It's a good thing that Hanna-Barbera is not too proprietary about some of the failed series' in its vaults. Sealab 2021 is a re-dubbed and reedited version of the 1972 animated series Sealab 2020, which was set aboard an underwater experimental habitat. In the vein of What's Up, Tiger Lily? (in which Woody Allen created new dialogue for a Japanese spy film), Sealab 2021 features the original characters seen mostly in the original footage, engaged in all manner of sci-fi adventure, but what's coming out of their mouths is something wholly different. In the first episode, "I, Robot," Sealab has been damaged, but the crew is more interested in debating whether it would be a good thing to donate their brains to robot monkeys. In "HappyCake," the Captain makes Queeg from The Caine Mutiny look sane as he demands the return of his stolen HappyCake toy oven. The series' one-joke premise could have sunk the whole enterprise, but the deft (and daft) writing, and the voice cast ensemble who play it absolutely straight, keeps this cult favorite from Cartoon Network's "Adult Swim" programming block afloat (each episode lasts about 10 minutes, which also helps keep tedium at bay). DVD extras include the pilot episode that launched the series, an uncensored version of one episode (it's funnier with the offending words bleeped), and alternate and deleted scenes. Recommended. (D. Liebenson)
Sealab 2021: Season One
Warner, 2 discs, 156 min., not rated, DVD: $29.98 Volume 19, Issue 6
Sealab 2021: Season One
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