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 bit by bit. 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!

The first collection of the entire series is now available in a two-disc box set, containing the first volumes: Its Not Easy Being Bean and Bean There, Done That. Before I get on to the DVD rundown, here's a bit of an introduction to the characters of the show, as well as a listing of the shorts you'll get.

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 1 - It's Not Easy Being Bean
In The Wild: In this first episode, Bean unsuccessfully tries his hand at wildlife photography.
Missing Teddy: Beloved sidekick Teddy is kidnapped…it's up to Bean to save him!
Mime Games: Bean unwittingly offends a park mime, and is followed home.
Spring Clean: No hot water in the old apartment, and Bean needs a shower.
Birthday Bear: Bean forgets his trusty sidekick's birthday, but his girlfriend remembers.
The Mole: Trouble in the garden with a furry invader.
Roadworks: Construction on the road outside brings more problems for Bean.
The Sofa: After buying a replacement Sofa, Bean realizes the TV remote was in the old one.
Treasure!: A treasure hunt is in store for Bean after finding a map in the attic.
Homeless: Poor Bean gets evicted and must look for a new home.

Volume 2 - Bean There, Done That
Nurse!: All Mr. Bean wants is a little attention from a pretty nurse.
Dead Cat: Scrapper gets lost, and Bean needs a quick replacement.
Super Trolley: Fun at the supermarket!
Magpie: A cute bird turns out to be a kleptomaniac.
Cat Sitting: Bean must look after Scrapper during Ms. Wicket's hospital stay.
The Bottle: Bean's new ship-in-a-bottle turns up missing.
Goldfish: A goldfish from Ms. Wicket's pond turns out to be quite talented.
The Inventor: An inventor moves in upstairs, and he and Bean compete with one another.

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, as they capture the spirit of the character flawlessly! Even general fans of animation will love the great artwork, and the music and sound effects deserve special mention as well. This is a nice collection of the first 18 shorts, and I'm interested in seeing where the series goes from here.

The DVD comes to us from the good people at A&E, and does not disappoint. It's a superb package and compliments the show well. Excellent video and audio are the highlights, but there's also a few extras thrown in for good measure. Let's take a look:

Disc 2 is home to a Making-Of Featurette (20 minutes, 1.78:1 widescreen), and covers a nice amount of ground in its somewhat brief running time. I especially enjoyed seeing the early sketches, and the voice-acting session was a nice touch. Overall, it was nice to see more than the traditional episode-only collection…hopefully, there will be more extra stuff in future volumes as well!