Much like other Cartoon Network releases, Adventure Time: Frost & Fire focuses on some sort of aspect. This time around, as the title indicates, the DVD release has some sort of fire or frost element to it (sometimes it’s obvious, sometimes it is subtle). Regardless, this is probably one of the better sets that I have seen out of the Adventure Time DVD releases and it’s not even close.
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My favorites of this bunch are as follows:
– Frost & Fire – Scary, funny and pure Adventure Time at its best. Finn eggs on Flame Princess to fight the Ice King, which turns into something incredibly violent and terrible. On top of this, Finn is visited via dreams by both parties and a prophet owl. It’s odd, short and quick. Nonetheless, it’s a great bit of entertainment. The ending is somewhat tragic.
– Jake the Brick — Jake wants to spend the day being a brick. Sounds stupid and boring, right? Not quite, in fact this could be one of the best Adventure Time episodes to date. Jake voices over the story, in documentary fashion, the life of a bunny and its ‘natural’ enemy an angry deer. This has a LOT of Wes Anderson style to it. It’s one of my favorite episodes of all time. Well written, acted and put together with a lot of love.
– The Prince Who Wanted Everything — Anytime you have the Lumpy Space Princess in the mix, it’s hilarious. She captures the Ice King and forces him to read a book she wrote. The voice over for the prince is just – the -best. It’s wacky, a little British and a departure from the seriousness of the previously mentioned episodes. Plus, it’s LSP — always hilarity brewing. Enjoy this one to the max.
– Return to the Nightosphere (part one of two) — Bananas. No, seriously, lots of bananas. The episodes starts off in mid-story where Jake and Finn have to backtrack their steps to figure out why they ended up in jail, in a pile of bananas and, more importantly, in the Nightosphere. This is like watching an old renaissance painting in motion. Freaky-hellish stuff. Love the style and the story, especially when it’s broken into two parts, which this one is. What I enjoyed about this episode is the even amount of comedy, seriousness and tragedy.
– Daddy’s Little Monster (part two of two) — This has a pretty serious and sad tone throughout. Definitely one of the less funny episodes, but at the same time it connects the first part of the story really well. I won’t say much about it other than don’t skip over it. It’s worth it, especially at the end.
– Davey — After Finn successfully rescues Candy people from a dragon, the Candy folk proceed to hassle him for his time. Instead of succumbing to their annoying fandom, Finn decides to create an alter ego named Davey. The problem? Finn loses himself within his new persona. Hilarious and enormously strange, but nonetheless fun to watch. Definitely unusual, but perfect for the show.
– Freak City — Magic Man turns into a giant foot (at least half his body does). I will just leave this episode description at that spot. You can understand what to expect, right? Hilarious episode from beginning to end, with a touch of humble pie.
Other episodes included on this DVD release:
– Earth & Water
– Something Big
– Joshua and Margaret Investigations
– The Pit
– Freak City
– Memories of Boom Boom Mountain
– James
– The Sandwich
– Apple Thief
– Thanks for the Crabapples Giuseppe
Generally, the episodes on a special DVD release for Cartoon Network have their ups and downs. Adventure Time: Frost & Fire is just good all the way through. My kids and I have watched this DVD at least twice since it arrived on my doorstep a week or so ago. It’s one of the easier releases to watch and its entertainment value is through the roof. Every episode has a different flavor of entertainment to it, which is rare for a small sample of Adventure Time episodes on one disc. Of course, I’m not saying that the other Adventure Time releases are bad, rather this one just has a lot of great episodes packed into one release. In short, you need this one, especially if you’re a fan of the show.
As for the rest of the DVD elements, the quality of the transfer is good for the format. The special features are zilch, but with the price point sitting at $11.97 (Amazon’s current price), it’s hard to pass up.