It's Enough To Make Me Cancel Netflix..."Mr. Peabody and Sherman"

Mr. Peabody & Sherman (2015)

TV-Y7

Starring Chris Parnell, Max Charles

The Story:

Now that everyone knows about the WABAC machine, Mr. Peabody (Parnell) and his boy Sherman (Charles) decide to use the device to host a talk show right from their apartment.

Seriously.

For the record, I found the original Mr. Peabody and Sherman pieces from Rocky & Bullwinkle to be mildly amusing at best, but more often than not, never really cared for them. I found it to be the weakest link in the show.

I was pleasantly surprised with how well the movie was made, so I had moderate hopes of a continued success with the new Netflix original.

Where do I begin with this train-wreck?

We'll start with the good: Parnell does an admirable job filling in for Ty Burrell as the voice of Mr. Peabody and Charles returns to have some fun as Sherman.

And there you have it.

The bad: Everything else.

The art style is straight out of the bad 90s cartoons from Cartoon Network that I refused to let my kids watch because they were hard on the eyes, and painful to the brain. Courage the Cowardly Dog, Ed, Edd and Eddie, Ren & Stimpy (I know, different network) and countless others with a "style" that they happily called their own which looked rough, unfinished, and just plain bad.

It returns with a vengeance in Peabody. Watch Sherman and see how many times his teeth change as his face changes. It's horribly pathetic, and a style I am not a fan of.

These were the shows that I forbid my kids to watch as they were growing up.

Yes, I know, I'm an evil parent.

Instead, I forced them to watch Looney Tunes and classic Hanna Barbera offerings so they could see what good animation with a great script could be like, and I didn't have to suffer while their brains were turned to mush.

Speaking of great scripts, the writing team for this show boasts 6 writers. Apparently none of them know or get humor because I think in the 23 minutes of the first show, I laughed once.

Once.

And I don't even think it was at the groan-inducing "moral of the story" pun you come to expect in a Peabody cartoon.

I think it was more of a pity, "I can't believe someone paid to have this made" laugh at the absurdity of it all.

If you want a talk show with cartoon characters that is drawn well and actually funny, go find episodes of Space Ghost: Coast to Coast.

That was comedy gold.

This is fool's gold.

And I won't be fooled into watching another episode.

Ever.

Final Grade: F

Creature Report! Creature Report! "Octonauts"

Octonauts (2010)

TV G

The Story:

The Octonauts are a band of intrepid undersea explorers whose credo is to Explore! Rescue! Protect! Each episode finds them interacting with a sea creature of some sort, and at the end, they break into a catchy little song to recap some of the facts that you've learned about the critter of the day.

The benefits of having children is you get to watch shows you would otherwise never see.

This offering comes, based on some books that were turned into a British children's series, which was in turn redubbed with some American accents for the minor characters and brought to the Disney Channel.

And, as you can see by their picture, they are absolutely adorable, and needless to say, my 3 year old has been enjoying their adventures on Netflix, streaming them in a seemingly endless barrage of Octonaut adventures.

But it's okay, the episodes are short, amusing, and again, your kids are learning some marine biology along the way.

Something that can't be said for that other show about creatures living under the sea.

Just watch out for the catchy "Creature Report" jingle at the end, it's going to stick with you!

Final Grade: B

I Wish I Could Move To "Gravity Falls"

Gravity Falls (2012)

TV Y-7

Starring Jason Ritter, Kristen Schaal, Alex Hirsch, Linda Cardellini

Created by Alex Hirsch

The Story:

Twin siblings Dipper (Ritter) and Mabel (Schaal) are sent to spend the summer in Gravity Falls, Oregon. They are in the care of their Great Uncle Stan (Hirsch) who runs a tourist trap in the town. Dipper soon discovers that the town is filled with supernatural secrets and he spends his time trying to solve these secrets while also pining away at the girl of his dreams, Wendy (Cardellini).

I watch very few cartoons anymore, so if I do, it has to be well-written and have a great voice cast.

This has that, in spades.

Credit, of course, needs to be heaped on Hirsch as the series creator, head writer, and main vocal talent for not only Gruncle Stan, but also Soos, the handyman at the Mystery Shack, and other characters.

Each episode has built slowly from each other, expanding the secrets of Gravity Falls. However, there is rarely any point that you just can't jump in as a new viewer and understand what is going on.

Of the 27 episodes that have aired on the Disney Channel, I'd like to say they were all perfect, but I can't.

The one with Mabel's crush on the boy band is the least favorite of the entire family.
I don't know, something about that episode just didn't do it for anyone in the family, and it was even deleted from the DVR.

That's some serious business right there!

Otherwise, it's a lot of fun and again, some of the best writing on tv, period, cartoon or not.

Naturally, dealing with supernatural, your parental discretion is warranted.

However there hasn't been too much to worry about overall.

Except maybe Stan in his boxer shorts...

:: shudder ::

Final Grade: A+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Most episodes have been seen several times. Summerween (a holiday that should be adopted!) is a personal favorite. :)

And Now For Something Completely Different..."A Monster In Paris"

A Monster In Paris (2011)

Rated PG

Starring Adam Goldberg, Jay Harrington, Danny Huston, Vanessa Paradis, Sean Lennon, Madeline Zima

Written and Directed by Bilbo Bergeron

The Story:

Paris...1910... the city is underwater due to flooding and Raoul (Goldberg) and Emile (Harrington) are two friends who are delivering goods to make a living, but Raoul is dying to invent things and Emile wants to be a filmmaker.  One delivery gone wrong, and the boys accidentally create a giant flea (Lennon) that will terrorize Paris!  Except, he's not that terrifying.  In fact, he's got a musician's heart.  Things are about to get weird.

Weird.

That's actually a good way to describe this one.

The first animated offering from EuropaCorp/Bibo Films...

It's a beautiful film.

While not quite up to the standards of Dreamworks/Pixar/Disney...

It still looks very good.

It's got an original story, which is rare enough in Hollywood these days.

Plus, I listed the American voice cast, as opposed to the original French cast that worked on the film.

Vanessa Paradis as Lucille is the lone hold-over that I saw that worked on both films.

Her part is rather important to the film as well as the damsel in distress who is actually more in control than just about anyone else in the film.

It's charming, but not likely going to fit the mold of entertainment for every child.

Available to stream as of this writing on Netflix if you want to see what it's all about, and see if your children liked it.

Mine loved it.

Final Grade: B-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: My kids saw this last year, and picked up a copy from Blockbuster as they went out of business.  While I wouldn't marathon this one like Emperor's New Groove and the like, I could let it play again from time to time.

Whatchoo Gonna Doo, Brother? "Scooby Doo! Wrestlemania Mystery"

Scooby Doo! Wrestlemania Mystery (2014)

Not Rated

Starring Frank Welker, Matthew Lillard, Mindy Cohn, Grey DeLisle, John Cena, Triple H, Michael Cole, Kane, The Miz, A.J. Lee, Vince McMahon

Directed by Brandon Vietti

The Story:

Scooby (Welker) ends up winning a contest on a WWE video game and wins a trip to WWE City!  Shaggy (Lillard) an Scooby beg for the gang to tag along, bringing much persuasive evidence that they've never asked for anything in return and have always been used as bait to solve mysteries. 

Point: Scooby & Shaggy!

So they head to WWE City and meet the superstars.  But with a mysterious ghost bear plaguing the town, and Scooby apparently the prime suspect in the theft of the WWE Championship, it's up to Shaggy, Fred (Welker), Daphne (DeLisle) and Velma (Cohn) to clear their canine companion and lay the smackdown on the mysterious bear!

Hanna Barbera teams with WWE Studios to make a movie that's fun for the whole family.

WWE Wrestlers have been compared to cartoons over the years, so it makes sense to go animated.

Hook kids to the fun of WWE, and you might have a fan for life.

Worked on me.

:)

And the WWE offered up some of their best, A-listers John Cena, Triple H and even the Chairman himself, Vince McMahon!

Other wrestlers, like Sin Cara (who is instrumental to the movie) are shown but not given any dialogue.

The wrestlers do quite fine for themselves as voice actors, given the respective size and importance of their roles.  I would say The Miz comes out as the wrestler who seemingly has the most fun in the movie, and has the best lines.

But first and foremost, as the title suggests, this is a Scooby Doo cartoon.

Frank Welker leads the team, still as the intrepid Fred but now also pulling double duty as Scooby.  He is able to differentiate between the two nicely, and I like when the voices are distinct enough that you don't realize it's the same voice.

Lillard was perfectly cast as a live-action Shaggy when Scooby Doo came to the big screen years ago.  He does the memory of Casey Kasem proud as he brings Shaggy to life for a new generation.

While I mentioned in my Scooby Doo review that the main cast did voices for years, eventually they all get replaced.

:(

DeLisle has become the latest Daphne, and I was amused to see that Cohn has taken up the mantle of Velma since the early 2000s.  Yes, Natalie from The Facts of Life.

My childhood is converging as I am now an adult!

Overall, I thought it was pretty well done, and I'm looking forward to the next 45 years of Scooby Doo!

Final Grade: Solid B

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Hey, I liked it.  I would watch it again. :)

Ruh Roh! "Scooby Doo, Where Are You!"

Scooby Doo, Where Are You! (1969)

TV G

Starring  Don Messick, Casey Kasem, Nicole Jaffe, Frank Welker, Stefanianna Christopherson, Heather North

The Story:

4 Sleuths and their talking dog uncover the truth behind apparent supernatural mysteries.

Seriously, how in-depth do you want me to make a synopsis of Scooby Doo?

I'm more curious how they could get away with using an exclamation point in the title when clearly they are asking a question.

:)

Can we all assume everyone has at least seen an episode?

If not, these are the episodes to see.

The first two seasons...the best two seasons.

Everything you wanted to know about Scooby and the Gang can be gleaned by watching these episodes.

And now you know the secret of why I have so many children, and why I creatively spaced them out like I did.

This way, I can keep introducing the next generation of fans to some of the best animation and fun shows that I had the privilege to grow up watching.

;)

It could be argued that Scooby Doo is the most successful feather in the Hanna Barbera cap, and I would be willing to agree.

Naturally, I'll put the Flintstones first, but I've got a lot of love for Scooby (Messick), Shaggy (Kasem) and the rest of the gang.

Happily, aside from some Daphne switching (Christopherson to North), the gang that voiced the original Scooby episodes pretty much were given the opportunity to voice their most famous creations in many of the updated iterations that has brought Scooby and his crime solving sleuths to the screen.

That includes ascot wearing Fred (Welker) and the brainy Velma (Jaffe).

Naturally, nearly every episode plays out the exact same way, so watching episode after episode can become very déjà vu-ish, but most of the jokes and gags work just as well now as they did over 40 years ago.

My little 2 year old had recently discovered the new Scooby stuff on Netflix, but was totally enchanted when the originals were cracked out of the DVD case and watched with the family.

I even got her to say "Rooby Roo".

Now that's priceless!

Final Grade: A

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: While you don't have to have children to appreciate this part of your youth, but it doesn't hurt.  And it provides cover for watching them again.  :)

The Wave Of Underwhelming Animation Continues..."The Nut Job"

The Nut Job (2014)
Rated PG

Starring Will Arnett, Brendan Fraser, Liam Neeson, Katherine Heigl

Directed by Peter Lepeniotis

The Story:

Things are looking bleak in the City Park as the animals were unable to store enough food for winter.  Raccoon (Neeson) the leader, sends Grayson (Fraser) and Andie (Heigl), two of the smartest squirrels out to get the nuts from a local peanut vendor.  However Surly (Arnett) and his mouse pal Remy...no wait...Buddy... are already casing the joint.  Things get complicated when the nut vendors turn out to be bank robbers planning a heist.

Ooo!

An animated heist film.

And you all know what a fan of heist films I am.

I will also give credit, the heist that the humans are planning is pretty ingenious.

It's just a lot of tediousness of getting to the heist that bogs this one down for me.

There's not a whole lot to the main story, so there's a romantic entanglement between Andie and Surly and the treachery of one of their own from the park.

I know... the horror!

The animation is okay.  This is a throwback to the 50s, and that works really well.

The animals themselves though... eh ... I've seen better designs.

Like I said at the beginning, take a look at the mouse best pal.  He's a cross between Pinky and Remy from Ratatouille.

Again, I hate to be overly harsh as I think this is the first feature from this studio.

It's an okay first effort, and hopefully they can build on it.

Final Grade: C-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I would pass on both of these options.