Launched in 1997 by Joe Shields, the appropriately-named JoeCartoon.com is known for featuring some of the first widely disturbed cartoons created in Macromedia Flash. Known for its crude animation, graphic violence and tongue-in-cheek humor, the website has garnered a cult following in the last ten years…which I can proudly say I'm not a part of. Though I enjoy a wide variety of animation---Internet-based or otherwise---this is hollow entertainment in all regards, limping along and waiting to be put out of its misery. In short: it's just not my cup of tea.

With a dismal palette of characters at its disposal (including "Thuh Greenfields", a pot-farming couple with a penchant for performance art), the typical "Joe" cartoon runs roughly a minute or so in length, often shrugging off any notions of a plot in favor of gross-out gags. Even worse, these gags aren't often the least bit funny---so for those of you hoping for something "so bad it's good", you'll be sorely disappointed. As a result, most of what's included here is over before it really starts, but juvenile enough to grate on the nerves after…oh, about eight seconds.

Here's the real kicker: the majority of what's included here is already available for free at JoeCartoon.com---so even if you're remotely interested in this stuff, you can judge for yourself before shelling out 20 bucks.

The main assortment of content is divided into three sections: "Joe Shows" (12 miscellaneous shorts, 20:58 total), "Press & Splode" (8 interactive animal torture clips!) and "Thuh Greenfields" (6 agonizing episodes, 11:42 total), so at least you won't be disgusted for very long. Also included with this one-disc set is a brief assortment of bonus features, most of which seem to be exclusive to the DVD. While the technical presentation is surprisingly decent from start to finish, there's not much else of note here. Just out of curiosity, let's take a closer look, shall we?

Menus for this release were pretty basic, featuring mild animation and easy navigation. Each of the shorts is presented with no chapter stops and multiple "Play All" options. This one-disc set is housed in a standard black keepcase and is tucked inside a rather unique "Press and Splode" slipcover, highlighted by a rather unflattering quote from DVD Talk's own Francis Rizzo III (paraphrasing Billy Madison, apparently). A promotional insert is also included.

A handful of bonus shorts are also on board, including a few Video Clips (4 clips, 2:46 total), several short episodes of "Yo Yo Yo", starring Supafly (7 clips, 2:53 total) and a quartet of "Vintage Joe" Cartoons (4 clips, 2:01 total). Unfortunately, the quality is on par with the quantity; for the cheap seats, that means "pretty minimal". Most of the cartoon shorts get old very fast---and that's saying something, since they average about 30 seconds apiece---while the behind-the-scenes video clips are of little technical interest. Apparently, Joe Cartoon figured we'd enjoy seeing his kids run around.

Low in quality and light in quantity, Beyond the Blender marks the second dismal release from Joe Cartoon---but if the cover quote is any indication, at least it doesn't attempt to hide (or apologize for) its lowbrow nature. Even so, that doesn't make this compilation of crude, one-note animation any easier to stomach---and while the technical presentation certainly isn't bad, the uneventful bonus features aren't anything special. Fans of Joe Cartoon may want to rent this out of curiosity, but the other 99.9% of the population should leave this stinker rotting on the shelf. Skip It.