FAMILY GUY: VOLUME NINE
(not rated)
MOVIE: **** (out of 5)
DVD EXPERIENCE: *** (out of 5)
BY KEVIN CARR
More from the Fox animation block comes to DVD in December with “Family Guy: Volume Nine.” It’s not a complete season as it bridges the gap between two (which has been par for the course in the “Family Guy” universe). But this three-disc DVD includes fourteen episodes which bring “Family Guy” into a whole new era.
The anchor episodes include the first widescreen HD broadcast of the series in the quite brilliant murder mystery spoof “And Then There Were Fewer.” We see a more cinematic look at “Family Guy” as well as some significant changes in the secondary characters.
Other neat episodes in this season include Peter taking over his father-in-law’s business, a guest spot by conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh (which doesn’t necessarily play as cool as it would sound, tip-toeing down the middle in a very un-“Family Guy” fashion), Peter getting sexually harassed and a special 150th episode featuring Stewie and Brian trapped in a bank vault in the very deliberately cliched bottle episode.
Fully in stride with is non sequitur humor and heavy emphasis on current pop culture, “Family Guy” moves smoothly, topping “The Cleveland Show” and often outdoing “American Dad!” as the premiere Seth MacFarlane show. Of course, if you’re not into “Family Guy,” you won’t like this disc, but fans of the show should be pleased.
Special features include commentaries on select episodes, deleted scenes, side-by-side animatics and an episode of “The Cleveland Show” to help cross-pollinate audiences. Featurettes include “Brian and Stewie: The Lost Phone Call,” “Who Done It?: The Making of ‘And Then There Were Fewer,’” “The History of the World – According to Family Guy” and “Family Guy at Comic-Con 2010.”