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.
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).
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.
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.
-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
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