Wheelie and The Chopper Bunch: The Complete Series
DVD Reviews | Feb 1st, 2011
Starring: Franklin Welker, Don Messick, Lennie Weinrib, Paul Winchell, Judy Strangis
Directed By: Charles A. Nichols
Studio: Warner Bros
Buy At Warner Bros
Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch was a cartoon I grew up watching. It’s been ages since I last saw it but it was one of the many Hanna-Barbera cartoons I loved as a kid. After seeing it again, not sure I feel the same about the short-lived cartoon.
Ever wanted to know what it would be like having a world where nothing but motorcycles and cars existed? Well this was before Pixar’s Cars mind you, but Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch is just that. A red Volkswagen Beetle car Wheelie and his girlfriend car Rota Ree are just trying to enjoy their lives, but a 4 member motorcycle gang called the Chopper Bunch keeps trying to ruin their fun. Chopper is the leader of the gang and is jealous of Wheelie since he likes Rota Ree as well. Wheelie doesn’t talk for some reason but everyone else does. Wheelie does come equipped with gadgets to stop the Chopper Bunch though. Each episode is broken out into three six minute segments.
After seeing these cartoons again from the mighty Hanna-Barbera crew, I’m kind of disappointed with Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch. The animation is pretty crappy and the characters can be annoying, especially the Scrambles character. Every episode he repeatedly tells Chopper “I told ya, I yold ya” as Chopper says “Yeah I know.” It’s just irritating to watch and listen to after awhile. Hearing Wheelie make the same honking noises starts to get tiresome as well. They should have had him speaking like the other characters. It just doesn’t make sense. But even with all that said, I still can’t help but watch this for nostalgic reasons. I grew up watching this short-lived series and many other cartoons. I almost wished Warner Brothers released things like The Herculoids, Pac-Man, Shirt Tales, Hair Bear Bunch and other cartoon series I watched as a kid. Maybe they will, who knows.
If you’re expecting any extras on here, you’ll be disappointed. The episodes aren’t remastered or cleaned up in anyway either. Just the fact the episodes are on DVD at the Warner Brothers website and that’s it shows you that this is a rare DVD. So be sure to get this DVD now before it goes away or becomes out of print. I originally liked Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch as a kid, but seeing it as an adult kind of makes me roll my eyes. It’s somewhat entertaining but this isn’t one of Hanna-Barbera’s best cartoon.
Features:
None
Video:
Full Screen 4×3 1:37:1
Audio:
Dolby Digital Mono
Bottom Line: Not the greatest Hanna-Barbera cartoon but still enjoyable if you lower your expectations
Running Time: 275 mins
Rating: NR
Extras Rating:
Overall Rating:
