First some honesty – I’ve come very very late to the whole Family Guy thing. I’d been told how good it is, and like The Simpsons, I knew it to be well written. But also like The Simpsons, I’d not really cared that much.
I don’t what it is in my bones that makes me show such disinterest in comedies that I know to be so good. But it’s there.
Anyway, that’s a long way around of saying that I came to the whole Family Guy thing completely afresh, and I’m glad I did finally come to it. This extended DVD-only episode (85 or so minutes) is very good indeed, very caustic and very funny.
The animation’s your typical early 21st century fare – that is to say basic. But for things like this it doesn’t really matter. I came out of the screening room completely won over.
Now if only someone could see fit to release some of the old Tex Avery cartoons on DVD. It’s criminal that some of his classic screwball comedies haven’t yet been released. Red Hot Riding Hood is a fantastic cartoon (I first saw it on Rolf Harris’ Cartoon Time many years ago).