Rockin’ with Judy Jetson (Blu-ray Review)
- Review Date: May 21, 2024
- Format: Blu-ray Disc
-
Director
Paul Sommer, Ray PattersonRelease Date(s)
1988 (February 20, 2024)Studio(s)
Hanna-Barbera (Warner Archive Collection)- Film/Program Grade: C+
- Video Grade: B
- Audio Grade: B
- Extras Grade: F
Review
During the 1980s, Hanna-Barbera was in full swing with any number of TV shows, including their previous hits which were in constant rotation in re-runs. However, a return to the classic characters of old in some new adventures was definitely needed, and from 1987 to 1988, they produced ten syndicated made-for-TV feature films starring many of their most popular stars, including Yogi Bear, Scooby-Doo, The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Huckleberry Hound, Top Cat, and many others. This series eventually became known collectively as Hanna-Barbera’s Superstars 10, and 36 years later, the folks at the Warner Archive Collection have released all of the films on Blu-ray for the first time.
Premiering on September 18, 1988, Rockin’ with Judy Jetson sees the spaced-out teenager from the future doing what she does best, daydreaming about rock stars, namely Sky Rocker. Not far away, the music-hating Felonia Funk prepares a device called the Mental Flosser to control the minds of everyone in the universe and be rid of all music forever. When Judy finds out that Sky is coming to town for a concert, her friends convince her to take along a song she’s written in the hopes that he’ll sing it. Felonia’s henchman accidentally mix up Judy’s song with a secret code for the Mental Flosser, and Sky mistakes it for a great new song, which he performs to Judy’s embarrassment. Unwittingly, she quickly becomes famous, with Felonia Funk setting her sights on both her and Sky, but George, Elroy, Astro, and Judy’s friends are out to help.
Rockin’ with Judy Jetson is essentially a remake of The Jetsons season one episode A Date with Jet Screamer, and it’s probably the least of the Superstars 10 series overall. It’s not necessarily unappealing, but it’s more generic compared to the other titles in the series. By the time it came along in late 1988, the new TV incarnation of The Jetsons had recently been canceled after only a couple of seasons, and it was sadly the last project the original voice cast would ever do together as Daws Butler passed away a few months before the movie aired (and a couple of years before the negatively-received feature film). For that reason alone, it makes it a little more special than usual, and with a fun 80s rock and roll soundtrack and a kooky villain trying to erase all music in the universe, it also makes for a very breezy and pleasant watch.
Rockin’ with Judy Jetson was animated and finished on 35 mm film at the aspect ratio of 1.33:1. Warner Archive brings the film to Blu-ray on a BD-50 disc, maintaining its original television aspect ratio. The world of The Jetsons has always been a colorful place filled with an array of wild architecture, vehicles, and household items, and Rockin’ with Judy Jetson takes full advantage of that, as does Warner Archive’s Blu-ray. As per usual, bitrates between 30 and 40Mbps are maintained with intact linework and cel dirt. Flaws inherent in the animation, including one particular instance before a wipe where the frames go slightly out of register, are left alone as well. It’s also a clean and sharp presentation that’s organic with a pleasant enough grain structure and excellent color and contrast.
Audio is presented in English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio with optional subtitles in English SDH. Though there are some flaws in the soundtrack baked in with regards to the music (albeit minor), everything sounds as it should with great support for dialogue, score, and sound effects. All of it’s well-balanced and clean with no obvious imperfections.
No extras have been included with this single-disc release of Rockin’ with Judy Jetson, but for people of a certain age who saw these films when they originally aired on TV, or rented them on VHS through Worldvision Enterprises, seeing them in such high quality is a real treat. Thankfully, Warner Archive realized that not everybody may like every film in this series, and they’ve given them the opportunity to purchase them individually, or pick them all up in the Hanna-Barbera Superstars 10 Blu-ray boxed set; which, if you’re planning on getting all of them, is the better bargain. Regardless, it’s great to see these films finally make it past the DVD format.
- Tim Salmons
(You can follow Tim on social media at these links: Twitter and Facebook. And be sure to subscribe to his YouTube channel here.)