This is one of the best pieces of animation I own. I don't necessarily mean in the quality of the art (though it is perfect; fans of the comic strip will be pleased). The script, the themes, everything is excellent. Characters are true to their life, and a central theme runs throughout - namely, the onset of the 1970s and the end of the 60s.
I've said before that this short film makes me nostalgic for a time and a place I never was. Indeed, I was born in 1972 and it is with some amusement that I realize that the young children at the day care center are *my* generation and demographic; when this movie was released I, myself, was in nursery school.
Although I come from a family seemingly untouched by the 60s, the era, for reasons I fail to completely understand, placed an indelible mark on my psyche; in a sense I carry a chip on my shoulder for being born 20 years too late. Feels like I should have been there. But who knows what it was *really* like. I wish I knew more people who were active participants in the era. I want to understand how we get from then, to now. I'm 30 now, and have so many questions about this, an era that has been reduced to absurdity and image. I know there was more to it. Where has everybody gone?
However, this movie makes me wonder what it would have been like to have been there when the whole era came to an end. The movie starts with Zonker suggesting that the commune be dissolved. It proceeds with reminiscing about "the good old days" of activism, protest, and rebellion, and tries to reconcile the past with the present, the onset of adulthood, and more mundane concerns.
Like the excellent comic strip, this movie is humorous with serious underlying themes. I've always admired the ability of people like Trudeau to be able to walk that line, and this film does so admirably. There's much excess in the 60s to ridicule (the football scene in the film, with Zonker stoned on the field, is hilarious), but there's also something precious and valuable about it, and while the film has fun with it, it's never outright mocked. I appreciated that.
Frankly, I wouldn't change a thing. It is worth tracking down. I wonder if we'll ever have an option to buy this on DVD. It truly is one of my favorite things, ever.
Fans of the cool Jimmy Thudpucker soundtrack will be happy to know that the songs featured in the film are available for download legally as mp3s from doonesbury.com
Do yourself a favor and make a little extra effort to locate this one. It's really been a long time since anyone endeavored to do something of this quality and substance in animation.
