Ranking The Casper Movies I've Seen

I'm making a huge mistake doing so many Halloween-themed reviews, given my limited scope and sticking to movies less-trotted. Casper: A Spirited Beginning is floating around on the web, but somewhere along the line, I feared I'd relegate myself to defending it, for details that'll be implied soon. I had seen four of the Casper movies in some way, so I decided to do a personal ranking, and give my perspective on each.

I haven't seen Casper Meets Wendy, so that's out for the time being.

Casper (1995)

I had seen this movie as a kid (it was a frequent rental from back in the day.), and given my love of dark comedy nowadays, I can imagine myself seeing this now. My exposure to this afterwards was the review by the Nostalgia Critic (let's be real, YouTube has entered the decades, old channels can be considered retro at this point), and no matter my perspective on the movie, the review holds up poorly for me.

What saves this movie for me is it trying something different, to give Casper just a little extra bite to it, the darkness feels balanced as we get an implication for how Casper died as well as many of the jokes present. Heck, Caddicarus, the man notorious for his not so new opinion on child schlock actually considers the movie to be alright.

So, with a lack of reservations on revisiting this and the belief that some bigger figures may like it to, that's why I put this movie at the top.

Casper's Scare School

I have a feeling this isn't a beloved series, I didn't even know a show spawned from this, but I did see the movie plenty of times. I went into it thinking it'd be neutered crap, but I rewatched it again, and I honestly enjoyed it.

The CG animation is hit or miss, along with most of the new flock of characters, but at the very least I like the dynamic between Casper and his uncles, Kibosh is balanced between being imposing but reasonable, what's expected to be corny is executed well enough to the point you can resonate with it. For better or worse there's one or two partial musical numbers so we're already down one fatal piece of corniness.

However you feel about it, this is the definitive computer-animated Casper movie.

Casper: A Spirited Beginning

My first exposure to this movie came from an old PC game I played as a kid. I had no idea this was based on a different movie nor what said movie was.

It's not so much that it's cheesy, but that it's inconsistent. Not to mention undoing the emotional weight of Casper becoming a ghost by not showing it and him not knowing he died. The effects are okay for made-for-TV standards, there may be some enjoyment to have, albeit ironic enjoyment, but the only reason I'd go back to it is for Steve Guttenberg.

Casper's Haunted Christmas

With a ranking entry in mind, I went into this knowing exactly what'd be at the bottom.

I saw this movie twice on television. I had revisited this and was off-put by people bitching about the animation, and that still upsets me, because the animation is the least of this movie's problems.

For perspective, I tried watching the movie twice, each time I got further than the last but no matter what, I couldn't make it through the whole thing. It felt too sugary and forced in many areas (and the movie is so negligible it leaves me at a loss on memorizing specifics), characters take one trait and stick with it to the bitter end, even the corny jokes feel soulless.

I'd go as far as to consider this the worst Mainframe Entertainment movie (Boom Boom Sabotage is so bad it's good.)

Bro Show review

So, at some point I said I didn't like Ed, Edd n' Eddy, which lasted for about less than a week. What got me to change my mind is me accepting the Kanker sisters, knowledge that people shared whatever complaints I had about the show and what's considered the worst episode, and in a way, the fanon did as well.

Not referring to slash, but working off various theories. What got me into it was the dedication and attention to detail (going by clues in every episode for instance), for a good example, check out the page on the kids' parents: https://edfanon.fandom.com/wiki/Parents

A browse through the EdFanon wiki had got me thinking about earlier encounters with Ed, Edd n' Eddy fan material, and with that... Kevin Lordi.

Kevin Lordi (AnimatEd on deviantArt), is/was a prominent figure in the Ed, Edd n' Eddy fan community, the only other one with such prominence is VampireMeerkat in his prime. Lordi is no longer as active as he was in his heyday, his YouTube, his deviantArt, his Tumblr is mostly active for reblogs, even his latest Patreon update was around 2015.

The Bro Show is one of his better known projects, aside from some stints with Steven Universe. The original video was released on deviantArt (which if Flash doesn't work for you you're SOL), but on YouTube too. Details on the premise will come shortly.

Lordi hosted a fundraising campaign on Patreon to beef up the show's production, make more episodes and other necessary improvements, but nothing came of it. It seems to be a general curse when it comes to funding stuff online, Growing Around suffered for it and I honestly wanted to see it come to fruition, was Hazbin Hotel funded online? People hate it like it is.

(spoilers, I'm gonna go all fanboy in regards to VampireMeerkat)

I'm gonna preface the following with one statement. I wish Lordi got the funding.

Time to be an Asshole

The Bro Show, if you hadn't figured it out already, is centered on Eddy's older brother. Given Antoniucci's penchant for keeping secrets he never got a name. Though unlike what's under Edd's hat, the lack of the name helps provide a sense of relatability, we all have that one asshole in our family.

This show is essentially a prequel to the events of Ed, Edd n' Eddy. I don't know how long ago VampireMeerkat's depictions have existed, though whatever the case Lordi goes his own way. For example, apparently the Kankers have a relative named Tammy.

Going by VampireMeerkat, the Kankers were born through differing stints their mother had with three separate guys. The Kankers' dynamic with the Eds stems from their mothers flip-flopping attitude on guys (even flirting with the Eds' dads at some point.)

What I'm getting with Tammy here is that Bro's relationship with her carried on to the other Kankers, hence why they pursue them. I can't think of a whole lot else. Also she's Southern, but I won't harp on this, he could've had little actors to work with.

Fair warning, this short contains more adult stuff, which is bound to piss off the "everything is made for kids" crowd. The schtick behind this is that Bro got Tammy pregnant, and that accounts for a bulk of the plot. The remainder is how the Cul De Sac is incorporated, which is wrought through bits and pieces.

The short is mainly meant to introduce us to the crop of characters, though since most of them reside in the trailer park I question if we'd even see them again.

Now for Bro, I never really liked him, I imagine few did as well. Here, at the very least he sells the douchebag schtick but that's where the downfall comes. If the series went on I imagine the personality would come with it. If we have to follow a detestable person episode by episode, it'd get old. I get why the Eds hardly made it on top most of the time, their malicious intents were made clear every episode.

By the end, as Bro comes to terms with being a dad he goes with his parents to the Cul De Sac a free man. It did no favors for the character in my opinion.

Along with some relatives and Tammy, we have Bro's friend Bone (creative), who's probably related to Ed (he sure looks like him.), and he's a few notches close to a blank slate.

So on a character basis, there needs to be some work, I can't give the best advice on proper characterization, aside from... well find a balance with Bro for one.

Easter Eggs

While it's a prequel, it feels like this video operates in its own world. Ed, Edd n' Eddy references are uncommon, but wherever you find them, it's predictable. The intro is a near beat-for beat recreation of EEnE's intro, poses and all. Only difference is that the purple artifacts get painted on.

The title cart also shares a similar motif in terms of inserting "Bro" wherever, but I question why Lordi should acknowledge himself twice to thrice when he did everything.

There're times when random sound effects play like in the actual show, but sometimes they don't have a natural flow to them, coinciding with the iffy acting. Aside from a good Eddy impression for one of the characters, the acting is rather wooden. For those that'd bring up Growing Around, it's meant to be a teaser, i.e. not the final product while this was self-contained and the work would come after.

I bring up the voice acting because the animation goes well against it. We have dynamic poses and expressions going against wooden acting, which is especially noticeable on Tammy. For something meant for older audiences, hear me out, a less over-the-top approach would've worked, save for some aspects like fourth wall breaks and occasional scenes where OTT could work.

Tammy has the most wooden performance, but Bro is the most cringeworthy, near bland delivery, plus at one point he does the "scream but not loud to the point of waking his parents in the other room", as well as the most apathetic "What!?" I've ever heard.

We see Bro's parents and his grandfather, and I believe Lordi took that one joke from Take this Ed and Shove It too literally.

We see Central Command in this, and like in the show it's broken down. This could've worked better if the van was functional and broke down, promptly getting sent to the junkyard.

There's referencing, then there's proper incorporation, there're easy fixes to most of these.

Overall

If Lordi got the funding back when he was still prevalent on the internet, I think he could've had the tools necessary to make something good. As is, The Bro Show doesn't fill me with confidence, based around a character few people like, a teen drama story you could easily catch on Lifetime, and an otherwise wooden performance spanning nearly everyone on board.

Don't get me wrong, hobbyist work is fine, but if you intended to take it further some scrutiny is expected.

The Cramp Twins review

Please note that I'm going by memory on this, not out of laziness, but because I really don't like this show. And now for the ever endearing thesis and production trivia.

I talked about that weird era of Cartoon Network during the mid to late-2000s, where they threw whatever they could on the schedule, basically glorified sensory deprivation. It was around that time they felt more adventurous, blah blah blah Tickle U, Miguzi, CN Real, imports, I very likely talked about this.

Though speaking of imports, guess what of them I caught, well I and potentially more.

That Part

I first caught The Cramp Twins on Cartoon Network. I would say it's a given for everyone else, but I learned soon after the show got its start on the Foxbox. For a block primarily dedicated to material owned by 4Kids Entertainment, I would say it's surprising this show made it on since Angela Anaconda bit it the same year, but shock and horror I never watched this block. Interesting fact, one of the characters from this show played a part in a twist ending for a commercial break special.

The show, initially, was produced by Sunbow Entertainment. I talked about them in by Brothers Flub review, but to catch you up, they became notable for their programs based on Hasbro properties, but after the heyday of 80s toy commercials (I mean cartoons), they just couldn't hold on. Regretfully, this would be their last production, and this show ironically outlived Sunbow, even through legacy credits.

Airing on Foxbox initially in the US, the show was aired on and co-produced by Cartoon Network's British branch, this being one of two co-productions with the other being Fat Dog Mendoza. While the latter never aired on American television, this actually wound up on Cartoon Network.

One thing I find interesting is that this show used both American and Canadian actors. This wouldn't be the first kind of show to do it, Sabrina: The Animated Series used a mix as well. To bring up Fat Dog Mendoza, the show used an entirely Canadian cast. This was in their later years and I imagine it was cheaper to contract a Vancouver talent union, while British networks don't adhere to ratings and would take anything functional.

So along with Vancouver mainstays like Nicole Oliver and... shit it's been ages since I went over Canadian actors, and I do not feel like revisiting this show beyond my memories, we also have Kath Soucie and Tom Kenny, I'm not gonna act like they've been suckered, it's all down to a paycheck, but I now understand the grievances behind capitalism.

The show lasted from 2001 to around 2005, and that's about it.

How about some complaints?

This is one of those dysfunctional-family affairs, no matter how you look at it. To sum up, boy genius Lucien Cramp, troublemaker Wayne, neurotic mother..., and blank slate Horace. Yeah I can't be bothered to remember everyone's names. We've come to a point where edges are to be expected from main characters. You don't even need to peel back the layers to see how bland this kind of premise is on the show.

Though perhaps it's remembered for a better reason (well one of two.)

While I suck with the names, I don't suck with personalities. Lucien is the least annoying by default, which is a plus since he seems to get heat most of the time, think Malcolm in the Middle, but his potential isn't as realized. The mother takes her housekeeper designation too seriously, and how could I forget that time she tried to burn everyone and everything with acid.

I think it goes without saying that Wayne was one of the worst aspects of the show. Not because of the lack of MUH COMEUPPANCE, and Tom Kenny pulled off a great performance, but that's why it sucks, you can easily hate Wayne. The fact that he plays a big part in nearly every episode makes it harder to get through, especially the scenes where he pretends to be innocent. It can remind people of their own poor sibling relationships. Hell, in most shows even if we're meant to hate the rude sibling, they're still bearable. I'd rather watch an episode of Ed, Edd n' Eddy with Sarah, because with characters like her they're at the very least entertaining.

If Cramp Twins practiced incest Wayne would be a tsundre.

For all else, this show is one of those slice-of-life affairs. I recall nearly every episode I've seen, though for the wrong reasons, and the few times I tried to get back into it I couldn't make it to the end. For perspective, I'd rather watch Angela Anaconda. Bizarre animation is sounding very good right about now.

The show did try some subversions, Lucien though the softest by nature is actually tolerant of most gross things, finding solace in a swamp, something that Wayne hates. They swapped the abusive husband and frail wife tropes in one episode, otherwise, many characters are the sum of their parts, you either like it or you don't.

I'll give the show the benefit of the doubt that it got a little more bearable later on down the line, there was one episode where Wayne tried to prove he was a good brother to win a quad bike, so good I watched it multiple times, had some decent jokes, characters were more tolerable than they normally were, it even had casual misogyny. 

Animation

So if it wasn't the characters you remembered, chances are it was the style. One thing I have to give credit to the show for, objectively at least, is that it has a unique style. While the technicolor skin pigments give me Doug vibes, the ovular heads, the bulging outlines and nothing else apparently help give it a little extra edge. You can never forget a face but you can forget nearly everything else.

Also used traditional animation which I never noticed changed even after Sunbow bit it.

In Closing

The Cramp Twins is a prime example of a show we enjoyed growing up, but it didn't quite hold up as well as we had hoped. It doesn't matter if your tastes have changed or you matured, it's hard as hell to revisit this show. The few episodes I watched, for the few I managed to watch to the end, I didn't want to go back to it. It's proof that you can hate characters who're executed just right.

This and Camp Lazlo stand as the two shows I watched growing up that I hate now. Frankly I'd rather look at weird Loud House art, at least I have the knowledge South America handles consent laws differently.

w'ever hapun 2... ShadowBlazeX8

The YouTube Commentary Community, whether you view it as a joke nowadays or under one of many incarnations, has brought many different personalities into the limelight, and gradually evolved over the years. What we know now... is actually fairly consistent with how it started, it's a response to a video intercut with still images to represent whoever's responding, though that principle is never always the case. Sometimes the commentator can be more interesting than whoever they're commenting on, and drama has always been a key aspect since day one, which would go to show that you should never place all your bills on any horse, you'll always lose.

For the more infamous targets, while they either moved on or blanked off with traces of their existence still existing in some form, some stand out more than others for different reasons, you can go for anyone, and for my pick, I'm going with someone who was around during the end of the late-2000s.

What I Know

ShadowBlazeX8 reared his head into the ring in 2008. A prime aspect to his channel, which could've led to his downfall, was ranting. People usually rant for clout, and back then you could find rants on any single topic with the same substance. These rants would also correspond with movie reviews, namely rants on bad ones. In addition to that he'd do comedic dubs of certain videos, one of which got commentated on years ago and trust me, any scorn toward it is deserved.

He had also done reactions to cartoons like Phineas and Ferb and Adventure Time, both negative, and you already know what I have to say. With a show so beloved I respect anyone who goes against popular opinion. But on commentaries, he's one of the few commentators to show their face during the video, the only other one I know of was 2funnyVersionIV, though these were more like live reactions for the most part (which depending on your point of view is the better way to go), other times he'd use images when he didn't feel like being on camera, and like those in his crop, it's memes.

The worst thing you can do as a commentator is go after overdone topics and bring nothing new to the table. Every user he ever commentated on had been done before, some examples include Irate Gamer and Chris Chan. He was one of those "Funny equals quality" types, with his worst aspect being that he repeats what's already said in an exaggerated tone. This is laying the ground for the ultimate conclusion he made, but in time.

In addition to YouTube, he helped give an idea on how spoiled for choice we were when it came to YouTube alternatives back then, we had Blip TV, Revver, Dailymotion, Viddler, it was a better time. Aside from those, he had an account on GameTrailers (back when user generated content was welcome), deviantArt and Blogger. The latter shows how long he has been on the internet (along with still being accessible), going as far back as 2005. His deviantArt contained photographs mainly, going by the few titles I see, and I assume he came from a rural area (amazing how we've seen his face but have no idea what his name is, it is possible.) On his deviantArt, he had a certain kink, one muscle fetish, and I contest, I have that too. I probably wouldn't enjoy his content but I imagine I could hold a good conversation with him.

Why He Left

If it wasn't obvious enough, his YouTube content wasn't good. Major figures at the time tore his videos to shreds and you can still find their commentaries on his videos if you want more infamous examples. Chances are he either deleted his channel out of embarrassment or copyright got him in the end. At some point a bulk of his videos were archived (done by another infamous commentator), and speaking of he actually managed to save quite a bit of videos that would ordinarily be lost. Unfortunately, the channel got taken down and now ShadowBlazeX8 is lost fodder. Good thing about being swarmed is that it leaves no mystery over why they left.

w'ever hapun 2... Futuramaooy

In my earliest years on the internet, I had a Facebook profile and frequented the Closing Logos Group. But after that, I frequented Encyclopedia Dramatica. For some reason I was drawn to articles relating to game reviewers on YouTube. I had no idea who they were, the extent of whatever drama they were involved in, whether or not their inclusion on the "Angry Game Reviewers" article was wrought through feuds, I'm debating whether or not one of them even posted game reviews to begin with, but I frequented it anyways, I was in high school, we used computers, and I didn't care enough to pay attention when it wasn't warranted.

For a grand bulk of the people on that article, they still have some presence online, whether it's some Facebook profile going unnoticed, a new YouTube account they started to disassociate from their past, a legacy that gets more and more lurid (Game Dude was more than just an AVGN rip-off), or even one or two videos are saved from the sands of time, also Archive.org typically has a snap of old YouTube channels.

However, some still elude me, some have practically blanked off the face internet with only small traces remaining to confirm they had some kind of presence. Excluding those who still have easily traceable old content, channels still active in some capacity, those that weren't interesting to begin with, for some reason, this guy got my interest. The article lists Futuramaooy, a game reviewer who dropped off rather early and hadn't been seen on YouTube since. The early departure gives me mixed messages, and I'll get to them when I can.

What do I know?

Futuramaooy got on YouTube back when it was getting traction in 2006, clued by links he left to his channel still having the old URL structure. He is Australian, his face had been revealed, and going by another handle he went under, his first name is Rhys. He did comic work, namely a MegaMan fan comic, but this is now totally lost. Aside from the obvious, that he made gaming-related content, apparently he played a part in the anti-Irate Gamer bandwagon that was big in 2008-2009. Not sure if it was down to video parodies or him supporting others that did it, but if it was enough to get acknowledged in his little blurb he got somewhere with it. He was also apparently a retrogamer, going by most of his posts and the sites he used.

Futuramaooy, already setting me up for confusion due to the username mixing with a show that yields multiple results, when searched on its own surprisingly got me some good results. Nothing major, but it does show me some other websites he used. Along with Futuramaooy, he also went under Mega-Rhys, and used both in tandem.

For the first handle, along with it being his prime YouTube channel, it's also tied to an IMDb account which was used to review one film as far back as 2005, as well as AtariAge, the Homestar Runner forums and the They Might Be Giants wiki (ironically, the latter two reflect the interests of infamous creep Nick Bate)

As for Mega-Rhys, more accounts are tied to that including a Twitter account, a Drunk Duck webcomic page, Blogspot (for all old web-heads), and a deviantArt account for both handles. The Mega-Rhys one is abandoned but still stands, while his Twitter and YouTube (that soon) were removed (this doesn't count sites that went under, so Drunk Duck's out)

His timeline goes as far as 2008, 2009 being the latest. Bits and traces of his older profiles still exist whether they haven't been deleted or have been preserved by the Wayback Machine. Unfortunately, they didn't quite preserve his YouTube channel well, I guess they thought his background was more worthy of preservation.

So W'ever Happund?

I'd say he couldn't handle whatever heat he got for his reviews (back when everyone assumed every game reviewer ripped off the Angry Video Game Nerd), but that's just a theory since only his YouTube and Twitter went down. Back then, most review channels were taken down by YouTube over copyright and some didn't recover, so it could've happened to him and he never bothered to return.

A darker theory I have is that someone took their disfavor of him too far and leaked his personal info, but then everything would go dark and he would allude to it. If I had to guess, he probably found a new line of work and wanted to abandon his previous accounts since they no longer fell in line with him. All I have is his first name and last initial, so I can't trace him through Facebook, let alone if he has one, though based on the posts he made things seemed stable, and he probably just lost interest after his YouTube channel went belly up. I'm hoping the worst hadn't happened, because he did seem interesting.

Two Cursed Flash Games

 I'm going to assume you're all familiar with the concept of cursed commercials, commercials that stick out for the wrong reasons. If not check out Chadtronic for a crash course.

Chad may have me beat when it comes to reviewing commercials, but whether anyone knows it or not, I'm gonna start digging where no one had really attempted before. Cursed flash games.

As a challenge, I won't review fan-made stuff, it wouldn't be fair for me to mock something someone did for fun (let alone people who can accomplish more than I), no, I'm gonna go after what was officially licensed, the world of those old flash games you've seen on kids network websites.

Be real, we all visited Nick.com or CartoonNetwork.com when we were kids and played their games, I mean they still have games but none up to par. For any game, even old Shockwave ones, it's easy to determine their age based on certain nuances, though age won't save how poorly they look nowadays. But trust me, even by simple flash/shockwave game standards the ones I'm gonna single out look plain awful.

So for one of each, let's get into this.

Ed Edd n' Eddy: Sewer Rat Balloon Bash

Already the title is giving me mixed signals, reminds me of a certain era of YouTube.

Apparently this game was released on Cartoon Network's Australian site. I have no specification on the date since the Archive.org link for it goes as far back as 2011. This would go for this and the next game, but I'm gonna assume this came out when the show was relatively new, 2000 the latest. There was an article for this on the Ed, Edd n' Eddy wiki but it got deleted, along with articles for other games.

There're two modes to this game, as implied by the title.

In the first, you play as Ed, where you're suspended in the air by a rope held by Edd and have to evade three rows of rats to collect bottles for cash. It seems harmless enough, that is until Ed takes damage. Just know it sounds absolutely nothing like Ed. I have a feeling it's a stock sound, which is why I heard it in Bart Bash as well.

The rat rounds end after you get ten bottles, there's no time limit, which is good since the challenge lies in how long Edd can hold you before his arms give out.

Then there's the second mode.

It's a water-balloon fight between Eddy and one of the Kankers. You may think it's Lee, but it's actually Marie. You have to assume this game was made sometime after the series first aired, Cartoon Network would've at least provided notes to their Australian branch for this. Sure, I consider Marie to be my favorite of the Kankers, but consistency is all I ask. Ironically in another Ed, Edd n' Eddy Shockwave game Edd faces off against Lee, though that goes with the episode the game was based on.

Things go off, and I imagine your eyes are drawn to this:

How's that arthritis?

The look doesn't justify the game. Like many games of this format it's just a simple JPEG moving about, I heard of people who can't draw hands, but not both hands and arms. Plus Marie's screams are something to behold.

And it just keeps on going until you die. I mean literally the game's on loop it's a point grind.

Went from kinda cursed to pretty cursed, that's like a 6/10.

Check it out here: 

Spongebob SquarePants: Run for the Krusty Krab

Before I give my thoughts, here's a testimony from someone part of a SpongeBob forum that potentially predates SBMania.

"This is honestly one of the worst games I've ever played. It seems like the makers never watched a single episode of SpongeBob. The jellyfish don't look at all like the ones on the show. The only moves SpongeBob has are jump and duck. The controls are delayed much, and the gameplay is terrible. All you do is avoid jellyfish and jump over stuff. And to make it worse, the difficulty level is very high. The only good thing about this game is that the graphics are sharp." -United Spongebob - 2002

I had seen the SpongeBob games of old, and for many of them, they were consistent, even ones that were slightly off seemed legitimate. For this game, it's uncanny, made worse by the fact that this was on Nickelodeon's official website.

Some speculated this game came out in the year 2000, though I have a feeling this might've been made while SpongeBob was still being conceptualized, and the designers were going by notes, accounting for the in-game oddities.

The basic idea behind this is that you have to get SpongeBob to Mr. Krabs, the kicker is that you have to run and leap over obstacles. Simple stuff, aside from the fact that the game is unbelievably brutal.

The key to this game is momentum, without it you can't clear most obstacles. You have to keep running because obstacles could be centimeters within one another, and you'd be unable to turn back to get a running start. Even as early as level 2 the game does you dirty. Think I'm being over-the-top because the cool reviewers do it, here, you tell me if this is hyperbole.

You have to dodge a jellyfish, jump over a moat and a tall barricade, and you have to keep your momentum.

You have three abilities, run, jump and duck, but ducking is underutilized. That barricade in the cap above, you can't duck under it. I imagine there're obstacles that'd work with it in later levels, but nobody I know of has ever made it that far. Through my experience and I'm certain many others, we've died at level 2. I imagine the programers never made a proper ending so they had to make the game so difficult to get through that nobody would see their lack of progress.

I spoiled it in the cap above, but let me sum up the design in one other.

It's clear the developers only took the smallest amount of notes on most of the designs. Mr. Krabs looks fine, for a JPEG, but SpongeBob looks like he isn't finished. His craters are not so apparent (they look like boils almost), and when it comes to jellyfish, it doesn't even look like the jellyfish as they appeared in Tea at the Treedome. It's a straight up IRL jellyfish, almost.

If I had to give the game anything, the graphics are admittedly nice for a game like this.

Cursed only for the fact that they give you one level to beat and for the fact that they obviously didn't consult the staff on the show, this is like a 5/10.

So what other official cursed games are out there? I could use some material.

The Penguins of Madagascar review

Been running dry on Halloween-related reviews. I could easily go into Halloween-themed episodes of chows I grew up with, but I'd be judging the quality of the show in its entirety. All I could really say is that the B-segments are always more twisted than the Halloween-themed A-segments (for perspective, I Was a Teenage Gary from SpongeBob was more twisted than Scaredy Pants, and fuck if I could remember the episode name of that Halloween episode of Camp Lazlo, because it may be the only one I tolerate, but yeah its B-plot to its Halloween episode was really something.)

I could also talk about the Scary Godmother movies, a common tradition for many reviewers, but what can I really say about them? I mean I could do a non plot-summary approach, but for another time.

Until then, watch me complain more about shows people like for the most part. (also quick thing, I changed my mind on Ed, Edd n' Eddy, accepting the Kankers is what helped me re-welcome the show.)

History

The Penguins of Madagascar is a spin-off of the Madagascar series of films, something you've either seen for yourselves or through a cringeworthy April Fools running joke done by I Hate Everything (and no wonder I haven't watched him in months.)

This was made during a partnership between Nickelodeon and DreamWorks (this was after Viacom relinquished their ownership of the company for the record.) I can recall two shows that came from the deal, it being this and a show based on Monsters Vs. Aliens (which I never watched aside from a teaser short). I was close to assuming Megamind got a cartoon from this, but it turns out Nickelodeon just aired a short film that came out after the original film, go figure.

DreamWorks had gotten their feet wet with television animation years prior. I had covered Father of the Pride, which I feel doesn't deserve the scorn it got, but it does deserve some kind of scorn. This was made right after this, and if it hadn't been for that agreement it seems DreamWorks would've left television cold turkey.

The show was created by the two exact creators of Kim Possible, Bob Schooley and Mark McCorckle. Both had also worked on that aforementioned Monsters Vs. Aliens TV series I mentioned.

While Father of the Pride crapped out within one season, this had actually survived for three seasons with a total of 149 episodes. Hell, while the show like many Nickelodeon cartoons finished out their run on Nicktoons, less new episodes aired on that network than Nickelodeon, won 21 awards out of 48 nominations, Emmys included, and is a meme as far as I know.

I may be cynical, then again I kinda like Fanboy and Chum Chum, Back at the Barnyard, you're probably seeing red right about now.

Before you think I'm just bashing something that people like and talk about constantly, I have seen this show before. I've seen a lot of episodes from it as a matter of fact, and going by Nickelodeon, the earlier episodes are often the high points to it. The show is fresh in my mind, somehow, so if I say anything against it, just know I'm not doing it for the sake of contrarianism.

One other aspect to note is that they couldn't get the actors from the movie to reprise the roles of mainstays from the movie, no Sacha Barren Cohen, no Cedric the Entertainer, and no whoever voiced the penguins (I mean aside from Ton McGrath who also does work as an animator at DreamWorks so he'd be on regardless (and he also produced this too, expected)).

Admittedly, the replacements do a good job replicating the personalities and voices, though Jeff Bennett and Kevin Michael Richardson are really just doing voices within their typical range it still goes well. Danny Jacobs voiced Julien in this, and this is his first voice acting stint, for that he didn't do too bad at all. For the non-movie regulars, we got some Mad TV actors. We have Nicole Parker as voice of reason Marlene and Mary Scheer as the obligatory grunt (zoo keeper), oh and Scheer was Suzy from Hey Arnold and Mrs. Benson from iCarly.

We also get guest appearances from Wayne Knight and Kathy Kinney (Mimi Bobeck from The Drew Carey Show for the uninformed.)

Plot

The series takes place sometime after the events of the movie (or in some alternative timeline). I would've called it a prequel had it just been the penguins, but Julien is here, so there goes that theory. We don't see the mains from the movies either so it just contributes to more confusion (it's more worth complaining about than Susan getting the ability to change sizes in the Monsters Vs. Aliens series which people complain about because muh macrophilia.)

The schtick behind the penguins is that they act as army operatives, we have lead commander Skipper, intelligence Kowalski, mute (grunts and spouts aside) Rico and childish and naive Private, treating every little thing like it's bigger than it already is. Admittedly I have a hang-up with that kind of characterization, check out my review of Mona the Vampire to get perspective on how it rubbed me the wrong way. We know they'll misinterpret every little thing, but the situation turns out to be big enough to require their intervention.

I already know I'm gonna step on some toes with this, so I'm gonna try to be as constructive as I can be. King Julien is a figure of praise in the show's fandom. He is an over the top egomaniacal king (not without reason, he was a monarch back on Madagascar.) who shares a higher level of naive behavior. Also anything he learns is thrown aside by the next episode, episodic affairs, you know the deal.

I can understand people liking him because his over the top nature is funny, he is well acted, but even when I watched it for the first time I wasn't much of a fan of him. It worked in the movie, not so much here. It goes for nearly every episode he's in, small doses would've worked better, I can tell a spin-off with him would've been a disaster (I may like Fanboy and Chum Chum but I hate Planet Sheen), because too much at one time can ruin anything for everyone.

Maurice tries to stand out by occasionally standing up against Julien, though bearability makes him a bit bland by default. Mort is hated by Julien, and I'll give this series credit, they help put us in Julien's shoes with that. Mort is equally as repetitive, and I'd like to consider that episode with the hornets to be my least favorite Mort-centered episode. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia did a better job with bee jokes, for one it wasn't as frequent and Charlie assuming hornets produce honey has more staying power than Mort referring to hornets as bees constantly (and sticking with the honey production spiel) Also foot fetish.

Marlene is okay for the most part, not afraid to get her paws dirty with mischief, but Nicole Parker isn't cut out for voice acting. I saw Marlene before I saw Parker in Mad TV, and the fact that I could point out the two shows a lack of true range. Stick to what you're good at I guess.

If you're gonna call me on it, don't. I haven't forgotten Fred the Squirrel. Fred is basically what I wanted from Julien, a character that appears occasionally and makes with the funny. He gets by with delivering jokes with mundane delivery (his voice actor, Fred Stoller is basically a more emotive Ben Stein.)

This show also has an indian elephant named Burt, (not Hindu by portrayal, just by species.), and he played a part in an episode I'd consider to be one of my favorites. I bring him up due to the fact that Father of the Pride used a straight up Hindu stereotyped elephant in their show.

Aside from the specials, the episodes feature the day to day antics of the zoo animals, whether it be accomplishing a common goal or aiding friends in need or misconstruing new goings-on at the zoo. It's similar ideas with differing wrappers, I can't call these episodes unoriginal, though the jokes would be the determining factor to whether or not I want to go on.

The humor for the most part is simplistic, people compared it to the cartoons of old (on the other hand, that's a reason people liked Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi), but anyone can take an existing joke and make it different. Most jokes are delivered with a certain kind of mundaneness (which works if it's delivered by a mundane character) that feeds the idea that they know they didn't make the joke first.

Some jokes go on for longer than normal, i.e., the slideshow gag in that episode where they try to get authentic fish after the zoo switches to artificial fish cakes. This normally works if the shocker clip turns out to be the different one, and it veers out of cliche territory because you can use anything, though the ending of it was kinda decent with Private getting slapped off screen then shown two slides reflecting the action. That faux strip tease in the shot episode was also an awkward joke done proper because of how out of nowhere it was.

One other deal with the show is that the animal characters attempt to keep their actions under wraps. I don't recall if humans could understand their dialog, but I do remember a special episode where Nathan Kress appeared who caught them in the act. I mean it wasn't a big deal when a nature photographer caught them giving high fives to one another, but I could be looking too deeply into this. Back at the Barnyard beat them to the punch by a year for the record.

Some more action-oriented episodes exist, like when they go after a giant fish in a lake (though Skipper's bullheadedness on food chain ethics annoyed me for some reason), plus Dr. Blowhole, a resident antagonist for Skipper that allows the show to dive beyond comedy. The "he's played by Neil Patrick Harris" spiel is getting old. He also played Spider-Man, and he for the most part isn't that controversial. He also did well in the roll, I saw How I Met Your Mother at the time and I would've never guessed he voiced him.

The show can pull off action when it wants to, I'll give it that.

Only other special I recall is the Christmas episode, only for the fact that I love how wrong everything went up until the end, that bit where the Tiny Tim prop got knocked down by a snowball was also another funny joke I recall for how Kowalski reacted to it.

Animation

This is going to be either a hot button topic, or something people can understand.

CG animation rarely translates well for a weekly television series, especially one done in-house. For CG television shoes you can tell when shortcuts were made to get the episode done, some shows looking worse than others for it. The few times this can be forgiven is if the show's stylized (say what you want about Fanboy and Chum Chum, it's fresh in your minds for a reason.)

When it comes to DreamWorks' shows, you can call it a DreamWorks program just by looking at it, but you can see where corners were cut.

Character movement is fluid enough, and while environments look good, they could be better. Basic color palettes and simple shapes (for the most part), give an idea on what was done last. I can forgive that, but what I can't forgive is how they treat character models. Save for the mainstays, the background characters are reused very frequently, often with different voices, often with different personalities, they changed the hair color of one boy and nothing else for PeTA sake.

For perspective, a boy with glasses and a hat is played as shy and awkward in the popcorn episode, but in a later episode where Skipper believes he's a female he is loud and obnoxious. For another example, during the balloon parade scene, we see a male anchorman played as hammy, but in the episode that Dr. Blowhole premiered in, he is monotone.

You know it'd be cheaper to have a set amount of characters and a set amount of actors. You may not have much on data real estate but at least you'd be consistent.

At the very least the humor for the most part keeps the show afloat, allowing you to miss these animation flaws.

Overall

I went into this with the intent of bashing it. Maybe because I don't consider myself a fan of DreamWorks (for me, Antz, Shrek, and out), and while I feel it doesn't deserve so many accolade wins/nominations, I can at the very least agree there's plenty to it for people to like. It still looks like a product for the time in terms of animation, but if I had to watch the show, I probably would, but for now it's not something I'd seek out.

Unless I was just afraid of pissing off the wrong people.