In the mid-’80s, kids raced off the school bus to get to home faster. Why such urgency? Because He-Man and the Masters of the Universe was on. The series helped redefine TV animation. It was a new show that ran Monday through Friday instead of just being part of the Saturday morning line up. It dared to show a world where being pumped up with massive muscles didn’t make you a complete idiot. He-Man and his pals didn’t mind packing a punch while the previous decade had gone out of its way to downplay violence. While it felt like the series lasted as long as The Simpsons, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: The Complete Second Season contains the final 65 episodes.
The series is about Prince Adam of the planet of Eternia. Their culture is based on magic, fantasy, mutants and sci-fi. It’s like Lord of the Rings meets Star Wars on the Island of Dr. Moreau. Turns out that the Prince has a magical power sword that allows him to transform into He-Man. But it’s not really that big of a change. He just loses his shirt and wears a leather harness. This isn’t like Billy Batson flashing into Captain Marvel. Even though he’s got the same haircut, only few people know his secret identity. The bonus is the prince’s scared tiger pet turns into a menacing beast. Maybe the cat throws them off the prince’s scent?
The key to the series is that it represents a Mattel toy line. All the allies, enemies and major weapons could be easily purchased at Child World. Devoted fans eagerly covered the shelves of their bedrooms with all the action figures. They quickly corrected their mothers from calling them dolls. Cause Ken never sported a six-pack chest and 40 inch guns that make Hulk Hogan look like the before photo in a Charles Atlas work out advertisement. Even G.I. Joe looks like a 98 pound weakling. Even the boney Skeletor is packing powerful biceps. With such a huge muscle bound cast, you’d figure half the shows would take place in a gym with pumping iron.
The final 65 episodes do keep up the fun from the first season. They smartly don’t try to give a real finale. There’s no last battle between He-Man and Skeletor for the soul of Eternia. They set it up so you can start watching it all over again without knowing the ending. It’s not like you ever wrote a big finale for your action figures. Although there’s a chance one happened if your sister shoved Beast Man in the garbage disposal. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: The Complete Second Season brings back the thrill of rushing off the bus and hoping you can get to the remote control before your sister.
The video is 1.33:1 full frame. The transfers look fine without any major issues on the screen. The audio is mono. Nothing too amazing about the mix. But you do hear the explosions and clanging of swords.
The Magic of Filmation (32:44) gives the history of the second busiest TV animation studio in the ‘70s. Lou Scheimer and Hal Sutherland how Superman made them big time players. What’s amazing is that the studio was able to keep their operation in one building without shipping out the animation to Asia.
The Stories of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Season 2 (66:07) breaks down the what went on during the last season.
Animating He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (36:28) points out how you could learn everything about animation under one roof. What was important in keeping the budgets low was reusing stock footage shot of motions and close ups.
Commentary tracks are on six episodes. Lou & Ericka Scheimer, Larry DiTillia, Tom Sito, Tom Tataraowicz and Dave Teague contribute to more tales of making He-Man flex.
Profiles: Characters/Creature/Artifact is a great resource for getting quick background on the show’s elements. There’s video along with scrolling text.
Scripts are provided in PDF format for 10 episodes.
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: The Complete Second Season wraps up a series that changed so much about animated kid shows. The history of Filmation featurette makes you appreciate the effort taken to make this show as exciting as possible while maintaining the budget. This was special show that dared to challenge the conventions of presentation, violence and intelligence.
Mill Creek Entertainment presents He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: The Complete Second Season Starring: He-Man, Skeletor and Beast Man. Boxset Content: 65 episodes on 8 DVDs. Released on DVD: September 13, 2011. Available at Amazon.com.
