Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #549 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-06-23
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Format: PAL
• Original language: French, Japanese
• Number of discs: 6
• Running time: 1120 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
It's taken far too long for one of the finest children's television programmes of the 1980s to make its journey to DVD, but thanks to this superb six-disc set, all 39 episodes of The Mysterious Cities Of Gold are finally available. And time has been very kind to it.

Don't remember it? Then at the very least, the theme tune is bound to stick (it's easily one of the best title tracks ever). But if you're one of the many who were charmed by this ambitious, epic adventure, then the return of The Mysterious Cities Of Gold will be very good news indeed. Set in the 1532, it follows Esteban on his search to find out the truth about his father, and also on the epic quest to find the cities of the show's title. Joined by Zia and Tao, and fighting against Gomez and Gaspard, it's a weaving, engrossing story, that fully justifies its sizeable running time.

What's more, The Mysterious Cities Of Gold holds up incredibly well. The animation may look a little dated, but it harks back to a time in the 1980s when ambitious programmes such as these were filling the childrens' TV schedules. And this was the best of the lot. With a darkness and edge that you simply wouldn't expect, it's a gripping tale, expertly told.

Further icing the cake, the DVD set that The Mysterious Cities Of Gold arrives on is nothing short of majestic, bursting with interesting features and a real care and attention that befits the programme itself. Which goes to make this collection something really very special indeed, not only bringing back a genuine classic from the archives, but doing it with a style that others would do well to match. Brilliant. --Simon Brew

DVD Description
In the year 1532, a Spanish orphan named Esteban joins a party of Spaniards in their search for one of The Seven Cities of Gold in the New World, hoping to find his father. He is joined on his quest by Zia, an Incan girl, and Tao, the last descendant of the sunken empire of Mu ("Hiva" in the English dub). The series is a mix of ancient South American history, archaeology, and science fiction. Esteban, Zia, and Tao encounter the Mayans, Inca, and Olmecs during their journey. The characters discover many lost technological wonders of the Mu Empire, including a solar powered ship (the Solaris) and The Golden Condor, a huge solar-powered would-be ornithopter (mechanical bird), capable of traveling considerable distances under the sun's power alone. They are constantly pursued by antagonists Gomez and Gaspard, who are also in search of the Cities of Gold. It is the 16th century. From all over Europe great ships sale west to conquer the New World, the Americas. These men eager to seek their fortune, to find new adventures in new lands. They long to cross uncharted seas and discover unknown countries. To find secret gold on a mountain trail high in the Andes. They dream of following the path of the setting sun that leads to Eldorado, and the Mysterious Cities Of Gold.

Synopsis
Set in the 16th Century, the kids programme THE MYSTERIOUS CITIES OF GOLD follows the adventures of Spanish child Esteban as he travels round the Americas to discover various Cities of Gold. He is joined on his quest by Incan girl Zia and Tao, the last descendent of his race.

Customer Reviews

Oh wow!!
Wow wow wow!! I absolutely loved this when I was younger and I can't wait until it's delivered! Already have the theme tune as my rington!! I'm almost 3 months pregnant and will definitely be watching this with the little one when he/she is born! Super!

The best Cartoon Series you're ever likely to watch
I have to say that when I originally watched this cartoon around 20 years ago, I became absolutely hooked. I couldn't believe how good it was. That was the general consensus of most people who watched it, it really was compulsive viewing!

Now having purchased it from HMV & watched it, it's even better than I remember it. The visuals are stunning & the music adds to the feel of the cartoon better than any other I have ever seen, but the storyline is what really hooks you.

I would have to describe this as a 'what if'. What if Eldorado really existed? What if there really was a city of Gold built by an advanced ancient civilisation? This is the cartoon that explores this thesis. Heavily based on historical fact, this combines it with a fantasy element, though not so much as to make it ridiculously unbelievable (as many other programmes and films have), rather it serves to educate the viewer in a mature & entertaining way. Combined with a historical piece at the end of each episode, it teaches you many things you were unaware of.

Okay, so nothing is perfect and it does have one or two flaws. The most obvious one being the dialogue. Sometimes it does indeed come across that the characters are reading from a script because the tone is somewhat fast and flat at times and I noticed that on occasions the characters will be walking single-file at a distance of about 50 or so feet and the last in line appears to hear what the first is saying, but that is soon forgotten in the brilliance of the piece.

Overall though it is a stunning piece of animation and the message that comes across over & over again during the 39 episodes is that love & compassion should always take presidence over greed & self interest. In a word, Unmissable!

I thought this would never happen
"Mysterious Cities of Gold" on DVD! Who'd have thought? I remember being at uni in 2000 and having to watch the episodes in RealPlayer format as nobody knew who held the copyright to the series! To whoever sorted out the copyright mess, THANK YOU.

This is a box set that has been lovingly put together. Nothing is lacking, they've put everything in here that you could possibly want, including the hilarious moment when Philip Schofield and Gordon the Gopher sang along to the theme tune (which I remember from the first time around).

Some cartoon series don't hold up to adult viewing but this one does. Apart from the interesting factual clips at the end of each episode, the series does not skip over the darker side of history and the characters actually have some depth. But I know I'm preaching to the choir. Buy it, treasure it, show your kids how cartoons used to be made.