One of Hanna-Barbera’s more classic “out there” cartoons, The Herculoids stands as perhaps one of the most capable teams ever assembled. Amorphous blobs, a laser-tipped rhinoceros-armadillo hybrid, a rock man, a dragon, and three humanoids make the Herculoids one of this famed animation studio’s most creative shows. It’s loaded with all the same levels of camp as its predecessors, but it has a giant blob saving the day, so who can really argue?
Mixing all the elements of prehistoric and futuristic fiction into one pot, there’s really no element of the show that doesn’t work within its aesthetic. It’s free to do just about whatever it wants, and with episodes split into two separate adventures, there’s not much to each story beyond the very simple story of some bad guy (space pirates, spider men, mole men, beaked people, pod creatures, etc.) battling with our heroes. The real trick of each episode isn’t about crafting a story but finding something new to do with each of the Herculoids’ abilities. I can’t say they succeed each and every time, but it’s an entertaining piece of cartoon history and oddly, one of the more memorable pieces from Hanna-Barbera’s ridiculously large vault of obscure characters.
At some point, judging the animation from one archived cartoon to the next can seem like it has more to do with your current frame of mind, but The Herculoids has convinced me that some cartoon ideas definitely function better within the studio’s signature style; more specifically, Hanna-Barbera’s adventure serials definitely fit the form better than their more kiddie-friendly artifacts.
DVD Bonus Features
As a made-to-order DVD set from the WB Shop, there are no extras.
"The Herculoids: The Complete Series" is on sale June 14, 2011 and is not rated. Adventure, Animation. Directed by Joseph Barbera, William Hanna. Written by Joe Ruby, David Scott, Ken Spears. Starring Don Messick, Mike Road, Virginia Gregg, Ted Eccles.
