Yabba dabba d’oh

While The Flinstones, TV’s first primetime animated series, had its share of enjoyable episodes, it took some time to hit its stride. The first season was a bit messy, as this collection reveals, and it didn’t even contain the now famous theme song. The animation was choppy at best in the beginning, with the appearances of main characters like Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble changing quite drastically during the first year. The series got a little better as the years went by, but you’re hard pressed to find a good episode in this lot. While The Flintstones can be seen as a pioneering moment in TV history, creator Hanna-Barbera can also be seen as being partially responsible for the temporary downfall of American animation. Cartoons really looked like crap in the ’70s, and Hanna-Barbera was responsible for some of the worst ones (Scooby Doo, Huckleberry Hound).

Special Features: The 28 Episodes show up in a pretty package containing four discs, but there are no commentaries, and the production value of the documentaries is shoddy, not unlike the first season for the stone-age family.

Show: C+

Special Features: C

DVD Geek Factor: 3