Fraggle Rock: The Animated Series—The Complete Series

Fans of the original Fraggle Rock will find this animated version comfortingly familiar, since the hand-drawn figures accurately represent their Muppet predecessors, including the Fraggles (Boober, Gobo, Wembley, Red, and Mokey), Sprocket the dog, the Bigfoot-like Gorgs, and the tiny Doozers (only Cotterpin Doozer barely resembles her prototype). While the fun-loving Fraggles share their underground habitat with the industrious Doozers, Sprocket and the Gorgs inhabit “outer space.” Sprocket shares his house with Doc, a “silly creature” (i.e., a human), while the Gorgs live in the garden, and unclassifiable creatures Gunge and Philo burrow in Marjory the Trash Heap, an oracle who speaks with a Russian accent. Wembley's uncle, Traveling Matt, serves as a link between the Fraggles and the silly creatures, sending his nephew postcards that attempt to explain outer space (in these amusing sequences, the animation is coupled with photographic stills). As with other Jim Henson productions, these 13 episodes (which originally aired on NBC in 1987) have real-life thematic parallels. Like many kids, for instance, Wembley wants to become big fast, but when he gets his wish, he finds himself stuck with the Gorgs, although he'd rather be with his friends. As his pals tell him, after he returns to normal, “We like you whatever size you are.” If the live-action Fraggle Rock represents the finest (and fuzziest) edition of this colorful ecosystem, the cartoon adaptation still retains most of its humor, charm, and useful life lessons (as well as catchy songs). DVD extras include a “making-of” featurette, an opening-sequence storyboard, and character galleries. Recommended. (K. Fennessy)