Aaahh!!! Real Monsters: The Complete Series

Well before Monsters University, Nickelodeon aired this 1994-1997 cartoon series about a secret creature academy in a city dump that educates young monsters in the art of scaring humans (with one amusing episode featuring black-and-white classroom-style films illustrating how boogeymen-monsters shaped civilization through the ages). The plotlines in the 52 episodes compiled here focus chiefly on three monster classmates: Krumm, whose standout trait is a foul smell; shape-changing Oblina, an overachiever with consistently high grades; and Ickis, who may be the son of an eminent monster, but basically resembles a bunny. Stories include Krumm becoming conceited after he fashions a discarded purse into a new head, Oblina attracting a shallow suitor, and an encounter with one of the academy's most prominent dropouts—Bigfoot. Despite the school setting and the fact that the monster heroes faithfully turn in their homework (i.e., scaring people), the show is far less about guidance than pure goofiness. That said, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters is also pretty noisy and frantic, and one has to wonder whether 21st-century kids will get the gags about pay telephones and film-loaded cameras. Celebrity voices include Tim Curry, John Rhys-Davies, George Kennedy, Margot Kidder, Ben Stein, and in a recurring role as an ever-foiled monster-hunter, Jim Belushi. A strong optional purchase. Aud: P. (C. Cassady)