Sabrina the Teenage Witch: The Complete Animated Series [DVD]

Now you can enjoy Sabrina the Teen-age Witch, her tail-zapping red cat Salem, her witchy aunts Hilda and Zelda, her warlock-cousin Ambrose, and Head Witch Miss Della in all 31 episodes from the original FILMation animated series. In its initial concept stage, this series was supposed to feature the teen-age versions of Samantha and Darrin from "Bewitched", but the producers were uncomfortable with Samantha dominating the airwaves on both ABC and CBS. With the success of "The Archie Show", Norm Prescott, Lou Scheimer, and Hal Sutherland turned to a lesser-known Archie Comics character who appeared in "Madhouse Comics", Sabrina. Instead of twitching her nose to trigger her magic, they had Sabrina tug her ear. Stories focused on high school situations to relate to young Saturday morning viewers, and Archie and the gang even guest-starred in some of the episodes. (Eventually, Samantha and Darrin's children, Tabitha and Adam Stephens, starred in their own cartoon on "The Saturday Superstar Movie" on ABC. The episode was called "Tabitha, Adam and the Clown Family", and it was produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The animation was rushed and choppy, and it was extremely inferior compared to the Sabrina series on CBS.) Fans old and new will enjoy seeing Sabrina's enormous bedroom and her "groovy" broom with the big flower roof! Some of the stunning special effects were used in Melissa Joan Hart's 1996 series based on the character (i.e., the magic dust and flashes of light). Even the ear tug was utilized in Hart's series. If you recall, teen-witch Dreama tugged her ear to make magic. So what are you waiting for? This series has it all - - a cute concept, a hilarious cast of characters, clever writing, and a whole lot of FUN! "Sabrina the Teen-age Witch" is definitely a must-have for your personal DVD library!!

At long last, the original animated incarnation of SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH finally makes her very auspicious DVD debut. Genius Products, in tandem with its other ARCHIES releases, brings you a 3-DVD set of the original Filmation animated series featuring all 31 episodes. Sabrina made her first appearance in the ARCHIE'S MADHOUSE comic series and gained a fair amount of popularity, eventually spawning her own comic book. Filmation brought Sabrina to animation in the prime-time special ARCHIE AND HIS NEW PALS, and eventually spun off her own series after showcasing her as part of THE ARCHIE COMEDY HOUR. The resulting cartoons depict Sabrina as a resident of Riverdale and a student at Riverdale High, accompanied in her adventures by her boyfriend Harvey and her friends Spencer and Ophelia (who respectively serve Jughead and Betty functions to Harvey's Archie). However, as our title says, Sabrina IS a witch, and therefore must keep her magical abilities a secret from the Riverdale denizens. Though witches are expected to hex people, the good-natured Sabrina often uses her powers in attempts to help others or solve problems, usually with disastrous results. Most of the plots revolve around Sabrina's attempts to juggle her witchly studies and her teenage life, featuring her magical cat Salem and her two aunts, the cantankerous Hilda and the kindhearted Zelda. There is also Cousin Ambrose, a sophisticated, somewhat bon-vivant warlock who is more sympathetic to Sabrina's teenhood and occasionally aids her in her adventures, serving as a mixture of the Dr. Bombay and Uncle Arthur characters from BEWITCHED. The ARCHIES crew makes regular appearances, with Reggie continuously (and unsuccessfully) trying to out Sabrina as a witch to the rest of the gang. And of course, there are the GROOVIE GOOLIES. Yep, this set not only has all of the Sabrina episodes from her own series, but ALSO the episodes in which everyone's favorite gang of maladroit monsters made their FIRST appearances. Mixing the Goolies, the Archies and Sabrina together creates a special blend of comic chaos, and these episodes do not disappoint. As a special feature, the set includes the first episode of THE ARCHIE AND SABRINA SURPRISE PACKAGE, in which Archie, Sabrina and the gang work together to solve a mystery at Riverdale. (Will this series be a future DVD release? Only time will tell.) The set is colorfully packaged, though not in a clear slipcase like the other ARCHIES releases, and the artwork is of the usual excellent standard. The episodes appear to be sourced from the best materials, showing clear pictures and few signs of aging. The DVD holder is a bit difficult to operate at first (the first two discs are overlapped, placing the click-tabs on the sides rather than in the middle), so examine carefully rather than tear into it. Pick up this set if you're an ARCHIES or SABRINA fan, and pair it with the GROOVIE GOOLIES set for the right mix of supernatural Saturday-Morning silliness. You'll see her tug her ear... and you'll see your blues disappear. Count on it.

Excellent

Before Melissa Joan Hart, before the DIC Animation, there was the original Sabrina by Filmation Studios. Once a one-shot character in the Archie Comics' Madhouse Comics, Sabrina instantly became a sensation as the 'Teenage Witch,' and quickly gained her own comic. About the same time, when Filmation was searching for new shows to air, Dan DeCarlo suggested Sabrina, who not only guest starred on Archie's Funhouse, but also on the Groovie Ghoolies as well. The interesting thing about the original series was, it was sort of a combination between 'Bewitched' and 'Wendy the Good Little Witch.' Basically, Sabrina not only had to conceal her identity (odd since both Aunt Hilda and Zelda remained in their witchly attire, while Sabrina did not), but had to deal with the fact, as a witch, she wasn't supposed to perform good deeds. Harvey was Sabrina's mortal boyfriend, which Aunt Hilda wasn't too particularly fond off, same way Endora felt about Darrin. The stories usually dealt with witchly aspects colliding with the normal situations, and ironically Archie and the Gang would also get embroiled in the antics, since here, Sabrina actually attended Riverdale High as well. Overall, this collection has well been worth the wait and hopefully will bring back lots of fun memories of how Sabrina really was to both fans new and old.

A brief history of the show... Sabrina made her TV debut in 1969 as a component of "The Archie Comedy Hour," and the next year she headlined "Sabrina and the Groovie Goolies," which teamed her with Filmation's sendup of the classic Universal Monsters. Filmation was a studio known for recycling their own content, so when Sabrina got a stand-alone series the next season, they simply recycled the 62 shorts that were created for the previous two shows. This repackaged "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" ran on various networks and in syndication throughout the '70s and '80s, until Filmation closed their doors and sold off their assets. In the mid-90s, Hallmark Entertainment snapped up the rights to Filmation's library and literally destroyed it. The master elements for most Filmation shows (including Sabrina) were shipped off to the garbage dump, and inferior PAL (European) transfers were inexplicably retained. A few episodes made their way to Archie compilation DVDs just after the turn of the century and then the complete series was released in 2012. After a while on the shelves at Walmart, the discs were discontinued and resale prices swelled, peaking around the release of Netflix's "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina." A year later, Universal has finally gotten around to reissuing the set. Sabrina and Salem are riding a broomstick across the new cover, but the DVDs include the same menus and transfers as the 2012 discs, which came out just before everything started getting HD-scanned. I'm not sure if the discs are overcompressed or if it's a result of the PAL transfer (I suspect it's a little of both), but there's a motion-blur whenever the characters are engaged in action. Otherwise, it's a perfectly adequate transfer, with a generally clear picture and pitchy mono sound in both English and Espanol. The character voices are a little off, but it's because the PAL version runs at a different frame rate, which speeds everything up very slightly. Episodes are available to view as standalones or with a "Play All" selection that jams them all into a three-and-a-half-hour binge, compounding the compression issue. The main menu redundantly wails the theme song, the episode lists skip the titles of the second shorts, and the only extras are the first episode of "The Archie and Sabrina Surprise Package" and a gallery of production art. It's bizarre that they didn't include the primetime special "Archie and His New Pals," which set up the show's concept, but I suppose they wanted you to purchase a separate Archie set to see that bonus feature. On one hand, it's nice to see that the show's back in circulation at an affordable price. On the other, it's an underwhelming release in an era of HD.

I grew up in the 1970's running to the TV every Saturday morning to watch my favorite show...Sabrina The Teenage Witch!! I loved her magic and wished I could have that same type magic when I was a kid. I was very happy when they brought the character back in the 90's with Melissa Joan Hart as Sabrina but this is the original Sabrina and none is as good or as much fun!!! I cant really add much that hasnt already been posted except its a great treat to have my old childhood pal back!! The picture color is excellent and the stories (some of which includes appearances by The Archies & Groovy Goolies) are nothing but pure fun and imagination!! Check it out!!!! If you like the 90's Melissa Joan Hart Sabrina try out the REAL Sabrina...I think you will love her!! Thank you for releasing this and making a long time dream of mine come true!!!!!!

I just want to say I love this show i watched on peacock and fell in love with it, them removed it and lets just say after they removed it i spent the next 5 Years looking for it finnaly foundand lets just say im not disappointed at all

loved this series when i was young brought back tons of fond memories "Sabrina" was a go to on Saturday mornings oh so many years ago the characters were fun and funny no complaints or problems arrived on time i recommend this highly if you're of a younger generation and remember the live action series with Melissa Joan Hart you might enjoy this original animated series that show was based on

netjes geleverd duurde wat langer maar is voor mij geen probleem

As described.

I love it

だますつもりがだまされる 笑うつもりが笑われる どこかくるったこの世の中は 魔女でもなければ生きられぬ あ〜あ〜あ魔女魔女 魔女よ魔女よ魔女よ魔女よ 私を魔女にしてください〜 この歌を覚えている方はかなりのコアファンである。 これは日本語版サブリナの主題歌である。（CDは未発売） もちろんこの作品、日本で当時放映されています。 日本語版のサブリナ役の声優の女性は女優で歌手でもある 中村晃子。まさにサブリナにはまり役でした。 原作は海外のコミックですが NHKで放送したサブリナ ティーンエイジ・ウイッチが １９７１年にすでに海外アニメとして放映されていた作品です。 おそらくこの作品がテレビ初のアニメ版サブリナ ティーンエイジ・ウイッチのはず。 当時、他の作品である幽霊城のドボチョン一家の ミミ役（英語名ではSabrina）としてもサブリナは登場している。（声優は別人） これは制作会社が同系列であった事からのようです。 ちなみに誤解されやすいのがこのアニメはハンナ・バーベラ作品ではありません。 なのでハンナ作品を集めたCDやDVDは出ているのですが このサブリナはなかなか日の目をみない状態でした。 海外版なので言語も英語とスペイン語のみ。 日本語版を入れて欲しかったと思います。 リージョンも日本のリージョンではないので再生には注意が必要。 日本でもチキチキマシーンやペネロッピーなど日本語版のDVDが 発売されているので ぜひぜひ日本語版のこのサブリナを発売して欲しいところです。

Although just received it I remember the cartoon and loved it very much. Fun cartoon to enjoy whether you a kid or an adult. Something Melissa Joan Hart would enjoy happy viewing.