The Emmy Award-winning TV series originally entitled, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, is a series that ran from 1992 until 1996. The 44 episodes follow the early years of Young Indy, as he meets many important figures and historical events on his travel, with his parents and tutor, as they travel all over the world. It’s a show that was created to both entertain and educate the viewer about history through Young Indy’s encounters and experiences. George Lucas wrote an extensive timeline that would have covered 70 episodes starting in 1905 and leading all the way up to the feature films.
If the series would have seen a third season we would have been introduced to young versions of characters that we met and or learned about in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Too bad sounds like the series was just getting started and we would even have seen Indy having adventures even at the wee early age of five years old. But hey that’s typical for TV giving up on shows before their time and holding on to less worthy shows. Just look at Twin Peaks, My So-Called Life and even more recently Arrested Development were cancelled leaving us wanting more.
With volume one, we find Young Indy meeting the likes of Theodore Roosevelt, Norman Rockwell, Pablo Picasso, Thomas Edison, Winston Churchill and is even there when they discover King Tut’s tomb. These are just the few of the many adventures we are privy to experience with the Young Indy in volume one. The show is full of beautiful locations shot all over the world and was very well done for the budget of TV at that time. One can only imagine how wonderful they would look with the technology improvements of the modern era.
The 12-disc DVD set includes seven feature length episodes that give us a taste of history. But where the episodes only give you a taste of historical reference the 38 documentaries explore in details the lives and the real events that we find Indy face to face. These documentaries are wonderful and if not a bit unusual, but a perfect companion piece to this box set. When Indy meets Lawrence of Arabia we have a documentary entitled “Colonel Lawrence’s War- T.E. Lawrence and Arabia.” When Young Indy briefly discusses love with Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung there are companion pieces about Freud and Jung. It’s unusual but fascinating to be given an education on the historical aspects that are explored in the seven episodes. You always hear people are growing up learning a distorted version of history from the movies and now you can get the facts from these documentaries in the box set.
Also include in this box set is a interactive historical timeline DVD ROM that allows you pick through Young Indy’s journal or click through the years with highlights of events on the map. The journal walks through an interactive guide of each episode (that includes all episodes in this and the other two box sets as well). Picking a journal entry or episode allows you to select a historical figure or event (from that episode) and educate you with a description on them, show pictures of the actual person or event, offer related documentaries and films and even allow you to click on links for additional information available on the internet. It’s a fun way to expand and learn more about the historical aspects that are just touched on in the episodes. It’s also good for a teaser to the episodes to come in the next two box sets.
Volume one is only the first of three volumes of this complete series. The episodes, although a family geared show, are still worthy and enjoyable at any age. The next box set is set to be released next month on December 18th entitled The War Year's with Indy played by Sean Patrick Flanery, who's story lines seem to deliver more action and stunts like the Harrison Ford films. So pick up volume one today and be ready for the next installment that will help to rev you up for the fourth movie in May.
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