Starring:
Eugene Levy as Gil Bender
Seth Green as Jimmy Bender
Bob Gunton as Junction Jack
Sarah Silverman as Alison Kaiser
Dina Waters as Dottie Sunshine
Drew Massey as Count Blah
Dan Milano as Greg the Bunny, Warren ‘Professor Ape’ Demontague
Special Features:
Selected episode cast, crew, and puppet commentaries
“The Humans Behind The Fabricated Americans” making-of featurette
Interview with Greg the Bunny and Seth Green
Tardy The Turtle short film with commentary
Wrap reel, puppet auditions, storyboard gallery, and more
Other Info:
Full Screen (1.33:1)
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Spanish Subtitles
Running Time: 299 Minutes
Synopsis:
This TV series aired on Fox in 2002 and was cancelled before every episode ran. There are 13 episodes included on the 2 disc set including 2 episodes that never aired on TV.
In the world of Greg The Bunny, puppets (or Fabricated Americans) are living, breathing beings. Thanks to help from his best friend Jimmy Bender, Greg lands a role on his favorite children’s television show, “Sweetknuckle Junction”. Co-starring with him on the show are the snooty thespian Warren ‘Professor Ape’ Demontague, the old actor Count Blah, and the slow Tardy the Turtle. His human co-stars are the ever cheery Dottie Sunshine and the disturbingly twisted Junction Jack. Directing the show is Jimmy’s father Gil Bender. As they crank out the TV show, Greg and his friends must face bitter fired employees of the show, anti-puppet racism, and more.
“Greg The Bunny” is not rated, but it features crude jokes, sexual situations, and language.
The Movie:
If I had to briefly summarize “Greg The Bunny”, it would be “PG-13 Muppets”. They both had humans and puppets interacting. They both had parodies of pop culture. They both were funny and sassy. The only difference is that Greg The Bunny features profanity, sex jokes, and crude jokes while the Muppets didn’t.
I never saw “Greg The Bunny” when it was on TV in 2002, but seeing as how it was cancelled before it had a full season, that’s not surprising. I found the show to be a bit of a mixed bag. Parts of it were really funny. They had some really funny jokes here and there. The parodies of Sesame Street, the Muppets, and others children’s shows were quite amusing. They had a fantastic cast featuring Eugene Levy and Seth Green. They also had a nice mixture of guest stars including David Spade, Corey Feldman, and others in fun cameos. However, the show took a while to get into. They also had trouble getting into a groove which is apparent as the show progresses. (Greg’s eyes even change from buttons to doll eyes late in the series.) The show never had a chance to settle into a rhythm. And when they constantly relied on the puppets doing crude things to get laughs it got a little old.
I think this series is best suited for fans of South Park, Crank Yankers, The Simpsons, and other such shows. They are the ones that will most appreciate the low brow humor and the puppet gags. I think fans of the Muppets that can take a joke and are prepared for adult versions of their favorite puppet shows will also enjoy it. Then, of course, fans of Seth Green and Eugene Levy will enjoy Greg The Bunny as well. But if you’re not prepared for an adult puppet show, you’d better pass on Greg The Bunny.
The Extras:
There are quite a few extras included on this DVD. Here are the highlights:
Selected episode cast, crew, and puppet commentaries The commentaries are fun when the puppets are included. They are all in character and crack jokes through the whole episode. Even when things slow down, they acknowledge it and mock themselves for being boring. If you enjoyed the show, you’ll enjoy this. Listen for Seth Green, Greg, Count Blah, and many others.
“The Humans Behind The Fabricated Americans” making-of featurette This is a 30 minute feature on how Greg the Bunny was made. It starts with the early cable access show incarnation of Greg, his Independent Film Channel days, then finally his series. The creators are surprisingly candid about their experiences with Fox TV, explaining the network’s rationalization for changing the eyes on Greg and other bizarre things. The puppets are also shown in interviews in character. They also reveal that the Tardy the Turtle puppet was stolen from the studio after the series ended. The featurette is dedicated in his memory.
Tardy The Turtle short film with commentary I have mixed feelings towards Tardy. On the one hand he has some funny gags on the show and in this short film. On the other hand I don’t get a lot of amusement from people making fun of individuals with Down’s Syndrome, and that’s generally at the core of his shtick. In any case, this short film shot on the side during the making of the series is included here. You can also listen to the commentary that goes with it, but it’s not terribly enlightening.
Wrap reel, puppet auditions, storyboard gallery, and more Among the extras is included a gag reel, storyboards, and more. There’s also video footage of the original auditions of the puppeteers. You’ll quickly see that a lot from the auditions ended up in the final version of the show.
The Bottom Line:
If you like The Simpsons, Crank Yankers, South Park, or other low brow humor shows, you’ll probably enjoy Greg The Bunny.
