Blu-ray, DVD Release: Misterjaw

Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: April 24, 2018
Price: DVD $19.99, Blu-ray $26.42
Studio: Kino Lorber

When shark-mania struck America in the mid 1970s, it was only natural that a cartoon character would surface inspired by Steven Spielberg’s Jaws. The result was Misterjaw, one of the final accomplishments of legendary animator Robert McKimson.

With his signature catch phrase “Gotcha!” and his sidekick Catfish (Arnold Stang) the German-accented great white (voiced by Arte Johnson of TV’s Laugh-In) swam for 34 episodes in 1976. The general critical feeling was that Misterjaw revived some of the popular tropes of classic animated shorts, while providing clever send-ups of the decade’s other pop-cultural phenomena.

Among the bonus features on Kino Lorber’s Blu-ray and DVD, the latest additions to the DePatie/Freleng Collection are two documentaries by Greg Ford and William Hohauser: “Chips Off the Old Blockbusters” and “Tales of Production (and Production Overload) – featuring author Mark Arnold, historian Jerry Beck, cartoon director/producer John R. Dilworth, ink-and-paint specialist Barbara Donatello, composer Doug Goodwin, director/animator Art Leonardi, and layout artist Martin Strudler.

There are also audio commentaries for selected films by Arnold, Beck, Ford and Hohauser.