Part of the brilliance (and yes, the word is appropriate, despite what the Internet tells you) of Family Guy is the cut scenes.
A character on the show will often reference “that time I… ,” and we get a goofy shot of someone doing something ridiculous. Other times, they reference pop culture or a classic cartoon, also doing something outrageous.
If you like the second kind of cut scene, then Seth MacFarlane’s Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy is for you. There’s just about an hour of these scenes on the DVD, and though some use the same characters, there’s virtually no continuity between the scenes.
Just like Family Guy, though, not all of the cut scenes are up to par. In the interest of appealing to the largest possible audience, the scenes frequently change the type of comedy they employ. They run the gamut from visual gags, slapstick, puns and, of course, shots at pop culture.
The latter-most jokes are where the shorts tend to shine, though not all of the ideas are new to watchers of MacFarlane’s shows. We get an obligatory shot at Sarah Jessica Parker and her resemblance to a horse, but it’s a fairly dated reference, and there’s a “been there, done that” quality to it.
Some of the best shorts deal with famous cartoon characters of the past. Wile E. Coyote and his speedy foil, the Road Runner, take center stage in a skit about what would happen if the Coyote ever did manage to catch him.
He first enjoys a meal of his feathered foe, and then sinks into a deep depression, hitting the bottle heavily. Just when all seems lost, and he’s going to take his life with an ACME brand catapult, a light goes off. Later, he reveals to his friend that he’s found Jesus. It’s irreverent and funny and captures the essence of MacFarlane’s humor quite nicely.
While the vast majority are jokes fit for a Family Guy episode on Fox (if you removed the FCC unfriendly terms, of course), not all of them are as high quality as the Road Runner short. Some seem to drag on forever, even with most shorts running 1-2 minutes.
Outside of the shorts, which take up just under an hour, there’s almost nothing on the DVD. There’s a short vignette about the red carpet premier and a still gallery of shots but nothing else.
And since there isn’t much in terms of shorts to begin with, the DVD really should have been packed with extras. Where’s the making of or goofy shots of the cast doing the recordings? For that matter, why is there not anything about the project?
For someone who routinely puts out nice sets of features on the DVDs of his two shows, American Dad and Family Guy, MacFarlane disappoints by not putting the same quality and effort into the release of Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy, especially since this is essentially a direct-to-DVD project.
If you’re an obsessive fan of all things MacFarlane, you’ll probably enjoy this DVD. But it’s worth looking for the shorts online before you buy, as you might find this one is not worth adding to your collection.
tripp.laino@yahoo.com
Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5
