DVD Releases
In 2002, Jay Ward Productions established a partnership with Classic Media called Bullwinkle Studios. From 2003 to 2005, the partnership produced DVDs of the first three seasons of the series, which were renamed (for legal reasons) Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends. Releases then stalled until 2010, when season 4 was released, in part to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the series. The complete series was then released on January 4, 2011, marking the debut of season 5 on DVD. A standalone release of season 5 was released on March 29, 2011. The DVDs for the first 3 seasons were distributed by Sony Wonder, while season 4, 5 and Complete Series sets are currently distributed by Vivendi Entertainment.
The DVD releases of the shows differ somewhat from the originals. The renaming of the show led to the sometimes clumsy superimposition of the new title onto preexisting opening credits and interior bumpers. A Bill Conrad sound-alike was used to announce the new title, which some viewers found jarring. In addition, a semi-transparent "R&B" logo appears for five seconds at the beginning of each segment in the lower right-hand corner. Some segments were also moved from their placement in the original episodes. Also, the season 5 shows on DVD recycle supporting features found on the DVDs for the first four seasons. Mathematically, this makes sense since the total number of supporting features (assuming two used per show) exactly equals the number of shows created during the first four seasons. The first set, most of the second set, and the fifth season set use the second opening and closing used for the "Rocky and His Friends" broadcast, while the last two story arcs in the second set, as well as the third and fourth season sets, use the original opening and closing from the "Rocky and His Friends" broadcast. The musical themes are also replaced on all five sets with ones produced for the second season. In addition, the first four season sets also feature optional Spanish-language audio tracks.
In 2005, Bullwinkle Studios released a series of "best of" DVD compilations of popular segments of the series: two volumes of "The Best of Rocky and Bullwinkle", plus the single-volume "The Best of Boris and Natasha", "The Best of Mr. Peabody and Sherman", "The Best of Fractured Fairy Tales", and "The Best of Dudley Do-Right". These compilations contain episodes from the entire run of the show.
| DVD Name | Ep # | Release Date (Region 1) | Discs | Extras |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Complete First Season | 26 | August 12, 2003 | 4 | Network promos; "Savings Stamp Club" episode; "Dear Bullwinkle" bumpers; "The Many Faces of Boris Badenov" (a montage of Boris scenes); two segments from Season Two's "Metal Munching Mice" |
| Complete Second Season | 52 | August 31, 2004 | 4 (double sided) | Interview with June Foray; Three Cheerios commercials (storyboard and final versions); "Moosecalls: The Best of Bullwinkle Sings" (a parody of television ads for compilation records); a segment from Season Three's "Missouri Mish Mash" |
| Complete Third Season | 33 | September 6, 2005 | 4 | Bullwinkle puppet openings; "The Best of Bullwinkle Follies" (a vaudeville themed montage of clips); the first segment of Season Four's "Painting Theft" |
| Complete Fourth Season | 19 | August 17, 2010 | 2 | None |
| Complete Fifth Season | 33 | March 29, 2011 | 4 | Audio outtake from "Goof Gas Attack" |
| Complete Series | 163 | January 4, 2011 | 18 | In addition to previous extras, a 70 page "Frostbite Falls Field Guide" detailing the history of the show; "Exceptional Adequacy" award ribbon |
Read more about this topic: The Rocky And Bullwinkle Show
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“We need a type of theatre which not only releases the feelings, insights and impulses possible within the particular historical field of human relations in which the action takes place, but employs and encourages those thoughts and feelings which help transform the field itself.”
—Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956)