Review: The Real Ghostbusters Firehouse DVD boxset

In this post, I am taking a look at The Real Ghostbusters Complete Collection Firehouse DVD boxset. This boxset is one of the best releases for a classic cartoon series I have seen, and I figured you might like to take cast your eye over it.

Released in 2008 by Time Life/Time Warner, this boxset contains every single episode of The Real Ghostbusters (1986 – 1991), as well as a wealth of bonus material, including introductions, commentaries and every Slimershort.

Want to know more? Then read on for details.

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Bustin’ makes me feel good

Some important information before I begin – especially if you want to own one of these boxsets for yourself.

The Real Ghostbusters Complete Collection Firehouse DVD boxset was released in 2008 in the US. This set was not produced for the international market, and contained Region 1 DVDs.

You’ll note I am using the past tense here, because this boxset is no longer in print. So, if you want to own one of these boxsets and you are able to play Region 1 DVDs, then you will need to hunt it down on the secondary market.

And now for an extra word of warning.

As you will discover in a moment, this is a jam-packed DVD release. As such, it is pretty sought after, and that means it costs a small fortune to buy on the secondary market.

I live in the UK, but was fortunate enough to buy one of these sets when they were still in print. I paid around £100 at the time, but you should now expect to pay at least double that online.

It is best that you know this, before you fall in love with this set. Which you will.

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Spook central

Let’s start with the most noticeable feature of this set, which separates it from other Real Ghostbusters DVD releases that have been produced, and that is the Firehouse casing. The casing depicts the iconic GB HQ (aka the Firehouse) and looks so good.

Measuring 8” high, by 6” wide and 3.5” deep, the Firehouse packaging is made from sturdy cardboard and includes an impressive print, which wraps all the way around the box. The front, sides, and top of the box all include neat little details (Slimer, Ecto-1 etc), while the rear is less detailed, but includes a lenticular image of Slimer.

A second lenticular image can also be found on the left side of the Firehouse. This image depicts the ‘No Ghosts’ logo – a staple of the Ghostbusters franchise.

To access the DVDs, simply lift the top half of the boxset upwards. This will separate the box into two halves and will reveal five DVD cases, a booklet, and a cardboard sleeve containing a bonus DVD.

Now it is at this point that I should mention the initial run of this boxset contained five steelbooks which housed the DVDs. The steelbooks were limited edition, so only appeared during the early production run.

As you can see from the images in this post, I do not own the steelbook edition. Does this bother me? Not in the slightest. The plastic cases feature the same artwork as the steelbook release, and they are equally as appealing to me.

Each case boasts its own cover artwork, as well as sketch-style illustrations on the interior. A lot of effort has been made to produce a top quality product, and it is details like this which demonstrate this is a high quality release.

The five DVD cases are accompanied by a bonus disc, which is housed in a cardboard sleeve. This disc contains a wealth of extra content (more about that in a moment), which enhances the offering.

In addition is a small, full-colour booklet. The booklet includes a rundown of all the episodes featured in the set, including both The Real Ghostbusters episodes AND the bonus Slimer shorts.

You may have forgotten about this, but Slimer starred in his own series of shorts. All 33 shorts are included with this set, alongside a whopping 140 episodes of The Real Ghostbusters.

OK, let’s breakdown the discs…

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The discs

The five DVD cases contain the following:

• Volume One – Five discs
• Volume Two – Five discs
• Volume Three – Five discs
• Volume Four – Five discs
• Volume Five – Four discs

Total: 24 discs 

The 24 discs contain all 140 episodes of The Real Ghostbusters, all 33 Slimer shorts, and heaps of bonus content, including featurettes, episode introductions, image galleries, music tracks, and commentaries.

The set also includes a bonus disc, which includes the following:

• Promo pilot
• Promo pilot visual commentary 
• Extended interviews
• DVD promo trailer
• Alternate series credits
• Title card slideshow 
• DVD-Rom material 

Between the 24 regular discs and the bonus disc, there is plenty of supplementary material for fans of The Real Ghostbusters.

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Recap

The Real Ghostbusters Firehouse DVD boxset includes: 

• Firehouse casing
• 25 discs 
• 140 episodes of The Real Ghostbusters 
• 33 Slimer shorts
• Approximately 61 hours running time
• Boxset measures 8” x 6” x 3.5”

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Who you gonna call?

I loved The Real Ghostbusters when it first aired on TV screens, but I never managed to watch every episode. Thanks to this boxset I was able to watch the show from start to finish, and indulge in all of the bonus content.

As noted above, I paid a sizeable price to do this, but it was worth every penny. There is over 60 hours of material on offer here, and it kept my going for months.

The 1980s produced many great cartoons, but few have been given high quality DVD boxset releases like The Real Ghostbusters. I’m so glad this show got the special treatment, as this is a glorious boxset which sits proudly within my collection and allows me to revisit the series in style.

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Recap

The Real Ghostbusters Firehouse DVD boxset includes: 

• Firehouse casing
• 25 discs 
• 140 episodes of The Real Ghostbusters 
• 33 Slimer shorts
• Approximately 61 hours running time
• Boxset measures 8” x 6” x 3.5”

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Thanks for stopping by It’s A Stampede! to read this post about the The Real Ghostbusters Firehouse complete DVD boxset. If you like what you see here, be sure to check out my guide to the best episodes of The Real Ghostbusters, and of course, take a look at the recommended reads below.

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