DVD releases of today’s cartoons are frustrating since the shows Nickelodeon and the Cartoon Network choose to publish seem arbitrary or random. There are numerous hits that ended years ago such as Dexter’s Lab, Johnny Bravo, Cow & Chicken, Hey Arnold!, Rugrats and Rocket Power. Meanwhile the short-lived-Hot-Topic cash cow Invader Zim, the unusual Samurai Jack, cultural icon Spongebob Squarepants and “DC Comics done well” series Justice League were readily available within a couple years of their cessation. Maybe there’s some magic economic formula their conglomerate parents know in making the decision.
Thankfully Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends is in the latter category and creator Craig McCracken’s previous hit creation, The Powerpuff Girls will also be receiving its overdue, proper treatment this Summer.
The premise of Foster’s is that imaginary childhood friends are real. When the children outgrow their friends, there’s a foster home for the imaginary to stay at until another child adopts them. Most of the show’s stories revolve around eight-year old Mac and his creation Bloo. Through a special arrangement with Madame Foster (the home’s owner), Bloo remains a resident ineligible for adoption as long as Mac visits every day. If Bloo’s antics weren’t so funny, one would conclude that Mac was codependent for continuing to visit a miniature, child-friendly version of everyone’s favorite sociopath Homer Simpson. Then again, the other residents are really manifestations of their creators’ personalities, wishes and fears: Duchess, Wilt and Eduardo respectively. Mac has to be more responsible than the average kid his age because Mom works all the time and his older brother is a teenage bully. Bloo may be the part of Mac that embodies an exaggerated carefree, typical second grader. Yet there are times Mac ignores all reason and rational thinking to participate in something devised by Bloo.
Amateur psychology aside, Mac, Bloo and the other supporting characters partake in the program’s numerous misadventures such as going to the mall, rescuing other imaginary friends, watching scary movies, etc. Standard cartoon fare but the execution is what makes Foster’s work. Adults will enjoy it equally with kids because there are jokes at multiple levels, popular cultural references, odd puns and universal themes about human behavior (which the Imaginary share).
As a DVD set, Foster’s is a disappointment for its small amount of features: Spanish and French audio tracks, subtitles, a gallery with bios of the Friends frequently seen wandering around, a feature with McCracken about the show’s origin, end of episode gags (these are frequently cut during Prime Time) and a small collection of promos (Coco doing the Can Can is the best). One episode has a commentary track of Mac and Frankie arguing with Bloo. It was a chore to sit through and it didn’t add anything. None are with the writers, animators or voice actors explaining how that particular episode came together as they do on The Simpsons, the standard I have been spoiled by. Based upon those facts, buy it if those things aren’t important, you’re a completist or you want to share it with people who never heard of it (my reason).