South Park – Imaginationland

South Park – Imaginationland / 2008 Comedy Central / 67 Minutes / http://www.comedycentral.com /

It may just be me becoming a heartless bastard, but I have felt that in the last few years that South Park has gotten a lot more preachy. It may have been the addition of Norman Lear to the writing staff, it may be Matt and Trey getting older, but this really feels to be the case. However, in the last few episodes, South Park has seemingly righted its ship.

From its homage to Heavy Metal to Cartman being positive about HIV, South Park has consistently been funny. I believe that this turn back to the halcyon days of South Park was initiated by the three-part Imaginationland episode. The episode is captured without interruptions or weeks between new episodes on this DVD. The tension that Cartman and Kyle have regarding the bet regarding Kyle sucking Cartman’s balls is delicious, with Cartman becoming the over the top character that individuals first loved when ey served Scott Tenorman eir parents in chili. Along the way, Stan and Butters have to save Imaginationland from the terrorists. Since the three-part Imaginationland saga garnered South Park their highest rating in a long time, I don’t think a simple description of the episodes are necessary. What individuals need to know about this DVD is that unaired footage and an uncensored wash of this DVD transforms what were three stellar, related episodes of South Park into a brilliant movie. The bonus features round off the DVD perfecxtly. This means that there is a commentary that bounces back and forth between providing viewers with humor and educating them about some of the more nuanced jokes. Two bonus episodes – ManBearPig and Woodland Critter Christmas – are also included.

Finally, there are animatics that will further impress and awe viewers. “Imaginationland” should be seen as the episodes that really brought South Park back to its former glory, and is the reason why three of the last four episodes of South Park have been great (“Tonsil Trouble”, “Major Boobage”, and “Canada On Strike”.) It has not been confirmed whether the Imaginationland episodes will be present on the Season Eleven box set, so it may just be better to pick up this DVD – if not for the bonus features, for the episodes themselves.

Rating: 7.2/10