A Town Called Panic: The Collection

A stop-motion animation series from Belgium about three plastic toys—the recklessly impulsive Cowboy and Indian, and practical, parental Horse—who share a home and become involved in absurd schemes and surreal comic adventures, A Town Called Panic was a cult hit in Belgium, France, and Great Britain in the 2000s, eventually spawning a 2009 feature film and two TV specials. This collection features all 20 episodes of the original series from 2002-09, plus the two TV specials and a new short comedy. In Christmas Panic (2013), the naughty antics of Cowboy and Indian drive Horse to call Santa Claus to cancel their presents, which sends the two bad boys on an odyssey to replace the Yule Log they destroyed. In Back to School Panic (2016), the two rascals shrink themselves to invade the brain of Pig and steal the answers to a quiz they failed to study for. And the set includes the new short The Sound of the Grey (2016). These are wild, inventive, fast-paced shows with crazy sight-gags, bizarre plot twists, and rapid-fire dialogue, and—like the old Looney Tunes cartoons with Bugs Bunny and friends—the mix here of adult wit, cartoonish gags, and absurdist humor appeals to kids and grown-ups alike. Recommended. Aud: P. (S. Axmaker)