The wait is finally over! Months ago we revealed that one of my favorite cartoons from the 80’s would be coming to DVD, and the official release date is August 9, 2011.
M.A.S.K.: The Complete Original Series will arrive on DVD as a boxed set, and the release is a collaboration between Shout! Factory and FremantleMedia Enterprises. All 65 episodes of the original action-packed series are included in this set. Two bonus features are also part of the set: “Unmasking M.A.S.K.” is a retrospective interview with some of the show’s writers and “Saturday Morning Krusaders” is an entertaining look back at the series with its loyal fans.
From the press release:
Led by multimillionaire Matt Trakker, the Mobile Armored Strike Kommand — better known simply as M.A.S.K. — defends the world against Miles Mayhem and his nefarious international criminal organization V.E.N.O.M., the very same group responsible for the death of Trakker’s teenage brother. With his own son, Scott, and a secret strike force including his friends — engineer Bruce Sato, courageous historian Hondo MacLean, mechanic Buddy Hawks, rocker Brad Turner, computer expert Alex Sector, stunt driver Dusty Hayes and beautiful martial artist Gloria Baker — it’s up to Trakker, equipped with special power-granting masks and a garage of special militarized vehicles, to keep the world safe from Mayhem and the villainy of V.E.N.O.M (Vicious Evil Network of Mayhem).
The series has attracted a large fan following since it first aired (including myself!), and most of the kids I knew growing up had at least one of the vehicles and the little figure that accompanied it. I also still think that the opening animation and theme song is one of the best of that era, and somehow it mysteriously finds its way into all of my playlists. “M.A.S.K. is the mighty power that can save the day!”
Growing up, I never dreamed that kids today would have access to the great characters and stories that were so popular back then. And now Jem is airing on the Hub channel, a third Transformers movie is out in theaters next week, My Little Pony has made a comeback (including some great “>parody videos), and the diminutive Smurfs hit the big screen this summer.
Will M.A.S.K. become one of the next cartoons to receive the motion picture treatment? Only time will tell, and it is equally unknown if the toy line will once again see the light of day. I’ve always thought it would make an interesting film, and I’d likely go see it.
M.A.S.K.: The Complete Original Series, available in this 12-DVD boxed set, originally aired in 1985 and is available for pre-order at Amazon and other retailers.