Mr. Bean is the highly popular creation of British comedian Rowan Atkinson. Even if you're not totally familiar with the character, you've probably heard of him. He's a lovable guy, a grown-up kid, and a man who always gets himself into trouble. Mr. Bean doesn't really say much, and almost uses his own language…while it sounds like a mumbled mess, it's his own. I'd compare it to the way an absent-minded person would think, only said out loud.

Having already conquered both the small and big screen in live-action, Rowan Atkinson decided to take Bean to the next level: an animated series. It's actually a seamless transition…he's a virtual cartoon character anyway. Together with Richard Purdum Productions, this show was pieced together in painstaking fashion. Each episode required a jaw-dropping amount of work, as Rowan was determined to capture the look of the Bean character perfectly. For each episode, he volunteered not only his voice acting talents, but his acting skill as well. He was recorded acting out all the scenes as the character of Mr. Bean, in order to inspire and aid the animators. While animation has always been a traditionally time-consuming process, this seemed especially epic.

However, it was all worth it! A complete run of 56 shorts (or 28 episodes) was ordered, and each one really breaks the mold of animation. While the majority of the art is hand-drawn, some of the effects seem to be produced with computers (the smooth scaling and rotation of certain objects is similar to Flash animation). The style of artwork is very crisp, lending itself to vivid color schemes (similar in style to the Clerks animated series). Overall, the show looks and sounds fantastic, and fans will really enjoy the hard work of the creators. This one's definitely a keeper!

This second compilation picks up right where the first left off. Featuring the same great artwork and characters, Mr. Bean: The Animated Series subscribes to the belief that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". Like the first two volumes, this 2-disc set contains nine episodes in all, for a total of 18 short cartoons (each short runs just over 10 minutes). Also like the first two volumes, these shorts represent a good cross-section of subject matter, featuring tons of creative situations and unique environments. I would assume that there will be one more 2-disc collection after this one, as there are just ten episodes yet to be released in the states. On part with the first review, a brief character and episode guide for this compilation has been provided below, and the technical portion of the review will be covered shortly after. With that said, let's get started!

Mr. Bean: The main man himself, Bean, gets into trouble more often that not.
Teddy: Bean's stuffed partner-in-crime who doesn't exactly say much.
Ms. Wicket: The evil landlady who always catches Bean at the wrong time.
Scrapper: Ms. Wicket's evil, sadistic cat who hates our hero.
Irma Gobb: Bean's occasional girlfriend who pops in here and there.

Volume 3 - Whatever Will Bean, Will Bean
Royal Bean: After breaking his beloved "Queen of England" mug, Bean looks for a replacement.
Young Bean: A trip to the attic results in a series of flashbacks to Bean's childhood.
In the Pink: Bean adopts a mysterious pink animal, but can't seem to figure out what it is..
Dinner for Two: Bean's main squeeze, Irma Gobb, stops by for dinner. Hilarity ensues.
The Ball: After a tennis ball is lost on a rooftop, Bean tries every method in the book to get it back.
Toothache: This one's pretty self-explanatory, as Bean painfully attempts to be his own dentist.
Haircut: Bean's a celebrity after rescuing a cat, and needs a haircut to look good for the press.
Neighbourly Bean: Bean wants to watch TV, but keeps getting interrupted by noisy neighbo(u)rs.
Car Trouble: Upon selling his car, Bean resorts to traveling around town via hot-air balloon.
Restaurant: After taking Teddy out to dinner for his birthday (?!), Bean ends up acting as head chef.

Volume 4 - It's All Bean To Me
Art Thief: Another self-explanatory episode, but does Bean stop the crook…or is he the crook?
Scaredy Bean: It's fun at the movie theater, as Bean buys a ticket to a really scary movie.
Hot Date: Irma and Bean go out for the evening, but they don't exactly see things on the same level.
Wanted: Bean and a crook are mistaken for one another. Ernest Goes to Jail, or Face/Off?
Gadget Kid: Bean takes a trip to the science museum, and learns more than he bargained for.
The Visitor: An "old friend" from school shows up, and invites himself to stay as Bean's houseguest.
Big TV: Bean resorts to drastic measures to buy a new TV after his old one breaks.
Keyboard Capers: Bean buys a grand piano, but it's much harder to learn than he originally thought.

These descriptions may seem brief, but keep in mind that each short is only 11 minutes each (2 per episode). Every one is entertaining…while some of them aren't laugh-out-loud funny, they'll definitely put a smile on your face. Fans of Mr. Bean will love these shorts, as they capture the spirit of the character flawlessly! General fans of animation will also love the great artwork, and the music and sound effects deserve special mention as well. This is a nice collection of the second 18 shorts, and I'm interested in seeing how the series concludes in the next compilation. This 2-disc set comes to us from A&E, and does a decent job of covering all the bases.

Overall, there's a nice little spread of extras here, but I was a little disappointed that A&E didn't try any harder the second time around. Once again, some audio commentaries or additional interviews with the cast and crew would have been great, or even a complete episode reading. Hopefully, the third compilation will have a little more to offer Bean fans, but we'll have to wait and see.