Daria – The Complete Animated Series (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

May 3, 2010 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

Fantastic, unique and all-out enjoyable! For many years, fans of the cult classic animated series “Daria” have wanted a DVD release for the television series and now “Daria – The Complete Animated Series” is here! All episodes (inc. the pilot), both movies, special features in one set. I have one word to describe this DVD set… Awesome!

DVD TITLE: Daria – The Complete Animated Series

DURATION: 26 Hrs. and 26 minutes

DVD INFORMATION: English, Dolby 2.0 Stereo, Fullscreen, Closed Captions

COMPANY: MTV/Paramount

RATED: NOT RATED

RELEASE DATE: May 11, 2010

Directed by Karen Disher, Guy Moore, Tony Kluck, Eric Fogel, Patrick Smith, Gloria De Ponte, Sue Perrotto, Ted Stearn, Paul Sparagno, Joey Ahlbum, Karen Hyden, Ken Kimmelman

Written by Glenn Eichler, Peggy Nicoll, Anne D. Bernstein, Neena Beber, Peter Elwell, Sam Johnson, Chris Marcil, Rachelle Rmberg, Dan Vebber, Rachel Lipman, Peter Gaffney, Jonathan Greenberg, Jacquelyn Reingold

Supervising Producer: Glenn Eichler

Produced by Amy Palmer, Susie Lewis, Cindy E. Brolsma

Associate Producer: Maria Rodas

Music by George Brennan, Janet Wygal

Edited by Karen Sztajnberg

Art Direction: Tom Marsan

Featuring the voices of

Tracy Grandstaff as Daria Morgendorffer

Wendy Hoopes as Quinn Morgendorffer/Helen Morgendorffer

Julian Rebolledo as Jake Morgendorffer

Wendy Hoopes as Jane Lane

John Lynn as Sick, Sad World Announcer

Janie Mertz as Brittany Taylor

Marc Thompson as Kevin Thompson

Ashley Albert as Tiffany Blum-Deckler

Jessica Cydnee Jackson as Jodie Abigail Landon

Alvaro J. Gonzalez as Trent Lane

Sarah Drew as Stacy Rowe

Nora Laudani as Ms. Angela

Russel Hankin as Tom Sloane

Geoffrey Arend as Charles “Upchuck” Ruttheimer III

Steven Huppert as Joey

The people of Lawndale just don’t get Daria Morgendorffer. She’s cool with that. See, Daria was born alienated, and now she’s just trying to make it through high school with as little human contact as possible. Popularity, friends, activities… whatever. Daria lacks enthusiasm, but she makes up for it with sarcasm. INCLUDES ALL FIVE SEASONS PLUS BOTH MOVIES!

For six years, “Daria” was a popular animated series for MTV. The character which was featured on “Beavis and Butt-head” received her own animated show which was shown on MTV from 1997 through 2002 has received positive critical reviews and even did better than “Beavis and Butt-head” in ratings.

The series which was created by Glenn Eichler (a former story editor for “Beavis and Butt-head” and “The Maxx”) and Susie Lewis Lynn, “Daria” is a series about a misanthropic teenager named Daria Morgendorffer who speaks in a monotone voice and despite her intelligence, is not too favorable on her family and the people around her. Having to go to high school with her popular/vain young sister Quinn and bare with her life at home with her work-obsessed mother Helen and her always stressed out about finances father Jake, she does have one friend that she can confide to and that’s her fellow artistic and fellow misanthropic friend Jane Lane.

Each episode focuses on Daria’s life at home, at school and the people around her such as the not-so-smart but chirpy cheerleader Brittany Taylor, the dumb jock Kevin Thompson, the ambitious Jodie Landon, the goth girl Andrea and the the nerdy and freaky Charles “Upchuck” Ruttheimer III.

Fans everywhere have been eagerly awaiting the release of this beloved cult classic. Online petitions for the DVD release have garnered over 50,000 signatures and Home Media Magazine listed “Daria” as the #3 TV show not yet on DVD last September

With the success of this beloved cult series, “Daria – The Complete Animated Series” finall will be released on DVD. All five seasons (66 episodes inc. the pilot episode), two movies, including pilot and special features will be included in this eight DVD set.

Here is a brief synopsis of every episode featured on “Daria – The Complete Animated Series”:

DISC 1:

EPISODE 2- Esteemsters – The Morgendorffer’s move to Lawndale and start a new life.
EPISODE 3 – The Invitation – Daria is invited by Brittany to her party upsetting Quinn.
EPISODE 4 – College Bored – The Morgendorffers know their daughters must prepare for college and thus visit Middleton College.
EPISODE 5 – Cafe Disaffecto – The students of Lawndale have fundraiser to raise money for a new cafe.
EPISODE 6 – Malled – Dara and her economics class go on a field trip to visit the Mall of the Millennium.
EPISODE 7 – This Year’s Model – Quinn is chosen by a modeling agency as a candidate to become a model.
EPISODE 8 – The Lab Brat – Daria is paired with Kevin the jock for their class project.
EPISODE 9 – Pinch Sitter – Quinn has a babysitting job but because she has a date, Daria ends up babysitting.
EPISODE 10 – Too Cute – After seeing a classmate with a nose job, now Quinn wants to have plastic surgery.

DISC 2:

EPISODE 11 – The Big House – Daria and Quinn are caught by their parents sneaking into the house past curfew.
EPISODE 12 – Road Worrier – Daria, Jane, Trent and Jessie go to Alternapalooza.
EPISODE 13 – The Teachings of Don Jake – The Morgendorffers go on a camping trip to ease Jake’s stress.
EPISODE 14 – The Misery Chick – Jane avoids Daria after the death of famed Lawndale High QB Tommy Sherman.
EPISODE 15 – Arts N’ Crass – Daria and Jane create a controversial bulemic poster.
EPISODE 16 – The Daria Hunter – Daria and Jane go to a great white shark exhibit.
EPISODE 17 – Quinn the Brain – Quinn gets good grades on her English paper and people starts thinking she is a brain.
EPISODE 18 – I Don’t - Daria and Quinn become bridesmaids at their cousin’s wedding.
EPISODE 19 – That Was Then, This is Dumb – Daria’s parents invite their hippie friends Willow and Coyote for the weekend.

DISC 3:

EPISODE 20 – Monster - Jane and Daria film Quinn behind-her-back to show how much of an airhead she is.
EPISODE 21 – The New Kid – Daria befriends Ted, the home-schooled kid.
EPISODE 22 – Gifted – Helen and Jake take Daria and Jodie to a private school for intellectual students.
EPISODE 23 – Ill – Daria has a rash that is spreading throughout her body.
EPISODE 24 – Fair Enough – Ms. Li holds a Medieval Fair to raise money for repairs for their high school’s library.
EPISODE 25 – See Jane Run – Jane joins the track team and becomes a track star which rubs Daria the wrong way.
EPISODE 26 – Pierce Me – Trent tries to get Daria to get a belly button ring.
EPISODE 27 – Write Where It Hurts – Mr. O’Neill asks Daria to write a story about the people she knows in a dramatic way.
EPISODE 29 – Through a Lens Darkly - Daria gets contact lenses.

DISC 4:

EPISODE 30 – The Old and the Beautiful – Daria, Kevin and Brittany read to senior citizens for volunteer week.
EPISODE 31 – Depth Takes a Holiday – A fantasy episode in which Daria and Jane try to help the holidays.
EPISODE 32 – Daria Dance Party – Quinn is organizing the school dance and goes to Jane for help.
EPISODE 33 – The Lost Girls – Daria is visited by Val, a teen magazine editor in response to Daria’s essay.
EPISODE 34 – It Happened One Nut – Quinn and Daria get jobs at the local mall.
EPISODE 28 – Daria - The Daria musical episode (note: For some reason, this episode is on disc 4 and not disc 3)
EPISODE 35 – Lane Miserables – The Lane family are moving back home and Jane and Trent move in with Morgendorffer’s temporarily.
EPISODE 36 – Jake of Hearts – Jake suffers a heart attack and his mother comes to stay with him at the house.
EPISODE 37 – Speedtrapped – Daria to the rescue as she must help Jane and Mystic Spiral who are facing a traffic violation.

DISC 5:

EPISODE 38 – The Lawndale File – Daria and Jane think there are aliens at Lawndale High.
EPISODE 39 – Just Add Water – Lawndale High has a casino cruise night.
EPISODE 40 – Jane’s Addition – Jane is dating Tom and Daria feels her friendship with Jane may end.
EPISODE 41 – Partner’s Complaint – Daria and Jane’s friendship is tested.
EPISODE 42 – Antisocial Climbers – The school has a wilderness field trip.
EPISODE 43 – A Tree Grows in Lawndale – Kevin gets into an accident and starting some resentment by the football team towards Lawndale High.
EPISODE 44 – Murder, She Snored – Its a dream episode! Kevin and the football team are accused of cheating.
EPISODE 45 – The F Word – Mr. O’Neill tries to teach his class a lesson about failing in something their good at.
EPISODE 46 – I Loathe a Parade – It’s the homecoming parade and Daria meets several people from episode’s past.

DISC 6:

EPISODE 47 – Of Human Bonding – Daria and Jake go to a marketing conference. Meanwhile, Quinn gives her mother a makeover.
EPISODE 48 – Psycho Therapy – Helen may get an opportunity to become a partner at her law firm.
EPISODE 49 – Mart of Darkness - tom accidentally eats Jane’s art supplies.
EPISODE 50 – Legends of the Mall – Three scary stories as Quinn and the Fashion Club get lost after coming home from the mall.
EPISODE 51 – Groped by an Angel – Quinn believes that she has a guardian angel.
EPISODE 52 – Fire! – Jake accidentally sets the kitchen on fire and thus the Morgendorffers stay at a hotel.
EPISODE 53 – Dye! Dye! My Darling – Jane tries to put tiger stripes in Daria’s hair.
EPISODE 54 – Fizz Ed – Lawndale High has a sponsorship deal with Ultra Cola.
EPISODE 55 – Sappy Anniversary – Daria and Tom celebrate their anniversary.

DISC 7:

EPISODE 56 – Fat Like Me – Quinn’s friend Sandi breaks her leg after tripping on the stairs and begins to gain weight.
EPISODE 57 – Camp Fear – Daria and Quinn go to their old summer camp’s reunion.
EPISODE 58 – The Story of D – Daria sends a story (which she is not thrilled about) to a magazine.
EPISODE 59 – Lucky Strike – With a teacher’s strike at school, Ms. Li hires scabs temporarily to fill in as teachers.
EPISODE 60 – Art Burn – Jane’s has a new job but conflicts with her original work.
EPISODE 61 – One J at a Time – Inspired by her sister, Quinn thinks about getting a boyfriend.
EPISODE 62 – Life in the Past Lane – Jane dates a new guy who doesn’t like Daria or Tom.
EPISODE 63 – Aunt Nauseam – Helen’s sister is dealing with her daughter’s divorce and wants Helen to handle it.
EPISODE 64 – Prize Fighters – Daria applies for a scholarship but discovers Jodie and Upchuck are going for it as well.

DISC 8:

EPISODE 65 – My Night at Daria’s – Rumors that Daria and Tom having sex start to spread.
EPISODE 66 – Boxing Daria – FINAL EPISODE: Daria finds a refrigerator box and reminisces about her life in grade school.

VIDEO:

“Daria – The Complete Animated Series” is presented in full screen and in color. All 66 episodes and the two movies look very good. Colors are vibrant and although not the most detailed animated series, “Daria” manages to capture this look that was quite unique for an animated series and worked perfectly. I detected no blurring, no interlacing or major compression artifacting.

Only the pilot episode is presented in black and white (the pilot is not fully animated or colored).

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Daria – The Complete Animated Series” is presented in Dolby Digital. Dialogue and music is clear and understandable. It is important to note that there is an insert featuring show creator Glenn Eichler explaining how 99% of the music (fortunately not the intro. song) were changed for this DVD release. Reason is because of the cost of licensing and the many bites used would have made it impossible to release the Daria animated collection.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Daria – The Complete Animated Series” comes with the following special features on disc 8:

Daria Movie – Is it Fall Yet? – (1:12:18) It’s summer vacation, what will the students of Lawndale High do over the summer?
Daria Movie – Is it College Yet? – (1:05:58) Daria must choose which college to go and worries about her relationship with Tom.
Character Profiles – The following feature allows viewers to obtain a profile of each character of the “Daria” animated TV show universe and also see the original character sketches for that character.
Pilot – Sealed with a Kick – (5:24) The original first episode pilot (black and white, not fully animated or colored but features the vocals).
Music Video – Freakin’ Friends – (2:38) An animated Mystik Spiral music video.
Daria and Jane Top Ten Countdown – (5:52) Daria and Jane host the MTV’s animated videos top 10 countdown.
Pilot Script for Spinoff “Mystik Spiral” – Included is the script for the pilot “Mystik Spiral” (via PDF included as a DVD-Rom).
Cast Interviews – (6:21) Featuring interviews with the co-creators and the voice talent. Creators talk about how the series came to fruition and the writers talk about developing the series while the voice talent talk about the popularity of the show.

“Daria” is definitely a big part of American pop culture from the ’90s leading up to the early 2000′s. Where most teen drama, especially on cable are all live, at the time, it was great to have a series with a character who was a misanthrope and a protagonist that wasn’t super rich, absorbed in material things and pretty much, the series spoke to a lot of people.

So, in many ways, “Daria – The Complete Animated Series” is a release that many people are going to buy and enjoy. I know there are some people who have a problem with music being replaced but the fact is, “Daria” is not the first, it’s happening to a lot of series and it has been so bad to the point that many series have not been released on DVD. Licensing for music on DVD’s have become too expensive and a lot of the shows that we enjoyed are having to dump the music out or the series is not being released at all.

The good news is that unlike its predecessor “Beavis & Butthead” and unlike other television shows that utilized popular mainstream music, “Daria” had music but it was not the focal point of the series. Aside from the main opening theme which is included on the episodes in this collection, it was the characters and the storylines that stood out for “Daria” and so, I can easily say that “Daria – The Complete Animated Series” is just as enjoyable without the original music.

Overall, his is a wonderful set and I really believe that fans will enjoy this release. All 66 episodes (inc. the pilot), two films and special features and the episodes look very good on DVD. If you are a fan of “Daria”, then I highly recommend “Daria – The Complete Animated Series”!

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