelot against anyone who wishes to harm the kingdom. All in all this is a great dvd to have in your collection. July 26, 2008

good stuff

it's a nice box
en the series ar good
what more can i zy May 5, 2008

Excellent show/ Great DVD Set

Allow me to begin this review with a very simple actuality: After having begun at the very first He-Man box set and venturing all the way through to the most recent in my series of reviews here on Associated Content, I found myself simply enamored with the quality of work put forth through each DVD compilation from BCI. As such, when the final He-Man set came to a close, I found myself ordering up nearly all of the remaining BCI fantasy collections in effort to return to the fandom bliss this company makes a reality through each of its collections.

Enter The Legend of Prince Valiant; an animated series from the early 1990s inspired by the long-standing Hal Foster comic strip of the same name. Interestingly enough, when the show was originally created it was broadcast in a prime time slot on the Family Channel (a network not known to offer animation). As a result, many potential viewers (myself included) knew nothing of the show's existence. As much of an embarrassment as it is to admit this, my first knowledge of the program wasn't until a few weeks ago when browsing BCI's other collections on Amazon.com. I purchased both Volume One and Volume Two with absolutely no prior expectations save for an occasional glance in the Sunday paper comics many years ago. Was it a wise investment worthy of the BCI label? Read on to find out.

For those unaware, the story centers on the exploits of an unlikely trio of teenagers striving to reach the fabled Camelot. Led by young Valiant, a prince disgusted with his father's fall from glory, the remaining members of the party are the nomadic orphan Arn and brave bow-wielding daughter of a blacksmith, Rowanne. The story literally begins at the very beginning as we witness Valiant's father's castle come under siege by the evil King Cynan then follow the survivors of the onslaught as they relocate into the marshes of barbarian owned territory. The pacing is brisk and efficient, wasting no moments on unnecessary detail and the character development is absolutely wonderful. By the end of the first disc, it is nearly impossible not to find yourself immersed in the tapestry of each character's personality and ambitions.

The set itself is a bit unique, even for a company with a long roster of similar releases. The five disc set is made up of four double sided DVDs, each containing 4 episodes per side. The fifth and final disc contains the 33rd episode of the show and a whole host of bonus material as assembled and produced by the ever-enthusiastic Andy Mangles.

Before delving into the intricacies of the set itself, allow me to first focus on the material itself. To begin I was literally astonished with the animation style, which, although dated when compared to today's era of computer rendering, surpasses the detail in nearly every other animated work up until then. The backgrounds are simply spectacular, having been designed after original renaissance masterpieces. The character textures, colors, and lighting are all spot on and truly a marvel of skill considering that cells were still hand drawn and painted at the time. Also noteworthy is the fact that the cast (lead characters especially) are endlessly drawn in different clothing and hair styles which further pushes away the viewer's attention to the fact that this is a cartoon.

Then there are the stories themselves; simply masterpieces in every sense of the word. Bear in mind that this was prime time cable television programming and with that came the ability to tackle issues never even imagined in children's specific animation such as death, revenge, slavery, and hunting for nourishment. Leery parents relax, never is this done though violent imagery or adult-specific tone, rather it's more accurate to think of how Disney handles these themes in their animated motion pictures. To summarize the experience in a single word, tasteful would have to be the one. The themes are used much like those appearing in classic literature and offer up a feeling of timelessness in their presentation that will mesmerize viewers of all age groups. Also interesting is the fact that the stories are designed as stand alones for newcomers to the series but actually link together very lineally to form one massive quest. It is very refreshing to note that Hearst Entertainment, the company behind the series, didn't resort to the standard "villain attempts to destroy hero unsuccessfully" archetype. Rather, here we find an interweaving tapestry of characters taken directly from legend (King Arthur, Merlin, Sir Gawain) whose stories gradually deepen throughout the series.

Also present here are a voice ensemble that rivals the best of live-acted programs of the time including Beauty & The Beast's Robby Benson, James Avery (Uncle Phil from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), the spunky Noelle North (The Smurfs, Jem, Disney's Gummi Bears), Efrem Zimbalist Jr., and old Skeletor himself (Alan Oppenheimer) as Merlin just to name a few. The actors lend an impeccable degree of realism to the experience all throughout.

That now famous attention to detail I mentioned above in BCI's works is present here as well with two full episode commentaries, interviews with the show's creators, story board gallery, slideshow of the character paintings and background work, and as always, a full color book that simply puts all other DVD slip card inserts to shame. The set is bound in a hard plastic multi-disc case with an outer cardboard sleeve loaded with excellent artwork.

The Legend of Prince Valiant has won a Humanitas Award and three Silver Angel awards honoring its excellence as an animated series with social and ethical values, stirring storylines, and sumptuous visuals, and after having enjoyed this DVD compilation, I can attest that it was with good reason. This is the type of universally appealing story telling that makes films like Braveheart, Gladiator, and King Arthur timeless classics. My only regret is that I did not discover this gem earlier. May 5, 2008

Prince Valiant

It would be very easy to simply say that Prince valiant is a good cartoon, but in watching it now as 29 year old, it has exceeded all my memories of watching the series as a kid. Its the scripting and the storyline that puts Valiant way, way ahead of other cartoons, in fact the writing is so good I wouldn't even bother assigning a junior age-group classification - its definitely for everyone. The whole sentiment of Valiant is very universal, addressing issues that the human condition still goes through in these very times and its been a very long time in seeing an animation made for TV, that uses eclectic thought-out language and utilises a balanced perspective without there being a plain and bland idea on the concept of 'good and evil'. The whole venture is quite wholesome without being cheesy and is unafraid to break certain codes such as having characters say the words 'kill' and 'death' and also show swords penetrating bodies, arrows hitting bodies and people actually dying. Its all done with a dignified manner and its more like watching a live action television series in that respect, especially in the way the music is employed to add some eye-watering moments. My only minor gripe and it is minor, is that the animation can be a bit stagnant at times, its never unsmooth but it does appear to not be as free flowing as cartoons of that day and cartoons that came before. Overall though you can't be disappointed with this purchase.

I have both volumes... September 25, 2007

Great family show

My young children and I ran into this show when it originally ran and loved it so much we taped some episodes onto VHS. Those tapes were ground into the dust over ensuing years. Even my 18 year old was excited to finally purchase the whole series. My family loved seeing the whole cycle and found themselves begging for more. August 10, 2007

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