Jonny Quest: The Complete Original Series Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		4.0

Jonny Quest: The Complete Original Series Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Randy Miller III June 28, 2019

For a certain generation of Americans, Hanna-Barbera's short-lived but influential animated adventure series Jonny Quest (1964-65) represented perfect prime-time escapist entertainment. While other H-B shows during this era like The Flintstones and The Jetsons were also grounded in reality (despite their obviously more fantastic settings), Jonny Quest dialed back the wackiness considerably. It was still fun and entertaining, thanks to its well-defined characters, exotic locations, and a tone similar to that of serialized radio dramas or Silver Age comic books. Similarly, the show's eye-catching art style -- established by its creator, comic strip artist Doug Wildey (The Saint) -- gave Jonny Quest an extremely unique visual design that remained very consistent during its original 26-episode run.

It's not like die-hard fans need a refresher course...but Jonny Quest's unique sensibilities make the show appealing to new fans as well, so here goes nothing. Our title character (voiced by Tim Matheson, who appeared in the recent remake of Child's Play) is one of two ideal entry points for younger viewers: he's a strong and brave 11-year-old boy with a wide range of skills and interests, from judo to weaponry. The other is Jonny's adopted brother Hadji (Danny Bravo); originally an orphan on the streets of India, he joined the Quest family after a brave and selfless act. Jonny and Hadji often accompany their dad, top government scientist Dr. Benton C. Quest (voiced by John Stephenson for the first five episodes, and Don "Scooby-Doo" Messick for the others), on special assignments around the globe. Also on board is Roger "Race" Bannon (Mike Road), a skilled agent assigned to protect and mentor the boys...and the family dog Bandit (Don Messick, natch), because why not? You've already got all the action, adventure, and idealized characters that any young boy could want out of a TV show. Might as well throw a cool pooch in there too.

What gives Jonny Quest its lasting appeal, however, is the sense of adventure attained by its wide-open atmosphere, varied locations, and unpredictable nature. One week, the Quest team pinpoints an experimental missile somewhere in the Arctic Circle ("Arctic Splashdown"). Elsewhere, an archaeological dig finds them in competition with a greedy explorer beneath ancient Mayan ruins ("Treasure of the Temple"). "Shadow of the Condor" pits a decorated German WWI pilot against Race Bannon high in the Andes mountains, while "The Fraudulent Volcano" reveals a secret weapons base operated by the dastardly Dr. Zin (a recurring villain voiced by Vic Perrin of The Outer Limits fame) in the South Pacific islands. Other memorable adventures take a more fantastic approach, introducing a mummy awakened by human greed ("The Curse of Anubis"), a giant one-eyed metal spider ("The Robot Spy"), a blob-like being made of pure energy ("The Invisible Monster"), and enormous lizards bred to hunt humans ("Dragons of Ashida"). It's all in good fun, though: while Jonny Quest clearly feels like a product of its time due to these era-specific sci-fi elements, they mesh well with the series' loose but controlled framework and remind viewers that almost anything can happen.

Aside from its well-meaning but forgotten 1990s animated relaunch The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest or the chaotic but highly entertaining universe of The Venture Bros., perhaps the closest modern match to this original series' old-fashioned comic sensibilities with a touch of fantasy might be Warner Bros.' Batman: The Animated Series -- perhaps not coincidentally, a show I enjoyed watching with my Jonny Quest-loving dad when I was of a similar age. Rarely does a series with such a short initial lifespan enjoy this kind of staying power, but its prime-time broadcast position and syndicated success both contributed. Simply put, Jonny Quest was one of only a few animated shows that really seemed to click with young audiences of the era, even influencing their own work as some of them grew up to become industry professionals...or just big kids. Luckily, Warner Archive Collection's long-anticipated Blu-ray package preserves Jonny Quest perfectly: not only is this visually ambitious series granted a stunning new 2K restoration, but it's finally presented in its original uncut format, unlike Warner Bros.' 2004 DVD collection. (More on that here.)

Jonny Quest: The Complete Original Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original tube-friendly 1.33:1 aspect ratio, Jonny Quest looks flat-out fantastic on Warner Archive Collection's brand-new Blu-ray. The show's unique animation style has always been one of its most notable features, with extremely crisp line work and visual designs that resemble a lavishly illustrated Silver Age comic book. Although this gives many compositions and even action scenes a somewhat flat and static overall appearance, it's all part of the show's undeniable throwback charm. Even better is its terrific color palette, which boasts strong primaries and vivid hues that amplify the strength of its exotic locales. Like most WAC releases, a lot of care went into this restoration: even a cursory comparison with Warner Bros.' old 2004 DVD collection shows that extensive cleanup work was done and, combined with the obvious benefits of a fresh scan and better native format resolution, these 1080p transfers are miles ahead of their standard definition counterparts. The compression here is also first-rate: each episode gets a good amount of room to breathe, and I couldn't spot any related issues such as aliasing, artifacts, or banding.

While the dirt and debris aren't completely gone (there's still a noticeable amount on some of the foreground cels, as those stray white marks typically remain static while the frame "moves"), I'd imagine it would be near-impossible to scrub away every last speck of damage without compromising some of the show's terrific background artwork. The truth is that most of Jonny Quest: The Complete Series looks extremely clean, crisp, and just about perfect in every conceivable way; for that alone, die-hard fans and newcomers alike should really appreciate Warner Archive's commendable restoration efforts. Even if you have nostalgic memories of watching this show on an old black-and-white tube TV with poor reception, it's fantastic to see Jonny Quest in such pristine, timeless condition.

Jonny Quest: The Complete Original Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Similarly, the DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mix maintains the show's basic but surprisingly effective one- channel roots. Although format limitations prevent any kind of channel separation or discrete effects (two elements that would have certainly been put to good use had the show been developed several decades later), I'm perfectly fine with the purist approach here and I'd imagine that die-hard fans will be too. A modest amount of depth is achieved during action scenes, while those favoring dialogue are suitably reigned in a bit. Still, the audio never sounds claustrophobic or cramped, with a solid dynamic range and overall weight that makes the show feel at least a decade younger than it really is. Of course, the theme song and music cues by Hoyt Curtin and Ted Nichols are a big part of Jonny Quest's atmosphere; they're mixed well and sound extremely strong at times without overpowering the dialogue and sound effects. Overall, it's a fine presentation that likewise sounds better than its DVD counterpart due to WAC's terrific restoration and the lossless encoding. Again, fans will find nothing to complain about here.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during all 26 episodes but, unfortunately, none of the bonus features. They are formatted perfectly and do not suffer from any notable sync issues.

Jonny Quest: The Complete Original Series Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Jonny Quest: The Complete Series is packaged in a three-disc hinged keepcase; no slipcover or insert are included, although episode names are printed on the Blu-ray discs. Four short extras, contained on Disc 3 of this set, are also carried over from WB's 2004 DVD collection Jonny Quest: The Complete First Season.

• The Jonny Quest Files: Fun, Facts & Trivia (25:19) offers an enhanced version of the ninth episode "Double Danger" and serves up lots of little Pop-Up Video-style tidbits about the story, characters, production, and similar subjects. Fun enough for what it is, and it's a shame that more episodes didn't get this treatment.

• Jonny Quest: Adventures in Animation (15:15) is a retrospective tribute to the influential series with comments by now-famous animators, artists, and other contributors such as Brad Bird, filmmaker Dan Riba, writer Lance Falk, animator Steve Rude, writer/producer Tom Minton, and painter Alex Ross. Not surprisingly, they've got very fond memories of watching the show as kids and their enthusiasm is contagious.

• The Jonny Quest Video Handbook (10 clips, 16:57 total) is a collection of 10 bite- sized featurettes offering a brief overview of characters and topics including "Jonny Quest", "Race Bannon", "Dr. Quest", "Hadji", "Bandit", "Allies", "Villains", "Vehicles", "Gadgets & Gear", and "Locales". There's obviously not a great deal of depth here, but it's actually a decent enough primer if you're brand-new to the series or need a quick refresher.

• P.F. Flyer Sneaker Commercial (1:00) - A vintage shoe commercial featuring Jonny and Race that aired during the show's original broadcast run. Dig that "action wedge"! Unlike the rest of the extras here, this clip appears to have been recently remastered in 1080p and looks almost as good as the episodes.

Jonny Quest: The Complete Original Series Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Though often overshadowed by more popular Hanna-Barbera properties of the era including The Flintstones, The Jetsons, and Scooby-Doo, Where Are You, it's clear that Jonny Quest left a large pop culture footprint during its first and only season. This unique prime-time animated series aimed for a realistic visual design contrasted by exotic adventures and lots of action, striking a solid balance that could be enjoyed by kids and parents alike. It's also the kind of show that didn't stick around long enough to wear out its welcome; no surprise, then, that Jonny Quest maintained a uniformly decent left of quality from start to finish. Although the series has caught some flak in recent decades for its unflattering portrayal of foreign characters (enough so that a number of episodes were edited for broadcast and earlier home video releases), it's outstanding that Warner Archive Collection's new Blu-ray presents the series as it was originally seen on TV. Better yet is their careful restoration, which yields impressive results that highlight the show's unique visuals. All things considered, Jonny Quest is an absolute steal on Blu-ray at its staggeringly low retail price of $30...so unless you're completely new to the series, it's obviously worth picking up as soon as possible.