The Wild Thornberrys: Season One

The Wild Thornberrys is a Nickelodeon cartoon series that aired in the late 1990s and early 2000s. This DVD box set from Shout Factory contains the first 20 episodes of the series.

I'll be completely honest - The Wild Thornberrys was never one of my favorite Nicktoons as a kid. I watched it fairly regularly, but I can't say it was ever a show I specifically sat down to watch. That said, it has aged well and remains a decently entertaining show to this day. It probably comes closest to being educational of any of the Nicktoons as well.

This series was produced by Klasky-Csupo, probably best known for their first Nicktoon, Rugrats, as well as for their other Nicktoons, Aaahh!! Real Monsters, Rocket Power, and As Told by Ginger, and for their work on the early seasons of The Simpsons. The animation style of this series will be very familiar to any fans of the other K-C Nicktoons. On these DVDs, the animation definitely shows its age, but it is watchable and still far better than many cartoons of its era.

This DVD is the general retail release of Season 1. This season was previously released as an Amazon exclusive Media on Demand (MOD) set burned to order and available for a relatively high price. The retail set has a much more professional feel to it, it comes packaged in a clear case with some nice art on the inside, as opposed to the standard issue black case that the previous release used. Additionally, the previous release had silent, static menus while this new set has animated ones with the show's theme song playing in the background. The old set also had some compatibility issues related to the nature of the product; being burned on demand onto DVD-R discs led to complaints about the discs not being playable on certain players. While I personally never experienced that issue with any of the MOD sets, this new set should be free of those problems regardless.

This release contains NO extras whatsoever. Personally, this doesn't bother me as I usually use DVD extras once, at most. I understand that some people fully expect all DVDs to have extras, but for me, it just isn't that big of a problem. The episodes are here, and in the end that's what the fans have been waiting for.

This is the first Nickelodeon release from Shout Factory, and they have several more planned for the rest of this year. While I am not the biggest fan of The Wild Thornberrys, I purchased this set to support Shout Factory's line of Nickelodeon releases and fans of The Wild Thornberrys. Even though I could take it or leave it, I'm sure there are people out there who want this series to be completely released on DVD as badly as I want Rocko's Modern Life or The Angry Beavers. Overall, this is a quality release of the complete first season and overlooking the lack of anything but the episodes themselves fans should be happy to finally see this series come to DVD.

Note: The Wild Thornberrys seasons 2-5 were, until recently, available from Amazon. Those seasons are the older MOD releases, and have NOT been announced or released by Shout Factory. As of July 16, 2011 the older MOD releases for seasons 2-5 have been discontinued, however they may still be available through third party sellers.

It's ALL of Season One of Nickelodeon's "The Wild Thornberrys" in one box set! It's a 4 disc set. Learn all about the main character, Eliza Thornberry, who can speak/talk to animals (however, if you wish to see the episode where Eliza Thornberry receives her powers to speak/talk to animals, please purchase Season 3. The episode is titled "Gift of Gab"). Meet Darwin, Eliza's pet chimpanzee and Donnie, Eliza's "found" non-related brother. Meet Deebie, Eliza's sister. Meet Marianne (Eliza's Mom) and Nigel (Eliza's Dad), who do a nature show together, and that is how Eliza is able to meet all of her animal friends.

With each new episode, you will travel somewhere new in the world. You may visit Machu Picchu or Australia. It's a great show to watch to learn about the world without really knowing that you are indeed learning.

Here are the episodes you will get on Season One:

Disc 1
-Flood Warning
-Dinner With Darwin
-Bad Company
-Gold Fever
-Matadi or Bust

Disc 2
-Temple of Eliza
-Vacant Lot
-Only Child
-Iron Curtain
-Valley Girls

Disc 3
-Naimina Enkiyio
-Blood Sisters
-Eliza-cology
-Flight of the Donnie
-Lost and Foundation

Disc 4
-Nigel Knows Best
-The Great Bangaboo
-Rumble in the Jungle
-The Dragon and the Professor
-Born to be Wild

Now, here are the specifications of the DVD's for you:

NOT RATED/1999/COLOR/ANIMATED/FULL SCREEN

The box also says this:

Program Running Time: +/- 7.5 hours

I will have a review for every season of "The Wild Thornberrys" for you to read. Personally, I think "The Wild Thornberrys" is a great show. You learn much about geography and biology in a fun, fun way. I just wish that Nickelodeon did not take it off of the air. Oh, and the coolest part is that Nigel Thornberry, the father, is voiced by Tim Curry. I think that he is cool.

Also, Season One of "The Wild Thornberrys" is available to watch if you have a Netflix subscription and have a computer or a Nintendo Wii and can stream video (the Nintendo Wii will need the internet to use the Netflix Channel). Contact Netflix for more information.

So, purchase this DVD Box Set for your family and get ready to go with Eliza as she travels around the world talking to animals!!!

I saw a few episodes of The Wild Thornberry's back when it was on Nickelodeon (aired Septmeber 1998 - 2004) but that was about it. What is great about this DVD is that it includes the entire 20-episode Season One of the show! I can now share the show with my own children.

Episodes Included:

Flood Warning
Dinner with Darwin
Bad Company
Gold Fever
Matadi Or Bust
Temple of Eliza
Vacant Lot
Only Child
Iron Curtain
Valley Girls
Naimina Enkiyio
Blood Sisters Eliza-cology
Flight of the Donnie
Lost and Foundation
Nigel Knows Best
The Great Bangaboo
Rumble in the Jungle
The Dragon And The Professor
Born To Be Wild

Even though this show stars a girl as the main character, my 2 and 4 year old boys enjoyed it. The series is about a unique family (2 daughters, mother and father) who travel the world in a CommVee van looking for rare animals to film for the dad's nature show he hosts. So they are far from an everyday family, especially when you factor in the Eliza can speak to animals! My boys like that part because they think its funny! I think its neat because she gets to eavesdrop on animals and talk to them about nature. Her experiences with animals are not always friendly but she seems to work things out and every episode is an adventure! It is a cute series and appropriate for young kids. There are animal facts, different animals and cultures and lots of fun! It is also a great value at only $1 per episode!

Mom and More Disclosure: I was sent a sample to review in exchange for my honest opinion.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 11 reviews  4.6 out of 5 stars