The Defenders of the Earth DVD Box set was released by Force Entertainment in Australia in 2006. The box set features the Defenders of the Earth cartoon series, a syndicated animated television series released in the US in 1986, produced by Marvel Productions and King Features Entertainment. The premise united the heroes of classic newspaper comic strips to defend Earth from the evil villain Ming the Merciless in the futuristic year 2015. The DVD box set is fully licensed by King Features Syndicate.
Force Entertainment was a prominent Australian independent home video distributor that operated from the early 1990s through the late 2000s. Originally founded as Force Video, the company initially built its reputation during the VHS era by distributing B-movies, special interest documentaries, and budget-friendly titles. By the mid-2000s, they rebranded to Force Entertainment to reflect a more diverse catalog that included mainstream television, gaming products, and high-profile DVD acquisitions.
The company’s catalog was notably eclectic, catering to both mainstream audiences and niche collectors. They held the Australian distribution rights for popular television series like Mythbusters and Bondi Rescue, while simultaneously becoming a favorite for horror fans by releasing cult classics such as Halloween and Deep Red. Their library also spanned a wide array of special interest content, ranging from fitness programs to motorsport highlights, filling a gap in the market often overlooked by major Hollywood-owned studios.
The era of Force Entertainment came to a close in May 2008, when the company was acquired by Beyond International Group. Following the acquisition, the brand was integrated into Beyond’s existing distribution infrastructure and eventually rebranded as Beyond Home Entertainment. Today, the Force logo remains a nostalgic marker for Australian media collectors, representing the transition from physical tapes to the peak of the DVD market.
The Defenders of the Earth DVD Box set comprises six unnumbered DVD cases and discs, all elegantly presented within a robust cardboard slipcase designed to safeguard the internal contents. Each DVD features a curated selection of episodes from the animated series Defenders of the Earth. This box set was released exclusively in Australia and New Zealand, specifically tailored for Region 4 compatibility, thus rendering it viewable solely on DVD players located in Australia, New Zealand, and Latin America.
The six DVDs comprise the complete 65-episode series of Defenders of the Earth, featuring a total running time of 1,255 minutes. Each DVD is distinctly titled, providing viewers with a preview of the content offered on each specific disc. Although the DVDs are not numbered, the titles on each case allow us to place them in order of the discs according to the chronological appearance of each episode within the series.
- DVD 1 – Escape From Mongo
- DVD 2 – The Panther Peril
- DVD 3 – Doorways Into Darkness
- DVD 4 – Proof Highway
- DVD 5 – The Deadliest Battle
- DVD 6 – Ming Winter
The reverse side of each case provides additional information regarding the contents of each DVD, including a small title image panel for each of the episodes of Defenders of the Earth. Moreover, supplementary details are noted, such as copyright information, year of release, viewer rating, running time of the DVD, and other relevant information.
On the reverse side of each DVD case, one can also find a succinct description of the Defenders of the Earth cartoon series, which is uniformly presented across all six cases. This two-paragraph description elaborates on the series’ themes and characters, reading:
Tyrant Ming the Merciless and his vast army of evil accomplices are working overtime to eliminate the human race. But the Defenders of the Earth, led by legendary crime fighters The Phantom, Flash Gordon, Mandrake and his trusted confidant and bodyguard Lothar, join forces with their uniquely talented, teenage children to challenge Ming and his evil followers in a series of great adventures. Both sides employ powerful computers and space age technology in their arsenal of weapons.
To defeat Ming, the Defenders must learn to work effectively as a team and cope with the conflicts that face all people of different backgrounds and ages who must join together in an important cause. For a frightened but determined planet, they are our last, best hope. They are the Defenders of the Earth!
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