Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock - Season One Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock - Season One Blu-ray Movie Review

Let the music play!

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown December 3, 2024

You know you're already humming it. Might as well sing. Dance your cares away, worry's for another day! Let the music play, down in Fraggle Rock! *bum bum* Down in Fraggle Rock! The Jim Henson Company nails its return to classic children's series Fraggle Rock with Back to the Rock, a slice of retro joy and hilarity that feels every bit as alive and celebratory as the original show. The lesson here could be applied to any Muppet property (ahem, The Muppets). Rather than reinvention, why not go with continuation? If it ain't broke, and all that jazz. Whereas Disney and the Henson Company have been trying to remanufacture Kermit and the gang into modern... somethings, go with, shocker, a variety show format. Let the Muppets play, SNL style, like they did in their heyday. If you build it, all those kids, now grown ups... they'll come out in droves. Ah well, no need to complain when such a fantastic throwback series like Back to the Rock is hear to satisfy our inner children. Um, oh yeah, and our current kids too. This show is totally for them. 100%. All for them. Yeah... for the kids. I'd keep lying but I'm about to burst into song again. Dah dah daaaah bah da da dah ba da da daaaaah... down in Fraggle Rock!

Jim Henson's Fraggles return, and return in perfectly faithful style in Season One of Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock. A quick trip through a hole in the wall in good ol' Doc's workshop is a wondrous, cavernous world, a place home to delightful (and sometimes mischievous) little creatures called Fraggles. Loving nothing more than a good song, joke or spot of old fashioned fun, the Fraggles, along with their neighbors -- the Doozer miners, the Gorgs and a host of other friendly beasties -- thrive in an existence of discovery and adventure. Naturally, the series is brimming with comedy, musical numbers and guest stars, among them Hamilton's Daveed Diggs, The Office's Ed Helms, Cynthia Erivo, Patti LaBelle, SNL's Kenan Thompson, The Foo Fighters and more, not to mention the brilliant puppeteering and creature design that the Henson Company has always been known for. Come for the Fraggles, stay for all the blasts from the past and newfound excitement of Back to the Rock.

The three-disc Blu-ray release of Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock - Season One includes all fourteen relaunch episodes from the Apple series. Episodes include:

Episode 1: Pilot - To prove he's brave enough to accompany Uncle Matt to Outer Space, Gobo leads the gang on a daring adventure to the Crevice of Solitude. An unexpected discovery brings new life to all Fraggles, Doozers, Gorgs, and even a Silly Creature named Doc and her dog, Sprocket.

Episode 2: Red and the Big Jump - Inspired by all the new water in Fraggle Rock, Red leads everyone in a wild diving game. But when she pressures Wembley to jump off a tall Doozer tower and he literally freezes in fear, she's forced to see things in a new way… especially after a run-in with Junior Gorg.

Episode 3: The Merggle Moon Migration - After a bizarre dream, Mokey decides to follow her "inner map" to find the Merggle Queen (Patti LaBelle) perform a once-in-a-generation event, only to land in the spooky and dangerous Echo Chamber. Meanwhile, Doc follows another cool, rare event in her own way.

Episode 4: The Glow - Boober feels painfully different after discovering that his baloobius glows, but a visit from the majestic Archivist (Cynthia Erivo) helps him embrace his uniqueness. Meanwhile all of the Rock celebrates the arrival of Uncle Matt's latest one-of-a-kind artifact.

Episode 5: Four Wembleys and a Birthday - Wembley tries to make everyone happy on his birthday by doing all of the activities they suggest at the same time. When this leads to him literally splitting into multiple Wembleys, he must consult with the all-knowing Trash Heap.

Episode 6: The Legend of Icy Joe - During the First Frost, Gobo and Wembley retrace the trek of a heroic adventurer and learn she may not be quite who they expected. Meanwhile Doc and Sprocket battle the cold and find a new hero of their own.

Episode 7: Flight of the Flutterflies - Jamdolin (Daveed Diggs) and the Troubadours come to the Rock to celebrate the holiday, New Day's Day, but Boober wrestles with his anxiety when he unexpectedly finds himself at the center of the action. Meanwhile the Doozers celebrate their own way and Doc gets way out of her comfort zone.

Episode 8: Craggle Lagoon - The Fraggles head to Craggle Lagoon for their first-ever vacation, but discover the lagoon's water mysteriously gone. Inspector Red springs into action, excited to find a culprit, but a new friend, Lyle, (Ed Helms) helps her see it's more important to help the Craggles, especially when the case takes an unexpected turn.

Episode 9: The Giggle Gaggle Games - Determined to make the displaced Craggles feel at home in Fraggle Rock, Mokey insists on playing wild games with their new guests. But when things take an unexpected turn, Mokey learns the only true way to help. Meanwhile the Gorgs have a new, selfish plan for their water.

Episode 10: Wembley the Spokesfraggle - Fast-talking Doozer Jack Hammer (Kenan Thompson) chooses Wembley as the spokesfraggle for the new (yucky) Doozer sticks made with the sticky goo Cotterpin discovered. Wembley loves all the new attention but has to decide between being popular and doing what's right.

Episode 11: Deep Dive - After Red finds the pond is too full of Doozer stick goo to dive, she tries another extreme activity and hurts her baloobius. Mokey tries to help her find a new outlet for her energy.

Episode 12: Into the Trash - When Marjory falls ill, Boober is called to a special task: venture into the deep mountain of trash in order to heal her. Meanwhile Doc deals with a setback in her project and gets some unexpected help, and Uncle Matt stumbles upon a musical performance by the Foo Fighters.

Episode 13: All of Us - To bring water back to Fraggle Rock and set things right, Gobo convinces the gang to work with an unlikely ally, kicking off an adventure affecting every creature, big and small. Meanwhile Doc celebrates one big discovery, and nearly makes another.

Episode 14: Night of the Lights - It's the most Fraggily holiday of the year, and the Rock is filled with songs and cheer. When Jamdolin (Daveed Diggs) encourages Wembley to make a special wish, the World's Oldest Fraggle leads the gang on an adventure to find the brightest light and, maybe, the true meaning of the holiday.

Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock - Season One Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The only issue I ran into with Sony's gorgeous 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer of Back to the Rock was in trying to take screen-captures of the Fraggles, who are constantly, and I mean constantly, in motion. I did my best, in the hopes of delivering images that showcase just how precise, detailed and beautifully encoded the presentation is at every turn. Episode after episode is bursting with color. Vivid primaries, bold splashes of green, pink and orange, inky blacks and a cavernous world alight with brilliant blues and purples. Be sure to blink so your eyes don't start watering. Contrast is dialed in to perfection and the depth and dimensionality of the Fraggles against the multi-color backdrops is stunning. Detail is exceptional too, with crisp, clean edge definition and flawless fine textures. The felt of the Fraggles' faces and the fabrics of their clothing is so tangible that it's a real sight to behold. And if all this sounds like hyperbole, you haven't had the pleasure of watching fourteen episodes of Henson Company goodness via a faultless high definition image. Banding, blocking and errant noise are non-existent, revealing a healthy encode with plenty of room to breathe. (The most crowded a disc gets is five episodes.) So sit back, enjoy and... oh! I haven't even gotten to the audio yet. Read on...

Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock - Season One Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Laughter, music, songs, Fraggley voicework... it's all hear and reproduced without a single miscue thanks to Sony's excellent DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. The kinetic Fraggles and their busiest, zaniest, grumpiest and most magical neighbors come alive with crystal clear, always intelligible dialogue, soaring musical numbers and plenty of immersive soundfield adventures. The rear speakers aren't just active, they're overflowing with ambient treats, crafting a series of unique environments, cave and tunnel systems, and overworld locations that offer a variety of acoustic surprises. Directionality is dead on, pans are sneaky smooth, and dynamics are unexpectedly involving for a children's show. Likewise, LFE output lends real weight to the festivities, particularly when songs get cranking, or when the Fraggles venture deep into the earth's crust and encounter all manner of tectonic surprises. Bottom line: Back to the Rock sounds as good as it looks.

Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock - Season One Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentaries - Commentary tracks with puppeteers John Tartaglia and Karen Prell are available for Episode 1 (Pilot), Episode 8 (Craggle Lagoon) and Episode 14 (Night of the Lights).

• Blooper Reel (Disc 3, HD, 3 minutes) - In-character Fraggle gags.

• Sing-Alongs (Disc 3, HD, 7 minutes) - Four sing-along videos round out the extras: "Go with the Flow," "Follow Me," "Party in Fraggle Rock" and the "Fraggle Rock Theme Song." Audio is Dolby Digital stereo.

Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock - Season One Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock's first season is exactly what it should be: faithful, fun and full of whimsy and adventure. Well written, performed with ample style by the Henson Company puppeteers, and brimming with imaginative creatures and songs, your kids will be delighted. As will you, if you can dust off that grumpy adulthood and return to a time when things were simpler and there was a discovery around every corner. And as luck would have it, Sony delivers the new Fraggle Rock complete with a striking video transfer, excellent DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track and a trio of puppeteer commentary tracks.