Orrin Scott: Archiving Animation with Home Media - Nickelodeon Physical Home Media Releases

Welcome to the third installment of our analysis on the existence of home media of Nickelodeon original animation. So far it seems the pattern of home releases depends on whether your Nicktoon is an anthology program or not. Besides Doug and its weird ownership situation, all other Nicktoons have seen full home releases on DVD. Unfortunately, both anthology programs, KaBlam! and the pilot production series, Oh Yeah! Cartoons, have the opposite problem. Neither show has seen any home media release since the broadcasts in the 90’s. Let’s jump right into the next five series.

Rocket Power (1999), the fourth Klasky Csupo production we’ve taken a look at, ran for four seasons. Two VHS releases occurred in the early aughts containing episode compilations as well as the second made for TV movie. Though the series saw two movie specials, Race Across New Zealand and The Island of Menehune, they are considered three part episodes and a part of season three and four, respectively. All four seasons were released on DVD through Amazon’s manufacture-on-demand service. Unlike most other Nicktoons discussed this far that have appeared on Amazon’s service, the rights were not picked up by Shout! Factory and have not been re-released.

Sources:

https://nickelodeon.fandom.com/wiki/Rocket_Power_videography

https://twitter.com/shoutfactory/status/229982733072490497?lang=en

Rocket Power Logo:

https://logos.fandom.com/wiki/Rocket_Power

I think it can safely be said that SpongeBob SquarePants (1999) is the most successful Nicktoon. No other show has run as long both in time elapsed and productions: 12 seasons and three theatrical films. As such, there have been many, many media releases over the last 21 years. Twenty-four episode compilations have been released on VHS, forty-four episode compilations on DVD, and one episode compilation on BluRay. The first 11 seasons have been released on DVD as season sets. As opposed to a complete series set, as season 12 is still airing today, there have been two 100 episode collections as well as a 200 episode collection combining the first 200 episodes together.

There have been three theatrical films produced; The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, and The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run. The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie has been released on VHS, DVD, and BluRay and The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water on DVD and BluRay. The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run was intended to release in theatres throughout 2020, but due to the COVID-19 Global Pandemic, it has been announced that it will premiere through the CBS All Access streaming platform in 2021.

Sources:

https://spongebob.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_home_video_releases

https://deadline.com/2020/07/spongebob-squarepants-spinoff-kamp-koral-shifts-to-cbs-all-access-as-nickelodeon-library-shows-arrive-1202998734/

SpongeBob Logo

https://logos.fandom.com/wiki/SpongeBob_SquarePants

Another Klasky Csupo production, As Told By Ginger (2000) ran for three seasons. All three seasons were produced one after the other, but their airings varied immensely throughout the early aughts and into the teens. Unaired season three episodes finally debuted on Nickelodeon sister channel, The N, in 2016 and the series’ made for TV movie finale was never aired. While there are two episode compilations on VHS and DVD (Including the previously mentioned finale), there have been no season set releases. Shout! Factory even mentioned they never gained the distribution right during the height of their Nicktoon releases.

Sources

https://nickelodeon.fandom.com/wiki/As_Told_by_Ginger_videography

http://nickalive.blogspot.com/2016/10/the-splat-to-air-unaired-episodes-of-as.html

https://twitter.com/shoutfactory/status/229982733072490497?lang=en

As Told by GInger Logo

https://logos.fandom.com/wiki/As_Told_by_Ginger

Arguably the darkest comedy show Nickelodeon has produced, Invader Zim (2001) ran for two seasons in the early aughts. Media Blasters and Amazon’s manufacture-on-demand have released the series on DVD. Though the Media Blasters version have been long out of print and fetch high prices.

In 2019, Netflix produced and released a reboot film, Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus. It has not received a home media release.

Sources:
https://nickelodeon.fandom.com/wiki/Invader_Zim_videography

https://collider.com/netflix-nickelodeon-more-animated-shows-movies/

Invader Zim Logo

https://logos.fandom.com/wiki/Invader_Zim

A product of Oh Yeah! Cartoons, The Fairly OddParents (2001) was the most successful entity spawned from the anthology. Running for ten seasons, The Fairly OddParents have seven VHS episode compilations and eight DVD episode compilations. Amazon’s manufacturer-on-demand service has released the first eight seasons on DVD. Most of the 30 minute and up specials have been released in their respective season sets, except for those featured in Season 8 forward. The Jimmy/Timmy Power Hour and its two sequels have been released on stand alone DVDs. The three-part special, Wishology, was also released as a stand alone title.

In 2011 a live action, made for TV movie, A Fairly Odd Movie: Grow Up Timmy Turner, starring Drake Bell, was released. It spawned two more sequels, A Fairly Odd Christmas and A Fairly Odd Summer released in 2013 and 2014. All three films have been released on DVD.