The Show
A hit British web-cartoon, "Wobbl and Bob" follows the adventures of a pair of egg-shaped friends who wobble back and forth and desire pie, while slurring their speech like a drunk Cartman. In England, these lads are seen on MTV, while here in America, they are essentially unknown. That's probably for good reason. Unlike "Homestar Runner," which has an actual plot to go with the nonsensical humor, this show is just silliness piled on top of silliness. There's a place for that, but this isn't it. Found on this DVD are the first year of episodes, from 2002. The style and humor isn't quite up to the level of current segments, but the trademark minimalist style is well-established here.

In addition to the main wobblers, there are several similarly bizarre characters, including Chris the Ninja Pirate (no explanation needed), Wee Bull, a small bull who's Wobbl's dad, and Hairy Lee, a hairy version of Wobbl. The adventures range from buying pie-scented cleaner to dealing with a Jam riot and Bob's trip to France. Not that the plot is all that important. The comedy is in the silly voices and dialogue pacing, as well as the cute art style. Think "Terrance and Phillip" and you are close to what this British 'toon is like in terms of animation. The creators have kept the Brit-centric material to a minimum, but the cartoon still has the kind of foreign feel that Monty Python succeeded with.

Unfortunately, with only so much going on in each episode, if a show isn't over in 30 seconds or so, they tend to drag. Also, several episodes are either lazy or uninspired. The first episode is repeated several times, with a change in language or art style, while some are animated sloppily, with the amateur nature blamed on a substitute animator. This is cute once in a while, but it's done a couple of times in this "season," risking becoming "Family Circus"-level lame. I've watched some recent episodes, and they are much better. The quality of these episodes may just be the result of working out the kinks. Either way, the show's still damn odd.

Among the better efforts are "Shoes," which has Wobble trying to find common pie with some ladies, "Art," a well-done parody of The Seventh Seal, and "Riot," a very involved 'toon, featuring the government-fighting Jam.

The DVD
There are 27 episodes on this DVD, with a range of length, from quick as a bunny to excruciatingly long. All together, they are 52 minutes in length. The menus, with the exception of the special features, are difficult to navigate, due to a lack of labels. They are anamorphic widescreen and animated, with each entry's label revealed during the animation, in word balloons. The balloons disappear as the animation moves forward, which means you have to wait to find out what each menu choice stands for, and if you forget what one is, you have to wait for it to come around again. Not exactly a fun way to get into the show. There are no subtitles or closed captioning, but the word balloons explain everything (sort of.) The episodes can be watched in one large block, or by using the episode selection menus.

The Extras
The extras here include a good amount of content that's unavailable elsewhere, including five rare episodes unavailable on the 'toons' website and one new clip. The rare ones are OK, but nothing better than the rest of the episodes, while the new one is simply another variation on the first episode. Commentaries from the show's creators are included for every episode, including the bonus clips, but again, they aren't too impressive. Mostly there's a lot of self-congratulation and description of what's going on on-screen. It may just be there's not much to say, but that's no reason for the guys to not make something up.

A 14:30 documentary, "The Documentary That is About Wobbl & Bob," is narrated by actor Brian Blessed (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves) and tells the back story of the comic. Blessed's excellently dramatic voice gives the documentary an appropriately campy feel, and is the perfect intro for anyone new to the cartoon. Creators Jonti Picking and Skoo talk about their art, the origins of Wobbl and Bob, while there's plenty of footage of the two working together and some old footage of Picking as an art student. It's probably the best bit on the DVD.

In addition to the cartoons, commentary and documentary, there's an HTML page on this disc that provides access to wallpaper, screensavers and a flash-game "Bomberman" hack called "Boberman." These are cute and fun if you like the cartoons. There's also some black-and-white stickers included in the package, which unfortunately are curled up in the case, due to their width. According to publicity materials, there's a well-hidden easter egg, which may be the Christmas episode from 2002 that doesn't seem to be on this DVD. Damned if I can find it though.

The Bottom Line
Simply put, this is some weird s#!+. Many of the episodes drag on due to their odd pacing, and it takes a specific sense of humor to enjoy this cartoon. If you do enjoy the cartoons online, this DVD has a very good presentation, with some interesting extras. For most though, this will be just too odd, boring or foreign. A rental, if you can find it, is highly suggested, but if you watch the episodes online and decide you like it, this DVD should entertain you.

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*The Reviewer's Bias section is an attempt to help readers use the review to its best effect. By knowing where the reviewer's biases lie on the film's subject matter, one can read the review with the right mindset.