ONE OF HISTORY'S GREATEST ROLE-PLAYING GAMES COMES TO DVD AS NAVARRE'S BCI ANNOUNCES THE CLASSIC '80s ANIMATED SERIES
All 27 Episodes To Be Released in a Five-Disc Collector's Edition
On December 5th, For $54.98
"Fans of Dungeons & Dragons are extremely excited to hear that BCI will work their magic on this much-loved 80s series, just as they did with He-Man."--Gord Lacey, TV Shows on DVD.
Los Angeles, CA –BCI, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Navarre Corporation, has obtained DVD rights to the original 1983 animated series "Dungeons & Dragons." The complete series, featuring all 27 episodes in a collector's five-disc boxed set, will be released under BCI's Ink & Paint brand (
www.inkandpaintdvd.com) on December 5th at a suggested retail price of $54.98.
"One of the country's greatest phenomena in the '80s was the Dungeons & Dragons game," said Jeff Hayne, Director of Acquisitions, BCI. "We are fortunate to have the opportunity to release the entire series on DVD, as original fans, and their children, will now be able to enjoy this highly anticipated release."
"Dungeons & Dragons" tells the tale of six kids who, after riding the Dungeons & Dragons rollercoaster, mysteriously get sucked into its fantasy world. Once there, the kids are met with a variety of monsters and entities, but to their delight, they are also greeted by the mysterious Dungeon Master, who gives each of them a magical item to use to defend themselves against the evil beings.
The animated series is based on the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game that became a pop culture phenomenon in the 1980s, was produced by Marvel Productions and aired on CBS from 1983-1986 and later on FoxKids. The game and series led to a feature film in 2000, starring Jeremy Irons and Marlon Wayans, as well as the Dungeons & Dragons Heroes video game for Xbox.
"Dungeons & Dragons" features the voices of Willie Aames ("Eight is Enough," "Charles in Charge"), Adam Rich ("Eight is Enough") and Donny Most ("Happy Days").
Included in this collectible package is the official "Dungeons & Dragons" Hard-Cover Game Supplement. Created exclusively for this release by Wizards of the Coast, the Animated Series Handbook is 32 pages of official character profiles with full stats, magic items and a brand new adventure. The adventure is a prelude to the episode "The Dragon's Graveyard" and is designed to bridge the gap between the game and the animated television series. The characters and world within the animated series are now playable with the traditional RPG game.
Also included is an Episode Guide Booklet with show's synopsis, writers, and original air dates.
Disc 5 includes the following extensive bonus features:
- The all-new half hour documentary, "Entering the Realm of Dungeons & Dragons" featuring interviews with the show's production team, writers, animators and network executives
- Two commentary tracks for episodes "Night of No Tomorrow" and "The Dragon's Graveyard" with producer Bob Richardson, story editor and voice director Hank Saroyan, writers Mark Evanier and Michael Reaves and CBS executives Ted Field II and Judy Price, and animator Michael Swanigan. Hosted by Special Features producer Andy Mangels
- Full length animated storyboard with interactive episode comparison for Episode #16 "The Girl Who Dreamed of Tomorrow"
- "Choose Your Own Adventure" DVD Game
- 50 Detailed Characters, Creatures and Artifacts, Profiles with Bios, Images and Clips
- Short live-action fan film by Sean Kennedy
- "Uni's Fun Facts" Trivia
- Extensive Gallery of original model sheets and memorabilia
- Radio show style presentation of unaired episode "Requiem" featuring select original cast members
- Alternate and rare footage
- Easter Eggs
- DVD-ROM extras, including scripts for multiple episodes (with the un-produced series finale script), complete storyboards and the original series bible
- More INK & PAINT trailers
Producing the special features, documentaries and most of the extra content is entertainment writer Andy Mangels, a best-selling novelist, and author of Animation on DVD—The Ultimate Guide.
Under its Ink & Paint brand, BCI has to date announced the following titles:
- The Best of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe®
[2005 TV DVD Award for Best 1980's Series release]
- He-Man and the Masters of the Universe® Season One Volumes I & II
- He-Man and the Masters of the Universe® Season Two Volumes I & II
- The Best of She-Ra, Princess of Power®
- He-Man and She-Ra: A Christmas Special
- Prince Valiant Volume I
- Blackstar—The Complete Series
- Space Sentinels & The Freedom Force — The Complete Series
- Flash Gordon—The Complete Series
- Groovie Goolies—The Saturday "Mourning" Collection
- Defenders of the Earth Volume I
- She-Ra: Princess of Power, Season One, Volume One
- Journey Back to Oz
And now:
- Dungeons & Dragons—The Complete Series
The entire line of Ink & Paint titles can be viewed at
www.inkandpaintdvd.com.
About Navarre Corporation
Navarre Corporation (Nasdaq: NAVR) is a publisher and distributor of physical and digital home entertainment and multimedia products, including PC software, CD audio, DVD and VHS video, video games and accessories. Since its founding in 1983, the company has established distribution relationships with customers across a wide spectrum of retail channels which includes mass merchants, discount, wholesale club, office and music superstores, military and e-tailers nationwide. The company currently provides its products to over 19,000 retail and distribution center locations throughout the United States and Canada. Navarre has expanded its business to include the licensing and publishing of home entertainment and multimedia content, primarily through the acquisitions of Encore Software, BCI, and FUNimation. For more information, please visit the company's web site at http://www.navarre.com.
About BCI
BCI, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Navarre Corporation, is an independent entertainment video and audio supplier. BCI has continually redefined the standards and concepts of this industry, often introducing national success categories through its marketing programs. Its vast collection of titles represents both exclusively licensed titles from around the world, as well as in-house produced CDs and DVDs. Under its Ink & Paint brand, it releases classic animation on award-winning DVD sets. www.inkandpaintdvd.com
