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... more » 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« less
An excellent diversion...not to mention excellent value. Between the two volumes of the complete series there are 65 episodes, around 1500 minutes of material...abundance of extras as well.
Fans of the weekly newspaper strip will find this a faithful rendition. If you are a fan or all things Arthurian, you'll also enjoy this. I wondered how the varied talent pool they had selected would mesh and was pleasantly surprised. You may recognise the voices of actors from Babylon 5, Beauty and the Beast, He-Man...even has Tim Curry. The story lines are great, presented as continuing arcs...good mix of action, humor, and interesting characters. When the series was playing in the 90's, my viewing was hit and miss...upon viewing the episodes straight through though, it exceeded the memories I had of watching it as a kid.
Impressive boxset design and it's artwork, which includes a booklet and slipcover for the case. Very pleased with this series.
Movie Reviews
Great Show Now on DVD
Dorrie Wheeler | 07/18/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The animated series Prince Valiant The Complete Series Volume One arrived on DVD July 4th. The series was a favorite with kids and teens in the early 90's. The show originally aired between 1991-1993. In the series, the fabled young Prince Valiant is on a quest to find Camelot. He wants to become a Knight of the Round Table. Accompanying him on his mission are Arn and maiden Rowanne. Prince Valiant will eventually have to defend Camelot and many adventures ensue. The shows writing is excellent and it's a very engaging series.
Prince Valiant is an entertaining series that teens and pre-teens will enjoy--especially teens who enjoy reading comic books. The show was based on the comic strip by Hal Foster. This is the first time the critically acclaimed series has arrived on DVD in any type of home media format.
The DVD set is really nice. Included with the set is a full color booklet that includes a complete episode guide. Also included are cool inserts about upcoming animated releases. The set includes 33 episodes of the series.
Special Features Include-
Interviews
Commentary
Storyboard Gallery
Slideshow
Selected Scripts in PDF Format"
Prince Valiant coming to DVD
K. Lenahan | Woodstock, GA United States | 06/18/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Many people may remember this excellent cartoon from the early 90's, even though it was buried on a station not known for cartoons at the time. The show follows the adventures of Prince Valiant and his dream of joining the ranks of King Arthur's knights of the round table. The show aired for 2 seasons on the family channel based on the Hal Foster Legend of Prince Valiant newspaper strip. The series has been split into 2 volumes with each having the low suggested retail price of $29.99.
Volume one contains the first 33 episodes of the series, including all of season 1-26 episodes and the first 7 episodes of season 2. Bonus features include interviews with the series creaters and comic strip historians, storyboard of entire episode #32, 2 episode commentaries from the creator/producer/writer, 5 complete episode scripts, and a gallery of paintings and drawings from the show with background music."
Great Show with Great Plots
Richie Dee | 07/16/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is a GREAT SHOW with GREAT PLOTS that are interesting and well written for an animated series that was done 15 YEARS ago. The picture quality and sound are pretty good they are not perfect but pretty good. The Menus are nicely done, overall this is a very nice set , you really can't beat it for the PRICE. The show itself is done very well with GREAT PLOTS and ADVENTURES, King Arthur, Merlin, Valiant, Arn and Rowanne are all great characters. Once you start watching you wont be able to stop, this show has you addicted from the very start. I was very pleased with this set, they also put a nice booklet in the set that lists every episode with a brief description and picture of each episode, again nicely done. This set is a must buy and I am looking forward for the 2nd volume to complete this GREAT SERIES!!!!!!!!!!"
I Highly Encourage Any Fan Of The Show To Buy This Set!
Cool Cowboy Ken | USA | 07/05/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Cover Art: **** (4 Out Of 5)
The Cover Art Features A Posterised Version Of Valiant On Caliburn. It's Nice, But I Would Have Liked More Of The Cast On It. Rowanne And Arn Should Have Been Added. Merlin And King Arthur Could Have Also Used A Space. The Side View Of The Box Is Really Quality. At The Top There Is A Shield Bearing Thule's Crest, With A Volume 1 Text Over It. When Volume 2 Is Released, They Should Look Snappy Together! The Set Will Look Great On Display In Any Bookshelf, Or DVD Cabinet.
Video Quality: ***** (5 Out Of 5)
The Transfer Is Amazingly Sharp. Colors Are Bright, Filled With Luscious Color, Bringing Out The Detail, And Beauty Of The Animation (Which Surprising Still Holds Up Today, For Being Over 15 Years Old!)
Audio Quality: ***** (5 Out Of 5)
The Audio Is Tremendously Clear. Even If You Don't Have A Home Theater With Surround Sound, You Will Still Feel Every Sound Effect, Music Note, Or Piece Of Dialog. I Found Myself Turning The Sound Down...... It's That Loud!
Bonus Features: *** (3 Out Of 5)
The Special Features Are Rushed, And Not Very Much Information Is Given. A Casual Fan Will Be Satisfied, But Die-Hard Fans Can Expect Disappointment. There Are Three Interviews Included: David Corbett (Creator/Producer) , Brooks Wachtel (Writer), And Rick Norwood (Historian). Rick Norwood Is Dull, And David Corbett Doesn't Say Much. Brooks Wachtel Is The Best, And He Reveals A Few Fun Stories That Went On Behind The Scenes. Much To My Relief, Noelle North (Rowanne) Takes The Place Of Rick On The Episode Commentaries, Joining Brooks And David, Along With Andy.
The Commentaries Are All Over The Place With Subjects, And For The Most Part Not Episode Specific As Listed Originally. I Would Have Liked To See Noelle Do An Interview, Because We Only Get To Hear Her Voice. Since Everyone Else Got An Interview, It Doesn't Seem Fair That We Miss Out On Seeing Her. Robby Benson (Valiant), And Michael Horton (Arn) Are Missed, And I Think If We Could Have Had Special Features Done By Robby, Michael, And Noelle Together, It Would Have Worked Better. There Are Some Art Drawings, And A Slide-show From The Flute, That Is Set To Music Of The Soundtrack. It's Fine, But If You Own The CD Of The Soundtrack, It's Nothing Worth Telling Home About.
Menu Screens: ***** (5 Out Of 5)
The Menu Screens Are Awesome! I Wasn't Expecting Animated Menus, With Music, So It Blow My Expectations Out Of The Window! Navigation Is Easy, And You Can Select An Episode From the Menus, Or Play All On The DVD.
Thoughts:
Volume 1 Is A Great Way To Experience The Legend Of Prince Valiant! The Only Downers Of The Set, Are Some Mistakes In The Episode Summaries Paper Guide, (Included With The Set), And That The Case Seems Over-Packed, (The Discs Are Hard To Pull Out). Other Than That It's Great! I Can't Wait To Buy Volume 2! Well Done BCI! Thank you For Bringing Prince Valiant To The Fans!
Overall Rating: ***** (5 Out Of 5)
I Highly Encourage Any Fan Of The Show To Buy This Set. It's Outstandingly Done, And While The Special Features Are Somewhat Lacking, The Timeless Episodes More Than Make Up For It. I'm 100% Satisfied With My Purchase."
Prince Valiant
Mr. D. Mensah | 09/25/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"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.