The Secret Saturdays
Volume 1-2
Created by Jay Stephens
Featuring the voices of Phil Morris, Nicole Sullivan, Diedrich Bader, Sam Lerner, Fred Tatasciore, Will Friedle, Corey Burton
Cartoon Network

The Cartoon Network’s The Secret Saturdays is a throwback cartoon that tips their hats off to various cartoons and genres of yesteryear. The cartoon focuses on the Saturday family, a team of crypto-zoologists (or scientists that search for strange creatures), as they go on adventures of exploration and various forms of daring-do. Along the way, they deal with their own rogue gallery of rival crypto-zoologists and various other supped up big baddies.

While I am definitely not the demographic for this cartoon, I must say that I actually enjoyed the cartoon a lot. I am a fan of mythical beasts like Bigfoot or The Loch Ness and I am glad to see an actual cartoon focused on it. The writing and overall tone of the series reminded me a lot of the old Hanna Barbera cartoons, mostly notably Johnny Quest. The creators also throw in a Fantastic Four vibe into the mix and that gels very nicely with the series as a whole (and with yours truly). There is definitely a lot of humor and action that is not family friendly but, I dare say it, adult friendly too.

While I am a fan of the Saturday family and their family squabbles, I think the best character of the bunch, is their arch nemesis V. V. Argost. A cross between the Crypt Keeper and Vincent Price, the villain is insanely entertaining to watch. I am not sure if it is because of the voice, villain-esque dialogue he throws out, or the fact that he also hosts his own popular TV show, but his character works on so many levels. If the series is very popular, I actually wouldn’t mind seeing a V. V Argost spin-off.

Animation is also pretty solid. As I have stated a lot in other articles, I am pretty traditional when it comes to animation. I tend to not like the idea of computer animation combined with drawn animation but the series melds the two nicely. There is just enough of both combined together, making it so I barely notice it.

Not much else to say about the DVDs as a whole. The package offers some storyboard extras and some deleted scenes. This first volume offers about five episodes. I am not a huge fan of distributing a series’ episodes in volumes. My assumption is that if a fan liked a show enough to want to buy the DVD, they would buy it no matter what.

The Secret Saturdays is a top notch cartoon that should entertain both parents and kids. The topic of mythical creatures and beasts is sure to keep the kids’ interest and the whip smart dialogue and action should keep the parents entertained.