There are a few things that I truly love in this world. A good cup of hot tea on a cold morning is up there. So is crushing my enemies, seeing them driven before me and hearing the lamentation of their women. But at the top – the very top – is the show ‘Home Movies.’
In hindsight, I’m a little bit amazed that I’ve only written about this show once before. I discovered it during the second season and immediately hated it. I thought it was slow and boring and childish. t was an annoyance, like the girl in class that sits behind you and pulls your hair.
Just like that girl, ‘Home Movies’ wore me down until I saw a whole new side of it. The slow wasn’t slow, it was patient. It wasn’t boring, but had a dry wit. It wasn’t childish, but – okay childish still fits.
I’m a huge fan of animation and of voice actors, but I know a lot of people don’t get as in depth with it as I do. So let me take a minute to introduce some of the people that make up the cast of ‘Home Movies.’
Brendon Small is the man who created and wrote ‘Home Movies,’ as well as the star. He plays the character Brendon Small. (Not a big stretch, eh?) He’s an aspiring filmmaker with hundreds of small films under his belt. He’s also eight.
You may be familiar with Small’s work on his new show ‘Deathklok,’ on which he plays Skwissgaar, Pickles and Nathan Explosion. You may also have heard his voice on ‘The Venture Bros.’ where he plays a variety of characters, including Action Johnny.
Small is also the man behind the music of both ‘Home Movies’ and ‘Deathklok,’ though ‘Home Movies’ provides a much wider genre range. One episode features a rock opera based on the life of Franz Kafka, while another offers up a jazz fight.
The show also features one of the most recognizable voices of the planet, that of H. Jon Benjamin. He plays Coach McGuirk and Jason in ‘Home Movies,’ and played Ben in ‘Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist.’ You may also know him as The Master from ‘Venture Bros.’ or Sterling Archer in ‘Archer.’
The entire series is currently available on DVD from Shout! Factory, a company that specializes in excellent cult classics and otherwise hard to find discs. The set includes 12 DVDs, one 52-song CD with tracks from the show , a lithograph and plenty more for just $80.
The first season is a bit tame compared to the rest of the series, so if you’ve never had the chance to check it out, you might want to start a little further in. The third and fourth seasons are particularly good and feature appearances by Louis C.K. as Brendon’s dad, as well as John and John of They Might Be Giants.
