Part of The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera programming block from 1987 to 1988, this series of 10 syndicated made-for-television Hanna-Barbera’s Superstars feature the direct to television films that featured the studio’s most popular characters.
This impressive box set includes:
The Jetsons Meet The Flintstones (1987)
The Space Age meets the Stone Age in this feature-length made-for-TV cartoon adventure.
Elroy’s time-travel experiment accidentally sends him and the rest of the Jetsons back to Bedrock where they encounter Fred, Barney, and company. And when a malfunction transports the Flintstones and Rubbles into the future, everyone must adapt to life in a new era while trying to get home.
Scooby-Doo Meets The Boo Brothers (1987)
To collect the fortune in jewels bequeathed to him by Uncle Beauregard, Shaggy and his pals Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo must survive a night in a haunted Southern Mansion and deal with a trio of spectral siblings in this full-length adventure.
Top Cat And The Beverly Hills Cats (1987)
Top Cat and his gang—Benny, Choo-Choo, Brain, Spook, and Fancy-Fancy—find themselves embroiled in a plot involving a large inheritance. Benny the Ball is mistakenly identified as the heir to a massive fortune belonging to a recently deceased millionaire. The gang moves into a Beverly Hills mansion, enjoying the luxurious lifestyle while dodging the schemes of the rightful heir’s sinister lawyer, Snerdly, who aims to steal the inheritance..
Yogi And The Magical Flight Of The Spruce Goose (1987)
When the legendary Spruce Goose accidentally takes off with Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, Snagglepuss, and company on board, it’s a non-stop flight of adventure and laughs with everybody’s favorite critters. Along the way, they get into numerous adventures while making friends that they–and you–will never forget.
Yogi’s Great Escape (1987)
When it looks like Jellystone Park will shut down and all of the bears sent to zoos, Yogi, Boo Boo, and the gang decide to make a break for it. As Ranger Smith hires a bounty hunter to bring them home, Yogi and his friends run into such characters as Quick Draw McGraw, Snagglepuss, and Wally Gator.
The Good, The Bad And Huckleberry Hound (1988)
Huckleberry Hound becomes the sheriff of a small town of Two-Bit, California that has been overrun-the meanest, roughest, toughest gang of desperadoes the Old West has ever seen. Along the way, Huckleberry encounters a colorful cast of characters, both friends and foes, including his fellow Hanna-Barbera stars like Yogi Bear, Quick Draw McGraw, and Snagglepuss. Together, they join forces to bring peace to the troubled town, taking on the villainous Dalton Brothers, who are terrorizing the area.
Rockin’ With Judy Jetson (1988)
Everybody’s favorite teen space gal and her family are featured in this feature-length cartoon release. When popular musician/teen icon Sky Rocker announces a surprise concert, Judy Jetson writes a song for him. But when the tune is accidentally switched with a message from the music-hating witch Felonia Funk, Judy is thrust into an intergalactic adventure that is truly out of this world.
Scooby-Doo And The Ghoul School (1988)
It’s a crash course in scares and laughs when Scooby-Doo, nephew Scrappy-Doo, and Shaggy enroll in a creepy academy that counts ghosts, mummies and werewolves among its students. Zoinks!
Scooby-Doo And The Reluctant Werewolf (1988)
Count Dracula needs a werewolf to take part in Transylvania’s Monster Car Race, so he brings Scooby and Shaggy there and zaps Shaggy so that he lives up to his name. Can the fellas outlast the car-crazy creatures and win the race so Shaggy will return to normal?
Yogi And The Invasion Of The Space Bears (1988)
Yogi Bear and reliable pal Boo Boo are whisked away to a faraway planet where they meet an army of bear-faced lookalikes who plan to invade Jellystone. As our hairy heroes attempt to figure out a way to stop the intergalactic baddies, they enlist the assistance of Cindy Bear. by
With dozens of classic Hanna Barbera voice artists including George O’Hanlon, Henry Corden, Penny Singleton, Jean Vander Pyl, Don Messick, Mel Blanc, Janet Waldo, Daws Butler, Frank Welker, Casey Kasem, Don Messick, Paul Winchell, Arnold Stang, Marvin Kaplan, Henry Cordin, Mel Blanc, Avery Schreiber, John Stephenson, Howard Morris, Allan Melvin, June Foray, Ruth Buzzi, and Ronnie Schell, the Hanna-Barbera’s Superstars 10 series was a welcome return for many of these classic characters and was a wonderful introduction to young viewers.
Hanna-Barbera cartoons generally are considered to be cheap mostly because they were made for television, as opposed to Warner Bros. and Disney shorts that were intended for theatrical release. As a child of the 70s, I love the classic Hanna Barbera cartoons and characters, especially Top Cat, Yogi Bear, The Flintstones, and The Jetsons, which are all represented in this set.
Like any bundle, my reaction was mixed. Several I had seen thirty or so years ago and some I had never seen before. My biggest complaint is the inconsistency of the quality of the writing. The ones that worked, were charming and nostalgic, while others were almost torturous.
Special features include two remastered television specials, Scooby Goes Hollywood and Yogi’s Ark Lark.
Regardless of my reaction to this set, kudos to Warner Archive for remastering and releasing more of their titles that I would have never expected to see on Blu-ray. For older viewers, your nostalgia and reaction to each of the films will vary.
Nevertheless, it’s a wonderful introduction to many of their classic characters and I believe a must watch for younger viewers.
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