JibJab: The Early Years, 1999-2004

You can always count on the Internet to indulge the lowest common denominator. And so it is with JibJab: The Early Years, a DVD compilation that chronicles one of the Internet's goofiest success stories. From a cramped garage in Brooklyn, New York, brothers Gregg and Evan Spiridellis launched JibJab Media in 1999, and before long their silly, irreverent animations were competing with South Park as the most profitable cut-and-paste jobs in the history of entertainment. They attracted a list of high-caliber clients including Disney, Cartoon Network, Sony, Kraft, and Imagine Entertainment (among others) and their juvenile, often politically humorous animations were shown in major film festivals such as Sundance, striking just the right chord of inspired idiocy. While early clips like "Geezers: The Musical" and the dare-you-not-to-laugh "Farting Elves: 12 Days of Christmas" were launched on tsunamis of e-mail, they were nothing compared to the pre-election rendition of "This Land," in which 2004 Presidential candidates George W. Bush and John Kerry sang a ridiculous parody of Woody Guthrie's folk standard, prompting over 80 million downloads around the world in a matter of days. The Spiridellis brothers have since built JibJab into a booming cottage industry, including the bestselling children's book Are You Grumpy, Santa? and the thriving "Nasty Santa" toy business. This DVD compiles 14 musically silly animations from JibJab's first five years, and while the humorous lyrics range from inspired to just plain stupid, the political humor provides a perfect time-capsule of headlines from the Bush administration. At the same time, however, these mildly amusing animations are flashes in the pan of popular culture and may date very quickly, making this an optional purchase. Aud: P. (J. Shannon)