Hi everyone.
It's Drew with another Toony Tuesday for you(...sday)!
This time I'm reviewing Nickelodeon's newest Nicktoon--which I'm sure they should stop calling in general and also do so for cartoon that deserve it. But I think this one deserves it.
Are you a part of one of those families that have so many siblings that it drives you crazy on account of all the sharing and fighting and having to go to war over just the bathroom...and all other that stuff? Yeah, so am I, and just as this little guy Lincoln. And he's gonna tell you all about it.
It's The Loud House.
Created by Chris Savino and based on his real life growing up in his childhood home with 10 other siblings (11 total by the way), this series features the adventures--and misadventures of 11-year-old Lincoln Loud, and his 10 sisters--Lori, Leni, Luna, Luan, Lynn, Lucy, Lola, Lana, Lisa, and baby Lily--as they (especially Lincoln) navigate throughout their young lives though the hurdles and craziness of sharing a house together. With his best pal Clyde by his side, Lincoln does his best to break through the clutter and tries his best make it through the day. And get to the bathroom and TV first. And along the way, tell us about it. No really.
Since we all know what Nick is as a network and company as of late, I had low standards toward their recent fare as announced by their 2016 upfront. There were a lot of new programming to debut later this year, and I felt compelled to watch none of them. The titles had little appeal and the descriptions sounded pretty stupid. But there was one of the new shows that held me in for a bit, with a title that's short and sweet and a description that could make for an interesting half-hour.
When I watched a preview of it last month (below),
going in, I had low standards and felt like just another cartoon/Nicktoon to avoid. Surprisingly...It wasn't. It actually was an enjoyable experience. And after it ended, I then thought "Hmm. This isn't as bad as I thought. Not at all. I really enjoyed it! Now I'm really excited to watch it".
Then Nick released two episodes earlier in the month
(A Tale of Two Tables/The Sweet Spot and Hand-Me-Downer/Sleuth or Consequences)
and this bolstered my enjoyment.
It's definitely different and sticks out from other Nicktoons airing right now: it's light, nuanced, not too fast-paced and more homey. And I love it!
Don't get me wrong; I enjoy some of Nick's cartoons right now, too. (Examples: Harvey Beaks and Pig Goat Banana Cricket)
But I really enjoy The Loud House for what it is.
Lincoln and his 10 4-letter L-named sisters
The characters are some I like right now, and not very complex (from what I've seen so far), with personalities we've seen/noticed before, but are very well created here:
-bossy Lori
-sweet-but-ditzy Leni
-rocker Luna
-goofy jokester/prankster Luan
-extreme & sporty Lynn
-goth/emo Lucy
-prissy & bratty Lola
-tomboy Lana
-dull genius Lisa, and
-baby Lily (who is pretty much an excuse for stinky diaper jokes)
--and lastly, the one guy in the middle (literally, he's the middle child), Lincoln
All of the Loud offspring have wonderfully fleshed-out personalities that are written and voice-acted well, and you'll have a hard time finding a favorite (but don't worry, Lincoln is one of mine; so that's less of a hassle at this point)
But what makes them great in my book is this: they're all not crazy, scatterbrained, extremely annoying or hateful; Just some of the most normal characters in a Nicktoon in a long time. A breath of fresh air.
Also a character I like is Lincoln's best friend Clyde.
He's there to assist Linc on whatever scheme he's planned and always has his back. He's also a bit of a nerd (IE his love of doing his parents' taxes with them) and has a crush on Lori. He's definitely not a boring character; he's also really funny and a great source of humor.
The animation isn't bad at all; I wouldn't say "Give it an Annie!" or anything yet, but I really enjoy the sketchy, simplified style, which fondly resembles the drawings of comic strips from our childhoods. And I also got some Gravity Falls vibes from it (especially because Lori looks like Pacifica), as the characters do kinda-sorta resemble some characters from the latter show, especially with the shapes of the eyes on their faces.
Also, their house looks really cool, too. I'd definitely want to live in a crib like that; sibling number be damned.
I also love the element of Lincoln Abraham Breaking the Fourth Wall to talk to us-the viewers-about what he's been up to and what trials he's come up against and the lessons he's learned thanks to sharing a home with ten sisters and what he deals with involving them. This very fondly resembles Malcolm in the Middle, is a very nice element and gives us more to learn about his character and personality, which is a cool one already.
And I don't have to tell you, but the love, fights and bonding across the Loud family is wonderful and genuine. Even if most of the time two or more members (Lincoln almost always one of them) squabble, it's clear that at the end of the day, they all love each other and wouldn't any of the others for anything. You can hear and feel it in the voice acting and in the animation. Just let Lincoln Log himself tell you that from "Left in the Dark".
"You know, I may have missed my show, but sometimes, it's not about being there first. Sometimes, it's about being there together — all of us."
Now this concept of sharing the family home with a bunch of siblings isn't a new thing on TV--it's happened before in many shows and movies, but I think this is a relatively new spin on it, since this is a definite number of sisters involved.
This series' concept is the first to be greenlit to series from it's annual Animated Shorts Program, chosen from over 950 titles from around the globe.
And for that, I'm even more proud and for it.
Just as proud I am is of the theme song and title sequence.
It perfectly captures the overarching plot, tone and goofiness of the series and is definitely catchy. The pop rock production is amazing and the singer is really good at the lyrics, which are memorable when you learn them. Ever since the first time I've heard the line "In the Loud House, In the Loud House", it's never left my head (although I'd never want to) and I'll sing it every chance I get. (I'm probably doing it right now as you're reading this.)
As for the title sequence, it's very well-drawn and--like the TS--also perfectly captures the plot, tone and goofiness. The brilliant piece of it is this: here, while Lincoln Motor Company is normally drawn, the Loud girls are colored-coded in different colors (matching the colors on their clothing in the series proper), making them different and . And the "1 Boy/10 Girls" line is also great. I love that; it's really unique and helps drive the sequence home. And the Loud House itself is also amazingly drawn. I love this open and it helps make the series even more fun to watch and worth
Random Thoughts:
Lincoln
--Looking at one of the cast photos for the first time, what stuck out the most was Lincoln's white hair. I thought it looked weird at first (as all other family members have either blonde or brunette hair), but soon after I now find it awesome and can't stop thinking over it. Savino said in an interview that it actually isn't his natural color (no duh) and it makes me wonder. Stay tuned.
--I just enjoy the fact that a boy (Grant Palmer specifically) is voicing him instead of a grown man.
--Lincoln's bedroom is a closet. I don't know if CBBC's Broom Cupboard from back in the day is bigger, but hey, if put the position of living in a house with ten girls all fighting for dominance somewhere, I'd rather take the micro space too. Your own room/space is key to a sane childhood. ...sometimes.
--I wish my name is Lincoln too. Waaaay better than Andrew (although sharing a name with a US President [...well, a likable one] can be pretty cool).
Loud Sisters
--All of them are all different kinds of cute. That is all.
--Some of my favorites so far are
-Luan (her jokes and pranks are corny, but super cute and funny)
-Lynn (it's been a while since I've watched an animated female character who plays/loves sports, and she's awesome at it)
-Lucy (cutest little goth girl ever, her love for--of all things--"Princess Pony" is adorably hilarious)
-Luna (she can rock!)
-Lisa (she graduated from college at four. Don't ask, don't think, don't wonder; just go with it. Plus her lisp and monotone behavior are undeniably adorable.
She's pretty much Little Daria.)
-and Lana (Handy Manny, watch out! No seriously, she's a fiend with a wrench.)
--As for the full diapy jokes from Lily, I don't mind them...as long as there's a maximum of two per...every other episode.
I've always had fond respect in Chris Savino as an animator. From working on season one of Johnny Test (universally the best season of them all) to later working on Kick Buttowski and Friendship is Magic, he's definitely a dude I can get behind in television animation. And now that he's got his own show where he's calling the shots, I surely can and will get behind this one too. And I'm glad I did, as you read earlier.
It's already gotten some good promotion and reception from Nick, with two episodes already released on its website (both were great views for me [obvs]) and--if TV Tropes counts as a source--the episode count for Season 1 doubled to 26. A great start for what
Thanks for joining me for my review of The Loud House, a Nicktoon that should be called a Nicktoon.
See you guys later!!
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