Jetsons: The Movie

My family bought the video one Christmas as a gift for my dad, who has been a Jetsons fan for years. Our whole family enjoyed the Jetsons Movie. Tiffany plays the voice of Judy and sings some really nice songs. I liked their attempt at a politically correct story. Besides, this film is the Jetsons! How can you not like that? ;)

This movie is actually great! I wasn't expecting it to be as good as it was! I didn't grow up watching the Jetsons at all. So I couldn't compare it to the actual cartoon but part of me wishes I did. The music was pretty catchy and it's heart felt moments made me wish I was a kid watching this! I love that cute little guy Elroy! He was my favorite!

Reminder, this was made in the 90's. Obviously flaws but that doesn't matter. This movie with it's flaws made it great! The message of the movie is that family comes first! That's what matters!

Despite the Fact that the "Hanna-Barbera" Animation Studios Scored with Prime Time Hits like "The Flintstones" and had a Gaggle of other Characters become Household Names like "The Jetsons", "Huckleberry Hound", "Yogi Bear", and others, They will Forever be given a Dishonorable Mention as the Studio that Killed "Full Animation" Glory.

The "Fleischer" Studio (creators of Popeye and Betty Boop), "Warner Brothers" (Bugs, Daffy, etc.), had Made Wonderful Fully Animated Cartoons for Decades, but when Sixties Television Came along "Art" was No Longer the First Concern, it was, You Guessed it, Economy. So the Cheap and it Looked it, Hanna-Barbera Flat Animation Won over.

Not to be Stifled by this Limitation, Jay Ward came Up with "Rocky and Bullwinkle" with Incredible Witty Scripts and Characters, and Blew Hanna-Barbera Off TV Screens and Showed Them for what they were. Quicky, Cheap, Superficial Non-Art.

"The Jetsons" and the Rest of the Studio Lineup did have a Modicum of Charm and Except for the Aforementioned "Jay Ward" Studios, It was All there was for Kids and Grownup Kids at the Time on the Tube (new productions).

This Feature Length Movie was made Thirty Years After the Fact and is an OK Time Waster for Fans of "The Jetsons" Family.

The Most Controversy for Fans was Replacing Janet Waldo as the Voice of "Judy Jetson" with Pop Star "Tiffany". A Few of Her Songs are Included in the Film for the Modern Audiences. There is One Song, "You and Me", that is a Show-Stopping, Psychedelic, Extravagance that is Atypical of the Usual Uninspired Animation from the Studio. The Song and the Visuals just Rock.

Other than that bit on Inspiration, this is Typical Jetsonsawith an Environmental, Almost Socialistic, Storyline. Overall, It can be Enjoyed by Fans and Non-Fans alike if Nothing that Special.

I have a lot of nostalgia for The Jetsons. The cartoon was one of my favorites as a child in the 1980s. I don't have that same nostalgia for the movie or even remember when I actually saw it for the first time. I decided to watch it to see if I wanted to buy the newly released Blu-Ray version.

The Good: The animation is wonderful. The artists took the look right from the cartoon and gave it a boost for the big screen. The story is also nice and fits in with the world of the Jetsons. Daws Butler, the original voice of Elroy, sadly passed away before the movie was made but his replacement does a decent job. Otherwise most of the original voice cast is here, but more on that later. The musical score is well done, the iconic theme is heard throughout in different variations.

Not So Good: It always seems to come down to the voice cast when cartoons are turned into feature films. As I said most of the cast from the show are in the movie. Sadly Mel Blanc (Spacely) and George O'Hanlon (George) died during production and another actor finished their parts. I didn't notice this with Mr. Spacely but there are several scenes where George's voice was much different. I certainly don't blame the studio for this. But my biggest issue is what they did to Judy Jetson's character.

The original voice actor, Janet Waldo, recorded all her dialog for Judy only to be replaced by singer Tiffany. Of course Tiffany doesn't sound anything like the Judy we know and love, and the volume of songs make the movie feel like a vehicle for the singer's career. They should have kept Janet for the voice work and let Tiffany sing the songs, either as herself animated or just for the soundtrack. I would love to see the movie with Janet Waldo's voice restored but I'm guessing that is a pipe dream.

Summary: They did a lot of good things with the Jetsons movie but the studio screwed it up by replacing one of the iconic voice cast with a popular singer for the time. Maybe I'll give it another watch and change my feelings in the future.

Hollywood has kept this trend going with other cartoon properties. They just don't trust the property enough to let it speak for itself, they have to attach big name actors to it. Ugh!

Right off the bat, I have to say that this has a AWESOME soundtrack. Although a Hanna-Barbera production, it takes a kind of Disney "musical" approach with animated song sequences - but with contemporary production with the likes of Tiffany and others providing power ballads, pop-rock, swingin' beats and cheesy rap.

The animation is perfect. The colors are magnificent (e.g. During Judy's song sequence at the new mall). The minimally used CGI is inoffensive. There was an era when CGI complemented cel animation rather than dominating it, and Jetsons: The Movie fits into that happy medium. If there's one issue I took, it was that I initially felt the light shading on the characters were a tad overdone. You quickly get used to it though.

HOWEVER: The plot and story aren't all that. The plot resolves too easily at the end and therefore feels somewhat unsatisfying. Perhaps it could be argued that, as a kids' film, the story didn't need to be too complicated. Well maybe ... but Jetsons presents itself more as a family franchise than a children's one.

I think the film should have focused itself more as an audiovisual feast and perhaps added just one more song. Then I'd rate it higher. It has much going for it, but is frustratingly flawed. A hidden gem that needed a little polishing for it to truly shine.