Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: G (General Audience)
Binding: DVD
Brand: SPEED RACER: COLLECTOR'S EDITION (DVD MOVIE)
EAN: 0012236116509
Format: Animated
Label: Lions Gate
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Lions Gate
Region Code: 1
Release Date: 2003-04-22
Running Time: 300
Studio: Lions Gate
Theatrical Release Date: 1967-09-23

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Spotlight customer reviews:

Customer Rating:

Summary: He's a demon on wheels
Comment: "Here he comes, here comes Speed Racer
He's a demon on wheels
He's a demon and he's gonna be chasing after someone
He's gaining on you, so you better look alive
He's busy revving up his powerful Mach 5"

(From theme song: US Version, by Peter Fernandez)

Since I'd never heard of Speed Racer before seeing the preview for the movie, and because my child is an avid race car fan, I thought it best to do some homework so that I could at least hold my own during son/mother interrogation sessions.

The questions begin simply enough.

"Which character are you from Speed Racer?"

But then it develops into the type of car, how fast it goes, who are the bad guys, and then he gets to the really hard stuff. It's fortunate therefore that this DVD exists, as we were able to watch it together many times (him)/ad nauseam (me), and I managed to survive the grilling, at least until we go see the movie.

Originally from the Japanese anime Mach GoGoGo, the series was "Americanized" and aired in the USA from 1967. It features the young racing car driver of the title, plus assorted family members, female romantic love interest, the mysterious Racer X, and tons of villains. The star however, is the Mach 5 itself - a secret agent car if there ever was one, complete with gadgets which are activated by pressing the seven buttons on the steering wheel and another on the console.

This DVD has the first eleven episodes of the 1967 television cartoon, plus production notes; words and music of the theme song; a brief glimpse of the Mach 5; a Villain's Gallery of eight featured bad guys (complete with clips), a preview of the sequels and spinoff commercial, and a list of available merchandise.

The episodes are:
1. The Great Plan (Part 1)
2. The Great Plan (Part 2)
3. Challenge of the Masked Racer (Part 1)
4. Challenge of the Masked Racer (Part 2)
5. The Secret Engine (Part 1)
6. The Secret Engine (Part 2)
7. The Race Against the Mammoth Car (Part 1)
8. The Race Against the Mammoth Car (Part 2)
9. The Most Dangerous Race (Part 1)
10. The Most Dangerous Race (Part 2)
11. The Most Dangerous Race (Part 3)

Recommended for those who need to brush up their Speed Racer knowledge prior to watching the movie, people who remember watching the series in the sixties, and people who are too young to have heard about it before now.

Amanda Richards, May 13, 2008

Customer Rating:

Summary: Speed RULES!!! --- but WHERE ARE THE JAPANESE EXTRAS?!
Comment: This FIRST set is GREAT! The first 2 episodes detail the Mach 5, it's development history, and enough character history to add much enjoyment and fun to the rest of the series. Now as an adult I really appreciate that the art and production quality for the first episode is the same as for the very last; no rough beginning that loses value after watching refined episodes later on. And the stories in this first set are the best introduction to this Great Classic racing (and adventure) series. They'll make devoted fans out of you, leave you anxiously yearning for more, and prepare you to get the most enjoyment from the rest.

Speed Racer was my favorite cartoon growing up. I would pass up an after-school KickBall game to watch Speed and the Coolest Car on Earth. I always laughed myself onto the floor watching Spritle's tears spraying out like fountains. These cartoons were crude ... but they had a unique character and spirit that made refined art, sound, and production irrelevant. In fact the mismatched mouth movements (seemingly due to more than translation) and coarse animation only added to it's unique charm. I've waited a long time for a collection like this.

These characters are beyond endearing. You just love them; even the villains! And the voices are so perfectly clich, and in that way so uniquely Speed Racer; they're hilarious! The main characters have such great personalities and charm. And you've got to love the 60s/70s music and pop culture as well as the fun Japanese interpretation (and Japanification) of it that stands out to western audiences (like Trixie's sort-of full-bodied winking peace-sign expression and stance). And you'll never forget that great opening sequence in which Speed is frozen in that Groovy Racing/Go-Go pose that spins around in a 3D effect. And the Mach 5! It's as beautiful today as it was so long ago! To me, it's the most beautiful car EVER conceived. I Treasure this great show!

HOWEVER, I agree with other reviewers in that Lion's Gate should have included the ORIGINAL JAPANESE theme song, and it would have been GREAT to have included a whole episode in Japanese as it aired in Japan. Interviews with voice-cast members and the Japanese creators (who've got to be the Grooviest most interesting guys!) would have been nice. Such extras would have made this a much better collection. But they provided none of those things in any of the 5 sets.

Also, they should have put forth some effort to improve the video quality. I have a VHS tape that provides better image quality. It's as if they did not use original masters . . . or perhaps those masters have not been well kept (although it's not terrible).

I'd give the Series itself every star in the Universe, but I have to give the collection only 3 Stars. It could and SHOULD be so much better with the extras and improvements I've mentioned.

Customer Rating:

Summary: go speed racer, GO!
Comment: With the imminent release of the "Speed Racer" live action film, a review of the cartoon series that spawned it is in order. This cartoon series having been made in the sixties, shows the simplistic animation prevalent in Japanese cartoons of the period. It's peers, such as Astro Boy, Kimba The White Lion, Gigantor (which were released in Japan under different names) and others, all display this type of animation. There are many adults today, who grew up with these cartoons, that hope the "Speed Racer" Live action film meets or exceeds their expectations. Today's kids won't care, obviously, as their knowledge of this cartoon series is slim to none. It is this reviewers' hope that it WILL be good, and thus possibly reinvigorate interest in the cartoon series.

The episodes following are in volume 1 of the series:

The Great Plan (part 1)

The Great Plan (part 2)

Challenge of the Masked Racer (part 1)

Challenge of the Masked Racer (part 2)

The Secret Engine (part 1)

The Secret Engine (part 2)

The Race Against The Mammoth Car (part 1)

The Race Against The Mammoth Car (part 2)

The Most Dangerous Race (part 1)

The Most Dangerous Race (part 2)

The Most Dangerous Race (part 3)

There are a host of special features included in the DVD that are a must for fans of this popular cartoon series.

Customer Rating:

Summary: A decent introduction to this classic anime series
Comment: This release contains the first eleven episodes of the series, as well as a few extras; however, only the English dub versions of the episodes are included.

There are a few special features included in a section labeled as, "Speed Racer Files." The special features menu is designed to look like file folders, and you click on the tab of the "file folder" you want to look at.

"Production" gives a text-only history of Tatsunoko Productions, the company that produced Speed Racer in Japan. There is also a text-only history of the U.S. adaptation of the series, a page of lyrics for the Speed Racer theme song and a text-only history of the theme song (including a link to hear the song), and the credits and information for the American voice actors.

"Mach 5" shows the various controls on the steering wheel of the Mach 5. Speed Racer can be heard explaining what a control does when the viewer clicks on it. You can also "see the feature in action" (which is footage from the show).

"Villains' Gallery" includes brief profiles and pictures of eight of the villains.

"Speed Lives On!" provides two links: "Sequels & Spin Offs" and "Speed Merchandise." Under "Sequels & Spin Offs" there is a text-only explanation of The New Adventures of Speed Racer (and the opening credits of the series can be viewed), and a text-only explanation for a Volkswagen commercial that included Speed Racer (however, the actual commercial itself is not included). Under "Speed Merchandise," this is a gallery of merchandise; however, it contained only five items.

My biggest disappointment watching this DVD was the fact that, even though it has chapter marks, they're useless for the viewer. When watching the DVD, you can't use the "skip" function to move ahead to the next chapter; you're forced to use the fast forward button.

The episodes on the disc are actually pretty good. However, I think the design of the DVD menus are a bit clunky, the extras are a bit underwhelming, and I'm disappointed by the fact that the chapter marks are useless for the viewer. I wish that instead of trying to cram eleven episodes onto one disc, that this had been released as a two-disc set with some better bonus features.

If you're a fan of the original Speed Racer anime, this is worth picking up to have the first eleven episodes in your DVD collection. However, just don't expect anything terribly spectacular in the way of special features.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Not so silly after all
Comment: After reading some of the reviews, I thought I might be unhappy when I watched the DVD's for the first time. I can see why they changed the opening credits. They wanted it to match the Trademark that is on everything else. No big deal. The song is the same. The closing credits look just like I remember. The remastered prints are great. The extra content that explains how fast they had to produce the American versions is amazing. A theme song recorded in one day. The sound effects are exactly as I remember growing up. You must get at least the first two DVD's before you see the new movie.

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Editorial Reviews:

One of the first "Japanimation" series to air in the U.S., Speed Racer (Mach Go Go Go) debuted in syndication in September 1967. Eighteen-year-old Speed Racer wants to become a race car driver, but his father, automotive engineer "Pops" Racer, "blows a gasket" at the idea. Pops, who designed the amazing Mach 5, relents when Speed demonstrates his extraordinary driving skills. He embarks on a series of fantastic adventures that pit him and his friends against Skull Duggery, Snake Oiler, Mr. Wiley, and the Alpha Gang. With their wide chins, large mouths, and small eyes, the Speed Racer characters reflect the influence of contemporary Hanna-Barbara series, rather than the indigenous style the Japanese animation industry would later develop. Members of Gen-X who grew up watching the original show will enjoy this "collector's edition" that offers the first 11 episodes, a theme song sing-along, a villains' gallery, and an interactive demonstration of controls of the Mach 5. (Unrated: suitable for ages 6 and older: mild cartoon violence) --Charles Solomon