After decades of being largely inactive, the classic characters from the Hanna-Barbera line up from the 60s, 70s and 80s are brought back to the mainstream zeitgeist in Jellystone. With impressive animation, new and inventive personalities and outstanding humor, this show more than succeeds in making these classic cartoons feel new again.
Developed by C. H. Greenblatt (creator of Chowder and Harvey Beaks), Jellystone follows the misadventures of the residents in the titular town. Each episode focuses on a different character and is 11 minutes of pure cartoon silliness. The writing of each episode is very clever and smartly written, taking familiar trope and scenarios and flipping them in unique and funny ways. Episodes like Grocery Store, A Coconut To Remember, El Kabong's Kabong Is Gone and Mr. Flabby Dabby Wabby Jabby take familiar set ups and make them stand out with clever gags, smart character interactions and plenty of slapstick. The show's greatest strengths is indeed it's humor, but that's only made possible with a cast of memorable characters.
The residents of Jellystone have gotten significant upgrades from their early days as series regulars in the 60s and 70s. Yogi Bear is still as aloof as ever but now he's a doctor with Boo Boo and Cindy as his co-workers. Huckleberry Hound is a laid-back and chill mayor of Jellystone with Mr. Jinks as his assistant and Snagglepuss as his public relations advisor. Doggie Daddy is a comically overprotective parent to Augie, but unlike most depictions of this trope, she doesn't seem to mind. Jabberjaw is a boy-crazed cheerful woman, Magilla Gorilla is a mild mannered fashion freak, Captain Caveman is a fun loving friend and the Banana Splits are now a gang of thugs. Other characters in the show also have significant changes to their original depictions but not all of them work so well. Grape Ape is nothing more than a 40 foot tall gorilla who doesn't speak, The King and his gang are cliche dance rivals and Squiddly Diddly is a generic valley girl archetype. All that said though, most of the residents in this town is entertaining and funny enough to make up for its shortcommings.
The voice acting in this show is excellent with many of the actors breathing new life into these characters. Jeff Bergman perfectly captures the aloof personality of Yogi Bear and does an excellent job giving distinct voices to Mr. Jinks, Wally Gator, and Lippy The Lion. Series creator C. H. Greenblatt also does a fantastic job voicing various characters in Jellystone and each of them sounds very distinct and fitting to the character's personality. From the mild mannered Boo Boo to the frantically protective Doggie Daddy, to the nerdy Peter Potamus, Greenblatt is a very talented voice actor that brings his A game to the show. Dana Snyder is does a great job voicing Snagglepuss, Cavey Jr., and Touche Turtle, making them all sound very distinct and entertaining. Ron Funches did a superb job voicing Shag Rugg, making him sound like a kid from the farmland who picked up hip lingo not too long ago and it never once came off as cringy. Georgie Kidder was excellent as Augie, making her sound like a very caring and helpful kid who loves that her father is so protective of her. Jim Conroy also deserves credit for making Huckleberry Hound sound so calm and content, even in grave situations while also making Captain Caveman sound very distinct from him. The voice acting in this show is nothing short of excellent and everyone deserves credit for their work.
Visually, this show has some really good animation. The characters have a more simple design to them, yet they still resemble their original counterparts. The characters move very smoothly and whenever the scene calls for it, the stretch out their limps and get flatten like pancakes in classic cartoony fashion. The look of Jellystone as a town is really well down with the buildings and roads being well detailed and the alley Top Cat and his crew reside in being perfectly grimey and messy.
Jellystone is everything I could've hoped for in a revival of these classic Hanna-Barbera characters. With new and entertaining personalities, really funny gags, impressive animation and excellent voice acting, this is certainly show that I think would've made William Hanna and Joseph Barbera smile. I recommend giving this a watch, even if you're not familiar with Hanna-Barbera characters. I had a great time watching this show and I'm looking forward to Season 2.
