Family Guy Presents Blue Harvest (DVD, 2008, Special Edition)

What better way to launch Family Guy's sixth season and commemorate Star Wars' 30th anniversary than with this double-length Very Special Episode, a full-scale, awesomely animated spoof that recasts George Lucas' saga with Family Guy's galaxy of characters: Chris (Seth Green) is Luke; Lois (Alex Borstein) is Princess Leia; Peter (Seth McFarlane) is Han Solo, but not, as expected, Jabba the Hut; Brian (Seth, again) is Chewbacca; Quagmire (and again, Seth) is C3PO; Cleveland is R2D2; Herbert, the creepy senior pedophile, is Obi-Wan (both voiced by Mike Henry); and, of course, Stewie (Seth, already) is Darth Vader ("My diapers have gone over to the dark side"). Poor Meg is reduced to a cameo as the hideous reptilian creature that haunts the garbage compactor. Blue Harvest is reverently faithful to A New Hope, while engaging in typical Family Guy pop-culture references (everything from those old Grey Poupon commercials to Doctor Who, Airplane, Dirty Dancing, and Deal or No Deal) and bizarre digressions (the iconic opening crawl detours into an appreciation of a "way naked" Angelina Jolie in Gia). Along for the wild ride are Judd Nelson, who contributes a voice cameo as John Bender for a Breakfast Club gag, Rush Limbaugh railing against futuristic affirmative action on Tatooine talk radio, and Beverly D'Angelo and Chevy Chase as the vacationing Griswolds observing the rebellion from their orbiting station wagon. A Star Wars spoof in 2007 isn't exactly uncharted territory. As Chris Griffin notes in this episode's final moments, Robot Chicken brilliantly did it months earlier (and let us not forget Mel Brooks' Spaceballs from 1987; or, on second thought...). But the Force is strong with Family Guy, and who could resist the opportunity to hear the Muzak playing in a Death Star elevator?

The special edition of Family Guy: Blue Harvest includes loads of special features and limited edition collectibles, including:

Special Features:
Commentary by Seth MacFarlane
"Once in a Lifetime: The Making of Blue Harvest" Featurette
A conversation with George Lucas
Blue Harvest Animatics
Family Guy Features: Star Wars Clips
Something, Something, Something Dark Side Teaser
PLUS: 3D Blue Harvest Fight Scene

Collectibles:
Collector's T-Shirt (100% cotton, Black, XL)
3D Glasses
12 Collector's trading cards (in same style as original Star Wars trading cards) that form a 3D scene on the back
20-page "Art of Family Guy Presents: Blue Harvest" booklet including sketches, notes and a letter from Seth MacFarlane

I think the Family Guy Blue Harvest is the best thing since sliced bread. I grew up with the original Trilogy and a new hope is my fav so this realy appealed to me. The dvd is packed with extras and the special edition is so worth the money for all the extra stuff like T shirt, Collecter cards etc... I beleive this stuff will be highly sort after in a few years, I guess its as good as official star wars items. Anywho! just watch the film, its brilliant, I love it and have told everyone i meet about it. I tattoo so I meet alot of people and have been spreading the word. BUY THIS DVD, ITS AWESOME!

Ok I purchased the special edition with the trading cards 3-D glasses, t-shirt, and booklet and they are all great collectables to have. The show itself was a well thought of and great tribute to the greatest sci-fi series of all time. Family Guy makes so many Star Wars references on each episode that it was only fitting that they did this show. Any Star Wars fan can find all the humor and intellegence that only a true fan could have come up with. Thanks guys for keeping us SW geeks happy with a little new footage to add to our collections.

I saw this Family Guy episode on commercial TV and thought it was a riot. Almost every joke, large or small, delivers a solid punch. There are a few weak spots, such as the Dirty Dancing "Time of My Life" parody, but not enough to ding the rating down from excellent. The integration of the Family Guy cast into Star Wars roles, compressing the entire movie into 45 minutes for TV, is fantastic. Good bonus features.

A MUST own for fans of both star wars and family guy. A remake of episode four A New Hope with comedy!