Author: ÜberSciFiGeek

Good news, everyone! In honour of Futurama‘s 10th anniversary, an ultimate box set of the series, Futurama: The Complete Collection 1999-2009, has been released into the cosmos.

Once there was only the cold void of space. Then: Ka-Pow! The Big Bang exploded with the force of over two dozen firecrackers, and The Complete Futurama Collection sprang into being! It’s the entire classic series from The Simpsons creator Matt Groening, featuring 72 uncut episodes and 4 epic, feature-length adventures, all on 19 glorious discs. Plus: A massive assortment of extras so vast, it creates its own gravitational field from which no viewer can escape. So grab a can of Slurm, settle into your command centre, and experience the future… in its entirety!

This set gathers together the previously released Volumes 1-4 box sets, and the four films — Bender’s Big Score, The Beast with a Billion Backs, Bender’s Game, Into the Wild Green Yonder — that make up Season 5 of Futurama in TV syndication. The special features are recycled, too, but they’re all worth another look and there are a lot of them to enjoy, including a full-length audio commentary for each episode and movie (accessed under Language Selection in the menus); deleted scenes; storyboard, character art and “How to Draw” galleries; animatics, 3-D models, pencil tests, featurettes, and infinitely* more. (Small print on the box: *Quantity Not Actually Infinite.) The “more” consists of an annotated script, the Futurama video game trailer, a screen that deciphers the Alien Alphabet, alternate material, table reads, international language clips, interviews, a Futurama-based math lecture, an animated promo for An Inconvenient Truth starring Bender and Al Gore, Futurama: The Lost Adventure, blooper reels from recording sessions, the Futurama Genetics Lab game, the parodic shorts Bender’s Anti-Piracy Warning and Bender’s Movie Theater Etiquette, and sneak peeks. A full-length episode of Everybody Loves Hypnotoad is definitely the most creative and unusual of the bonus goodies, expanding upon one of Matt Groening’s favorite characters. In addition to all these special features, many of the fully animated menus contain Easter Eggs or feature in-jokes and other info in the backgrounds.

The new part of this set is its limited edition packaging, a giant plastic replica of Bender’s head (with detachable rubber antenna) that opens in the back to reveal a vertical DVD rack. The case’s slots are a bit of a tight squeeze, making the top and bottom discs slightly tricky to slide out, but the futuristic design looks great and the hatch door is padded on the inside to keep the discs snug and secure. It’s somewhat surprising that a sound chip wasn’t installed so Bender could spout his famous “bite my shiny metal ass” phrase, but the head is such an impressive display piece that this small oversight can be forgiven. For collectors who like to leave their collectables in the box, the cube that Bender’s head comes in adds another layer of Futurama reference, its clear windows and bubble-filled side panel images creating the illusion that Bender has joined the ranks of the show’s head-in-a-jar characters.

Also contained in this package are an episode guide booklet, and a numbered letter (which reveals that the set’s edition size is 25,500 units) from series co-developers Matt Groening and David X. Cohen:

March 28, 2009

Gracious Viewer,

Grab a can of Olde Fortran and jump aboard the party blimp, for today marks exactly ten years since Futurama was first broadcast!

A lot has changed over the past decade. Back in 1999, some of our younger viewers hadn’t even started graduate school yet. Videotape had not yet given way to the superior technology of DVD, which had not yet given way to the superior technology of stealin’ stuff off the Internet. And a little-known Vice President by the name of Al Gore was about to burst onto the scene as a cartoon voice-over star.

Yet, during this tumultuous ride into the future, some things have remained constant — namely, the unwavering support, steady encouragement, and incessant nitpicking of you, our loyal viewers. And thus, in a very real, very contrived sense, you are the rocket fuel that has launched Fry, Leela, and Bender on the many adventures within this collection. So please, sit back, shut up, enjoy the show, and accept a double-helping of our most sincere gratitude.

Your Humble Overlords,

Matt Groening & David X. Cohen

If you’ve already bought the individual seasons and movies, you’re not completely boned, either. Fox is reportedly selling a few empty heads to transfer your existing collection into.

Futurama: The Complete Collection 1999-2009 comes out just in time to re-watch or catch up on the series before Season 6 begins on June 10, 2010. Yes, Futurama is returning for a second run, thanks to a Season 6 & 7 pick-up by Comedy Central! Hopefully Fox will, in due time, make a torso to attach to Bender’s head so that his chest compartment can be stacked with future seasons’ discs.

Order now at Amazon.com:
Futurama: The Complete Collection 1999-2009

Or order directly through the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment website.

Futurama: The Complete Collection 1999-2009 is distributed by Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, a division of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. For more information, please visit the official Futurama website.