The Proud Family

too be fair, i have only seen this once (i don't have disney). but this seems kind of messed up. given the chance, i'd watch it again just to make sure i wasn't being unreasonable. but this just seems stereotypical. who would name their child "LaCienega Boulevardez"? that's just mean.

The only reason I can fathom for this show being on The Disney Channel is that Rich Ross is being blackmailed by the NAACP. It's fine that Disney wants to take on some ethnic diversity (no, guys, token ethnic friends in the original movies don't count), but I think they're just taking the notion and sitting on it. While The Color of Friendship, from a year or two ago, was a wonderful and moving (at least, for Disney) story about racial diversity, recent attempts seem more lackadaisical and haphazard, as if someone up there said "Alright, we have a show and it's about black people. We can package that, right?" Previous shows in The Proud Family's demographic, Smart Guy and The Famous Jett Jackson, at least had more of a premise. Even compared to other Disney Channel animated series, this show falls flat in terms of concept. Unlike Kim Possible, which revels in its own absurdity, The Proud Family tries to be a down-to-earth family show with wacky elements, but instead presents a jumbled mess of stereotypes and current-event harping. The main problem with this show is that the characters are too busy trying to be colorful and upbeat that they come off as annoying. Penny is not inherently as likeable as her contemporaries: Lizzie McGuire, Fiona Phillips, Annie Thelen, Kim Possible, and Ren Stevens, because she's brattier than all of them combined, and her redeeming factors are limited. Oscar is more vibrant than Wood Jackson (Famous Jett Jackson) and Floyd Henderson (Smart Guy) but he is less a father figure than a clown, because, once again, he fails to capture the essence of fatherhood among all his immature "manly" activity. Mrs. Proud, I can't even remember her name, is the most likeable character in the show, if only because her main purpose is to shut her husband up. We've seen the Suga Mama character presented before, as Montrose Hagins' Miz Coretta (Famous Jett Jackson), and it was on that show that the character embodied all the wisdom that The Proud Family would like you to think that Suga Mama has. The friends aren't even worth more of a mention than they are all ethnic stereotypes (except for LaCienega, who is just ridiculous). So the show pales compared to Disney's other African-American sitcoms through lack of premise, Disney's other Teen Girl sitcoms through unlikeable characters, and Disney's other animation by, well, being bland. Hopefully this show will be canned and written off as a bridge between The Famous Jett Jackson and whatever star vehicle they're trying to give Raven-Symone.

But, hey, at least it's not The Jersey.

The Proud Family is a TV show that ranges a viewers liking for it. One episode may be made extraordinarily while others.. just make you want to turn off your television. Many have had this experience before, and may not know what to do. It's a good show to watch when you have nothing else to do.

The actors and actresses on this show goes just as up and down as a viewers liking for it. Kyla Pratt who plays the main character, Penny Proud, is an okay actress, however, in many of the episodes of The Proud Family, her acting can be very poor. One instance: In an episode she has to cry, it is very fake. Yes, it is hard to fake crying in a cartoon, but at least she could make it a little more convincing. The cry should make a viewer know it's fake, but make it hard to believe.

Another thing.. Dijonay. She is usually the main reason why viewers turn off the television while this show's on. What is up with her? She is not a good friend and doesn't deserve any. She backstabs Penny as well as her other friends, and doesn't lose a day of sleep over it. Her character makes the show worse. If any character had to be dropped from the show, it would be Dijonay.

Rating: 5/10 - Half and half because a viewers interest in this show ranges!

I began watching this show a good while back and I found it to be quite good. I look forward to watching this cartoon everyday. I love the characters, especially Dijoney (Karen Malina White) and Sticky (Orlando Brown). It's a great show for viewers of all ages I think. I get quite a few laughs out of watching this show. It's not one of the best shows Disney has produced but it's definitely gonna be around for a long time.

Alright, some of these reviews are irritating me.

Seriously, how is the show racist or stereotypical? Its a regular freaking Disney Show. There is nothing stereotypical about it. Its not like any of you actually know to the tee on how every single race act. What part of Penny's character is ghetto? The use of slang? I am eighteen, and trust me, everyone from every race uses slang. Most of the reviewers would not know that, since most are most likely pass the age of thirty and think of themselves to be "Critics".

Suga Mama and Oscar's characters are made to be "Funny", this is a animated Disney Show. This is not The Cosby's, its not suppose to be realistic, what Disney show(real or fake) is realistic? Even Stevens? No, Lizzie Maguire, No. Thats So Raven, No. And the list goes on, a lot of you all sound ignorant, to be honest. The show is very funny, in my opinion. It even has some morals every once and a while. Though the show is no longer on air, i still believe it is a great show to buy for DVD and show your children. At least give it a try, listening to people who feel the need to judge the show as if it was a Oscar movie or something, won't get you anywhere.