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$12.49 - Mission Hill - The Complete Series
Product DescriptionFrom Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein, former Executive Producers and Head Writers of The Simpsons. It's just around the corner and close to home - a funky, colorful neighborhood where a college degree can bring you an exciting career in retail sales. Welcome to Mission Hill. Meet overqualified, underemployed, 24-year-old Andy French. Ambition: to be a cartoonist. Occupation: salesman at Waterbed World. Hobby: Where's the party? But responsibility soon knocks on the door of the loft apartment Andy shares with two fellow slackers: Kevin, a nerdy 17-year-old who wears his SAT score on his shirt and his admiration for big brother Andy on his sleeve, moves in. And for good measure, so does the French family's dog. Friends, roomies, canines, countrymen: lend me your beers. They're all part of the daze of Andy's life. And all here in this Complete Series DVD Set. Party on. DVD Features:
Audio Commentary:Audio Commentary on four episodes by creators, producers, writers and voice talent.
Other:Extensive Interactive Map of Mission Hill
A colorful cross between the graphic art of Daniel Clowes (Ghost World) and the TV work of Judd Apatow (Freaks and Geeks), Mission Hill centers around 24-year-old slacker Andy French (Wallace Langham, CSI). A wannabe-cartoonist, Andy works at Waterbed World with part-time girlfriend Gwen (Jane Wiedlin, the Go-Gos). In the pilot, his nerdy 17-year-old brother, Kevin (Scott Menville, The Wonder Years)--beer-swilling pooch, Stogie, in tow--moves in with Andy and spacey roommates Jim (Brian Posehn, Mr. Show) and Posey (Vicki Lewis, Newsradio) when the French parents relocate to Wyoming. Created by Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein (The Simpsons), Mission Hill began life on the WB, but was unjustly axed after six episodes. As Andy notes in "Andy vs. the Real World," "I'm not MTV material. Hell, I'm barely WB material." The hand-drawn 'toon was a better fit for the Cartoon Network's Adult Swim animation block, which aired the remaining seven. (Five more were written, but not produced.) During its run, Andy and Kevin meander through their share of mishaps. They include Kevin accidentally burning down pal George’s mini-mart in "Kevin's Problem," the brothers falling for George's sister in "Andy and Kevin Make a Friend," and Andy losing his job in "Unemployment Part One." Guest voices include David Clennon (thirtysomething) as Jim's boss ("Unemployment Part Two") and Jennifer Jason Leigh (Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle) as the strange object of Kevin's affection ("Kevin Finds Love"). Other voices include Tom Kenny (SpongeBob SquarePants) and Dave Thomas (SCTV), who voice a variety of characters. Cake performed the funky title theme ("Italian Leather Sofa"); although not all of the other alt-rock acts featured in the show made it to DVD. Fun fact: Kevin's gravel-voiced gay neighbor, Gus (Nick Jameson, Foghat), was based on tough guy Lawrence Tierney (Reservoir Dogs). --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Most Recent Customer ReviewsDate : 2010-02-02
Summary : Some people found this offensive.
Some people found this cartoon offensive. That's probably why they only made thirteen episodes of it. They may have found it offensive because God drank beer in it. I didn't find this cartoon offensive. This cartoon was good but it was no Family Guy.
Date : 2009-12-28
Summary : Amazing Show
I watch many animated, comedic shows such as King of the Hill (my second favorite), Family Guy, Home Movies, the Simpsons, etc. Although there are not that many episodes of Mission Hill, the character development is unprecedented. In fact, every single character in the show is unforgettable. After the first few minutes of the first episode, I was obsessed. Also, the artwork is simply amazing. I read somewhere that Mission Hill was the last animated show to be done completely in paint (or something like that). All things considered, Mission Hill is without a doubt the best show I have ever seen. If I ever get rich, the first thing on my list of things to do is to pay the writing staff to make more episodes.
The show itself thrives off of its brilliant, mundane, situational humor. In fact, the show is so mundane that you almost feel like you are living in Mission Hill and become Andy's roommate. Every time something bad happens you'll either think to yourself "Wow! That's my life," or "Thank God my life isn't as bad as his." Andy is the typical twenty-something year old living on his own and not caring at all about his budget or anything for that matter. He loves drinking, eating Bugels, and watching famous puke scenes from movies. I find that he is the most unforgettable character out of any series that I have ever seen. He basically gets stuck "babysitting" his teenage brother Kevin, who is probably the biggest nerd ever. While Andy isn't the brightest bulb in the crayon box, he knows a lot about the world. He almost never gets a break from life. His roommate Jim is, to say the least, hilarious. I can't even begin to describe him; you will just have to see for yourself if you haven't already. You will love him from the moment you see him. Posey is basically a typical hippie. She is a very slow, absent-minded individual who enjoys meditating and gardening. Andy also has several neighbors in his apartment complex. Gus and Wally are a gay couple that live in the apartments and are friends with Andy. Gus runs a diner, and Wally works at the movie theater. Even if you are homophobic, you are pretty much forced to love them. Carlos, Natalie, and their baby are also neighbors of Andy. They are major hippies and animal rights activists. Carlos is a painter and somewhat of a hypocrite. I don't think the writers ever reveal what Natalie does however. Andy's dog, Stogie, is also a pretty funny addition to the cast of characters. He can't talk like Brian in Family Guy, but put a dog on a whole bunch of drugs and you get Stogie. That's the only way I can describe him.
The only real con to the DVD box set is that one of the episodes has messed up audio. It is the episode with the "nerd" convention where George's sister comes to town, and Andy and Kevin are fighting over her. The voices are softer than the sound effects (ex: slamming a door). If you have surround sound hooked up, then this will probably really bother you. I personally was not too bothered by this. It is somewhat bad, but I think it gets a little better as the episode progresses. This is the only episode where this is a problem though. All the other episodes have really good audio. For this one episode, just turn the TV volume up a little more to hear the dialogue and tune out the ambient noises.
Overview:
Pros-
1) Remarkable character development
2) The plots of the episodes are really good.
3) The series is hilarous.
4) Artwork is very enticing.
5) You will most likely be able to relate to the characters and feel at home in their environment.
6) The theme song is an edited version of "Italian Leather Sofa" by Cake, and Cake is an awesome band.
Cons-
1) The audio is messed up in one episode.
Date : 2009-10-20
Summary : mission hill
excellent dvd`s - if you like sealab , oblongs , or any animated comedy shows you will like this.
Date : 2009-10-13
Summary : Reality cartoons
Just new modern fun, soo much better Simpsons
Greg Chick AKA ramonas plumber
Date : 2009-10-05
Summary : This show is fantastic!
Another great show pulled off the air before it's time. So funny and smart!
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