Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

The Banana Splits Movie Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman March 17, 2020

Heaven forfend: what’s next, a remake of The Revenant starring Yogi Bear? I joke, of course, but the fact remains that if you are a Baby Boomer, you probably grew up with various Hanna Barbera productions whether or not you really wanted to, and whether you were entranced or frankly scarred by the original Banana Splits series on television, you might initially be a little surprised that this film revisits those Hanna Barbera characters in a horror film setting. Depending on your age, your earliest childhood memories might be suffused with scenes from such iconic Hanna Barbera shows as The Huckleberry Hound Show, The Quick Draw McGraw Show, The Flintstones, The Jetsons, and/or Jonny Quest. The original series featuring The Banana Splits, The Banana Splits Adventure Hour, came down the pike just a bit later than those aforementioned entries, with a broadcast run lasting from September 1968 until September 1970. The Banana Splits Adventure Hour was kind of an oddity for Saturday morning fare even back in its original era, as it blended both live action and animated elements (the first such approach for Hanna Barbera in terms of its television output), not to mention the fact that its title characters were a rock band comprised of people dressed up in what would now be called furries, depicting a quartet of animals who just happened to be musically gifted (or something like that). What's even odder about The Banana Splits Movie is how it takes these bizarre to begin with characters and makes them part of a pretty cheeky horror enterprise.

I frankly would have loved to have been a fly on the wall when whoever approached the license owners (I’m assuming Hanna Barbera or their heirs and assigns) to pitch this film mentioned that The Banana Splits would become murderous robots in this version. And in fact it’s the automatons run amok aspect that, while obviously reminiscent of properties like Westworld, may at least give a bit of “distance” from the original conception of the characters that even shocked Baby Boomers may be able to deal with the concept. The film posits The Banana Splits as a seemingly endless television series that has captivated young Harley Williams (Finlay Wojtak-Hissong), to the point that he pretty much obsesses about the show, something that has not escaped the attention of his mother Beth (Dani Kind) and father Mitch (Steve Lund). Kind of interestingly, given the generally “family friendly” ambience of just about every Hanna Barbera production imaginable, it turns out that Mitch is Beth’s second husband, and she has an older son named Austin (Romeo Carere) who has some conflicts with his stepfather.

Beth has managed to score tickets for a taping of The Banana Splits, and so the entire Williams clan, along with a kind of roped in acquaintance of Harley named Zoe (Maria Nash), head off to Taft Studios. Meanwhile, an uppity millennial studio executive named Andy (Daniel Fox) decides that The Banana Splits doesn’t fit in with his “vision” for the network, and announces right before air that this will be the show’s last episode. Also in the meantime, the animatronic Splits’ inventor and programmer, Karl (Lionel Newton), is attempting to update the Splits’ code, but something goes horribly wrong (while there seems to be a “vengeance” subtext here with the Splits reacting to the show’s cancellation, it’s actually shown that Fleegle’s programming is going awry before that revelation, so I’m not quite sure what the actual intention was supposed to be).

Motivations for mayhem notwithstanding, the film soon enough starts providing what many horror fans will have been clamoring for, namely a series of at times fairly gruesome kill scenes. It’s all very odd, and rather strangely not really played for traditional laughs, though of course simply the sight of a huge furry dog sawing a victim in half may lead some with darker senses of humor to laugh. The film takes a page out of The Terminator’s playbook by having the somewhat mousy Beth become an angel of vengeance herself once her family starts getting threatened (and it’s certainly no coincidence that Dani Kind bears at least a passing resemblance to Linda Hamilton).

The Banana Splits Movie is certainly a weird combination of ideas, and it may appeal to those with a nostalgic fondness for goofy old kids’ television shows. The fact that at least one of the robotic killers is shown “regenerating” as the film ends (of course) may mean there’s a sequel in the works.

The Banana Splits Movie Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Banana Splits Movie is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Warner Brothers Home Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. I haven't been able to find any real technical data on the shoot anywhere, but I'm assuming this was digitally captured and finished at a 2K DI. This is a generally sharp and well detailed looking presentation, though as can probably be made out from several of the screenshots accompanying this review, a lot of the film plays out in suitably spooky dark environments once the Splits go haywire and a bunch of people are running around behind the scenes at the studio. The lighting in several of these scenes is quite evocative (as again can probably be made out in some of the screenshots), but it doesn't always support excellent levels of fine detail. That said, close-ups of the Splits even in some relatively dim situations can provide nice accountings of their plush fur and, later, some of their robotic elements. Some of the kill scenes feature pretty graphic imagery, and the palette pops quite convincingly in terms of some of the blood and gore on display. The opening parts of the film, most of which play out in brightly lit or daytime environments, probably pop the best overall, with the most consistently high detail levels.

The Banana Splits Movie Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Banana Splits Movie features an enjoyable DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track which gets some energy from repeated use of the Splits' now iconic "tra la la" theme song. The relatively brief "taping" sequences of the show also have some good surround activity both in terms of what's going on onstage as well as the audience reaction. There are some jump cuts with startle effects on the soundtrack that are obviously trite and goofy, but which will still probably provide the requisite jolt of adrenaline in many listeners. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout, and some of the quasi-dialogue (like Snorky's hoots and honks) are goofily funny.

The Banana Splits Movie Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• The Banana Splits: Behind the Horror (1080p; 8:21) is an enjoyable if standard issue EPK with interviews, behind the scenes footage and clips from the film.


• Terror on Set (1080p; 6:25) has more interviews and candid footage, including of various horror scenes being shot.


• BREAKING NEWS! The Banana Splits Massacre (1080p; 1:59) is supposed news coverage of the titular tragedy, and, yes, I just said titular.

Trailers for other Warner Brothers releases are also included.

The Banana Splits Movie Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

One of the few online background pieces I found on this film included some interviews with the creative staff, and they all admitted that the original Banana Splits television show was a bit before their time, which may account at least in part for how twisted this "version" of the characters is. I personally wish the film had gone for the gonzo humor even more than it does (the only truly laugh out loud moment for me personally was right at the end, when one very deserving character gets some comeuppance), but the film kind of amazingly does manage to whip up at least a bit of angst if not outright terror at times. Technical merits are generally solid for those considering a purchase.