Director
Ezekiel Norton
Cast
Billy West………Popeye (voice)
Tabitha St. Germain………Olive Oyl/Swee’ Pea (voice)
Gary Chalk………Bluto (voice)
Kathy Bates………The Sea Hag (voice)
Sanders Whiting………Wimpy (voice)
DVD Release Date: November 6, 2007
Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 44 Minutes
The Movie
Popeye has taken many characteristics from his Pappy. They both have the same short-temper. They both have the same squeaky eye (“What squeaky eye?). They have the same pipe, look almost identical, and even wear the same clothes although it’s a different shade of blue. So when Popeye has a weird dream that his Pappy is in trouble; the loving son that he is knows it’s probably true.
The corn-cob pip wielding sailor decides to get a crew together and head out for the sake of his beloved Pappy. Olive Oyl, Swee’ Pea, Wimpy, and Bluto of all people hop aboard and set out on the Sea Of Mystery for the rescue mission. Spending Christmas at home just wouldn’t be the same to the sea-loving group so not gathering around a tree for the holidays is no big deal. The big deal though lies ahead of them as their simple trip turns into big trouble when the Sea Hag appears and vows to make things very choppy for them. It’s up Popeye and the group to see past her tricks and bring Pappy back safe and sound.
When it all boils down to it, the film is rather entertaining. You can’t help but enjoy Popeye and the rest of the crazy gang for their strange antics, odd appearances, and total sense of naivety. The story is simple as it should be and takes our group on a journey into dangerous waters in order to rescue Pappy. Sounds like a simple cut-and-dry Popeye cartoon doesn’t it? There is one problem though and that is Bluto. I know at one time Bluto and Popeye were friends, but for the longest time it’s been the other way around. They are mortal enemies who want nothing more then to prove who is stronger and win over Olive Oyl. Yet here is Bluto taking orders from Popeye like some kind of flunky. Bah.
There is a moment when they turn against one another, but that is simply due to the powers of the Sea Hag. Which when mentioned brings about another problem. The Sea hag is a great replacement of Bluto since they needed a villain of some sort, but Kathy Bates just isn’t the right voice for her. When she laughs, it’s fine; but when Bates is talking, you just don’t get the sense of fear and fright that should come from the Sea Hag. I know the two things mentioned sound like glaring and big problems, but overall Popeye’s Voyage isn’t too bad. The story is simple and the animation is very good, but it just is geared more towards children then anyone else. Maybe I’m just stuck in the past since I long for the old hand-drawn cartoons instead.
The Video
The film is shown in 1.33:1 Full Screen format and it is not good. Well, parts of it aren’t anyway. The film itself is beautiful looking and really does a great job with the colors and animation. It’s no Pixar film, but still nice. The problem here is that it looks like a lot of the scenes are almost cut in half. Sometimes the edges of signs, a shark’s nose, or even anything on screen itself seems to have been cut off and thrown out. Quite annoying.
The Audio
The film is heard in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and comes through alright. Popeye’s Voyage is dialogue and music driven so everything for the most part comes through fine, but the surround sound is never used to its full capacity.
Special Features
Four Classic Episodes – Four classic Popeye cartoons including “Spinach Greetings,” “Popeye In The Grand Steeple Chase,” “Valley Of The Goons,” and “William Won’t Tell.” Each episode is close to six minutes in length and they are actually my favorite part of this entire DVD. Popeye cartoons were a big part of my childhood and still are today as they are funny, action-packed, told interesting stories, and had great characters. Many may say the animation is way outdated, but this is the way Popeye and his friends were created and how they look their best.
Animated Behind-The-Scenes Interviews – This could have been a really could feature if it was longer then thirty seconds. Popeye answers two questions and Olive Oyl answers one.
The Making Of Popeye’s Voyage – Coming in at a little over ten minutes is the entire “making of” featurette. It goes on a little about the history of Popeye and bringing a cartoon icon to life in CGI. The featurette then delves into the animation, the music, voice acting, and everything imaginable to try and make Popeye as new as possible while keeping him as original as possible.
Original Trailer
Deleted Scene – One scene that is shown with storyboards complete with voices and is about Olive Oyl wanting to redecorate Popeye’s ship.
Trailers – Care Bears: Journey To Joke-A-Lot
The Inside Pulse
The effort is truly there and it could possibly turn into a lot more and much better if one day Popeye is brought back in full-length feature films, but this forty-five minute short just misses the mark. It’s great for kids and when you look at the value of replayability, they’ll want to see it over and over again. I can just hear my nephews now laughing at Olive Oyl flailing around over a sea of sharks or Wimpy constantly trying to unlock the chest full of burgers. Sadly though, adults won’t get as much enjoyment out of it. If anything, those without children should pick up the DVD to watch the feature once or twice but really just enjoy the four classic episodes. They’re great fun and well worth it since the other special features aren’t much. Perhaps you can catch it if it comes on television every year around Christmas, but other then that, just shiver your timbers and wait for it to hit the clearance rack.
Popeye’s Voyage: The Quest For Pappy |
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