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Recently, Disney acquired Marvel Entertainment to the tune of $4 billion, giving the House of Mouse access to the House of Ideas and terrifying long-time comics fans with the prospect of a Mickey Mouse-Wolverine team-up. While no one quite knows what to make of this corporate merger, it’s not entirely without precedent.
A few months before this announcement hit the news, Buena Vista Home Entertainment, a subsidiary of Disney, released the first two volumes of X-Men, the animated series that aired in the 1990s, which was originally produced by Marvel and Saban Entertainment. The latter eventually merged with Fox Childrens Productions, forming Fox Kids, which was eventually purchased by Disney in 2001. By that point, fans of the series had begun to lose hope of ever seeing a DVD release of the program, so when X-Men suddenly reappeared, there was much rejoicing.
Now, with the release of volumes three and four, the series is almost complete on DVD. Volume three quickly picks up where volume two left off, with “The Dark Phoenix Saga”—a four-parter that concludes the story of Jean Grey’s possession by the extra-dimensional powerhouse Phoenix Force. It’s a classic X-Men story that has been referenced and revisited frequently in Marvel comics since its first appearance in the pages of the original book over 20 years ago. The animated series version is a nearly spot-on translation, although some of the rougher edges have been smoothed over for younger viewers, especially the tragic conclusion. Even so, it was and is a treat to see this story given the animated treatment.
The fourth volume also includes an epic four-parter, “Beyond Good and Evil.” The story, which was the last produced by the original animation studio, was intended to be the series finale, and, as such, it pulls out all the stops. With multiple cameos and an epic final battle between the X-Men and the mutant overlord, Apocalypse, it’s vast in scope and execution and a great example of all the things this series did well.
X-Men really stands as one of the great animated superhero series of all time, mixing strong characterization and intense action with a devotion to retelling and expanding the stories that comics readers were familiar with—rather than the “rebooting” that’s so common now. The dialogue gets really cheesy at times, but anyone familiar with the X-Men comics of the ‘90s will recognize that as an honest reflection of the source material.
My only real complaint about these DVD releases is that the episodes are ordered according to the Fox air date, rather than the intended production order. This leads to a few continuity mix-ups and some uneven pacing that shouldn’t be an issue for anyone who isn’t a devoted fanboy (or fangirl). Then again, if you’re spending the money on these sets, odds are you’re already one of us. Thankfully, there are resources online for watching the series in the intended order, if you’re so inclined.
There is a fifth volume due, consisting of a handful of episodes that were taken out of the previous sets, as well as the six episodes that were completed by a different studio after Fox decided to try to continue the series. In the meantime, no matter how the thought of Mickey being Wolverine’s new boss may strike you, you can at least be thankful that Disney has made available one of the best cartoons of the ‘90s. It’s a treat for old and new fans alike.
