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Charlotte's Web (1973)
Terrific, Humble, and Radiant!
I must admit that Charlotte's Web (1973) is very true to the book and better than the live action remake (I like the remake too, but I like the original better for the most part)! For the longest time, I had no idea that Hanna Barbera made this. This is a heartwarming story of a clever spider named Charlotte who uses her web to write words to describe a pig named Wilbur and save him from being slaughtered. The songs aren't overly saccharine and are actually quite catchy.
Debbie Reynolds' Charlotte is warm and wise, Wilbur is naive and friendly, and Templeton provides the perfect foil as a spoiled rat who's just in it for himself.
Piglet's Big Movie (2003)
Piglet's Big Movie is Sweet and Heartwarming!
Piglet's Big Movie is a sweet movie, but I don't think it's as good as The Tigger Movie. It shows how big of an impact Piglet has had on his friends' lives. He was the first to befriend Kanga and Roo and realize that they're not the mean and dangerous kangaroos everyone initially thought they were, he saved Roo when he (Roo) fell in the water and almost drowned, he found an inventive way to be able to find where Eeyore's house belongs no matter what happens to it, and more. Piglet may not have as much screentime (in most Winnie the Pooh incarnations) or personality as Pooh Bear, Tigger, Eeyore, or Rabbit, but these items are all signs that he's still an important character in the franchise. He may be small and easily frightened, but he also puts other's needs first at all times, is always happy to see his friends, and can be brave from time to time.
Additionally, Piglet initially feels that his friends don't need him, and they don't notice that he helped out with their plan to get honey from the bees, which many of us can relate to. However, Pooh and company regret their behavior when he goes missing and go out to look for him. They also look at his scrapbook to find clues where he could be and learn that small individuals can do big things.
This leads to a heartwarming scene where the characters have a big party for Piglet to show him how much they appreciate him and do new drawings for his scrapbook, which brings him to tears and makes him feel so big. This is also a reminder of how we should value and treat our precious friendships.
There's a funny part in the party scene where Piglet gets stuck in a bubble, and Roo plays Pin the Tail on the Donkey and accidentally puts Eeyore's tail on Tigger. These scenarios make all the characters laugh, even Eeyore. Describing funniness is not my specialty, but this moment really stands out to me. Also, how many times have you heard or seen Eeyore laugh? Not very many, I suppose.
I must admit that Piglet's drawings are very nicely done! The scenes where the drawings are animated look like a kid's drawings coming to life. They look better than the art style in Peppa Pig because the characters still have full bodies, and it's easy to tell who and what is in the drawings just by looking at them. Talk about a childlike animation style done right!
The movie has a great selection of songs, with most of them being sung by Carly Simon. She sings her own rendition of the Winnie the Pooh theme song as well as some original songs, such as "Sing Ho for the Life of a Bear" and "With a Few Good Friends." To put more bread on the table, the characters sing most of the lines in the former, and it has a catchy and upbeat marching tune that I find fun to listen to. Simon's vocals and the music in her songs are very soft and relaxing to listen to.
Like most good media, Piglet's Big Movie is not without its flaws. 1) Pooh Bear doesn't recognize Piglet when his shirt is fluffed after taking a bath at Kanga's house, but the former recognizes the latter when he (Piglet) is stuck in Christopher Robin's boot. I'm very much aware that Pooh is a bear of very little brain, but it still doesn't make sense to me because Piglet's face and the rest of his body are revealed when his shirt is fluffed, while only his feet are revealed when he's in the boot. 2) Continuity error: Tigger is in the flashback where Kanga and Roo move to the Hundred Acre Wood, yet he was the last main character in the franchise to be introduced and move to the Hundred Acre Wood. 3) Rabbit says that Piglet and Roo are the same height, but they're not. The former is slightly taller than the latter. 4) This is more of a series of short stories than one story, but I don't know how that could be fixed.
Too Smart for Strangers (1985)
Scary, Too Dark, and Confusing, Though Not Terrible
I'm neutral to Welcome to Pooh Corner, and it is not as good as any other Winnie the Pooh incarnation. I didn't grow up with Welcome to Pooh Corner because it's from long before I was born, it didn't have any reruns on TV at all during my lifetime, and I never owned any of the video releases. However, I've seen this episode and many other ones online. This is the worst or least good WTPC episode/special. This is one out of the only three episodes on YouTube, and I've seen all of them. I was originally planning on going in-depth about this in my review on WTPC as a whole, but after learning there was a page for it, I decided to do separate reviews on this episode and the series as a whole. I don't like Too Smart for Strangers, I don't hate/dislike it, it's a mixed bag like the rest of the series. Allow me to explain why.
Too Smart for Strangers has had a controversy in recent years because of the part where Pooh talks about molestation and genitals. I agree that it is too dark for a kid's show, especially anything Pooh-related, although the title character is right about touching others' private parts and molesting being unacceptable. How does he know about that? The animals from the Hundred Acre Wood are all naked/nearly naked plush dolls with no private parts and no pants. I never thought I'd hear my favorite bear talk about these items.
Pooh Bear and Piglet are right about stranger danger and any mention of it being scary and doing what we can to avoid strangers being a smart thing to do. However, the former comes off as TOO smart. So much for being a bear of very little brain. Too Smart for Strangers? More like Too Dumb for Strangers.
Tigger and Roo sing a duet about making your parents believe what you report to them about encountering a stranger. It briefly says if your parents don't believe what you say, you should keep repeating it until they believe you. It doesn't work that way (or does it?).
The plot is very confusing. I mentioned a couple of the plot holes earlier, but there's more. The characters watch multiple clips of real-life kids encountering strangers and how they handle it, and they mention being friends with those kids. How do they know them? Have they met them off-screen previously? Christopher Robin and his parents, Sora from Kingdom Hearts, and Darby from My Friends Tigger and Pooh appear to be the only humans who can find the Hundred Acre Wood. In a duet Pooh and Piglet sing towards the end, they say if they were to end up in stranger danger, they'd tell their moms or dads. They don't have any parents. Pooh and his friends live in their own little forest and don't encounter many strangers. They don't go into the real world very much. How do they know how to handle stranger danger? Could Christopher Robin have learned about stranger danger and touching others inappropriately in school and talked to his stuffed animals about them? I can't imagine a kid having such a conversation with his toys. The plot of Pooh's Great School Bus Adventure (another one of the show's educational specials and one of the other episodes on YouTube) makes sense to me because Pooh Bear mentions Christopher Robin taught him about school bus safety and etiquette, and the characters learn more tips from their adventure on the bus. They could've done the same with this episode but with the characters coming face to face with a stranger instead of riding a bus.
Instead of using the plot they picked, a stranger (maybe a heffalump or a woozle) could've come to the Hundred Acre Wood, and Pooh or one of his friends could've talked to the stranger, leading to them being kidnapped or ending up in some other kind of stranger danger. The characters who haven't been kidnapped or in stranger danger could've worked together to rescue their friend, and the victim could've learned what to do while in stranger danger and eventually got saved by himself/herself or their friends. The plot they picked could've worked if the episode/special came out sometime after The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh started because some new characters in the Pooh franchise have been introduced since then, and more creatures have been able to find the Hundred Acre Wood, but there are no new characters in Welcome to Pooh Corner.
There are 2 clips of kids being left at home by themselves, and they don't look or sound old enough to be left home alone. In one clip, a stranger shows up at a girl's front door, and she reports this to her parents on the telephone and doesn't let the stranger in. In the other one, a boy receives a phone call from a stranger, hangs up right away, calls his parents, and reports the stranger to them. Who leaves under-aged kids home alone anymore?
I already knew most of what Too Smart for Strangers was teaching before I watched it for the first time, but I learned a few tips from it, such as how strangers can be easy to come across at not-so-crowded places like construction sites and alleys and to never ride home with somebody I've never met who says they're friends with one of my relatives.
The special came out at the right time (1985). Back then, kidnapping was very common, and Disney had no choice but to make a PSA about what to do if one were to end up in stranger danger. Using familiar characters in a PSA is a more effective way to handle it than using real-life, unfamiliar faces because that could give more people motivation to watch it, and your favorite characters are shown to be in a similar situation you might be in. However, they could've made a PSA with different characters, like maybe the Mickey Mouse gang. Using Pooh characters was out of place, but the information is useful for the most part. If you don't like this and are looking for a better PSA about stranger danger with familiar characters, watch the Sonic Says "Stranger Danger" skit from The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog.
Dora (2024)
It Isn't as Bad as the Original
I used to love the original Dora the Explorer series when I was younger, but now I hate it and find that it doesn't hold up anymore. I decided to watch the reboot because I heard that it was an improvement from the original in some ways. I recently watched 6 full episodes, so I gave it a fair chance. It's not as bad as the original, but it's not that much of an improvement. It lacks some of the original's problems, and others remain. If you're a fan of the original Dora, it's unlikely that you'll like the reboot. If you like the reboot or the source material, I can handle your opinion.
Pros:
1. The source material's theme song has been replaced with a new theme song, which I don't find anywhere near as annoying.
2. Dora and Boots surprisingly don't scream a majority of their lines at the top of their lungs anymore, unlike their original portrayals. Instead, they're calmer and more patient with the viewers like Steve, Joe, and Josh from Blue's Clues.
3. Backpack and Map's theme songs, the Travel Song, and We Did It are shortened, and they're not in every episode, so they're not as annoying or repetitive as their original versions. They're also less likely to get stuck in your head when you don't want them to.
4. The pacing is faster than the source material: the reboot's episodes are only 11 minutes, while the source material's episodes are 22 minutes (except for the specials). This means Dora and Boots can now walk a mile in only a minute or two, and they no longer have to overcome obstacles in order to do simple tasks like picking blueberries or buying ice cream.
Cons:
1. Dora and company are still the same annoying, oblivious, flat, and one-dimensional characters, except for the Grumpy Old Troll.
2. The characters still treat the audience like idiots by asking dumb questions that are impossible for even a 4-year-old to answer incorrectly, like "Is this a triangle?" and "Can you see that blue house?". That's right, Dora still asks the audience where her destinations are all the time, even when they're right in front of her or next to her and hard to miss.
3. The series has a generic, Cocomelon-like animation style.
4. Dora and Boots still do their "Swiper, no swiping!" routine, and it still scares Swiper away every time. This could make little kids think they can stop a thief from stealing their belongings and scare them away just by shouting "Swiper, no swiping!" or something similar.
5. Swiper's motivation to steal Dora's belongings is still never explained. To make matters worse, he still never learns not to take things that don't belong to him no matter what. One might think he'd learn from his mistakes after being called out for them thousands of times and that he'd get headaches from hearing Dora and Boots shout at him all the time, but apparently not.
6. Boots is now fluent in both Spanish and English, making the Spanish lessons pointless. He originally only spoke English, and Dora would always teach him Spanish, which allowed the audience to learn Spanish too, as bad as the original series is.
7. The Grumpy Old Troll is now a good guy, and he has less personality than in the original series (from what I've seen). His original portrayal wasn't too good either, but at least he had more personality back then.
8. Map is now female for some unspecified reason. If it's for the sake of gender equality, that seems unnecessary since the source material already had a balanced representation of both male and female characters.
The Loud House (2015)
I Wouldn't Trade It for the World (pun absolutely intended)
The Loud House is my absolute favorite modern cartoon! I'm mostly into old/classic cartoon shows, but there aren't an awful lot of modern ones that I like, only some. This is one of the only modern ones I watch regularly. After years of dumb sitcoms and brain-dead cartoons, we finally have a modern Nicktoon that doesn't overuse hyperactivity, mean-spiritedness, and grossout humor! I've heard some say it has been going downhill ever since season 5. I haven't seen much of season 5-onwards, but like the previous seasons, some of the episodes from those seasons are bad, and some are good. If I watch more episodes from the aforementioned seasons, maybe I would agree with those people.
The show is a slice of life show about 11-year-old (12-year-old in season 5-onwards) Lincoln Loud and his 10 sisters. It shows what it's like to be in a big family, which is something I never could have imagined before watching this, and I find the episodes unpredictable and interesting because of that. I'm not part of a big family, so how was I supposed to know what that was like before I started watching this? The Loud family has a problematic life and gets into all sorts of unusual situations and scenarios because of the number of people who live in the Loud House, such as waiting in line to go to the bathroom at home for hours, getting fed up with eating the same 7 dinners every week, the kids waking up extra early to each leave for school on time, the house falling apart due to certain parts (the shower pipes, the sinks, etc.) being used by each of the members too much, and more. Because they get into fights a lot and there are always obstacles in their way, the parents very seldom get to relax. I usually hate seeing people get into fights, but now that I've seen this, I know that a lot of the time it's hard for big families to not fight. Because there are 13 people in the Loud family, they each have their own picks for what to watch on TV, the music they want to listen to in the car, what they want to buy at the store, and much more, and they often can't choose one pick to all agree on. However, they love each other deep down, and Lincoln is grateful for having a large family, even though sometimes they give him troubles, make too much noise for him to handle, and annoy him. I heard in a YouTube video and on the Loud House Wiki that Chris Savino, the creator, based the show on his childhood experiences. He grew up in a large family, so it's obvious that he knows what he's doing. If you're wondering what it's like to be part of a big family, the show is likely to answer any questions you may have.
This is probably one of the most diverse cartoons to ever be made because it has a very diverse cast of characters with a variety of different ethnicities, backgrounds, personalities, and whatnot, which gives it more originality and acceptance for people who are colored, act different from the average person, etc. The Loud kids each have their own unique personalities: Lori is the oldest and the typical teenage girl who's boy crazy, bossy, and always on her smartphone, Leni is the ditzy fashionista and the nicest of the sisters, Lucy is the poetic emo goth girl, Lisa is the science nerd who's incredibly smart for a 4-year-old (5-year-old in season 5-onwards. No pun intended), Luna is the musician, Luan is the amateur comedian and prankster, Lynn is the competitive athlete (even though I don't like her, mainly because of her habit of making everything into a competition. I thought I'd still mention her because she's one of the Loud kids and so you all know I didn't forget about her), Lola and Lana are polar opposite twins (the former is a girly girl who wears a princess dress and has tea parties, and the latter is a mud-loving, dumpster diving tomboy who's good at fixing things), Lily is the family baby who runs around naked and constantly poops in her diaper like any other baby (only in seasons 1-4), and of course, Lincoln is the only boy who loves playing video games, watching science fiction movies, collecting coins, skateboarding, and rock music, and he's always coming up with elaborate plans. The Louds and a majority of their associates are white/Caucasian like me, but Lincoln's friend group consists of kids with a variety of different ethnicities and accents: Clyde is black, Liam is southern, Stella is Asian, Ronnie Anne is Hispanic, and more. Also, Clyde has 2 adoptive fathers (one is black like him, and the other is white), and I heard that they're the first same sex married couple to appear in a Nicktoon. We need more cartoons like this!
The series has a comic-like art style and is in 2D animation instead of CGI, which gives it more originality than some other modern cartoons. On the episodes' title cards, the titles, the pictures, and the people involved are written and drawn in comic strip panels.
Lots of heartwarming and plain inspiring morals for children, teenagers, and adults alike are present, mostly ones related to family, honesty, and fortitude. In the first episode, Lincoln tries to watch the season finale of his favorite show, "ARRGH!", but the electricity goes out, and he protects his sisters from the dark and makes sure they're safe by pretending to be a ghost hunter from his show. When the electricity comes back, his show is over, and he's unhappy about it at first, but he realizes that he got to act out his own "ARRGH!" episode and technically didn't miss it, and he learns that family is more important than TV. In another episode, his sisters force him to give up reading comics in his underwear, and he tries on other soft, cozy pieces of clothing to make himself comfortable while reading comics and encourages them to give up their annoying habits for one day (Lori talking to Bobby on the phone, Leni's use of the word "like" in every sentence, etc.), so they'd get a taste of their own medicine. The kids find it easy at first, but Lily is the only one who doesn't find her habit (crying) difficult to give up as the episode progresses. They all learn that almost everyone has their own annoying habits, and you've got to respect that. Finally, in another episode, Clyde gives his video game console to Lincoln for one day because of his family's rule about staying off of electronics on Sundays and to keep their friendship intact, and the former follows the latter and tells lies all day to make sure his console is safe because he thinks otherwise, Lincoln's sisters would each want to play it, fight over it, and break it. When Clyde goes overboard, the Louds ask for the truth, and he finally admits that he gave Lincoln his console just so they'd still be friends, and he learns that it's okay to say no.
There are a lot of Peanuts nods in this, which is a plus because I'm a big Peanuts fan as you can probably tell by my username. Lincoln's winter gear resembles Charlie Brown's winter gear, a Charlie Brown Christmas parody briefly appears on TV in one episode, 2 shirts that resemble Charlie Brown's signature shirt appear in the background in another episode (both a yellow one and a red one), Lucy (from The Loud House, not Peanuts) and Lincoln do the football gag in another episode, the Loud family dog Charles is named after Charles Schulz, and the list goes on.
The Fairly OddParents (2001)
It Flips Your Lid (pun absolutely intended)!
For all my life, The Fairly Oddparents has been one of my favorite Nickelodeon shows, alongside SpongeBob SquarePants. This is the Nick show I've seen the second largest number of times throughout my life as a whole and the second longest running Nicktoon, with the first being SpongeBob in both cases. I have a lot of SpongeBob merchandise, but ironically, I never owned any FOP merch until earlier this year because it's very unusual to come across. I now have Timmy Turner, Cosmo, and Wanda plush toys and 2 pairs of FOP socks. If you're wondering why I give this a 9/10 instead of a 10/10, it's because the show went downhill in the 10th and final season.
The premise is simple: 10-year-old Timmy Turner has fairy godparents named Cosmo and Wanda, and they're always granting him wishes for almost anything he wants, watching over him, and helping him get out of sticky situations. Some of his wishes are very helpful, and others backfire, only for him to learn a valuable lesson in the end and receive a happy ending no matter what. What do I like about this premise? Cosmo and Wanda and sometimes their son Poof do everything they can to make Timmy happy, improve his miserable life, and help him hide from his abusive and sadistic babysitter Vicky. They take better care of him than his own parents, who are overworked, neglectful, and leaving him with Vicky all the time. Timmy admits in one episode that he isn't using his fairy godparents and doesn't love them just because they grant him wishes, but also because they make him feel safe, special, and loved. I must admit that the trio have a heartwarming dynamic!
Fairy godparents are only assigned to kids who are living a miserable life and in need of help, otherwise, there would be no point of having fairy godparents. Also, if anyone mentions or shows their fairies to anyone, they go away forever. Because of this, fairy godparents transform into other items while in public and around other humans, like goldfish, books, balloons, cats, and lots more. If kids still have fairies when they turn 18, the fairy taxi comes to take them away forever and erase all of their memories of them from their minds. It is sad that kids with fairies aren't allowed to remember their fairies when they grow up and will never refresh their memories, but these items explain why fairies appear to be so scarce and why only kids (plus Mr. Crocker) believe in them. However, the ending of the episode "Channel Chasers" is set in the future, where Timmy is an adult and briefly shown looking at picture of himself as a kid and Cosmo and Wanda in their goldfish disguises, and he slightly remembers his fairy godparents, which makes up for this.
There are some rules about making wishes as mentioned in the fairy godparent handbook, Da Rules: magic can't create or interfere with true love, nobody must reveal the existence of their fairy godparents to anyone, etc. These rules prove that magic can't always solve your problems and sometimes it's best to work out your problems on your own. They also allow the episodes to have conflicts and prove that the characters don't live in a utopia. Most kids reveal the existence of their fairies and get them taken away so soon, but Timmy is one of the very few kids to keep his fairies a secret for a year, causing a celebration of his first "fairyversary" in the episode "Abracatastrophe."
He makes relatable wishes that most kids with fairies would likely ask them to grant if fairies were real, including for all the food in the world to be desserts, everyone in the world to look the same, to not need sleep, every day to be Christmas, and the list goes on. Numerous episodes repeating the same formula and Timmy having to learn to be careful what he wishes for in half of the episodes makes the show sound formulaic and the protagonist sound static and like he never learns from his mistakes, but that's actually not the case. It's true that he learns to be careful what to wish for hundreds of times, but there are multiple wishes you have to be careful with, including the ones I mentioned. Timmy learns different consequences and uses of his wishes every time, and it isn't possible to learn all of them at once. Most of the time, he learns another lesson along the way, usually a solution to a situation that children and adults often experience in real life, such as the importance of sleep, not to grow up too fast, people like each other for who they are and not what they own, looks don't matter, and lots more. Those are all lessons that everyone must hear. "Christmas Every Day" is an episode in particular that stands out to me. At the beginning of the episode, Timmy wishes for every day to be Christmas because he wants more presents and to spend more time with his parents. Cosmo and Wanda grant his wish, and everyone is happy about it at first, but his good intentions eventually lead to trouble; all the stores are closed, the population of Dimmsdale slowly runs out of food and eggnog, Santa Claus is overworked and running out of creative ideas, the fairies run of magic, and all the other holiday symbols are angry about their respective holidays being gone for good. Timmy faces the consequences and asks all the kids in Dimmsdale to write letters to Santa, saying they want it to be December 26th, and the next day, Christmas is over, and everything is back to normal.
The animation is very smooth and energetic, and the colors are bright and vibrant. It's true that most of the characters are shown in a sideview at all times, but I don't think that's lazy because 1) they're not lacking movements in case it isn't obvious, and 2) I'll bet some of them would be harder to draw and not as good-looking in a full view. For instance, the tufts of hair on the front of Cosmo and Timmy would likely be in their eyes or not as noticeable if they were to appear in a full view. I don't know how else to describe the animation or art style.
There are lots of funny moments, including Mr. Crocker's "FAIRY GODPARENTS! FAIRY GODPARENTS!", Mr. Turner's "Dinkleberg!", Cosmo's laugh, and many more. Describing funniness is not my specialty.
There are numerous episodes with pop culture references and parodies, causing lots of my beloved shows and movies to be combined. For instance, in "Channel Chasers," the big three teleport into parodies of Peanuts, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, Rugrats, Blue's Clues, Sesame Street, Scooby Doo, The Flintstones, and many more. Moreover, in that same episode, Timmy is shown to have a series of brightly colored alien-like stuffed animals called "Timmytubbies," which are parodies of the Teletubbies. Additionally, the big three teleport into an old Mickey Mouse cartoon in "Good Old Days," and Charlie Brown, Lucy, and Snoopy make a cameo in "Bad Heir Day."
Yogi's First Christmas (1980)
Festive Yogi
My mother once told me this was one of her favorite Christmas movies when she was a kid, and I've had a VHS of this movie for a long time (yes, I still watch VHS tapes, but I watch DVDs too). I watched reruns of Yogi Bear on Cartoon Network and Boomerang from when I was little (I'm guessing I was 2 or 3 years old. I'm not certain) until the latter stopped playing it in late 2014, so it was a big part of my childhood too, but thankfully Boomerang started playing more of their classics again last year in 2023 and is now fulfilling it's purpose again. Also, in 2017, I watched this on videotape for the first time in 9 or 10 years, and I've been watching this every holiday season since then.
Yogi and Boo Boo are awakened from their hibernation by a musical performance by Ranger Smith (aka Mr. Ranger), Snagglepuss, Huckleberry Hound, Augie Doggie, and Doggie Daddy, and they join in the holiday festivities and experience their first Christmas (hence the title).
The Cat in the Hat (2003)
Not the Cat in the Hat We Know and Love
I used to like this movie when I was younger, but after I heard a lot of not-so-good things about it all over the internet years ago, I now hate it and have a hard time believing that I used to like it. I must have been blinded by my love of The Cat in the Hat book and animated TV special. I have a DVD of this abomination, but I'm going to get rid of it at some point. I also have a DVD of the original cartoon, but I'm keeping it.
The movie is very unfaithful to the book for the most part. Dr. Seuss probably wouldn't like this if he was still alive. Thankfully, his widow, Audrey Geisel, hated it so much and banned Hollywood from making any more live action adaptations of her late husband's works. There are some unnecessary new characters and little to no rhymes, and the old characters have been flanderized. The Cat in the Hat (Mike Myers) briefly says that he isn't good at rhyming, which is ironic because part of the reason why Dr. Seuss's books are extremely popular is because of the constant rhyming. The fish (voiced by Sean Hayes) is the only good character. The story focuses more on new elements than the same scenes from the book. That makes sense because this a feature length adaptation of a short story, so the scenes from the book would likely only take up close to 10 minutes of the movie, and there would be lots of extra time to fill up. However, the film doesn't add anything to the story and expand upon it. Instead, it takes a few brief bits of the story, and the rest is a skit show.
Nearly every character is one-dimensional. Conrad (Spencer Breslin) is a rule breaker, Sally (Dakota Fanning) is a control freak, Mr. Humberfloob (also Sean Hayes) is a "germophobe," and Mrs. Kwan is a lazy babysitter who does nothing but sleep for most of the movie instead of doing her job.
There are numerous innuendos and gross-out jokes that are very noticeable, not-so-well-hidden, and sometimes downright disgusting, such as the Cat in the Hat's bare butt appearing on screen with him farting, a few scenes where he swears (some are censored and others are not), him throwing the fish in the toilet and telling the kids that he (the fish) drinks his own pee, Larry Quinn's (Alec Baldwin) extremely hairy body being revealed (Did anyone really have to see that?), the infamous garden hoe pun, and many more. Even though the adult jokes will go over many younger viewers' heads, young children shouldn't be exposed to them. These items make this feel like a Cat in the Hat parody rather than an adaptation. Even though this is supposed to be a children's movie and an adaptation of a children's book, it definitely isn't for your 4- and 5-year-olds who like the book. It's rated PG, but it would've made more sense to give it a PG-13 rating. Moreover, I'm surprised I was allowed to watch this when I was younger, but when and if I ever have any kids in the future, I won't let them watch this, but I will let them read the book and watch the cartoon.
Some of the character designs are creepy, especially the Cat, Thing 1, and Thing 2's designs. The Cat more closely resembles a giant skunk than a cat. He looks like Pepe Lepew and Ronald McDonald fused into one character, as Nostalgia Critic says in his Cat in the Hat review. The things do look accurate, but they look even creepier. As mentioned in that same video, "What makes something cute in a drawing doesn't always make it cute in real life. In a drawing, you can get away with leaving certain things out, like upper lips per se. They would look like wrinkles if you put them in a drawing, but in real life, it looks scary!" I strongly agree with that. I don't know what else to say about the character designs.
Don't watch The Cat in the Hat (2003). Watch the cartoon and read the book instead. If you're looking for a good live action Dr. Seuss adaptation, watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000).
Update for October 10, 2024: My DVD of this movie thankfully got donated recently.
LazyTown (2002)
Okay Show
I did a negative review on Lazy Town a year ago today, and it was the first review I ever did. However, I deleted it because 0 out of 9 users found it helpful. That didn't surprise me at all because I'm aware that Lazy Town is a popular show, and I seemed to be in the minority for not liking it. I was never into it, not even when I was little. Whenever it came on Nick Jr or Noggin, I would turn away from the TV or hide because I was scared of the puppets.
I recently watched 16 or 17 full episodes on YouTube, and I'm now neutral to it. The reason I've been watching it a lot lately is because I've been hearing good things about it for years that I had missed out on, and I had never given it a chance. It's not that bad, but it's not as good as people say either. What are others seeing about it that I'm not seeing? It's possible that my feelings about it stem from my childhood and I'm having trouble realizing it.
I initially thought the title was misleading, which caused me to hate it, but I recently read a YouTube comment, saying it isn't and explaining how. If you've seen the show before, you know it's about Stephanie and Sportacus helping the population of the titular Lazy Town embrace healthy habits such as eating fruit and vegetables (or sports candy as they call them), exercising, and playing outside. That's probably the last thing you'd expect from a show called Lazy Town. Despite this, the townspeople sit on the couch, eat junk food, play video games, and don't care about their health when Stephanie and Sportacus are absent, making the town lazy and the title not misleading. Additionally, the antagonist, Robbie Rotten, always tries to stop Sportacus and Stephanie's efforts. These items made me reconsider my feelings about the show. At first glance, this may seem like a satire on those who exercise too much, but it's not.
The character Sportacus is always full of energy and demonstrates that anyone can be like him with enough hard work. He performs one-handed pushups, splits, handstands, flips, and breakdances-coincidentally, I can breakdance too! His portrayal by Magnus Scheving, a real-life gymnast and the creator of the show, adds authenticity to the character. I recently watched a YouTube video that mentioned that Magnus offered the role to other actors, but they all turned it down, leaving him no choice but to play Sportacus himself. This suggests that nobody else fits the role better, especially given Magnus's gymnastics background, which allows him to perform the same moves as the character.
In the first episode, Stephanie moves to Lazy Town and meets all her friends for the first time. When she asks them to play soccer with her, they initially think she wants to play their soccer-themed video game with them. However, Stephanie clarifies that she wants to play soccer in "real" life. This leads her to sing a song about how we shouldn't spend all our playtime on video games or technology, emphasizing that life is full of games. Even though I was never into playing sports, this episode resonates with me, as I sometimes get bored of technology and miss doing non-technology-related activities (doing art, playing with toys, reading books, etc.), causing me to spend less time on technology for a change and do whatever else I want to do. Moreover, playing sports and doing other non-technology-related activities allows us to experience what we see in TV shows and video games in real life and touch what we see, as the song says. Don't get me wrong- I love playing video games, but I don't spend all my playtime on them.
Similarly, Sportacus uses various gadgets that help him exercise and get up to do simple tasks while also highlighting the benefits of modern technology. For example, he has a flying scooter that requires pedaling and a spring pad he jumps on to refill his airship. These devices allow him to accomplish tasks, like flying, that he can't do on his own. They demonstrate how technology can promote movement rather than replace it.
While the show's messages about healthy eating and physical activity are great, it tries too hard. I find the portrayal of sweets and the characters' seemingly endless amount of energy unrealistic; all the characters, except for Robbie Rotten, are always running and jumping around without seeming to get tired, which is too much for them. Also, Sportacus never sits still or goes anywhere without doing gymnastics, and he directly says in one episode that he never gets tired. It may be safe to say that these circumstances overstimulate me, but I'm not certain. I recognize that this is my own experience and may not apply to everyone. Also, whenever Sportacus eats sweets, he passes out, and the only way to regain his energy is to eat an apple. I appreciate the show's effort to encourage healthy habits but believe it's okay to enjoy sweets in moderation, and exercising too much could cause one to hurt their body. Are they trying to say we shouldn't eat sweets at all?
I still find the puppets creepy to this day. There is something I find very unsettling about puppets that look a lot like people, including the ones from Lazy Town, whether it's the way they move or their facial features. They look like horror movie characters or creepy ventriloquist dummies rather than kid's show characters. Why would Nick Jr, Noggin, and Sprout allow them? I find Ziggy the creepiest and Mayor Milford Meanswell the least creepy. Maybe they'd be more appealing if they looked like muppets.
Additionally, I recently googled "Why are some Lazy Town characters puppets and others real people?". I came across a theory that the puppets were originally real people and are now puppets because they're so lazy that they need others to control them. It also said that Stephanie is energetic and new in town, Sportacus is sporty (hence his name), and Robbie productively works on schemes to make the town lazy, so they can't be puppets if the theory is true. It's intriguing, but I couldn't find the definitive answer to my question.
Before revisiting the show, I thought the puppets could possibly be good characters writing-wise. That's all that matters to me regarding fictional characters in general. However, they have one-dimensional personalities. Trixie is a troublemaker, Pixel is a nerd, Ziggy has a sweet tooth, and Stingy is... well, stingy. They could all use more depth to their personalities. I find Trixie and Stingy mean-spirited and annoying at times, especially with the idea of the latter claiming everything to be his and taking things that don't belong to him, but there is an episode where he learns the consequences of stealing.
The music and songs are awesome! Some of the background music sounds similar to video game music, most notably Stephanie's "Bing Bang" at the end of every episode. Moreover, the music that plays when Sportacus does his moves also sounds like video game music and a little bit like music from an action movie too. Not to mention, most of the songs are Eurodance-based, giving the show a diverse selection of music genres, and many of them encourage specific dances and convey body language.
One can't talk about this show without mentioning Robbie Rotten. Like many people, he's my favorite character and the show's highlight in my opinion, mainly because of his humor, expressiveness, and unique personality. Despite being deemed the laziest man in town, he's the most active character besides Sportacus, with "evil" plans that include dancing, singing, jumping, inventing machines, and more. He puts a lot of effort into his plans to stop the others, and they have gotten him out of his underground lair for the first time in years. His eccentricity and the late Stefan Karl Stefansson's (his actor) inspiration from Jim Carrey's Grinch are evident in his voice and mannerisms. Some of his funniest quotes include "A villain couldn't even get peace and quiet on the moon," "Who'd you expect? Sportaflop?", and "Don't let your kids watch it! Before you know it, they're going to be eating sports candy, moving, running, jumping, and dancing, oohhohoho!! And being healthy." I especially relate to his line, "Some children should be seen and never heard" because I'm sensitive to noise, including children (and adults) screaming. Robbie is the only character who realizes the trouble with exercising too much, isn't always running and jumping all over the place, and wants to relax. I'd rather listen to him than Sportacus.
If you or somebody you know isn't a fan of Lazy Town but are looking for a show that promotes similar positive messages without some of the flaws I mentioned, consider checking out The Wiggles. This show encourages being active through simple dances and catchy songs, while also being quite humorous. Interestingly, the characters seem less hyperactive than I remembered from my earlier days of watching. The Wiggles characters eat both healthy and junk food without the said negative consequences.
In one episode, Greg, the Yellow Wiggle, stresses the importance of exercise and cautions against overdoing it. There's also a lazy character, Jeff, the Purple Wiggle, but thankfully, no one makes him change. You might be wondering about the titular foursome's puppet counterparts, which also resemble ventriloquist dummies. They're creepier than the ones in Lazy Town, but they're only in a few episodes and were eventually retired because they scared viewers. It makes me curious why the creators of Lazy Town didn't make similar changes. Did Stingy, Ziggy, and company not scare as many people? However, it is valid to acknowledge that The Wiggles lacks a few of Lazy Town's best qualities, such as characters who specialize in gymnastics and cheerleading, as well as a character like Robbie Rotten who adds a layer of conflict and excitement. To clarify, I'm not making you watch The Wiggles. I just like it better and am suggesting an alternative for those who don't like Lazy Town.
Playdate with Winnie the Pooh (2023)
Okay, But Not What I Was Hoping For
I'm a diehard Winnie the Pooh fan, and it was high time that Disney Jr made their own Pooh Bear show. Yes, they played reruns of My Friends Tigger and Pooh for a while, much to my amazement, but they never made a Pooh Bear show of their own before this came along. During my heyday in the 2000s and early 2010s, I've came across various plush toys and action figures of Pooh and friends as babies and a few other products featuring baby Pooh and company, and I have a few of those toys myself. There was a logo on some of their boxes and tags that said, "Pooh Babies," and for those longest time, I thought that was the name of a TV series starring the Pooh characters as babies, but there's actually no show by that name. I'm guessing that's the name of the merchandise line they're in. This is the closest thing to it that there is.
Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends (1984)
A Great Show for All Ages!
I watched a lot of Thomas and Friends when I was little and had my own Thomas train set. I still watch and love it and have my train set to this day. This seems to be one of the most popular PBS Kids and Sprout shows with older audiences, and it's easy to see why. For many years, there were other kids in my class at school who also liked it, even when we were no longer the target audience for the aforementioned channels. Rev. Wilbert Awdry said in an interview on YouTube that the Railway series, the book series it's based on, was written for everyone, not just kids (if you're confused, it was recorded long before YouTube was a thing. I'm guessing it's either a) part of a documentary, or b) a bonus feature on a Thomas DVD or VHS). You're never too old for the original Thomas, but you're too old for its boring reboot, All Engines Go, the second you're born (I'm exaggerating about being too old for AEG, but if you like it, I can tolerate your opinion). I find this show fun to watch, partly because it's about talking trains, which is likely part of the reason why it's as popular as it is, and I love trains. If you like trains, maybe you'll like it too. However, that's not all I like about it, and there's more to Thomas's character than just being a talking train with a face.
It's a quiet and slow-paced (in a good way) show. It lets the story play out on its own, and it's not one of those preschool shows where the plot is interrupted by characters who talk down to the audience or randomly sing every 5 minutes or so. Yes, there are music videos (only in seasons 3-24) and learning segments where the audience is asked questions (only in seasons 8-12), but they're in between episodes, not in the episodes themselves. Just because a preschool show has a song every 5 minutes or so or breaks the fourth wall doesn't mean it sucks, but it's good to have at least one preschool show with uninterrupted plots and characters that don't sing every 5 minutes or so, otherwise, we'd have too much of a good thing. That, and I hate being talked down to (if you're confused, I don't have a problem with fourth wall-breaking depending on how it's handled). For those of you who don't know, Thomas originally wasn't a preschool show, but it became one when Hit Entertainment acquired the rights to it in 2002, and it became a non-preschool show again when the Andrew Brenner era (seasons 17-21) started in 2013.
The realism is one of the main reasons why Thomas is as popular as it is, despite having a few fantasy elements (e.g., the trains having faces and the ability to talk), and that's one of its best aspects. Actual railway practices are present, and the show has taught many kids, including yours truly, how railways operate, what a controller, a fireman (for a train), a steam engine, a diesel engine, and a branch line are, and more. The engines are driven by people and have firemen, and they can't drive themselves. There's an episode where Thomas tries to drive himself, but he drives recklessly and crashes. The engines also have jobs that engines have in real life, like pulling cargo and trucks. Unlike their All Engines Go counterparts and other cartoon trains, they move realistically, and they don't sway from side to side, jump off the tracks, use their wheels like hands or feet, turn their heads, or anything. The characters being trains has an impact on the stories, and the show would be very different if they were anything other than trains. The only big differences between them and real trains are that they talk and have faces and real ones don't. I've heard a few people on the internet say they were creepy in the original model era, but I don't think they're creepy at all because their faces look not too simple but also not too human-like. On the other hand, I find the Jay Jay the Jet Plane characters creepy because they look like airplanes with humans' faces (I've never actually seen JJTJP, but I've seen commercials for it and merchandise from it, and I heard some not-so-good things about it).
A lot of people talk about the greatness of the aspects I mentioned in the previous paragraph, but there are some realistic aspects of the show I like that not a lot of people talk about (as far as I know). In the model era (seasons 1-11), everyone and everything looks real (minus the humans and animals): the machines, the sky, the grass, Tidmouth Sheds, the train tracks, the steam, the water, etc. Heck, I heard somewhere that real water was used in the model era. In those seasons, Thomas and company look like real vehicles or toy vehicles that come to life (I don't know if it'd be safer to say they look like toy vehicles or real ones), and toy trains would probably move just like the engines and cargo if they could come to life in the real world. Their mouths don't move along with their voices, but I prefer them that way because their mouths look like they were sculpted on them and not made to move. Toy trains with faces probably wouldn't move their mouths either if they could come to life in the real world, that is if they don't have mechanical mouths. The Island of Sodor looks like a real place you could actually go to. Don't get me wrong, I like the CGI era too (except for the Big World Big Adventures era), but I like the model era the best for the most part because it looks the most realistic and down to earth, and it's the era I grew up watching the most.
Despite being locomotives, the characters feel somewhat like real people. They tackle issues and scenarios that lots of people face in real life, like having an identity crisis, realization, maturity, the value of friendship and the people around you, how to be a better person, how to feel safe, and more. The engines are very expressive and have a wide variety of different facial expressions, and it's always easy to tell how they're feeling, even when an unfamiliar word is used. For example, the show taught me what it means to feel cross, and whenever the narrator says, "Thomas was cross," it's easy to tell that cross means angry because of the scowl on Thomas's face. Static faces with clear emotions also make it easier for children to connect with the characters' emotions. A child can easily identify a character's emotion and will understand why they feel that way. The engines all have their own unique personalities: Thomas is the cheeky and fussy yet optimistic, playful, and kindhearted little blue tank engine, Percy is the naive, childlike, and thrill-seeking green saddle tank engine, James is vain but lots of fun (like The Engine Roll Call says), Edward is old, wise, full of experience, and the kindest of the engines, Gordon is pompous yet proud and strong, Henry is the easily irritated, sometimes worried and superstitious, yet kind and friendly gentle giant with a love for nature, and the list goes on. They're all quite "human" and relatable, especially Thomas. How? Like me, he can be stubborn at times, yet he's always eager to help out a friend in need and he keeps on trying and never gives up whenever he's in a difficult situation or isn't doing his job too well.
The morals of the stories are told in a mature (though not always dark) and practical way. For instance, in one episode, Henry stays in a tunnel for a long period of time because he's afraid the rain would wash his paint off if he doesn't, and he doesn't care about his passengers, so he gets shut up in the tunnel for not doing his job and suffers the consequences of being lazy on the job. Sir Topham Hatt scolds the engines whenever they misbehave or get into mishaps, or as he would say, cause confusion and delay, yet he also praises them for their hard work. It's like a parent informing their child about their (the child's) wrongdoings or their best behavior. The morals are never shoved into the audience's faces or said out loud. The series shows that certain actions have consequences in a more effective way than just giving a lecture.
There are a lot of funny moments here and there, especially when the characters roast each other (e.g., in the episode where Percy is covered in chocolate, his friends tell him he looks good enough to eat, and he really does!). The humor is mature that older audiences can easily understand it (but they don't use innuendos), and the characters often give each other a hard time just by teasing each other. They're not always this mean, but they basically pull jokes on each other a lot. Heck, even my family does the same thing at times.
Seasons 1-11 and 17-21: 9/10
Seasons 12-16: 7/10
Seasons 22-24: 3/10.
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (2006)
Hotdog! Awesome Show!
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse was one of my favorite shows alongside My Friends Tigger and Pooh when I both 4 and 5 years old, and when I was 9, I watched it for the first time in years, and it's been one of my favorite shows again ever since. I was also a big fan of the old Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh cartoons back then, and I still am. They've always been my favorite Disney franchises and 2 of my favorite media franchises in general. Some people say this is a disgrace to the Mickey Mouse franchise, but I don't think so. It's not entirely faithful to the franchise, and it has a whole new premise in place of the old one, but it's still good. Also, there's another CGI Mickey show on Disney Jr called Mickey's Mixed-Up Adventures (previously called Mickey and the Roadster Racers), and it has a similar animation style, but it's more faithful to the old cartoons than this. You might like that show better if you don't like this one. As for me, I like MMC better because I grew up with it, and I've watched a lot more of it.
The characters still have their same old personalities, with Mickey being the optimistic, cheerful, and childlike leader of the club that's made for you and me, Donald being the short-tempered duck who gets stuck with all the bad luck and has a tendency to be jealous of Mickey, Goofy being Mickey and Donald's dimwitted, clumsy, and accident-prone sidekick, Minnie being Mickey's sweet girlfriend who's good at making bows, Daisy being Donald's sassy girlfriend, and Pluto being Mickey's loyal yet easily jealous dog with a strong sense of smell. Some callbacks to the old Mickey cartoons are present. Just to name a few examples, the episode "Donald and the Beanstalk" has a similar plot to Mickey and the Beanstalk (but it's not a rehash of the latter) and is also a Jack and the Beanstalk parody, the Sensational Six sing the Mickey Mouse Club March in Donald's Hiccups, Salty the seal from the short "Mickey and the Seal" returns in a couple episodes, and in Mickey's Color Adventure, everything loses its color, and most of the episode is in black and white like the early Mickey shorts.
Pete is usually the main villain in the franchise, but he's more of an anti-hero here. He can still be sneaky and up to his old tricks, but he makes friends with Mickey and the gang most of the time and helps them with their problems (e.g., unlike Mickey and friends, he was once able to stop a fire hydrant from leaking and turn the wrench around because of how big and strong he is). He doesn't smoke, poke people with swords, or kidnap Minnie anymore. He can still be the villain from time to time, but he always learns from his mistakes. In case it isn't obvious, I like his portrayal here better than in the regular Mickey cartoons (don't get me wrong, I still love those too). Also, are my family and I the only ones who have noticed that he sounds a lot like Tigger? They're both voiced by Jim Cummings, and that explains it.
Plenty of funny moments are present, including Goofy mispronouncing mouskatool, Donald squawking when he's angry, Willie the Giant confusing Mickey for a bird with large, round ears and the latter playing along with it, and more. If you've seen this before, you know that a lot of the time, Goofy has trouble saying mouskatool, and has a tendency to pronounce it as "mouskatowel," "mouskatiddly-tutu," "mouskatooly," or some other variation. Describing funniness is not my specialty.
The animation in the first season looks robotic, rough, and lacking in variety, but it improved in the rest of the seasons. The backgrounds are colorful and bright, and the character designs are good. The characters have their same old designs they've had for a long time, only in CGI.
Yes, I agree that the series is like Dora the Explorer but with Disney characters, but I don't think it's a Dora rip-off. It's Dora done right. At least the Sensational Six don't scream a majority of their lines and don't have a "Swiper, no swiping" routine or anything similar. Instead, they're calmer and more patient with the viewers like Steve and Joe from Blue's Clues. Unlike the Dora characters, Mickey and the gang have a tendency to admit that either their questions are dumb, or their guesses aren't the correct answers. For example, in the movie "Mickey's Big Clubhouse Hunt," Mickey asks the audience if a pacifier can help him and Pete fly into the sky, and he answers, "No, that's silly!" and picks the mystery mouskatool: a bunch of balloons. Yes, a pacifier making one fly is indeed silly. There's also an episode or two where the characters admit they sing too much (I don't have a problem with characters singing about their daily routine, but that gives the episodes more originality). For example, in Mickey's Big Surprise, Goofy plays Connect the Dots and sings about which number is connected to which other number (if you're confused, the dots have numbers on them), and Donald replies, "Okay, I GET IT!", causing the former to go straight from one number to the next and randomly stop singing (even though I like that song). Some older audiences might think that the idea of an interactive show where characters speak to the camera, ask the audience to play with them or help them complete their tasks, and include moments of silence after they ask a question is a dumb idea (likely because it's not like they can see or hear the audience), but I don't have a problem with it depending on how the fourth wall breaking is handled because it can make the viewers feel like they're part of the show. On the other hand, some might argue that kids don't know that TV characters can't hear them, but that's clearly not the case for every little kid. Even when I was little, I knew that TV characters couldn't hear or see me, and I didn't (and still don't) always respond to the interactive shows I watched (or still watch, and that includes MMC).
The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1988)
Gotta Get Up, I've Gotta Get Going, I'm Gonna See a Friend of Mine
Winnie the Pooh and the Sesame Street gang have been there for me since birth or close enough, and I'm still a big fan of this show to this day! I still love it just as much as I did when I was a baby, which doesn't surprise me at all because a franchise you've loved since birth can be hard to hate, and it's perfect for all ages. It has adorable songs, short episodes for those with a short attention span, and very witty writing. The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is much better than the garbage that's on TV today (e.g., Teen Titans Go)! I have everything Pooh related (I do have a lot of Pooh merch, but not every one of them in existence. It feels like it, though): numerous plush toys, action figures, DVDs, VHS tapes, Halloween and Christmas decorations, books, clothing, a piano, and a couple of pillows and blankets, and I've done a number of drawings of Pooh Bear and friends. I can never get enough of this silly old bear and his associates, as Christopher Robin would say.
This is the best Pooh show, partly because it's the one that's the most faithful to the movies. It has a similar animation style, and it's the only Pooh show that has 2D animation. It's also the only series where Christopher Robin is an important character. He's a minor character in My Friends Tigger and Pooh and The Book of Pooh, and he doesn't appear in Welcome to Pooh Corner, Playdate with Winnie the Pooh, or Me and Winnie the Pooh at all, but he is mentioned in one episode of WTPC.
All your favorite characters from the movies have returned here, and they each have their own unique and memorable personalities. Tigger is bouncy, cheerful, and goofy, Piglet is timid yet so kind at heart, Rabbit is short tempered, organized, practical, and always tries to keep his associates on their toes, Eeyore is depressed and gloomy, Owl is wise, Kanga is kind and motherly, Roo is inquisitive, Gopher is hardworking, busy, short tempered, and obsessed with dynamite, Christopher Robin is the child with a big imagination who's the voice of reason and somewhat of a father figure to his stuffed animals, and of course, Pooh Bear is the calm and cheerful bear of very little brain and a very big heart who's obsessed with honey and doesn't seem to ever get angry. There are also some new characters, like Stan Woozle, Heff Heffalump, Kessie the bird, Mama, Papa, and Junior Heffalump, Christopher Robin's mother, and more.
The Pooh universe has expanded here. There are more characters like I mentioned, and there are a couple episodes where the characters have adventures outside the Hundred Acre Wood. New locations like the ones in the real world are now present in the Hundred Acre Wood, like a pizza place, a grocery store, a movie theater, and a few others. This makes the Hundred Acre Wood feel slightly like part of our world and gives the characters more to do, and now we know where Pooh and company do their shopping and whatnot.
Hot Potato: The Story of the Wiggles (2023)
Wiggletastic!
I grew up watching The Wiggles on Playhouse Disney, Sprout, and VHS tapes, and sometimes I still watch it to this day and do the dances for nostalgia purposes. The Wiggles are my favorite children's band, partly because I've had a lot more exposure to them than any other children's band and they're one of the only ones I grew up with. However, I only like the original lineup (Anthony, Murray, Greg, and Jeff). I'm neutral to the Sam era, and I never watched the new Wiggles. When I first heard about this documentary, I was excited for it, and I enjoyed watching it very much! It shows how these guys are more than just a kid's band with catchy songs and explains even further at how they were able to overcome new challenges and obstacles along the way, from mental health, medical emergencies, and other things.
I learned a lot from the doc, like how Dorothy the dinosaur and Captain Feathersword came to be, the origins of Wiggles songs like Hot Potato, Rock-a-Bye Your Bear, and Get Ready to Wiggle, and how Jeff's sleeping routine was thought of. I already knew that the original Wiggles, minus Jeff, took an early childhood education class together in college and originally wanted to be preschool teachers, but I didn't know until I watched this that they have used a lot of what they learned in that class, such as including repetition in their song lyrics (for those of you who don't know, repetition is a key to learning, although I think some but not a whole lot of Wiggles songs go overboard with the amount of repetition, which I find annoying) and speaking directly to the camera in the episodes.
Another fact I learned from this is that when The Wiggles gave various TV channels the idea to create the Wiggles show before it came along, a lot of them turned it down because they thought their (The Wiggles') home videos were cringe, and Anthony replied, "Greg, Murray, and I studied early childhood education in college, so we know what we're doing." This led to them making the show themselves, and before they thought of that, they thought to themselves, "Do they know more than we do?" Those are good words to live by! You should ask yourself the same thing if others bully you, make you change something about yourself, or give you negative comments about yourself and are feeling down about it, and I'm going to do the same for myself the next time somebody does such a thing to me. You know more about yourself than anyone else, so it's unlikely that others know more than you do. The people at those TV networks probably didn't ever take an early childhood class, so it's unlikely that they know more than The Wiggles.
I've heard previously that the reason Sam left the group was because he got fired, and I heard somewhere else that he left because his contract expired. I was confused and didn't know which reason was the right one, but it's clarified in the doc that it's the latter. Thank you, Wiggles, for clarifying that! I was surprised that Sam was in this (in neither a good nor bad way) because this is the first time he's had involvement with The Wiggles and been in touch with any of the other members since he left, and I think he said years earlier that he had no interest in working with them ever again, but I could be mistaken.
There is video footage of various full length Wiggles songs performed at their latest reunion concert in this, and the songs' titles appear on screen at the beginning of the videos, just like the TV series, which made me feel like I was watching The Wiggles. I like the idea of the music videos in both this and the show having title cards because that way everyone watching knows the names of the songs (except for those who don't know how to read yet or don't pay attention, of course), and no other shows I've ever seen have title cards during their songs. Enough said.
Charlie and Lola (2005)
"I have this little sister Lola, she is small and very funny..." -Charlie
For the longest time, I didn't like Charlie and Lola because I thought the characters had annoying voices, but a couple years ago, I heard good things about it on the internet and started watching a few episodes on YouTube, and I now like it. I got to admit that it's a cute, sweet, and entertaining show. The voices sound similar to the ones in Peppa Pig, and both shows' characters have British accents, but the voice acting in this isn't as annoying as Peppa Pig's. I give it credit for that. What else do I like about it?
Charlie is always willing to be the "adult" (despite being 7 years old) and help out his carefree and stubborn little sister Lola with whatever she needs. Whether it's trying new foods, getting a haircut, or losing a tooth, he's always happy to share his wisdom with his little sis. He solves her problems in unusual ways a lot. For example, when Lola won't eat certain foods, he turns them into unique and mystical foods from different areas with his imagination. In one episode, he turns peas into "green drops" from Greenland and mashed potatoes into clouds from Mount Fuji. So in a way, Lola technically got to eat foods she's eaten before and likes and simultaneously try something new. Who wouldn't want to have a brother (or sister) like Charlie?
There are adults present, but they never appear on screen, only the kids and animals. That gives me slight Peanuts/Charlie Brown vibes.
The animation and art style are unique. The characters all look like drawings a kid did with them being colored in with crayon or colored pencil while also somewhat looking like they were drawn by professionals, and some of the textures look like actual fabrics and paper cutouts. All these items make this feel like a storybook that has come to life, and the same art style from the books is used here.
The Backyardigans (2004)
We're Your Backyard Friends, The Backyardigans
I watched a lot of The Backyardigans when I was little and still watch it for nostalgia purposes from time to time. I still have my Backyardigans collection from my childhood and use it all from time to time; I have a couple of DVDs, a VHS tape, a CD of the Backyardigans soundtrack, and plush toys of all the main characters, minus Tasha (IDK why I don't have her. Maybe my family and I could never find a Tasha). Some say that this is one of the few preschool shows that are entertaining for all ages, and I'd have to agree. This is proof that preschool shows don't have to be dumb, repetitive, and grating just because they're for little kids, but that's not saying enough. What else do I like about it?
The music is the show's best aspect in my opinion and one of the main reasons why it's as popular as it is. A wide variety of music genres are present, like rock, pop, jazz, reggae, and many more, and there's a different genre in each episode. A number of the songs are in the styles of old music, including 1950s and 60s jazz, which could bring some nostalgia to those who grew up in those time periods, help bring back long-gone music styles, and introduce them to more modern kids like yours truly. Moreover, some of the songs are parodies of well-known songs. Just to name a few examples, "Those Bones" is a parody of "Dry Bones," "A Scurvy Pirate" is a parody of "Drunken Sailor" (one of the sea shanties that plays in the background on SpongeBob a lot), and "Laser Limbo Tango" is a parody of "Limbo Rock" by Chubby Checker. The songs are sometimes soft, beautiful, and relaxing to listen to, especially the theme song and the closing song. Uniqua and Tasha have the most beautiful singing voices of all the characters.
The premise is another one of the show's best aspects. In every episode, The Backyardigans turn their ordinary backyard into other places and go on big adventures via their imaginations, like going to Outer Space, helping a lost worm named Sherman find his way home to the jungle, searching for buried treasure, surfing at the beach, anything you can come up with. They play new roles every time depending on the imaginary setting, like pirates, cowboys and cowgirls, astronauts, jungle explorers, knights, secret agents, and lots more, and they can do whatever they want because of that. Sometimes their adventures take them to different eras in time, such as the medieval times and the Renaissance Era. All these aspects help promote creativity and imagination and allow imaginative play to be celebrated in a unique and inventive way. The show never gets old or formulaic because of them, unless you dislike songs. It captures the feeling of being a kid and being able to transfer your mind and body to a different world. The Backyardigans have got the whole wide world in their yard to explore, as mentioned in the theme song.
The premise isn't entirely original, but unlike some other preschool shows that promote imaginative play, we the audience can always see the main characters' fantasy sequences and everything that is happening inside their heads, and that gives it originality. Also, the backgrounds look a lot like actual places you can go to.
The plot is a perfect way to teach kids creativity, interpersonal communication, the power of imagination, and to communicate with others. It has no educational value other than that and using real geological references, but I prefer it that way because that gives it more originality and makes it more enjoyable for older audiences like me. Moreover, people watch TV to be entertained, not to learn.
The main characters are like most normal kids, with their own flaws and strengths. There's a spunky pink creature named Uniqua (I never knew what she was supposed to be), a shy kangaroo and new kid on the block named Austin, a laidback moose named Tyrone, a feisty hippo named Tasha, and my favorite character, Pablo, a nervous and quick-thinking penguin. They each reveal a world of complexity when you look closely at them, but you're able to sit back and enjoy the roles the five friends take in the many stories they make up. The mixture of simplicity and complexity makes the whole thing work: the characters are just kids, and nothing more. Some might get annoyed at Tasha's attitude and temper at times, even me, but who never had a friend who acted like her at times? If Pablo, Uniqua, Tyrone, and Austin are able to still be her friends when she acts moody and bossy, the audience should be able to forgive her occasional misbehavior too.
The characters can be funny at times, like when Pablo has a panic attack and his friends calm him down, and when one of them opens the back door at the end of every episode, lets out a one liner (e.g., "Boo! Ahhh!"), and closes the door again. Describing funniness is not my specialty.
The fourth wall-breaking is handled better here than in some other preschool shows. At the beginning of every episode, The Backyardigans say hello to the audience, introduce themselves, and explain what they're about to imagine, and they don't break the fourth wall again until the end, when it's time to say goodbye, similar to Wow Wow Wubbzy, another one of my favorite Nick Jr and Noggin shows. They talk to the viewers like they're just watching the show and aren't actually there with them, and they don't treat the viewers like idiots.
For those of you who don't know, the creator, Janice Burgess, passed away of breast cancer in March at the age of 72. Thank you, Ms. Burgess, for this masterpiece! May she rest in peace.
You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown (1985)
Happiness is Anyone and Anything at All That's Loved By You
When I first saw the Broadway musical You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, I thought it was based on the movie. However, after watching a behind-the-scenes look on my You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown (the movie) DVD, I learned that it's actually the other way around. Last spring, the same high school I attended put on the same play. My family and I went to see it, and we all enjoyed it very much! It was the best play I've ever seen, and I was fortunate enough to get all the main characters' autographs. Although I finished high school 2 years ago and completed my second year in community college recently, if my high school had performed the play while I was there, I would have wanted to participate. I would have liked to play either Charlie Brown, Linus, or Snoopy. I already have the right attire to play Linus: the red and black striped shirt, the black pants, and even the blue blanket, so nobody would've had to create or purchase a Linus costume for me. Just to clarify, I first watched this before I knew about the play, and the play isn't the reason I like it.
The plot is a typical day in the life of Charlie Brown, with little moments from Valentine's Day to the baseball season, from wild optimism to utter despair, all mixed in the lives of his friends. This is a love letter to Charlie Brown, hence the title, which makes me like this even more! The other characters show more appreciation for him than usual, and they even sing about it at the beginning. To put more bread on the table, at the end he says it hasn't been such a bad day after all and how much better his friends have made his life. Above all else, Charlie Brown is resilient, persistent, and never fails to get up and try again.
If you've seen this before, you know that Snoopy talks in this, just like the play, but all his dialogue and singing is from his thoughts, and the humans can't hear him, so he's technically still nonverbal, which makes the idea of him talking even better. That, and he still does his signature laugh and growl, although some might argue that this contradicts his character. I don't know what else to say about it.
The play brings to life many favorite gags from the comic strip, such as Charlie Brown flying a kite, losing baseball games, Lucy's obsession with Schroeder, Snoopy's obsession with suppertime, and more, all presented through well-written songs with beautiful music that truly captures the essence of the original strip. My favorite song is "Happiness," the last song in both the TV movie and the play. It's a soft, relaxing, and beautiful song that always makes me feel emotional.
There is one thing I don't like about this: Lucy's song, Little Known Facts because the lyrics consist entirely of inaccurate facts that Lucy is trying to teach Linus, like we eat eagles on Thanksgiving and Christmas, snow comes up, bugs make grass grow, fire hydrants give us water to drink, and more. That's why I give this a 9/10. I can't blame Charlie Brown for scowling at her, trying to correct everything, and banging his head up against a tree at the end of the song. Overall, this is the best non-holiday Peanuts special, and if you're a big Peanuts fan like me, you should check this out, and the play too if possible.
Charleyyy & Friends (2013)
"Hahaha, Charleyyy, you're so funny!" -Bowser
I can't blame Bowser for loving this show and watching it all the time, even though it affects his relationship with his son Bowser Junior because he cares about nothing but Charleyyy. I agree that Charleyyy is so funny, mostly when he screws up at whatever he is trying to do! He makes expressions and sayings literal a lot or demonstrates certain tasks in unusual ways, which makes him as funny as he is! Just to name a few examples, in one episode his car needs gas, but he doesn't know what kind of gas his car takes, so he farts in the gas tank and in a way gets gas (even though I hate fart jokes and gross out humor in general), and in the Christmas episode, he says he's going to rap, but he wraps a microphone with wrapping paper. Describing funniness is not my specialty. My favorite episode is the one where Charleyyy puts a pot on his head like a hat.
Despite the title, Charleyyy's friends never appear. It has been confirmed in the latest SML video that the point of the show is the viewers are his friends, which could make them feel included and puts their names in the title (sort of). I don't know what else to say.
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004)
I'm a Goofy Goober, Yeah!
SpongeBob has been one of my favorite shows for all my life, and I always thought the SpongeBob Movie was just as good. Unlike some other movies based on TV shows, the movie is 100% faithful to the show, and the animation, humor, characters, etc are just what you'd expect out of a SpongeBob movie. It's very welcoming to those who haven't seen the show or are unfamiliar with it, and it has the show's signature tone, presents who the characters are, and explains what is happening in Bikini Bottom. You don't have to watch the source material to watch this. Surprisingly, all the returning characters are voiced by the same people who voice them in the show rather than using stunt casting.
My favorite part is when SpongeBob and Patrick eat too much ice cream at Goofy Goober's because of the hilarious visual gags of them destroying the ice cream and the waiter getting completely covered in it, and what better way to celebrate your achievements (or failures) than eating ice cream like crazy (but not too crazy). I think Goofy Goober's could be a parody of Chuck E. Cheese, but I don't know whether Goofy Goober himself is supposed to be an animatronic or a walkaround character/mascot. I don't know what else to say about the scene.
I heard that the show was originally supposed to be canceled after season 3 and this was meant to be the end of the franchise, but the show is still running. This feels somewhat like a series finale and would have been a perfect ending for the franchise, with Plankton finally succeeding in stealing the Krabby Patty secret formula using Plan Z after failing Plans A-Y throughout the series and getting arrested at the end, the Chum Bucket having customers for the first time, the characters celebrating how grateful they are to have SpongeBob in their lives, and SpongeBob becoming the manager of The Krusty Krab 2, showcasing the hard work he has put in throughout the series as a whole. I believe SpongeBob would be a better fit for the role than Squidward, considering the former has been the employee of the month 274 times in a row, and he's a loyal and hardworking employee, while the latter is lazy, sometimes slacks off when he's supposed to be working, doesn't care about his job, and has never been the employee of the month. It's been suggested that this may be set after the events of the show, even season 4-onwards, due to the absence of a second Krusty Krab and SpongeBob not being the manager in any of the episodes from those seasons, but I don't know if it's true or not.
SpongeBob and Patrick are at their absolute best here, as they go on a life-changing adventure together, get past all the danger they come across, bring King Neptune's crown back, save Bikini Bottom and their loved ones, and defeat Plankton thanks to the power of teamwork and staying by each other's side the whole time, even when they were in seemingly hopeless situations that one could easily give up on resolving (more about that later). Patrick is initially the only one who supports SpongeBob's dream of being a manager and love of kid's stuff (blowing bubbles, toys, Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, Goofy Goober's, etc.), and when the former finds out that the latter didn't get the promotion, he's the only one who knows his friend is capable of the position. His confidence in himself and his friend is his biggest strength in the movie.
The story delivers a strong, positive message: anyone, regardless of being a goofball, a wingnut, a Knucklehead McSpazatron, or just a kid, can accomplish great things. SpongeBob initially feels insecure about not being considered mature enough when he doesn't get the manager's promotion of the new Krusty Krab 2. Mr. Krabs gives the promotion to Squidward because he thinks SpongeBob is a kid, and managing is a big responsibility. Despite being told time and time again that they're kids, SpongeBob and Patrick prove to the entire population of Bikini Bottom that even small individuals can achieve big things and do what everyone says a kid can't do: they make it to Shell City, defeat the cyclops, ride David Hasselhoff, bring King Neptune's crown back, redefine cool, and risk their lives to save Mr. Krabs. SpongeBob learns that being mature isn't about being tough, gruff, or merciless, having facial hair, or pretending not to be scared, but about handling stress and hardship with calm and confidence, maintaining self-discipline, not being controlled by emotions, and being proud to be a goofy goober despite others' opinions. This leads to Mr. Krabs changing his mind and giving the promotion to SpongeBob. SpongeBob also realizes that it's okay to enjoy what he likes and that his love of kid's stuff benefits him.
This relatable aspect resonates with me, as I, too, am a kid at heart and embrace kid's stuff (toys, blowing bubbles, some but not all little kid shows, online games, etc.) and find it enhances my life. I've never once felt discouraged for liking kid's stuff or being a kid, no matter what others have said. I probably get that from SpongeBob, otherwise I most likely would've learned these lessons too late. The movie is ranked #1 in Phantom Strider's "Top 10 Most Relatable SpongeBob Episodes" video, emphasizing the importance of finding happiness and self-improvement regardless of age. I agree with what he says about it and also find this to be the most relatable "episode." The show promotes maintaining a childlike sense regardless of age. SpongeBob and Patrick each live alone, and the former has a job, but they still look and act like kids, and social expectations don't matter to them. Coincidentally, I used to think that the two leads were actually kids because of this movie, they look and act like kids, SpongeBob still goes to school (driving school, or in his case, boating school. At the time, I didn't know that driving school and regular school were two different things), and his voice sounds like a kid, but now I know that they're young adults (as far as we know). However, it is confirmed in the episode "Sleepy Time" that SpongeBob was born on July 14, 1986, and Patrick was born on either April 24th or August 17th of the same year, so they would've both been kids when the show started on May 1, 1999; the former would've been 12, and the latter would've been either the same age or 13. Also, sea sponges age much slower than humans and don't have a set lifespan, so maybe SpongeBob is actually a kid.
The story also conveys that there are no right or wrong opinions and that being a kid does not diminish one's power compared to adults. Lastly, SpongeBob, Patrick, and Princess Mindy exemplify that bravery, faithfulness, and heroism are not exclusive to adults, but rather stem from self-belief.
I love the songs in The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie! "The Best Day Ever" is my favorite song in the entire SpongeBob franchise because it perfectly captures SpongeBob's boundless personality and is the most easily remembered song, besides the theme song. It debuted during the end credits and is fitting for SpongeBob to sing because his being manager likely makes him love his job more than ever, and his last line before the end credits is "Manager! This is the greatest day of my life!". It later appeared in an episode of the song's same name from 2006, 2 years after this came out, which makes it even better! "Goofy Goober Rock" is another favorite of mine because it's energetic and a parody of Twisted Sister's "I Wanna Rock," and it's about SpongeBob embracing who he truly is. "Now That We're Men" has a catchy and upbeat marching tune that I find fun to listen to, especially during the instrumental break when SpongeBob and Patrick slap their knees. "Just a Kid" captures the carefree attitude of being a kid, and "The Goofy Goober Theme Song" helps strengthen the leads' positivity and eternal youth and represents their escapism from growing up. It also brings back fond memories of me singing it with my cousins when we were little and with my friends in high school.
If you're a SpongeBob fan and haven't seen this movie, you should definitely check it out!
Super Mario Logan (2007)
Rest in Peace, Super Mario Logan (2007-2017)
Unlike some other old Super Mario Logan fans, I didn't grow up with SML because I didn't know it existed until many years after it started. I started watching it in December 2014 when I was 11 years old, during the Junior era, and I've loved it ever since. I've also seen many classic era (2007-2012) videos years after they were uploaded, and I've always liked them too. My favorite video has to be either "Bowser Junior's Summer Vacation" or "The Big Thanksgiving." SML was funny, action-packed, and sometimes touching. It had quirky characters and inspired lots of people, including yours truly, to make their own plush videos. However, it slowly went downhill when a new character named Jeffy came along. The show has become mean-spirited, repetitive, and formulaic, and the videos often feel rushed and have hurtful or plain uninspired morals. The dynamic between the characters has also changed for the worse. There are too many things wrong with the current state, so I'll only go further in detail about the most significant ones.
1. Jeffy is infamous for starting the downfall of the channel and contributing to many of the current issues the state faces. His presence has led numerous fans, including me, to lose interest in the content. Despite being 19 years old now, Jeffy displays extreme immaturity for his age (for those who don't know, the SML characters' ages change each year like real-life people, unlike many characters from other media). His behavior makes Caillou seem more likable, mature, and well-behaved in comparison.
Jeffy's actions, including inappropriate behavior, lack of manners, temper tantrums, and being a bad influence on younger viewers, have caused several controversies. He has been responsible for the demonetization of three of Logan's YouTube channels, the deletion of various videos, and even a troubling incident where a child attempted suicide, copying the character's actions in "Jeffy's Tantrum." I believe that mimicking his antics may lead to poor choices and temptations.
In some earlier SML videos, there were disclaimers, warning viewers not to copy wrongdoings and dangerous actions performed by certain characters, like using a hairdryer while in the bathtub or not wearing a seat belt in a car. Unfortunately, many of the more recent videos lack these disclaimers, which could have prevented some of the controversies. Thankfully, the reuploads of pre-puppet era videos by SML Reuploaded do include disclaimers.
Despite a slight improvement in Jeffy's character, he should have shaped up a long time ago. His negative impact and lack of character development over the years make it puzzling why Mario adopted him and continues to keep him. Additionally, Logan has confirmed in a livestream that he regrets creating Jeffy, which adds to the confusion and seems hypocritical given that Jeffy is still featured in the channel's content.
2. The dynamics and relationships between the characters have become increasingly negative and mean-spirited over time. They frequently mock each other for being gay, using sex, experiencing the deaths of loved ones, being disabled, and more. I understand that some people appreciate dark humor, but if you're disabled or have lost a loved one, it's easy to see why I dislike the current state of SML. I find the jokes especially insulting because I have autism and am very religious. While I'm aware that Logan used to be Christian, I don't know if he still is. If he is, he should reflect that in his actions.
Furthermore, characters like Mario, Chef PP, Cody, Brooklyn Guy, and Chives constantly endure unnecessary mistreatment, even when they do things like express their personal opinions. The interactions lack the previous sense of camaraderie and love. There's nothing wrong with expressing yourself, and the world would be boring if everyone were the same.
Mario's relationship with Jeffy has taken a particularly antagonistic turn, with Jeffy's behavior negatively impacting the family dynamics. Jeffy has caused Mario to get beat up, arrested, locked out of his own house, chased by a shark, and the list goes on. In earlier eras, Mario wasn't afraid to stand up for himself and do the right thing, but now he allows his "friends" and family to torment him and never stands up for himself anymore.
I'm very different from the average person in some ways, and I feel privileged not to live in the current SML universe because otherwise, I could easily be bullied, tormented, or grounded for being different and for expressing myself without finding acceptance anywhere.
3. Unlike in older eras, there is little to no character development. Characters seldom learn from their mistakes, and when they do, they often revert to their old ways in subsequent appearances, repeating the same errors as if they never learned from them at all. For instance, in "Jeffy's Parents" and "Jeffy's 18th Birthday," Jeffy promises to behave, and Mario vows to be a better dad. However, they do not keep these promises in future videos, continuing their hatred for each other and showing no growth. In "Zombie Jeffy," we discover the reason behind Jeffy's strong dislike for green beans, and Mario pledges never to force-feed him green beans again. Although Mario initially keeps this promise, the green beans gag returns in "Jeffy's Good Day," making him appear hypocritical. In "Goodman's New Life," Mario and Goodman switch bodies and gain insights into each other's lives. Although Goodman realizes the consequences of tormenting the less fortunate, he continues to haunt Mario and mock the poor in later videos.
4. It's unclear who the target audience is. Adult content like swear words, dark violence, and heavy toilet humor are present and very noticeable, but Jeffy appears all the time because the bratty Jeffy fans, mostly little kids, are always screaming for him, watch the channel just for the said character, and won't give the other characters a chance. The homemade puppets look like they were bought at a toy store, and there's a lot of SML merch that only kids are likely to own, like backpacks and pencil pouches. Is it supposed to be a kid show or an adult show?
5. The channel's schedule. From January 2014 through August 2022, Logan uploaded 2 videos per week, but now he uploads 3 videos per week. It's evident that he and his crew often rush to complete videos, which may result in a lack of creativity and fresh ideas. Logan has mentioned in a discussion post that they never take time off work, leading to stress. I believe both he and his longtime fans would be happier if he shifted to a more flexible schedule, like 1 or 2 videos per month. This approach would allow more time for thoughtful plots, reduce filler content, and add new scenes while still maintaining regular uploads.
One might think Logan would learn from his mistakes and improve after being mentioned on Good Morning America, a number of his videos getting age-restricted, 3 of his channels being demonetized, and receiving a cease-and-desist letter from Nintendo and lots of complaints from parents about Jeffy, but he's made very few improvements to his content. He seldom takes advice from fans who've been watching him since the early days and are trying to help him, and he rarely ever keeps his promises. He may not be allowed to bring back the Nintendo plushes, but I'm sure he could improve his show, take his time, and start a more flexible schedule if he tried. I barely watch the new content anymore, and it continues to get worse and worse over time. I can't take it anymore. What's the point of still supporting the channel? The SML parody channels are much better and fix most of the problems I have with modern SML. Enough said.
Toy Story (1995)
You've Got a Friend In Me
Who doesn't love Toy Story? The Toy Story series is likely one of the most popular Disney and Pixar franchises, and I can see why. This is one of many Pixar movies that reveals a secret world of things that either aren't alive in the real world or society has very little knowledge about, and the one that started it all.
I read in an article that the reason Tom Hanks wanted to voice Woody was because the premise reminded him of his childhood; when he was a kid, he wondered if his toys would come to life when he'd leave the room. Toys coming to life has been done before, but never quite like this. For example, in the Winnie the Pooh franchise, the plushes are alive because of Christopher Robin's imagination (as far as we know), and the stories would be just as easy to do if the characters were anything other than stuffed animals. On the other hand, the Toy Story franchise isn't shown only from the perspective of a child's imagination, and it would be very different if the characters were anything other than toys. Furthermore, it gives the audience an opportunity to see toys come to life when humans leave the room and still see them be ordinary toys who get played with by kids. Woody, Buzz, and the rest of Andy's toys are a vibrant community, facing their own anxieties, dreams, and hilarious hijinks when humans are absent, and that's one of its best aspects. Don't get me wrong, I adore Winnie the Pooh, but Pooh and friends being stuffed animals thankfully has a little bit of an impact on the stories, though not as much of an impact as Woody, Buzz, and company being toys does; the former cast of characters couldn't be Christopher Robin's imaginary friends if they were real live animals, Eeyore couldn't lose his tail, etc. Each of the Toy Story movies tackles a common "issue" that kids and toys often face together in real life and adds their own twists to them. This one tackles a kid getting a new favorite toy and slightly growing out of the old one, causing Woody to be jealous of Buzz and lose his friends.
If you've seen this before, you know that there are real-life toys and board games in it, like Mr. Potato Head, Slinky Dog, a troll, Mr. Spell, a Barrell of Monkeys, Candyland, Battleship, and many more, which is another one of the movie's best aspects. That makes perfect sense because this is a toy story, hence the title. Their presence also makes the movie feel like part of our world. I heard in a YouTube video that the presence of these toys has brought some nostalgia to the parents of those who were kids when this was new, helped increase their (the toys') popularity, and led to a few significant changes to their real-life counterparts (e.g., Mr. Potato Head was given eyebrows for the first time, and Slinky Dog was brought back after being gone for decades, but he was given the same dachshund-like design he has here rather than his original Pluto-like design remaining).
The animation is brilliant (for the most part), colorful, very detailed, and realistic yet cartoony at the same time. This wasn't the first movie to use CGI, but this was the first movie to be in full CGI, and I got to admit that it looks good for being Pixar's first movie. However, it is outdated in some areas. For example, the humans don't look as realistic as possible like the Incredibles characters or even the toys (but they do look decent), and Scud isn't fully rendered and doesn't have much texture, but I find that understandable and justified due to this being Pixar's first movie. Furthermore, the animation looks even better in the sequels.
This movie's plot is full of nonstop fun and adventure and also concentrates on friendship, teamwork, and overcoming all odds. At first, Woody is jealous of Buzz Lightyear when Andy gets the latter for his birthday and feels genuine fear of his bond with Andy breaking up for the first time, especially with the idea of him telling the rest of the gang earlier that nobody would be replaced. When the two leads are stuck at Sid's house, they reconcile, work out their differences, overcome their flaws, and help each other escape as the story progresses, which leads to them becoming best friends and both of them finally getting what they want. Additionally, Buzz feels sad when he finds out he's not the real Buzz Lightyear, which leads to Woody realizing that trying to prove he's better than the former is pointless and giving him a motivational speech about why being a toy is better than being a real space ranger, and he (Buzz) happily accepts being a toy. I agree that being a toy is better than being a space ranger because like Woody says, life is only worth living if you're loved by a kid, and Buzz is a cool toy because he can shoot lasers, glow in the dark, talk, fly, move his helmet up and down, and do karate chops, which gives him a lot of uniqueness and playability. I enjoy hearing the speech because the former was becoming a true friend to the latter and trying to give him advice on self-acceptance and why being himself is a good thing, and those are important qualities for anyone to possess. If it weren't for the aforementioned hardships, Buzz never would've realized that being a toy is a good thing. Also, who said old toys like Woody and newer, high-tech toys like Buzz or people who prefer one of those things over the other couldn't get along? Just because someone or something is old doesn't mean they suck or are outdated.
I've had a very special place in my heart for Toy Story ever since childhood and always will. If you haven't seen it, where have you been for the last 29 years? You should check it out if you haven't before.
Baby Looney Tunes (2001)
Cute, Fun, and Entertaining!
Unlike some other reviewers, I don't think this is a disgrace to Looney Tunes, but I agree that it's not as good as the original Looney Tunes and not entirely faithful to the source material. It's not without its flaws (more about that later), but it's better than The Looney Tunes Show (2011) and Wabbit. This is one of many prequel shows with the characters as babies or kids that I've come across, and it's not one of the best ones, but it's better than Yo Yogi and Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go (although I don't think the latter is supposed to be a prequel series to Thomas & Friends. It's a non-canon reboot with the characters as kids).
It has a completely different premise in place of the old one, and the characters' personalities may not be as fleshed out as their adult counterparts, but some of them still have a little bit of their original personalities in them. Taz is still the dimwitted "tornado" who eats everything, grunts, and blows raspberries, Daffy Duck is still the short-tempered and hyperactive duck who has a tendency to get jealous of Bugs Bunny and yell "Woo hoo!", Lola Bunny is still the tomboy who is good at sports, etc. Sylvester doesn't try to eat Tweety Bird anymore, but maybe the show would be darker than necessary if he did. I don't know, I can't imagine babies or little kids doing such a thing to each other. However, a couple of the songs from the show mention him trying to catch birds and failing at every attempt. In the original Looney Tunes, Granny smacks Sylvester whenever he picks on Tweety, but I find that so difficult to imagine happening here. She is a benevolent mother (or maybe it'd make more sense to say grandmother) figure, and I like that side to her. Most of the characters' voices sound the same but slightly higher, but that makes perfect sense because that makes them sound like younger versions of themselves, and they are. To put more bread on the table, June Foray has returned as Granny.
The character designs and stories are cute. The babies get into all kinds of appealing childlike shenanigans and adventures, like playing school, making a Mother's Day card for Granny, Sylvester tripping over a towel that wraps around his head and makes everyone else think he's wearing a cool hat, and more. The plots are relatable and perfectly capture childhood innocence. I don't know what else to say about them.
The songs are catchy and sometimes funny. Most of them are parodies of children's songs, but some of them have their own original melodies. My favorite one might have to be either The Looney Riddle or Born to Sing, and both of them have entirely original tunes. The album version of the latter is a little bit longer and mentions some of the Looney Tunes who aren't mentioned in the version from the show singing about things they do or are into (e.g., it mentions Yosemite Sam singing country music and Pepe Lepew singing love songs), which makes the album version even better! Some of the music videos have nods to the original Looney Tunes that never appear in the main story, like Wile Coyote chasing Roadrunner, Elmer Fudd hunting Bugs Bunny, Pepe Lepew being a lovesick skunk, and more.
If the five Looney Tunes who are most commonly seen on merchandise (Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Taz, Tweety Bird, and Sylvester) plus Lola all lived with Granny when the animals were babies, I'm guessing Granny has had Tweety and Sylvester since the two of them were babies (although Tweety is still a baby in the source material. Maybe he's slightly younger here and birds age much slower in the Looney Tunes universe than in real life. I don't know how that works), and Bugs, Daffy, and Taz moved into the woods later. Granny still being old makes sense because she's the main babies' guardian, and I think she's supposed to be much older than most of the other characters in the regular Looney Tunes too. These items bring me to my next point.
Like I said, the show is not without its flaws. Lola is one of the main characters, and she and Bugs have known each other since they were babies according to Baby Looney Tunes. However, Lola is not an original Looney Tune, and she and Bugs meet for the first time as adults in Space Jam. Computers, video games, a modern telephone, color TVs, and a Blue's Clues parody are present in various episodes. This is obviously set before the original Looney Tunes as far as I know, and those things didn't exist when the source material was being made. The aforementioned circumstances make me think maybe Baby Looney Tunes is non-canon. There are a number of Looney Tunes characters who appear in post-episode music videos but never in the episodes themselves, like Yosemite Sam, Gossamer, Marc Anthony, Michigan J. Frog, and even important Looney Tunes like Porky Pig, Roadrunner, and Wile Coyote. Petunia Pig, Porky's girlfriend and a minor character in the source material, appears in both episodes and music videos from time to time, but why not Porky? Also, it's unclear to me as to how old this show is. This page says it ran from 2001-2005, and the episodes' end credits have the same dates in them, but my mother once told me she watched this as a kid. She wasn't a kid during the aforementioned dates, and the modern technology we have today didn't exist when she was a kid. The show would be close to my age if the aforementioned original airdates are the right ones. Maybe this is a reboot of an older show. Anyway, this is still a good show regardless of these flaws.
Fanboy & Chum Chum (2009)
The Start of Nick's Dark Age
I strongly dislike Fanboy and Chum Chum and consider it to be one of the worst Nickelodeon shows in the network's history and one of the worst TV shows in general. While Nick has made other not-so-good shows like Dora the Explorer, The Mighty B, and iCarly, this one is particularly bad. Unlike those shows, Fanboy and Chum Chum lacks meaningful humor and positive messages, and its characters engage in excessively annoying behaviors. I used to enjoy it when I was little, but I now find it unbearable. I once watched a Fanboy and Chum Chum rant on YouTube by a user named CoLangley1. They mentioned they'd rather watch Dora than this, and I agree with them, even though I still hate Dora (their face isn't revealed, and I can't tell if they're male or female just by hearing their voice. I think they're male, but I'm not certain).
The show relies heavily on hyperactivity, toilet jokes, and bad manners, including the leads sticking out their underwear during the theme song, sneezing in each other's faces, and letting out farts with smelly odors, Fanboy having an icky, gooey tooth with a cavity in it, and many more. It's annoying, repetitive, and too loud, with the leads constantly bouncing all over the place, screaming at the top of their lungs, sometimes throwing temper tantrums, and always goofing off, even at school. I remember that when I was little, I saw an episode where Mr. Mufflin had to separate their desks because they caused too much trouble in class, and I must admit that they deserved it. I generally love cartoons aimed at younger audiences, and most kid's shows can be immature to some extent, but this one takes immaturity to a whole new level. I get that not everything has to be educational, realistic, or have a lesson or moral attached and sometimes kids want to laugh and have fun, but I don't understand why kids would laugh at this, and the jokes are much more disgusting than funny.
The music, most notably the theme song, sounds distorted and broken. The theme song is 35 seconds, with 5 seconds of the leads saying "Brain freeze" in weird voices, and 10 seconds of gibberish. It's filled with nonsensical phrases, such as "We don't care if you stare, I mean look at our underwear!" and the main characters being described as "coo-coo" and "crazy." What's wrong here? 1) Coo-coo and crazy are understatements, 2) the former line is so disgusting that I don't want to look at their underwear, 3) the song is incredibly fast, making some of the lyrics hard to understand, 4) it's so loud and ear-piercing, and 5) the second half consists mostly of the word(s) "Bah, bah, bah" being repeated nonstop, which makes it extremely annoying and repetitive.
Most of the characters are humans who have weird, unusual, and uncreative names, like Yo, Mr. Mufflin, Stinks, Mr. Trick, Janitor Poopatine, and more. Even the title characters have weird, superhero-like names. Who names their kid Fanboy, Chum Chum, Yo, or Stinks? I'm intrigued as to how the creator thought of all these names. The only characters with normal names I can think of are Kyle and Lenny. However, Fanboy and Chum Chum aren't the leads' real names: the former's real name is Tobias Cranapple III, and the latter's real name is Sir Edmund Chummery, which makes more sense.
Fanboy and Chum Chum torment and annoy Kyle and Lenny whenever they interact with them. They are oblivious to the fact that they are bothering the two, who dislike them and have no interest in spending time with them. Kyle and Lenny are constantly mistreated for no given reason. The main characters often get Kyle into trouble, mock him when he says something unbelievable (like when he claims he needs to lay an egg to turn back to normal in the episode where he turns into a chicken), and never take him seriously. This dynamic makes Kyle similar to Squidward. The title characters also bother Lenny while he's working at Frosty's, causing chaos and almost getting him fired. The show promotes disruptive behavior and portrays the title characters as mean-spirited. Sure, children's shows don't always have to teach good things to be acceptable, but they shouldn't have to teach bad things either.
The leads' dynamic contrasts with other comedic duos who go on wacky and crazy adventures and sometimes cause trouble, such as SpongeBob and Patrick, who are well-written. Unlike Fanboy and Chum Chum, SpongeBob and Patrick are not generic, do not heavily exaggerate their concept, and have occasional moments of maturity and more depth to their personalities.
The character designs in this show are not very appealing. The characters' eyes look like they're bulging out of their skulls, some of their body parts seem oversized, and their overall appearances are somewhat unnatural, resembling rejected designs from Jimmy Neutron. Heck, Fanboy looks like a copy and paste of Sheen Estevez. Additionally, the title characters wear superhero costumes and underwear over their pants at all times, even at school, to bed, and in the shower. Despite this, they never act like superheroes or pretend to be superheroes. What's the point of the costumes? It's confusing why they never take the costumes off and only reveal their real names in one episode.
Whatever you do, don't watch Fanboy and Chum Chum, but I can handle your opinion if you like it. Thank goodness it's now canceled and long-gone! There are much better Nick shows that you should watch instead of this, like SpongeBob SquarePants, The Fairly OddParents, The Loud House, Jimmy Neutron, Catdog, Rugrats, Blue's Clues, The Backyardigans, Wow Wow Wubbzy, and more. However, I'm not making you watch those shows. I just like them better and recommend them instead of this.
Updates for July 30, 2024: I recently rewatched 22 episodes of Fanboy and Chum Chum on Paramount+ because I vaguely remembered the show and felt that I didn't give it enough detail in my review at first. I realized that I still liked it the last time I previously watched it, but I lost interest in it later. It is as awful as I remembered for the most part, and I don't plan to change my opinion. I watched 22 episodes because in the early ones I revisited, Kyle either had cameos or didn't appear at all, and I wanted to watch some episodes where he had major roles. This was so I could analyze the way he was treated and understand the rants about that gag. I made a lot of changes to my review and take back what I said about this being the worst Nick show ever. After watching Phantom Strider's "Top 6 Worst Kid's Cartoons" video recently, I now agree with him that Breadwinners is the worst Nick show, while FB&CC is now my 2nd worst Nick show.
Regular Show (2010)
Not a Regular Show (Sorry Regular Show Fans)
I used to enjoy watching The Regular Show all the time, but now I don't like it at all. It's hard for me to believe that I used to like it, and I don't watch it anymore. However, back when I was in grade school and still enjoyed the show, my friends and I used to play a game called "Regular Show/Adventure Time" during recess. In this game, we would act out our own Regular Show and Adventure Time crossover, each playing the roles of characters from both shows. We would always play the same roles, and I played both Mordecai and Jake the Dog. Looking back, I have very fond memories of those times! I understand that everyone has different opinions and points of view, so even though I don't like The Regular Show anymore, it's okay if others still do.
I strongly dislike the show mainly because its title is misleading. It's far from being regular. Can you call a show regular if it features a blue jay, a raccoon, a fat green man, a ghost with an arm on his head, a yeti wearing pants, and talking bubble gum, all working as groundskeepers for a talking gumball machine at a park? I don't think so. The characters embark on irregular and surreal adventures, such as going to outer space, trying to cure a sick talking golf cart, delivering a cake to flying babies who talk like grown men, and many more. In one episode, Rigby gets sprayed by a skunk and ends up turning into one. He tries to turn back into a raccoon by pouring coffee on himself, which doesn't make sense to me. I understand that it's a wacky and unusual situation, but I still find it perplexing. Additionally, Margaret is a cardinal, and her dad is a human for some reason. I assume she's adopted. While the concept of turning boring jobs into exciting adventures is original and allows for boundless imagination for both the creator(s) and the audience, the execution could've been better. A different title such as "The Mordecai and Rigby Show," "Mordecai and Rigby," or "The Adventures of Mordecai and Rigby" would have made more sense.
This show is meant for kids, but it's remarkably dark for that audience. It includes on-screen deaths, uncensored swear words in the first season (though they were later redubbed with clean language), intense violence, drugs, frightening monsters, and other potentially disturbing elements. The show is rated TV-PG, but it may be more appropriate for a TV-14 or TV-PG DLSV rating. I feel that it would have been better suited for Adult Swim rather than Cartoon Network.
The program includes frequent physical altercations, insults, and hostile attitudes. The characters' actions could negatively influence viewers due to their behavior. Muscle Man frequently tells offensive jokes about his mother.
Mordecai and Rigby frequently use modern slang like "yo," "bro," "bruh," and "yay-uh!" The Regular Show popularized the cringe-worthy trend of cartoons trying to appeal to young audiences by being hip and modern. However, the show executes this concept better than some other cartoons. I dislike when cartoons rely too much on modern trends because it makes it obvious that they are set in a specific time period. This lack of timelessness can make them outdated and irrelevant very quickly. This approach may hinder the enjoyment of future generations and make it difficult for new, younger audiences to understand the shows in the future, say, 20 years from now.
The characters in the show have annoying, cringeworthy, and overused catchphrases and sayings. For example, Rigby's "STOP TALKING!!!", Muscle Man's "MY MOM!", and Benson's "Or you're fired!" They yell a lot, which hurts my ears and gets on my nerves. They seriously need to calm down. Sometimes Rigby doesn't let people finish talking and yells his catchphrase in places that are supposed to be quiet, like a golf course and a movie theater. Benson's face turning red and loud yelling can get extremely obnoxious and ear-piercing for some viewers, including me. You can probably already tell that I'm one of those people who is sensitive to loud noises.
Benson has always been my least favorite character, even when I liked the show. He's a huge factor as to why I hate it. He threatens to fire Mordecai and Rigby over things that aren't their fault, suggesting he'd use any excuse to get rid of them. Mordecai and Rigby are indeed slackers, but he's too hard on them. He acts like they never get the job done until the last minute, but at least they do it. He tends to rip a telephone off the wall and kick, throw, and destroy items in his apartment, like pictures in frames, a TV, a telephone, his couch, and more. He's also a rip-off of Squidward Tentacles, who is much better. Enough said.
Hop (2011)
I Want Candy
Hop used to be one of my favorite movies, and I'd watch it constantly when I was both 8 and 9 years old. It's not the most original movie in the world, but I still enjoy it regardless. I'd have to agree with what some of the other reviews say: it was high time there was a theatrical Easter movie with bunnies, eggs, and candy and isn't about Jesus. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against religion, but there were already a lot of theatrical movies about the resurrection of Jesus. There are also a lot of Santa Claus movies out there, but how many Easter Bunny movies can you think of? My favorite part is when EB and Fred upstage Fred's adopted sister Alex's Easter play and sing I Want Candy, and even the kids in the play and the audience sing along with some of the lyrics.
I enjoy the animated portion more than the full live action one. There's lots of color on its visuals, and the characters look very realistic but slightly cartoonish or stuffed animal-like. Easter Factory looks like how I picture an Easter candy factory (or any candy factory) to look. Heck, there are closeups of Hershey Kisses being made and wrapped. At the beginning, it is shown that the main human character, Fred O'Hare, saw the Easter Bunny aka EB's dad when the former was a kid, and his family didn't believe him. Now that's something you don't see every day!
There are a few Christmas-like elements here and there: EB's dad (later EB and Fred) rides an egg-shaped sleigh pulled by chicks, the same chicks and a couple of other bunnies paint the eggs and make the candy like how the elves make toys, and they live and work on Easter Island like their North Pole. Now we know how the Easter Bunny's yearly basket deliveries work and what Easter chickens do. There are a few differences between Easter Island and the North Pole, like there's no naughty or nice list, and there has been a different Easter Bunny keeping the tradition alive from generation to generation.
There are positive messages here about being open-minded with their children and supporting their career choices. That's an unoriginal but important lesson for all, especially parents, and doing the opposite can lead to trouble. At first, EB's dad retires from being the Easter Bunny and forces his son to take over, but the latter wants to be a drummer in a band instead. EB runs away from home and meets Fred, and the two of them help each other fulfill their dreams. EB's dad starts to miss EB and regret his behavior, and when EB goes home, the former apologizes for the way he acted and lets EB become a drummer, but EB decides to become the Easter Bunny alongside Fred and still be a drummer too (it's true that Fred isn't a bunny, but he's a human Easter Bunny). Who said one can't have two jobs or both fulfill your own dreams and do what your parents want you to do (but if you don't want the kind of job your parents want you to have, then just follow your own dreams)? At the beginning, Fred says that when he was a kid, his dad told him that he (Fred) was going to grow up to do something great. I'd have to agree with Fred's family; he did grow up to do something great. Who knew humans could be the Easter Bunny?
There are a lot of funny moments present. One of the funniest moments in EB playing the drums on Guitar Hero (or a similar video game) and saying, "You never had one more lesson. I'm the EXTREME ROCK MASTER!" I used to randomly repeat that line all the time and say extreme master master in the same growly voice as EB, which my friends and family also found funny. EB playing the drums at end and making Phil dance, mess up guiding the sleigh while Carlos is driving, and cause the sleigh to crash is also funny, and that should teach Carlos a lesson for trying to ruin Easter. I got to admit that Phil has great dance moves!
I'd have to disagree with most of the negative comments some people say about Hop, but it's not without its flaws. Like I said, the story isn't entirely original, and it has a few mean-spirited moments: at first EB's dad and Fred's parents were jerks to their sons and force them to get certain jobs (though this is likely intentional so they can learn the morals), Alex kicks Fred in the leg and steals his flowers after her play, and she tells Mr. And Mrs. O'Hare that sometimes she feels like they adopted her because Fred is a disappointment. Like Mr. O'Hare says, "That's a very hurtful statement." Towards the end, EB's dad tells his second in command Carlos that the Egg of Destiny to too dangerous for chicks. He should've said so sooner because Carlos was thinking about being the Easter Bunny much earlier, and only the Easter Bunny can touch the Egg of Destiny. Overall, it's still a great movie for Easter or any other day.