Wow! When they say they’ve remastered the animation on “Gumby Essentials” (out today from Classic Media, list price $17), they really mean it!
It’s eye-popping how fresh these Art Clokey claymation originals can look as many as 54 years later. Clokey’s 1953 film-school project “Gumbasia” -- which was a washed-out relic in Rhino’s 2001 seven-disc “Gumby” DVD box (out of print) -- now looks as brilliant as a brand-new box of Crayolas.
And the 15 Gumby TV animations Clokey has chosen for this single-disc salute to 50 years on the tube -- five from the 1950s, five from the ’60s, five from the ’80s -- are now shiny-bright, too. The ’50s outings are even re-edited back to their original 11-minute length (from the halved 6-minute shorts we’re used to seeing).
Fans disappointed in the Rhino set’s soundtrack substitutions should be happier here with Gumby’s original music restored.
With “Gumby Essentials” widely discounted to the $12 range, it’s definitely a must-have.
(Watch “Gumbasia” here. Or enjoy a Gumby sampler.)