Genndy Tartakovskyhas given us something special withSamurai Jack. The critically acclaimed, award-winning series remains a rare success in the field of animation that embraced avant-garde ideas, pushed non-traditional modes of storytelling, and spanned more than 15 years in order to bring Jack’s full, epic story to a satisfying conclusion. It’s enough to simply watchSamurai Jackfor all its timeless entertainment value, but for the true fans out there, you’ll find there is much, much more to the story. And now thatSamurai Jackhas received a remastered Blu-ray treatment in its entirety, fans can get the full picture at long last.
Following the epic conclusion of its fifth and final season, Adult Swim’s four-time Emmy Award-winning series,Samurai Jackarrives as a complete series on Blu-ray and Digital HD today. Featuring all 62 heart-pounding episodes of the critically acclaimed animated show,Samurai Jack: The Complete Seriesalso arrives with action-packed bonus content including exclusive featurettes, behind the scenes looks and special commentary. Fans will also relive the first four seasons in HD for the first time as each episode has been remastered to perfection. The box set also features a one-of-a-kind metal art print, created especially for the show’s devoted fans.
Check out the details below, followed by a bunch of trivia I’ve gleaned from the fantastic series Blu-ray:
Created by celebrated animation director Genndy Tartakovsky,Samurai Jackfollows a young Samurai after he is sent to the future by the evil wizard, Aku. With the determination to defeat the wizard and undo his destruction, Jack sets off on a daring journey to return to the past and defeat Aku once and for all. Gathering allies and combatting other villains along the way, Jack battles to accomplish his mission and restore the peace of the past. The intense fifth season concludes the journey of its time displaced iconic star, as he finally completes his mission 50 years after the events of the original series.
Continuing to captivate new fans, while maintaining a loyal following of longtime viewers,Samurai Jack: The Complete Seriesallows audiences to join their favorite samurai time and time again as he finds his way through the five-season journey. Take a look at just some of the trivia that awaits you behind the scenes ofSamurai Jack:
Episode Commentaries
On the Season 1 disc, Tartakovsky and storyboard artistBryan Andrewsrevisit Episode VII, in which Jack attempts to get past three seemingly invincible archers atop a tower to access a wishing well. Here’s just a taste of what the creative duo had to say:
The Season 2 disc includes a commentary track from Tartakovsky, Andrews, and art directorScott Willsfor the Emmy-winning Episode XXV. This installment featured Jack joining up with the Spartan army against a horde of mechanized minotaurs.
There are also fantastic “pitches” or walkthroughs of either an episode’s storyboards or animatics. The Season 2 disc has an excellent pitch video featuring Mark Andrews walking through a story with the Scotsman, and the Season 5 disc has 5 episodic pitches in which Tartakovsky himself walks through the beats. It’s nerdy fun for animation fans!
Genndy Tartakovsky
You might know quite a bit aboutSamurai Jackalready, but the Complete Series features a few behind-the-scenes videos that fill in more of Tartakovsky’s backstory and creation of the animated samurai. Here are a few tidbits from the Season 2 disc featurette, “Genndy’s Scrapbook”:
There’s a lot of general trivia about the making of and history ofSamurai Jackthroughout the bonus features. Here are some nuggets:
If you’re a fan ofSamurai Jack, do yourself a favor and pick up the incredible Complete Series on Blu-ray now!
