Toony + Tuesday * 2016: Peg + Cat

Hello there, everyone.
The last time I reviewed a show for little kids, it seemed like a one-time-only thing.
Nope. I'm going at it again.

This series is probably the most fun you'll ever have learning Math.
I'm an adult, and I'm proud to relearn Math from this.

It's Peg + Cat.



Created by Jennifer Oxley and Billy Aronson, the series features Peg--a sweet, optimistic little girl with a feast for solving Math; and Cat, her talking feline friend with a love for circles. Together, they trek on amazing Arithmetic adventures to help their friends solve their problems--along with themselves solving their own--by using and solving Math problems and equations, and at the same time, help the viewers learn simple math as well.

But I'm not talking a bit about this series because of its use of Math. But because of how inventive and creative it gets with it's use of Math.
-Starting with the intro and ending with the episode ending chat with the title characters, the animation changes with each episode. See episodes where Cat does something while Peg sings or a different thing appears behind them or a variation of the theme song. It's something that'll just blow your mind every time with how things change while others stay the same.

-The animation is fuzzy (thanks to Flash), but actually works very well. The characters, locations, buildings and colors look simple, but are still likable to the eyes. And the changing elements work towards its favor.

-Also, the songs and score are super catchy and will stay in your head for days. "Problem Solved" and "Splashing Some More" from The Bathroom segment are the major examples.

-Now to the episodes. Each episode has a fun story and even fun(ner) execution.
Peg and Cat are going about their day, when a problem arises. A character tells them about that problem, and it's up to our young heroes (yes, Cat too) to save the day by using Math to solve their friends' problems. Sometimes, they also get into Simple, right? Wrong. Take a look at one of my favorite episodes, "The Highlight Zone Problem", where Peg & Cat get into a funk when their world isn't as colorful as usual.
(starts at 12:58)


Besides the brilliant nods to The Twilight Zone (including the black and white setting, the strangeness of the predicament, and Ramone being a great stand-in of the late, great Rod Serling), this episode features elements of that series to create a new

The characters are just awesome. Peg and Cat especially. But the other main characters, despite known from what little traits, they're just as memorable.
-Ramone, smart as a whip and cool as a cucumber
-Pig, a happy-go-lucky but shy-voiced pig with a singing voice big enough for opera
-Richard, a little alien from the Purple Planet who gets pretty glum when things go wrong, but is also very willing to help save the day when it happens.
-100 Chickens (your guess is as good s mine as to what they are)
-The Teens, three teenagers who are on good terms with Peg and Cat, and are there to help out in any way they can. That is if they are a part of the story. Plus, they're not mean or unlikable in the slightest, a plus for me.
-Big Mouth – A furry blue space monster who indulges in eating things that are little and yellow. (Like a walking Pyramid category)
-Beethoven, who is...Beethoven, of course. (Yes, even Ludwig himself is a character in this series...with clear hearing for some reason [I find no problem with this].)
All these characters, despite seeming like the producers are just picking them out their asses on the surface, really do bring the show its own flavor (along with its writing) and makes it stand out among the other PBS Kids shows.
And there are A LOT of great standouts here.


What also makes this series stand out is its unconventional formula. Despite the recognizable traits in a typical episode--Peg & Cat singing the theme song (itself super catchy), Peg & Cat in some random place, a problem occurring, Peg totally freaking out, Cat calming her, them (almost) solving the problem, the problem not being solved yet, they and their episode-picked friends doing much more to solve it, and problem is solved (AND EVERYTHING IS AWESOME!!), there are some creative elements that take place within that episode. The characters joining along in "Problem Solved" (a song that is catchy is heck even if I've heard it 100 or so times) and every song that is a part of each episode will be stuck in your hear as soon as you hear it.

Plus (heh heh), the characters are written and created really well. Peg is a bright-eyed girl with a big imagination and a bigger heart. Her charm and sweet wit grabs your attention and you just love her from second one. Cat is goofy but hilariously witty and his snark is balls-out funny. Their chemistry is as strong as Arnold Schwarzenegger and their friendship is a reason this show is awesome and a reason I watch with grin from ear to ear. Their voice actors, Hayley Faith Negrin and Dwayne Hill, bring so many layers of fun, humor, wit and timing to this show and (partially, but primarily) because of them and their characters, I am a fan of Peg + Cat for life. And you should be too.

Episodes are available on Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, YT and the PBS Kids video app.

I know it's a kids show. ...But I. don't. care. I darn well love this series, and if you give it a try (whether with your kids or by yourself), I think you'll love it too.

Thanks for checking in, and I'll see you guys later.

Toony Tuesday 2016: Danger Mouse (2015 reboot)

He's the greatest! He's FanTAStic! Where ever there is danger, he'll be there!
He's the ACE! He's AMAZing! He's the smartest, he's the bravest--he's...
a little different.

Yep, the world's best secret rodent spy has gotten himself and his show have gotten a major makeover. But is it hit with me? Will I like it? Will the world sit through yet another 1,000-plus review with a bunch of sentences and crappy humor before finally implying that I like it? Short answer: Yes.

Before I get to my thoughts on this new Danger Mouse, he's a Cliff-Notes--like course on the original Danger Mouse.
Airing from 1981 to 1992 and created by Brian Cosgrove and Mark Hall for London-based Thames Television, Danger Mouse is an animated series that parodies the spy fiction genre in which a mouse, Danger Mouse--along with his trusted-yet-cowardly sidekick Ernest Penfold, fights crime and saves the day from the evildoers of the day, including (and most especially) the sinister-and-strained throat Silas Greenback.

I--at my age at the time--became a huge fan when I first discovered the series on YouTube a few years ago. The humor, half quick and sharp and half silly and surreal, was just brilliant. And the voice-acting propelled the brilliance higher than what was possible. Even the animation, as weak and fuzzy as it was, was as great; the limited scope still feels expansive. This series spoofed the spy fiction genre to perfection, starting with the heroes and villains all being animals, the use of a pillarbox as DM and Penfold's HQ/home and many moments of Braking the Forth Wall between the characters and the narrator, himself a great element with his haminess and comic seriousness of his dialogue and character.

Everything about this series is awesome and makes it awesome. It's no wonder that it's become a beloved piece of British television (both animated and in general) and is a cult favorite in the rest of the world. Which explains where we are today.

This is the 2015 reboot of classic 80s animated series Danger Mouse.


Danger Mouse 2015 S01E01 Danger Mouse Begins... by GodsParents

Okay, where to start here?

I really like this...and I KINDA don't. There is so much I enjoy about this new series, and some things I could do without at first.

When a reboot was announced back in 2013, I kinda rolled my eyes. It's clearly a part of the nostalgia boom and only served purpose to not create something entirely new and original. But at the same time, I was somewhat optimistic. I wold love to watch a Danger Mouse series while I am alive, and I think it could introduce children to a classic franchise that's beloved for many reasons.
It could work very well. And it does. In some ways.

The characters are a different in personality from the original:

Danger Mouse isn't as much of an Ace anymore, as he is now a little more absentminded and clumsy, and like to showboat when on a mission. At times it's funny, while in others it's plain annoying.
Penfold, while still a little cowardly, is more resourceful and timid. While cool, it's kinda sad that I really miss the old PF, as he was hilarious for being dim scaredy-cat.
Colonel K is less out-of-it.That's cool; he was really irritating at times. And Stephen Fry is voicing him, which is a huge plus.
Baron Silas Greenback is no longer a Brit, as he now dons a German accent and has the title 'von' added to his name. He's otherwise largely the same, which is great.
His henchman Stilleto previously donned an Italian accent, but now slips one in under a Cockney accent. I don't mind this; he's still a funny henchman
And if that wasn't enough, there are new characters created:
-Professor Squackencluck: chief scientist of the secret service, and probably the niece of the original Squackencluck. She's smart, works well with her hands and brain, and she's kinda hot. She doesn't have as many funny moments as the guys, but she can hold her own really well.
-Jeopardy Mouse, an agent working in America, and DM's female counterpart.
-

The voice actor cast for the new Danger Mouse is completely revamped.
Alexander Armstrong voices DM, Kevin Eldon does Penfold,
Stephen Fry (!!!) is Colonel K, Ed Gaughan is Greenback
& Dave Lamb is The Narrator and Stilleto (ironically not voicing DM too, but Stilleto)
(along with Shauna MacDonald as Niece Prof. Squakencluck and Lena Headley as Jeopardy Mouse)
While saddened that most of the original cast has not returned for the new series (understandable that most have probably died or retired), I believe this new cast is just as great as their predecessors. Considering I've seen works by some of them before (Armstrong hosts BBC One's Pointless, a brilliant game show [please check it out]), so this show is in good hands there.

The animation is much more sharper, clearer and colorful than the original. I originally didn't enjoy it at first (mostly because nostalgia), but now I love it! It's animated at Toon Boom, and they did a wicked good job. Honestly (and ironically), I thought it was made in Flash, but the producers have said using it is too limited (don't blame them).

The jokes here feel a little different (new writing, duh) but otherwise carries on the spirit of the original. It's not as whip-smart or hilarious as the original, but it's really funny on its own right, and that's what counts.

I really enjoy this new Danger Mouse and I hope you will too.
While it airs on CBBC in the UK, it's an Exclusive Series on Netflix here in the States.
There are a few places to watch it too.

For now, I'm Andrew, and I'll see you next week for another Toony Tuesday review! Probably Peanuts or a Throwback. Or both, I'll shall see.

Toony Tuesday 2016: The Loud House

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 could can (and will) be a popular and long-lasting Nicktoon. I can feel it...

Thanks for joining me for my review of The Loud House, a Nicktoon that should be called a Nicktoon.

See you guys later!!

Toony Tuesday 2016: Pig Goat Banana Cricket

Hey, everyone! Today, I'm Toony Tuesday-ing a Nicktoon! ...yay.

When I was a kid, I usually felt overjoyed to spend every weekend watching Nicktoons. Whether at home with my mom and family or spending weekends with my dad, one constant presence was those 30-minute adventures--and misadventures--with our favorite shows: Rugrats, SpongeBob, Rocko's Modern Life, The Angry Beavers, Ren & Stimpy, KaBlam, Fairly OddParents, Jimmy Neutron, ChalkZone, Avatar: The Last Airbender--and a few others during Nick's Golden and Silver Eras. They were all perfect viewings for me and my siblings during childhood, and can still great views on TeenNick during The Splat--uhh, NickSplat (sigh).
Hell, even the name Nicktoons was something special. It's as if it's something special and completely different from other networks' animated offerings.
"It's not cartoons, it's Nicktoons."
Geddit?? Because...it's like HBO?? You know..."It's not TV"? And both are different entities??? *cough* Anyway...

Nowadays, Nickelodeon has become a very crap network with original shows (both animated AND live-action) that are just obnoxiously unfunny, horrifying terrible and yet discerningly popular. Almost none of the shows on the channel have anything of value, worth, quality and watchability. And yet millions watch them.

Now, don't get me wrong: Nick also has some really awesome Nicktoons today, too. Harvey Beaks, The Legend of Korra, Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and a few others I can't remember--because I really don't watch the network anymore--are examples of Nick still having faith in themselves to air more-than-decent cartoons, and us having enough faith in them for making such programs.
This one I'm discussing today isn't one of them. ...I think.

It's Pig Goat Banana Cricket. (...why?)



This series, which premiered on July 18, 2015, created by Dave Cooper and Johnny Ryan, is based on a comic published by Nickelodeon Magazine (remember that? good times.) and developed from a short clip by animator Nick Cross on YouTube from 2012 -- called Pig Goat Banana Mantis!

(I don't know which animation is more attrocious--
PGBCricket or PGBMantis? It's more or less a tossup for me.)

Now, the reason for the difference between names is because, after it got picked up by Nick, the name had to be changed--along with the fourth-in-line character. That's thanks to another character on another Nicktoon that has the same name (and species): Mantis from the aforementioned Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness. So the name (and species) was changed to Cricket.
It's pathetic that Nick continues to go to the Internet for fresh new content. Sure, other networks do it too, as video sites such as YouTube have become perfect places for TV show pilots and short films, in the hopes of a network to take interest and pick it up for something more.
But when Nick does it, it's absolutely fucking shameless.
AwesomenessTV, ReactToThat and Breadwinners are perfect examples.
But...does it matter?



This show is kinda gross.
The animation is disgusting.
The title sequence alone had me coming close to upchucking. There's always close-ups that are insanely gross, and--well, every almost every shot is kinda gross. Even when nothing gross is happening, despite being intentional, it still looks sloppy and unappealing. One of the main culprits of this is anything that comes out of your head--snot and pus, along with other gross things that can come out of you. Understandably, this can have appeal to anyone. I'm not usually one of them, so I'll give it a little pass.

The characters are questionable (I guess in a good way)
-Pig is an idiot with an obsession with pickles
-Goat is a sweet and cheerful singing hopeful...and is also probably bipolar
-Banana is an asshole with a love for video games and food, and
-Cricket is a crazy good mad scientist...and target for bullcrap
The worst of the bunch is Pig. I hate slow-minded characters and he is one of them. He's not as bad as other dumb Nick characters like Cosmo and Patrick (remember-they're the worst), but I still can't stand his failure to grasp basic thought and cognitive speech.
And one thing I can't stand about Cricket is that he's the show's Chew Toy. he gets treated like crap a lot, and is the basis for jokes like this. It's annoying and serves no purpose. I can take a few Butt Monkey jokes in a show--maybe even enjoy them. But seeing either so many little jokes or a few big ones in every episode (maybe even one) is enough to piss me off. Even if I hate a character, that is too much to deserve this treatment.
While I don't love these characters (I damn sure don't identify with them either), I actually don't hate them either. While they have tics that will get on my nerves, there is something that still draws me to them.
It has to be the actors voicing them--
Matt L. Jones as Pig
Candi Milo as Goat
Thomas F. Wilson as Banana
and Paul Rugg as Cricket
--that make me like them more than I thought. Yeah, that's it. Well, one of them.
These actors really bring these characters to life, and give them a lot of personality, even if a couple layers of them don't well with me. This has to be one of my favorite elements of this series. So it doesn't surprise me much that the voice of Dexter, Snap and Madame Foster; that guy from Mom and the voice of Hector; Biff Tannen himself; and the voice of frickin' Freakazoid! make up one of the series' best parts.

The humor is, of course, Nick's specialty: pathetic idiotic humor that caters to the lowest common denominator with toilet jokes, shock jokes, unneeded violence, crap past the radar, and idiotic behavior abound. You know...for kids. Obviously, I can't stand humor like this, as it will make me lose a few IQ points every minute I keep watching shit like this. But sadly, this is what gets Nick over these days in reasons of popularity and monetary. So you'll be seeing a lot of this in a lot of its shows--this one included.

Somehow, despite the many examples of gross humor displayed here, this is actually kinda tame. Sure, it comes at you--and you will experience a degree of nausea, but sometimes, it doesn't make me groan. All I can do is react with a little indifference and groan a little. Don't know why, but that's all I get from it. And it's kinda scary.

Another thing I kinda really like about Pig Goat Banana Cricket (ugh) is this little format style each and every episode. Each of the four titular main characters get an act of each episode to him/her-self, bookmarked by one of their names popping up in an graphic frame--with the name shouted by a random group of kids as heard in the title sequence. Also--like shows like Fosters, Gravity Falls and both Avatar series--each episode follows one story, instead of two in a two-shorts format.
I really like this, as I've never seen something like this in animation before, and is utilized very well. So much so, it makes me wonder why I'm still into this series when I should hate it like everyone else.
And speaking of not really hating it when I should, the humor isn't that baseless either. I don't rage as much as I do with any joke by Cosmo or Mikey from TMNT or any other character from The Sponge, and I do find some jokes funny.

Also, despite the tics of each character that might annoy me, all of the titular characters aren't really annoying themselves most of the time. They're actually better-written than most characters on some other Nicktoons.


In short...Pig Goat Banana Cricket isn't that bad of a Nicktoon. It's obnoxiously disgusting and it's pretty irritating too. ...And at times, pretty good and funny. It's not as bad as most people make it out to be. And that's it.
So...if you want, to curb your interest, please check it out. And if you still don't like it, that's fine. It's not a great Nicktoon, but in my opinion, it's one of the better Nicktoons of the decade on the negative side of the spectrum.

Thanks a lot guys, for checking out another Surprise Review.
I'm Andrew, and I'll see you again soon.

Toony Tuesday 2016: "The Big Fairy Share Scare!" (Fairly OddParents Season 10 Premiere)

When I heard that The Fairly OddParents would return for its ninth season, my thoughts were exactly the same as everyone else's: "What!? Really?? Okay. I'm curious." Then the premiere came. "WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT??" And no, I'm not talking about the episode itself, I'm talking about Sparky, the latest character to be added to the main group, which wasn't needed at all. I was fine with baby Poof, as he was a good addition to the family, and wasn't much of an annoying focus point from the producers. I didn't watch FOP as much after season 5 or 6 (I don't remember; I went out on a high...or we stopped having cable. Either one you'd believe more.), so I went back to it, to see what the new character was. I was curious to see what Sparky would be like. And...yeah, he's terrible. He's obnoxious, he's rude, he's loud, he's not a great companion to Timmy (more like compainion) and his voice is grating.

Oh yeah, I forgot, this season.
Well, when I first heard that the OddParents was renewed for a tenth season--actually, I never really noticed it was still on the air; I was watching other, better cartoons. But when I first heard that it was renewed, it was what everyone else's reaction was. But to paraphrase: "WHAT!?! Why the hell is this still on the air!?! Why would Nick still cling onto this??" And the answer was the same with SpongeBob: MONEY.
But the fact the Nick won't let it end already--or even years ago, it just baffles me. Even if I know that Nick can and will keep it's most popular shows on the air for financial purposes, and neglect it's more better shows, it shows how money-hungry and pathetic in business-ethics it is like it always was for years.

See the video by psychobabbles parodying theFineBros in my rant on them and you'll exactly see what I mean.

There some tidbits of Season 10 that I shall address here that shows the continued downfall of the once-beloved animated series:

-THE THEME SONG HAS CHANGED.

For the previous nine seasons, the theme was very memorable, very catchy and very awesome. Orchestra instrumentation; a choir singing the lyrics; a quick, fun, whimsical and goofy tone. it was just a perfect piece of music with lyrics to match that tells what the series is all about perfectly.
And you WILL sing to it at least every other time it comes on.
That is, until this season. And...Out of the blue, without warning, we get this.

This...isso wrong...on so many levels.
First off, taking the choir away and replacing them with two singers who have to explain this garbage sludge of a story arc (Then, the garbage sludge of a story arc itself, which I'll get too later). And they don't sound right. They're trying their darndest to sing like the choir, but to me, they're failing. Nothing about this sounds right. The addition of Chloe; Timmy, Cosmo and Wanda saying different lyrics; the line about Jorgen; the randomness of all this is terrible (at least in the original, the random wording and lyrics work in that case); the questionable nature of it all; and the biggest offence of it all, the fact that the title sequence looks and feels more like a "clip show" episode than an actual title sequence (This element is so many kinds of messed up, I can't even count). This entire sequence feels like an insult. An insult to the fans, casual viewers, critics and even the producers/writers/directors of previous seasons (even if Butch Hartman is still working on it, it still stands).
The only good thing about this is Timmy's lyrics, which are really funny with each passing listen.
Every time I hear this even once, I feel the need to listen to the original 10 times to cleanse my brain from all the terrible and


-There is yet another new character added to the main group: Chloe Carmichael.
She's an enthusiastic blue-eyed blonde overachiever who excels in everything. She and her parents left the big city and moved to Dimmsdale, hitting it off with everyone. And Timmy doesn't like this. But it gets even worse for him when Chloe becomes Timmy's new neighbor.
Now...I'll be honest. I don't hate Chloe. I thinks She's a very adorable and likable girl, and can be a great character when played well here. But...
I just hate the situation surrounding her. She's a new character created by the producers to try to make the show interesting. And it worked...just not in the way they intended.
She's so...perfect. Disgustingly perfect. (And by way of one of the truly treasured gags that I love), she's disgurfect! Right from the very start when Crocker introduced her (while being an ugly dollar-store Dick Cavett), she's revealed to very smart, very charitable, and very heroic. Literally every inch of her personality and life are so perfect. (Just look at her house!) So much so it makes me nauseous! And all of this makes Timmy look even more like an average kid no one understands. And a loser. And the writers are trying so damn hard to make her likable with us! And that's...not...right!
And that's not counting the garbage sludge plot yet.
Huh. I guess I do hate her. Forget what I said about her being a great character. She does not have any flaws and has too much humanity. And that makes her an unlikable character. But to be more honest, there are some things I like about her. She does have a great voice actress behind her (she's voiced by Kari Wahlgren) and none of the obnoxious likeness to her isn't all her fault.

Which leads me to the other big problem with is episode.
-The fact that from now on, this will be the series' main plot.
After Chloe meets new neighbor Timmy, he has a huge problem. And no, it's not her...only.
Later in the day, Jorgen fires in to reveal a shocking (and stupid) revelation: There is a shortage at Fairy World, and because of that, many fairies have to partake in a sharing program. As in they have to be shared with more than one kid.
This negates everything this show has gone for throughout its history.
First off, there can't be a shortage at Fairy World. There has to be as many fairies as there are people on Earth. And any one can be chose as the godparent of one child. And there'd still be enough in Fairy World to go around. This makes me FURIOUS!!
Also, one kid being given two fairies and go on many amazing adventures together, where good and bad moments come in, along with teaching moments to show that not everything you want can be that easy to have or spend life with. It's best to stick with whatever life you have.
Chloe, meanwhile, is smart and obedient enough to live a great life with whatever she wants at her disposal. And she doesn't even need fairies!! She clearly has a great life without any, and can have whatever she wants does whatever she wants without any! So why does she have some?! Why should she have some?!
And even if she gets fairies, she might as well be given either Cosmo or Wanda, instead of both given passed around with Timmy like a joint at a Greg Cipes concert. Hell, she might as well have been given Cosmo, to balance intelligence and become Devil's Advocate.
But no, we get this crap.

Now onto some thoughts and problems I have about the season 10 premiere itself.
It's best to watch the episode from this link highlighted here.

--Yeah. Chloe doesn't wear sleeves. Nice screw-up, producers.
--Smart idea using the Crimson Chin episode leitmotif for a superhero TV show that's NOT the Crimson Chin!!
--Crocker continues to be a more bigger character than need be. It's happened for the last few seasons, and it's annoying. I really like Denzel, and I really enjoy some of the plots he's taken part in (the best being The Timmy/Jimmy Power Hour 3 crossover with The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron). The fact that the producers keep throwing him in episodes
--Chester and AJ are no longer main characters. Sure, it's been made clear for years, but now they're just background characters with little to no lines. And damn, it's a shame. Also, more of a shame, Timmy's other friends Sanjay and Elmer are nowhere to be seen (as of here). I know they were his "back-up" friends--and didn't appear much, but this is just sad.
--Everyone is so willing to make Chloe out to be God's gift to the world. Sure, she's likable, but I really wouldn't think people would be this welcome to a kid like her in real. Sure, I'd love to meet someone her and be her friend, but I don't think I'd want to kiss her feet every time she walks by me.
So I don't blame Timmy for having a cold shoulder.
--



--The "Fairy Share"? Worst...cartoon idea...ever.
since "the Timmy Suit".

--This episode is so grossly thrown into the trends of today.
Selfies?! Duck faces?! CRAY-CRAY?!!

LUNACY!!

ABSURDITY!!

FALLACY!!

WHAT THE HECK IS A POLAR BEAR?!?!?

(Oop. ...Sorry.)
It's just like the YouTube copy from "Video Vidiots". There is no reason these fads should be shown or mentioned on this show, continuity be damned. And it makes this episode (and possibly the series as a whole) super dated.

And then there's the episode's plot.
Thanks to Timmy wishing away Friday so Chloe won't take his--their fairies away for a DAY and causing Foop to return and cause worldwide domination, we get what would've been a nice start to a new kinship between the four (two kids and two fairies). But thanks to the hot seeping crap before it, along with the dwindling of quality like Cosmo's IQ (which is also dwindling), this episode went the way we thought it did.
Oh no, I'm sorry, continued the way it did. Because Jorgen came in already, Foop's plan was stopped and all is back to normal. WHAT!? If this happened in an earlier season, Jorgen would be there just to serve as comedy fodder, and it would've been back to Timmy and Wanda (Cosmo is off being an idiot) facing off against Foop, and then everything is back to normal.
This is a freaking cop-out! And just another example of this once beloved and revered series going down the drain in quality.

This series followed the genius and creative plot to the letter during the previous seasons. Even the worst seasons had some real good moments. It's just sad to see it end up this way.
This episode was really questionable and swerved in morals and clarity that I'd get tongue-tied and confused even if I've only heard about the episode in word-of-mouth.
I kinda really like Chloe Carmichael--and I kinda don't, but we have to get used to her from now on. She's now a godchild to Cosmo and Wanda (even though she doesn't really need them).
It's clear years ago that the writers have ran out of ideas and that now they're just waterboarding the dead horse to keep it going. And now that this series is at ten seasons, it clear that no matter how much they try, there is nothing worth watching or getting excited or waking up on Saturday mornings for anymore.

Fairly OddParents, goodbye. For now.

Toony Tuesday 2016: Nature Cat

Hey, guys. I'm Andrew, and I'm gonna fill you in on a little secret:
...I like to watch cartoons.
It may be weird to do this, but I think it’s really not. Sure, the content is more in line for kids, and as an adult I shouldn’t watch them at all, but they kinda resonate with me (and all of us) too. They feature topics, stories and characters that we can relate to and feel like they are just like us,
always drawing us in even years after it's end.
Now, that I feel much more comfortable, I have something else to say.
I like to watching cartoons...for little kids. I know it’s a kinda weird thing, but they're so good, not only in teaching young viewers the lessons in school-level subjects, they're also very funny too--like for adults funny too. Even after high school I still watch; it's like comfort food to me. And I can't get enough.

Case in point...let’s now talk about America’s favorite cat.


No, not Piano Cat.


Not Grumpy Cat.


Not Felix the Cat.


Not even Gluten Cat.

I’m talking about the titular character of PBS Kids’ newest series (and the subject of this edition of Toony Tuesday), Nature Cat!

God, this is catchy as hell.

Nature Cat, created by Adam Rudman, David Rudman and Todd Hannert, follows a house cat named Fred, who day in and day out refuses the responsibilities of staying indoors scratching on stuff and relieving on litter, and instead takes on the bigger, bolder and braver trek outside of home and into the wide outdoors, in turn teaching viewers about nature and the things in between.

When I first heard of this series, it was just before Thanksgiving. I was preparing for appearing at the Thanksgiving Day Parade, when the TV was on WHYY, and I saw a promo. It looked interesting and had some enjoyable scenes, so I was intrigued. Then I forgot about it. But after Thanksgiving, I was lucky to watch the special preview, which aired on November 25, 2015 after a special episode of Wild Kratts.

Another thing, PBS Kids hyped the hell out of this show. Not one show would end (or even START) without the service airing a promo for it. Whether it be a sneak peek of a scene or a normal generic promo, they would air into and out of another show in the two months after the official preview. They even announced a hour-long special to officially kick it off.
It’s as if they want everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) to watch this show from the start to end.
And it was annoying… But somehow, my interest towards never waned. And I'm glad. 

 It’s a really fun series.

So here’s my (admittedly short) review of Nature Cat in general:
It’s a fun, exciting and enjoyable series, with some really good teachings of nature thrown in. Yeah, it’s a show about a cat showing his love of nature to us, but I didn’t get much of that vibe. It’s more like “A talking cat version of Robin Hood and his dog, rabbit and mouse friends go on funny adventures in the forest, and--oh yeah, there’s also some stuff we’ll say about nature too.”
I don’t know if that’s intentional, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing to me, because I enjoy the it either way.

What I enjoy the most is the characters (and especially their voices).
They are the best part of this show. Their kinship, chemistry, and shared love and enjoyment of exploring nature and the funny moments from them make the show a really good experience to me. And yeah, I’m an adult, but I can’t help but enjoy it for what it is. Also, no one’s gonna tell me what I can and can’t watch, so nyeah! to you.

-Hal may be an empty-headed dog, but I consider that kinda charming; and he’s also sweet, funny and a very good pal to Fred, despite their different species.
-Squeaks is a very energetic (if not straight-up crazy) and over-eager mouse.
-Daisy is a more introverted, but very forward-thinking rabbit who is always there and happy to help lend a helping hand--err, paw.
-And Fred is a hammy, yet happy-go-lucky and openly-interested feline with a curious thirst for nature and enjoying it...even if he has nothing going for him in regards to nature. Literally, no instincts whatsoever. Dude had straight-up bad luck toward nature. His natural cat instincts, though, won't stop him from doing what loves: going outside, getting nature and doing discoveries.

This ragtag group of warm-blooded characters are what this series needed to be good.
And their voice actors bring them to life, and make it even more amazing.
Naure Cat Fred is voiced by Taran Killam in pretty much the most hammiest, hyper-est yet kindest and coolest voice acting he's ever done yet. I’m aware that some people may find it annoying, but I, very well enjoy it; heck, I even find it endearing.
You’d be surprised of the many times I’ve said “Onward and Yonward!” and “Tally Ho!” to myself since watching the preview.
And speaking of Killam, it’s funny how I truly enjoyed his performance as Nature Cat, when I never knew it was him until halfway through. When watching the preview in bed, I immediately recognized the voice from the start, but I couldn't put my finger on it...and then asked myself “Is that Taran Killam?? That IS Taran Killam!”
As for Bobby Moynihan and Kate Micucci, the respected voices of Hal and Daisy, I immediately knew they were their characters’ voices the second I heard them. And it took me until the end credits to learn that Kate McKinnon was the voice of Squeaks, which baffled me at this point. Also, Kenan Thompson makes recurring appearances as Nature Cat's enemy Ronald the Cat. Seriously.
Here are interviews with the cast on their characters.
It's baffling.




The point I'm mentioning all this is because this series has more than one Saturday Night Live cast member starring in this series, you’d actually think it was co-produced by Lorne Michaels. It's...distressingly hilarious.

Anyway, I think this series could be a success (even if PBS rarely ever does release ratings on the PR front), and can last a long while (not forever, but a few seasons). I really like it, as yet another PBS Kids series that is just amazing on the education front AND entertainment front, and I’ll find this appointment television (whether every afternoon or in a binge watch-athon on the website and app).
You guys don’t have to watch it, and I won’t suggest it...so, I guess I just wasted my time gushing over a little kids show.
Oh well, you live your life.

Thanks for joining me for this Surprise Review, and I’ll see you guys later.

Toony Tuesday 2016: Dan Vs.

Hey folks! I’m Andrew. Happy New Year to you all! This is Toony Tuesday, so...

Let’s talk a bit about The Hub.

Now, we remember The Hub; a television network designed for the whole family to watch and enjoy, with programming of different interests and tastes that are not for just one or two members of the family. It was pretty much a clear alternative to Disney Channel, Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network.

At the time of watching it for the first time, it (and its programming) had none of the sloppy and childish tenacity of Nickelodeon, the chronic animation of Cartoon Network,  the obnoxiously cutesy and overly strained attitudes of Disney Channel (in fact, I thought of The Hub as a more nuanced and mature [and not uber-unfunny] version of Disney Channel).

When I first heard of its creation about a month before its October 10, 2010 debut, I was excited. I was really interested in it. And it’s programming really got me exuberant. It’s game shows--especially Family Game Night, My Little Pony, Transformers Prime, The Haunting Hour, and the animated series we’re getting into today.

This series was a very bold one, especially despite the network it aired on. It’s concept was different, the content was really something else I’ve probably never seen before, the characters acted like true adults (some of them like children, pretty much of all different kinds), and has humor that the entire family can enjoy. Although it’s good that the kids shouldn’t get the humor.

And it’s all led by a man who has a big problem with...everything on Earth. And he’ll stop at nothing until he’s satisfied. He’s almost never satisfied.

It’s Dan Vs.

Love Me (T)o...ony Tuesday 2015: The Beatles (The 1960s Cartoon)

Hi everyone.
Andrew here welcoming you to another edition of Toony Tuesday.

And wouldn't you know it, this one is something you may have never known about, despite the subject being the biggest and most influential musical band of all time.
And what it churned out is one of the most craziest, wackiest, absurd, surreal...and brightest, charming, funniest and underrated classic cartoons of all time.

It's 1960s animated series The Beatles.



This series, created and produced by Al Brodax, is exactly what you think: It’s about the Beatles going on tours, recording music, having fun, torturing Ringo and getting mobbed by fangirls. But under the surface, there’s more than that. There’s helping two octopuses fall in love, going down a hole to another (Aztec) world, a battle inside the Eiffel Tower for fashion designs, going gaga for ghosts and aliens, being a makeshift version of The Three Musketeers and many many examples of plots that the writers may have pulled out of their asses but are based on the legendary discography of the Fab Four themselves.

And now, a history of me with this series:
One day, a few years ago, I was screwing around on Wikipedia, looking at schedules for Saturday Morning cartoons on the Big Three Networks (NBC, ABC and CBS), and under the schedule for the Alphabet was a certain cartoon. And it would change the way I saw cartoons forever.
When I first watched the series, I didn’t know what I’ve gotten myself into. A cartoon starring The Beatles? Awesome! But I saw more. The Beatles getting into some crazy situations and barely getting out of them with the Power of Music--their music. Hilarious. I was instantly hooked, and would watch many times since. I’ve enjoyed everything this show offered.

The Fab Four are caricatures of the real band in the show.
They all lack a Liverpudlian accent, wear mop-tops and Edwardian suits (at the time where the band doesn’t even do that anymore in real life), and travel to some part of the world where some shit happens to them, and they saved the day with performing some song with instruments that just appear out of freaking thin air.


And now, a bit about the Cartoony Beatles themselves:
John is the leader--a bad one. He’s also lazy, slouchy and doesn’t do his leader job justice.
Paul is the neat, poised and stylish, yet devious, happy and excited second-in-command.
George is occasionally superstitious, appreciative of other cultures and usually leans on something with slyness and weird crooked smile. He also has one of the strangest accents any foreign character has in all of television animation; his accent isn’t Liverpudlian...or even British. Instead, it’s some mix of other European accents--but what is it? Irish? Scottish? Asian? Who could tell which?
Ringo rounds out the band as the goofy-looking idiot of the four. His shaggy mop-top, larger-in-size clothes, scatterbrained mind and big-ass nose aren’t the only factors make him the butt of many a joke.
(Seriously, my main gripe with this show is that their treatment of Ringo is so irritating. I know he's stupid sometimes, but does he really deserve their crap on him? Sometimes makes me think they deserve their own abuse in the Sing-Along segment.)
Between the off-putting misadventures and brutal dry humor between them, it’s clear that all four of the Beatles enjoy being friends and are always looking out for each other. It’s few times in between, but moments like them are wonderful to watch. The band themselves makes this show.

I’ll be honest about the animation: it’s very shoddy and messy. It’s understandable when the ink and paint is outsourced to three different studios in three different countries (Artransa Park Studios in Australia, TVC Animation in the United Kingdom, and some studio in Hollywood, CA in the USA), but it helps in that it gives some wonderful colorful scenes and moments that are just fantastic to see, especially the songs they make. So much effort paying off in such a grand way.
Even if some of the movements are the same damn ones in every short.

The humor is extremely off the wall. It’s hard to explain, but almost everything you see here will either make you laugh or wonder what odd, twisted, warped version of reality this show is. But I think that adds to the humor, and makes it work great.

What makes this series extra special is the Sing-Alongs.
In this segment, spliced between the half-episodes, a member of the Fab Four, usually either Paul, George or John, introduces one of their songs and asks the viewers to join them with lyrics appearing on-screen. Ringo appears in the place of the stage "prop-man" to try to set-up the performance, but because of his incompetence, always makes it a large mess. And it really makes no sense whatsoever when this is happening in their own apartment in Season 3--but hey, Rule of Funny.
What makes these so great is, not only because of the music playing, but also because of the influence it set upon its young viewers, when the lyrics helped them learn to read. Which was a wonderful thing to hear about.
Also, no bouncing ball here. Just lyrics. All Awesome-ness.

The Beatles Cartoon became a big hit on ABC during its’ original run. Many viewers, young and old(er) turned in every Saturday morning (or afternoon, where Season 3 aired) to see what misadventure the Fabs got into, and what song they played to get out of it (or what strange-as-shit plan they succeeded with to escape with a song playing in the background). And in many respects, it works. The humor is still very hilarious, the animation (while crap) is still perfectly happy and colorful, the songs are still timeless, the episodes are still worth your time, and the Fab Four are still Fab-y half a century later. And even though this came way before my time (and barely came after my parents times), I can still appreciate this series for being what it was--an animated series based on The Beatles and their songs, but also being the earliest example of writers possibly being high for writing such out-there yet balls-out and gut-busting humor. Must be the songs from the band that'll explain it. Yep.

It's not on DVD, but it still isn't hard to find; it's on YT. All episodes, Sing-Alongs and Beatlemania madness are there for you to consume.
So yeah, check out these series.
It's hilarious, it's rockin', it's colorful, and it's ready of your attention.
I highly recommend it, especially 50 years after its debut.
I love it, and I hope you all it too.

See you guys later.

Toony Tuesday 2015: We Bare Bears

Hi everyone.
I'm Andrew with more Toony Tuesday.
This time it's on Cartoon Network's latest original series, We Bare Bears.

Created by Daniel Chong, this animated series is based on his webcomic "The Three Bare Bears", and is about three bear brothers who try to adapt to the human society in the San Francisco Bay Area, and learn a lot about themselves and their lives along their adventures.

At face value, this series has a vibe reminiscent of Regular Show, because of the animation. It's really good, but also really simple. It's vibe is also similar to Clarence as well, because of it's light, calm humor and dialogue. Both really gives this a real nice charm.
And the three main characters add on to this; they aren’t unlikable or difficult to swallow. In fact, they’re really cool, upbeat and fun. And they enjoy each other’s company. That’s great enough for a show for me.

The title sequence and theme song has to be some of the best of either in television animation of this decade so far.

While the former shows what is the entire series on a pedestal, it does it so well, and captures what we know about it so far without stretching in too much.
It’s the Bare Bears Bear-Stacked trekking across San Francisco and doing what they’re planning on doing. Recurring characters like Nom-Nom the koala and Chloe Park also appear briefly, along with parts mimicking scenes from some early episodes, like Grizzly throwing a basketball to a hoop (and missing, as shown in the first episode “Our Stuff”). It’s a perfect encapsulation of what the series is in 20 seconds, and that’s awesome.
And the theme song is just as awesome. From the first time I’ve heard it, I couldn’t stop thinking of it and smiling from it. It’s sweet, bouncy and bubbly, not to mention catchy as heck, from start to end. And what also makes it great is that it’s sung by British R&B music star Estelle. Known best for either her breakthrough song “American Boy” or her role as Garnet on Steven Universe, Either way, her being the voice of the theme song makes it fantastic.

Now to the Bare Bears themselves. The characters are likable, cool, and have their own personalities that break them apart from each other.
Grizzly, Panda and Ice Bear are three furry anthropomorphic quadruped brothers who live in a nice cozy cave near the San Francisco Bay. They go and do whatever they fancy for the day, and whatever happens, happens. All of them have a different personality that sticks them apart from each other, yet they are very close. (Although I wonder if they are brothers or just friends going by as brothers, because they’re clearly of different species. More on that later)
-Grizzly is loud, excited, and has many interests that involve himself, like getting famous on the internet or winning a burrito-eating contest. In the end when those come back to bite him, he realizes his faults and his bros come through and forgive him.
-Panda is introverted, shy, rational and emotional. He also has an attachment to his cell phone and longs for contact with the rest of the social world (I can relate to that; come on, who can’t?).
-and Ice Bear is calm and extremely prepared for whatever. He can do martial arts, can cook, has a fondness for his axe and spending time in the refrigerator. But he is an expert on a lot of things.
Also, Ice Bear in another way is very memorable. From his first line (“Ice Bear has ninja stars.”) to his actions (playing basketball like he’s Steph Curry) to his voice and mannerisms, Ice Bear has become the breakout character of the series, and has had many fans since its debut (like me).
There is so much to love about these guys:
--They’re so close, it’s creepy-they always stick together in whatever situation and rarely leave the others behind. There are times when this happens, but they are few and far in-between
(the only times this happens so far is in “Viral Video” where Grizzly ditches Panda and Ice for a limo ride with internet sensation Nom-Nom, and in “Panda’s Date” where Panda is jealous of his brothers’ new friendship with his crush Lucy, a woman he met at a farmer’s market while suffering an allergic reaction [long story]).
--They don’t fight-never have I yet seen them in a skirmish for anything. And it’s refreshing to see that. I’d be hurt on the inside if they actually got into a fight sometime down the road, because they’re too cool and sweet to each other to get into scraps like that. Although I will say that if that may happen...Ice Bear will win, no doubt.
--They’re so friendly-these guys are so sweet, that it’s kinda sickening.
--The voice actors for them are just perfect in their roles.
bring layers upon layers of personality and chemistry to their characters and also make this series amazing. Just watch this, and you’ll enjoy the voice acting as much as the Bare Bears themselves.

--The Bear Stack--the Bear Stack is a way the brothers go about. But it’s not just their usual mode of transportation, which is stacking themselves on one another in certain sequence and walk to whatever destination they're going to in San Francisco, it’s also how they show how close they are as a family. Aww. It's both funny and endearing, with a splash of charming as well. In fact, it's one of my favorites things about the series in general.

There are other characters of this series I also like.
There’s Nom-Nom, a koala/internet sensation who turns out to be more than what he lets on when he meets Grizzly; he’s quite a self-centered arrogant jerk (especially for the second he appears in the title sequence). But he voice is quite nice to hear--the fact that he’s voiced by Patton Oswalt is a huge plus.
And then there’s Chloe Park. As I mentioned earlier, she’s a young girl who’s already in college, and is of high intelligence. Despite her actions in the beginning of her first episode, the aptly-title “Chloe”, she is a very adorable, precocious, and humble young girl. There’s no way you can’t like her; from her personality, to her character, to her voice (by Charlyne Yi, best known as the voice of Ruby on Steven Universe) she's way cute. And from the moment I first watched her,I enjoyed her presence and I really wished she would appear more, and from the likeness she’s gotten so far (and the fact that she also appears in the title sequence), it seems everyone else does too, with the implement that she might appear in future episodes. I won’t blame them.
Another character I like is Lucy, a lady the brothers meet when Panda suffers an allergic reaction to nuts after eating a cookie filled with them in “Panda’s Date”, saving him by giving him a shot of epinephrine and become the girl of his dreams. She’s lovely, kind, and is definitely one to be around. She’s also voiced by Ellie Kemper (you know? Erin from The Office and Kimmy Schmidt?). Yeah, this character is just as perfect.
All of these characters I mentioned, along with a some one-shot or recurring characters in some episodes that I didn’t mention, are very likable and appealing to everyone. They bring oodles and oodles of personality and enjoyment to a series that already had personality and enjoyment already in the first place.

In conclusion: There is so much to love about this series--the light, bubbly nature; the likable characters; the snappy wit and sharp writing; the easy-yet-near-complex plots; the fantastically expandable range in music (whether incidental, background or sung), simple-yet-great animation and that it’s not edgy or overly-emotional like many other shows (not that there’s anything wrong with them, either). This series has it all, and that is why it rocks.
(...although there is one moment so far that can make you tear up immediately. That is in "Burrito", where it is revealed after Grizzly gets a large life-size burrito, that it kinda reminds him of a terrible part of his life, where he is stuck on the top of a high tree during a thunderstorm, until he is rescued by a firefighter. The guy's warm embrace is what Grizzly gets from the burrito.

This moment has stood out as one of the series' most memorable and beloved moments. And it can start waterworks.)
(It also makes you wonder how the three Bare Bears got together. In "Our Stuff" alone, Grizz refers to them as bros, assuming they're actual brothers, putting aside the fact that they're of different species. Oh well, I love them anyway, so I'll be cool with whatever relation they are to each other.)

We Bare Bears definitely fits the network's brand of absurd, goofy, edgy and hilarious original programming (although it's definitely not as edgy or absurd), and is a very nice fit for it. The goofy, charming and cutesy feel and the likeness of the characters hit the right spots for me right out of the gate, and the other elements make for a perfect weekly 11 minutes of your life you just might be cool with taking away. And I wasn’t surprised that it’s rated TV-Y7, whether because of the feel or not. In fact, I would’ve been shocked as heck if it was ever rated TV-PG like CN’s other shows, because it’s not the best rating for it, and it would’ve been unnecessary and unneeded. But that doesn’t matter to me, as this series is just fantastic and I couldn’t be any more happy to begin watching as soon as I did (which was five days after it’s premiere).

(In fact, I’m so happy and in love with this show, that I decided to do something I never would’ve thought of doing: I created a Tumblr page. It’s called Ice Bear-isms, where I showcase all the quotes, memes and video featuring the series’ big mute lug himself Ice Bear, along with those from Panda and Grizzly, and other featured characters too, as well as memorable moments from the series itself. Other blogs based on him and the series official page are reblogged regularly.
It’s at icebear-isms.tumblr.com--check it out and follow. And I hope you like it.
Now that the shameless plug-in is over, we now return to our regularly-scheduled review.)

I really didn’t mind the huge push it got from the network--a five night debut with the first six episodes airing during that workweek, and the first two airing in the first night--in fact, I’m happy it got this because I honestly believe it can be a big hit for Cartoon Network (and has been so far) and can be yet another memorable series for everyone to watch and enjoy.
I know this will become a success and last for a long while, because it's a kind of series for anyone (me included) to sit back and relax to, even though my television watching is a broad as the sun and the moon. I can also think that the network can and will treat it just as well as its other shows, and give it the fans and recognition it deserves and then it’ll be another piece in the puzzle of This Great Renaissance of Animation of the 2010s.
Congratulations, Cartoon Network; you have another hit on your hands.
At least I think know so, since on August 12, CN renewed the series for a second season. So it's clear that the execs at the network has given a huge liking to it; I mean that had to--they gave it a panel at Comic-Com.

And that is the another Surprise Review for another animated series I believe will be a hit for not only its network, but also for all animated television. Thank you for joining me, and I’ll see you later.

Toony Tuesday 2015: The 7D

Hey, everybody.
Let me tell you a story of seven little men who work and play in the small, yet sprouting kingdom of Jollywood. These men are those you have seen many times before in the same one other story, but this story is a little different, (okay, very different) as these men go on many different adventures without the main character of this other story in the picture. And let me tell you, this story is a wondrous story with many chapters that is worth the many page turns.
This is the story of The 7D.

The 7D is a television adaptation of Disney's immortal icon and a reason animation is the heaven of the film medium that it is today, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Developed by Tom Ruegger, best known as producer and writer on Animaniacs and creator of Histeria, this animated series began airing on Disney XD on (basically the perfect date to launch any show, meaningful or ironic) July 7, 2014. Or 7/7/14.
Here's a little history behind it: It was originally planned as an original series on Disney Junior, with the intended audience being infants and toddlers. But the execs felt it would be a better fit for the slightly older crowd. So they changed the network to XD and the producers changed the content to be a better match for the network and its viewers. And the rest is history.

I really enjoy this series. Its light and heart-y feel is a wonderful sight, its humor is light but still jam-packed with big laughs and the characters are super likable and memorable. It's a complete difference from the other series on Disney XD, which vary in darker and crazier tones (which isn't to say the characters on those shows aren't likable; they certainly are).
So let me discuss the characters themselves.

The 7D are what we've already known and loved in Snow White; they're a very wonderful and lovable ragtag group of little guys who work at the diamond mines and live in the cottage. But their personalities and quirks are what make them so memorable and awesome. And here, it's only different because of their voices (the actors are different, of course).

in the order of the theme song:
-Happy is sweet, enthusiastic and overly-optimistic, but now has a guitar and provides music (which is a perfect touch, because his voice actor is a really good singer, and his deep baritone voice is a joy to listen to [me especially]).

-Sneezy is of course know for what his name implies, but his adorkable nature and behavior, and that he's younger than most of the others here, really stands him apart from the others (which is hard to do when they all are super cool), because of his sweet, kind personality and the ability to

-Dopey is known as the favorite of the group because of his cuteness to his actions and the fact that her can make an impact in any scene, despite not speaking even a lick of English. Here, instead of not saying a sound, ha can communicate with the other Ds and other characters with whistling, which is a cool thing I don't mind much, and does bring his character to a new level of originality. (I do wonder why his mouth is partially obscured though; maybe because it costs a lot more paint cels for his lips to move.)

-Bashful is still the shy, quiet member, but, like Sneezy, is also very liked for his adorkable nature, and has also been seen for his sweet crush on the Queen and his hiding in some scenes make him more cute than just a strange dork.

-Doc is the leader (duh) and the inventor of the group. But here, he's more than that. He's dropped his stuttering, wears a cool bow tie (), and is still always there for his fellow men whenever needed (which is a lot, but that's what makes him one to look up to).

-Sleepy is a sleeper. He also reminds me of Frank Zappa (in facial pattern and voice). and...

-Grumpy should be the most memorable D of this series. He may be the angry, short-fused member, but he has a heart that beats through at times. But here, he's not grumpy all the time, and he has some insight and foresight to make him a perfect human character (well, just like the rest of the 7D).

This group of characters is an awesome group indeed. These guys are a perfect ragtag that always stick together, help each other out and make a good time for both each other and us. I love them, individually and together, and this series and its producers and writers bring some new life into then that I believe is deserved. And their voice actors () brings layers of awesome and cool into their characters and the series itself. I enjoy that they all have become, to me, some of the most memorable characters in modern-day animated television.
But they're not the only characters in this show...or the only memorable. There are other main characters that make The 7D so great and hilarious. Each of them carry their own humor and characterization that make them so watchable, even more than the Ds themselves.

-Hildy and Grimwald Gloom are the main antagonists of the series. They are a gloomy couple with only one plan: to destroy the 7D and Queen Delightful, rid them from Jollywood, and turn it into their personal playground from the land under. And they make kissy noises. (Eww.)
The two are a split of the character of Grimhilde the Evil Queen/Hag Witch, the antagonist(s?) of Snow White. Hildy and Grim is the mean, ruthless evil and jealous half. And they pretty much continue what she wanted to do in the iconic film, sans apple and possible death.
Despite these plans, they have been the opposite of Gloom--They're extremely enjoyable and carry a lot of laughs in each and every episode. These two give me such delight, that it feels like the 7D's joy is underwhelmig, and their scenes fill a void for me, taking it to 100%, and maybe even beyond.
Another thing that makes Hildy great is her voice actor's performance. She's voiced by fashion icon and media personality Kelly Osbourne. And since this is her first acting role, you would expect something, but nope, it's the opposite. She's absolutely fantastic, and makes the role so memorable from her performance alone. It's like the the producers had a thing going after they cast her after they heard her speak, and thought her voice would be her personality.
I'm not a fan of most of her other work, but I am a fan of her role of Hildy and that's a great thing.
Grim is also praised from me because of his voice acting by VA legend Jess Hartnell. Putting them together has been a surprising good combo in terms of voice acting and it really pulls me in.
These two are awesome for antagonists, and really carry the show to more heights. I've never enjoyed laughing from villains like I have from them. The joy from watching their scenes and listening to their dialogue just beams every time, and I just can't get enough of it.

-Queen Delightful is a queen I like to watch among many. like The Evil Queen before her, she is a monarch and possesses a Magic Mirror. Although she is her royal highness of Jollywood, she's also goofy, foolish and ditzy, but also gives some really good laughs. Like her shouting in a random moment, as seen in "The Long, Long Winter"; and her willingness to let her royal adviser, Lord Starchbottom, do the work for her.


-Lord Starchbottom is (again) the royal assistant to Queen Delightful. Despite this, he's treated as nothing but a butt monkey. His services are continually denied in favor of those of The 7D, and is I loved his dialogue and gags, and his wit and character.

All of these characters are so likable to me, it's possible not to like them. But that can't be possible, so I'm just making a point.
The humor is so enjoyable to me, and I'm a guy that has a huge broad range of humor I like (except for toilet humor; I can't freakin' stand that), so this is just perfect to me. The humor is clearly for kids, but has enough edge for adults to enjoy as well. There are jokes that adults can laugh at, but also jokes that kids can get as well without scratching their heads. And they're so light and fun, that it's makes you wonder why the execs got their hands on it in the first place. Although it not as edgy as the other shows on Disney XD, it's still great for anyone to enjoy, especially those who don't like dark humor.

It;s all of these reasons that make this series so wonderfully fun and bright and enjoyable.

So there you have at. The 7D is a great animated series for the whole family and adults to enjoy. It's not for everyone, but if you give it a chance, you just may love it as much as I do. So please watch it on