Chowder - Volume 1 (DVD, 2008)

As I have begun to see Cartoon Network slowly take the word "Cartoon" out of its network, it has become very difficult to find anything decent on that channel anymore that appeals to a broad range of audiences. Thankfully, there are still cartoons out there that can appeal to select adult audiences. Spongeobb, being the best proof of this, is about as much as 1/3 of their regular audience as individuals over the age of 18. Regardless, nothing will ever compare to the "golden age" of cartoons (i.e. Looney Toons)

Because of this reversal of the network this cartoon came from, it has become essential to get the DVD version while it is still around as CN seems to be pretty much blotting such cartoons out of existence as fast as they brought them in.
Chowder is truly a one-of-a-kind cartoon series. It has also been the spotlight of both applause and reticule compared to other shows out there today, but regardless it has had quite a great run as a series, which sad to say will more than likely come to an end as early as this fall. Since it did become so popular, and even controversial at some points, it should be no surprise that C.H. Greenblatt, the creator of Chowder, was also behind other successes in today's cartoon scene such as Spongebob and Grimm Adventures. He also tends to be more innovative than your run-of-the-mill 8-year-old kiddie cartoon where all it is full of is heroic filler (i.e. Ben 10, Teen Titans , must I go on? D: )

The DVD has the first ten episodes (five 30min. blocks) of the Chowder cartoon series and also includes a tutorial on drawing one of the characters in the cartoon, but sadly the rest of the extras have succumbed to only advertising CN's lesser cartoons, like the heroic filler I was mentioning. Since it is the first season, there are a few inconsistencies with the rest of the shows, but that is normal for a first season of a cartoon as it begins to form. IT still signifies a marker point as far as where it all began and how as long as you don't change the formula for each episode, it works. I believe that Greenblatt believed in that phrase "If it ain't broken, don't fix it" and as much as CN's execs did no want him to stick to that, regardless of a few character changes and refinement in design, he stuck to it very well with wonderful results.

Of course this isn't going to be anything captivating or really thrilling, but it isn't lame enough to the point that you get bored with it easily. Because the material in the episode is different from most of the crap CN tries to shell out now, it breathes fresh air into the cartoon scene, especially for adults that may be tired of hearing "Generic Cartoon #42" and having that last only a few months before getting chucked from the schedule, or, dare
i say it, the eye-ball numbing live-action crap that they are trying to get away with putting on-the-air only because its a lot cheaper than in-house animation.

Overall, if you want a cartoon that gets away from the norm of a typical cartoon at the caliber of kids animation, but not something totally shocking or extreme, I would highly recommend trying out Chowder. If you enjoy this DVD, you may also enjoy the 2nd volume as well as a few other variations of this cartoon. (Believe it or not, Spongebob is one of these variations)

Chowder is one of those shows that "had me at hello." Like many parents, I want to stay on top of what my three kids are watching. I also like to set aside a little bit of time to watch a program they enjoy, something we can have in common, something we can laugh and joke about. And that something is Chowder!

Aside from the expected adventures and mirth that takes place in each episode, there are ongoing themes that can provide little slivers of fun, or totally control the tempo of a show. Chowder is naive and loyal, Mung fancies himself as both a master chef and ladie's man, Truffles is the grumpy old battle-axe, and Schnitzel is...well...Schnitzel. Panini has a crush on Chowder, Endive thinks she is SOO much better than Mung, and Gazpacho is kind of a grown-up mama's boy version of Chowder.

The humor is pretty straightforward and kid-centric, but the creators have also managed to splice in snippets of "grown-up stuff" that kids may still laugh at, even if they don't know exactly why. A couple of examples:

In Burple Nurples (from Volume 2), Mung needs to dispose of Chowder's attempt at cooking on his own. He does this by dropping the offending nurples in Mt. Fondoom, in a parody of The Lord of the Rings. They even capture the lighting and facial expressions - subtle and quick, but it makes me smile every time.

In The Fire Breather (from Season 2, not yet on DVD), Chowder eats some hot peppers and has fire breath, so he goes to live with some dragons. They show some fast clips while a song plays (Fireheart, I believe they call it). One of the scenes is something straight out of a Vallejo or Frazetta painting, except they have placed Chowder's and Panini's heads on the muscle-bound bodies. It happens so fast, but it is just a totally cool touch in my opinion. And it made my kids laugh!

Not a week goes by in our house without a kid or adult saying "I'm not your boyfriend!" or "Rodda, rodda, rodda." I'm totally bummed that Cartoon Network has apparently decided to not pick up another season of Chowder. What were they thinking!?!

Good thing Chowder can be found on DVD, because it is a cartoon for both the young and the young-at-heart.

Thank you C.H. Greenblatt! (Chowder's creator and executive producer)

If you love chowder, this DVD Vol 1 edition is the one for you! This DVD of the first season episodes are full of laughs. You don't want to miss out on this great Chowder Vol 1 DVD. Get some diet tips with the Flibber flabber Diet,Spend some quality times with the Cinnamini Monster and you'll have a dessert feast with the Thrice Cream Man. Also pick up the Chowder Vol 2 DVD edition. I've bought it for myself because Chowder is a very cute character who gets himself in trouble sometimes. He's the little dude you just can't live without! I say go for this Vol 1 DVD for your collection. It's totally worth it!

Chowder is amazing, hilarious, and has humor that adults and kids can enjoy! When I heard this show came out on DVD, I NEEDED TO BUY IT! Other than deleted scenes, there's nothing much on the DVD besides 10 episodes, but it's deferentially worth your money!

what can i say,,, chowder is the man.... my kid loves this show so i had to get him season one dvd... as soon as he opened it he had to watch it