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When it comes to producing quality entertainment for children, there are few artists that can match the talents of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson. The duo and their creation of Supermarionation within AP Films produced some rather exciting programs (Fireball XL5 and Stingray) headlined by some pretty impressive and highly-articulated marionettes. Yet, as their fanbase grew, the couple wanted to branch out and include the youth raised on their black and white programs and offer them something a bit more adult.

Defining the term “kidult”, The Andersons launched themselves into the stratosphere with the two year run of 1964’s Thunderbirds and its two movie spinoffs. It is an imaginative show, in spite of its age, that truly never runs out of steam. Expertly designed for adults to enjoy too, the now-classic series has been revived by Shout! Factory and looks all sparkling new as it makes its blu-ray debut in this fantastic release.

But first, let’s focus on Jeff Tracy and sons Scott, John, Virgil, Gordon, and Adam as they provide some much needed humanitarian aid on our own pop culture. Thunderbirds, in a modern day viewing remains a bizarre combination of cool model effects and entertainment. It is still solid; still weird; still crazy, and above all else, still creative.

Featuring the voice talents of Peter Dyneley, Shane Rimmer, David Holliday, Matt Zimmerman, David Graham, Ray Barrett, and Sylvia Anderson, Thunderbirds is about the well-funded Tracy Family and their secret International Rescue (IR) force, designed to save lives around the world.  Every episode features a near catastrophic event (like a building on fire or a natural disaster) that grows to such levels (in a matter of a few minutes) that only the specially designed machinery and courageous skills of the IR force can handle. Their machines are numbered 1 – 5 for each member of the family to operate and have communication devices that cover their space station and their father’s secret island location, which serves as the IR force’s headquarters.

Thunderbirds and its 40-minute approach to narrative storytelling broke new ground for children’s entertainment in the late 1960s. Today’s youth, who suffer from a significant lack of attention abilities, will probably be bored with the relatively “static” approach to the program; there is hardly any change in the “how” as the emergency situations develop and are resolved. Since these are marionettes, the camera rarely moves and the edits are certainly not quick. I imagine that an 8-year-old, conditioned by the 10 second “jolt” in today’s programming, would actually struggle as Anderson builds suspense with a combined approach of some serious wicked special effects (visible strings and all) and characterization.

The 37 episodes that make up the run of Thunderbirds, as documented by previously published era reviews, were well-received but often criticized for their length and, once the show settled into its hit status, rather formulaic approach to IR’s adventures. As a result, the program, heralded as the crown jewel of the Anderson collection, reads as a time capsule of what people thought the future would look like and what children’s programming actually was.

Set firmly in the same future that enveloped most of Anderson’s programs (albeit with much less camp), Thunderbirds is all about continuing the militaristic vision of 2065. The special effects, a combination of model work and scaled interiors are detailed and impressive and always worthy of attention as they roll out on the screen.

5...4...3...2...1...Thunderbirds are GO!

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[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]

Blu-ray Details:

Available on Blu-ray - June 9, 2015
Screen Formats: 1.33:1
Subtitles: English
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1; English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Discs: 50GB Blu-ray Disc; Six-disc set (6 BDs)
Region Encoding: A

Timeless Media Group, a division of Shout! Factory, handling of Thunderbirds in an AVC encoded 1080p transfer is damn impressive. Strings are visible. Black levels are strong. Colors are crisp. Dirt and debris have been swept clean from the image. As the press release suggests, the series is available for the first time on Blu-ray, the re-mastered high-definition transfer showcases the Supermarionation technique in exquisite detail never before seen, and promises audiences of all ages an outstanding showcase of thrills, action, and adventure. The soundtrack can be presented in either the original mono or a new lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track and is framed in the original 1.33:1 aspect ratio of the show.

Supplements:

Commentary:

• None

Special Features:

Featuring all 32 episodes of the popular science-fiction series on 6 blu-ray discs, Thunderbirds: The Complete Series also includes the documentary "Launching Thunderbirds," which includes a never before seen interview with Gerry Anderson, and a vintage publicity brochure as bonus features.

• Launching Thunderbirds (45 min)
• Vintage Thunderbirds Publicity Brochure

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