Hi guys, Sharp-O back to celebrate this summer’s biggest superhero release – The Incredibles 2 – with a review for the Stretching & Speeding Elasticycle from Jakks Pacific!

You can pick up yours on Amazon UK here!
Find more of Jakks Pacific’s Incredibles 2 products here!

Be my guest! I’ll put my review skills to the test with LEGO’s attempt at the cutesy-big-head pop culture character figures with the adorable BrickHeadz!

Belle and Beast Disney BrickHeadz are available from most good retailers and online for £9.99! For more LEGO BrickHeadz, check out the official webpage here.

Throwing up a little fun. Forget the forthcoming trilogy. Forget Vader’s story. Let’s think beyond. Let’s think… BIGGER!
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JJ and his amazing friend Jason may just have to talk about this whole merger thing, or the laws of the internet take the podcast away, or something. So it does not matter if you reacted like Luke after kissing his sister, or if your reaction was closer to Luke meeting his father, we dissect the facts and help you find center in the force. While on the geek train, we also stop by the news surrounding the next X-Men movie with a sigh and a heavy heart.

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Wreck-It Ralph is a movie that gained a ridiculous amount of online attention from one screen shot. You know the one, with all the video game characters sitting in a circle for group therapy (It’s below the video if you really never saw it). As nerds everywhere spasmed at the possibility of seeing all these characters in one movie, Disney rubbed their grubby hands with glee at the possible box-office return.

Underneath all that, what is this film actually about? Well is seems that a fictional character named Wreck-It Ralph has grown tired of being the villain of his game and decides he’s better suited to being a hero and tries to follow this aspiration. Sounds good and has endless possibilities attached to a story like that so count me in.

The old question needs to be asked, though. Will the movie be any good? Well, our first hint is always in the trailer so lets watch it now…

Hmmm. Let’s dive straight in:

– What Is A Bit?

This is a Disney movie and while they want people of all ages to go, they’ll obviously want a large amount of children to attend it. In that vain, it seems strange that our protagonist is from the now by-gone arcade 8-bit era. An era that the modern child would have little-to-no knowledge of.

Saying that, I appreciate it and it looks great here. Suspiciously great. Like, I don’t remember those games looking as pretty as the one above. Me thinks they may be cheating with the bits a little.

– Guess Who?

Ok, so we need to talk about the elephant in the room. Also, the giant Russian in the room and the egg shaped scientist.

All the cameos in this movie will be a drinking game of some sort once it hits DVD. Expect your nerdiest of friends to have come up with it before the movie finishes in theatres. In the meantime, use these moments to dig out your old consoles and spend some time with them.

– Right In The Feels

In case you may have forgotten, this is a Disney flick and it’s going to try and make you cry on more than one occasion.

Don’t give in. Don’t let them know you have feelings. Crying will get you killed in war.

– Wait… What?

If it wasn’t for the little credit sequence at the end of this trailer I would have sworn that the voice of this character is the wonderful Kristen Schaal.

So I was completely surprised to see that it was infamous potty-mouth Sarah Silverman. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not disappointed, Silverman is a total bad-ass but I was left considering my life choices when I was left so shocked by this revelation.

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Overall: Is this movie worth seeing? I think it will be. It may not be that funny, some of the jokes in the trailer fall short and they’re usually the good ones, but I think it will be a fun romp and worth the 90 minutes of my time. I suggest Wreck-It Ralph may not be worth going to the expensive cinema to see but I guess we’ll have to wait on reviews to trickle out to make that judgment call.

When the teaser trailers for the new Muppet movie started rolling out I gave a less than glowing review of them. While I consider myself a bit of a Muppet afficianado and somewhat of a credible blogger (a possible contradiction in terms) I am not the only Muppet know-it-all on this site. JJ Hawkins of Mars Needs fame would be the Statler to my Waldorf.

He voiced his concern that I was wrong about the quality of what we would get once the movie opens. In fact, he pretty much calls me out on one of his podcasts. Never one to shy away from a good argument, I thought I could have a little chat with him now that the new full length trailer for The Muppets has been released.

Check out the trailer below and then our thoughts/rantings on the matter as we manage to take a movie about puppets very seriously.

Aaron: So… What do you think?

JJ: For one thing, I am glad they have done away with the parody. The Green Lantern preview was amusing, but i felt like it was time to show us something.

I liked the notes the trailer hit. The idea that the Muppets have fallen out of favor and the theater has fallen into disrepair, gives the story a kind of meta-storytelling that the Muppets are well suited for. I could hear your voice in my head bitching about how much Jason Segel and Amy Adams are in the tralier, but need I remind you of the waitress character from Muppets Take Manhattan? She is a human counterpart who is also used as a major character. I think they will be fine. I am maintaining my cautious optimism.

Aaron: Don’t you dare use Jenny against me! That woman was a saint. A terrible waitress but a saint no less.

Yes, the idea of the story being a play on where the Muppets are as a franchise is not a bad one. However, remember that’s only one half of the plot. The other half being this new Muppet character being chaperoned everywhere by Amy “Disney” Adams and Jason “I’m making a stupid face” Segel.

Seriously, JJ, you’re an actor. Are you not saddened by the level of hamming-it-up being presented here?

JJ: It seems on the surface that the level of hamming may be strong, but watch a trailer with St. Jenny and you will see she is doing much of the same. It all depends on the coherence of the script and director.

As for the new character, I am sure he is the representative for the audience. It is a valid storytelling device and may in fact be very important to the new generation. I admit, I still have reservations, I want to love this film with all my heart, but my reservations are not fueled by this trailer.

…except the usage of “We Built This City” ugh. That was a bad call Ripley. A bad call.

Aaron: It’s true. I don’t want to be all doom and gloom about a movie based on some badly put together teasers and one trailer. These are accomplished movie makers. I guess what has me freaking out is the actual lack of Muppet-style comedy I’m seeing. It’s to be expected, it’s a new team at the helm, but to me it’s kind of like seeing the Monty Python cast acting to a Farrelly Brothers’ script. It’s not that it wouldn’t be still funny, it’s just that it wouldn’t feel right. I mean… “fart shoes”? Just hearing Fozzie say the word “fart” is completely out of character.

But if your reservations aren’t with what you’re seeing in the trailers, where do they lay?

JJ: My fears come from something you just said. They are badly assembled trailers. As Hollywood becomes more terrified to take chances entertainment becomes mainstream and the individual voice disappears. The Muppets are, quite frankly, visionary. No one had filmed puppets in the way that Jim Henson and his crew did. In one generation we went from hundreds of years of “Punch and Judy” type shows to puppets that could live in an immersive real environment. Heck, just the first shot in The Muppet Movie has Kermit surrounded by water! There is no traditional place for the Muppeteer to hide. I am afraid that even if the people fueling this film have that vision, the committee machine that puts films out will dim the final product.

As I said earlier, if the tone that the trailers evokes is to work, then the director has to create a world that that hammy acting style works. Much like the old films do. Go to YouTube and check out old clips, everyone talks to the Muppets as if they are children, but it holds up because the whole style works. That is the necessary vison.

When is the last time you saw a truly unique film? Maybe the first Matrix? 300?

Plus, I hope the desire to make a good film doesn’t make them try to hard. That is what killed Green Lantern, they just tried too hard.

I do agree, I would have preferred Fozzie would have said “Whoopie Shoes” but that is what I mean by (possibly) being forced to mute the unique tone and make jokes to the 2 1/2 Men crowd.

Aaron: The positive veneer cracks! See, why couldn’t you just bitch and moan about it with me in the first place like the old geeky fans that we are?! How dare you leave the grumpy hatred to me.

JJ: Because I have hope you cynical bastard. If we are to judge the film by the trailers we have seen, the outcry that I have seen is unwarranted. Let’s face it, what I just said about this film is the same for most films that come out these days. I choose to go into the theater to be entertained. I think the cynics (I am not putting you in this category) forget how to have fun. I want to go to the movies and have a good time watching Muppets. That is all. Now that doesn’t give them free reign to crap out something not worth my time, but to say that this trailer portends to a bad movie is ludicrous. Amy Adams played a similar character in Enchanted, and it worked. Segel loves the Muppets and the puppet scene from Forgetting Sarah Marshal was a highlight. The filmmakers don’t make trailers anymore. I think Scott Pilgrim would have had a better one if they did.

Bitching and moaning puts you in the mind set to hate before you even get to see what you supposedly enjoy. It is a waste of time and energy. You keep being Oscar the Grouch, and I will be Ernie, the eternal optimist.

Aaron: Get out of here before I hit you with my trash can!

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A Fond Look Back at a Cherished Portion of the Childhood of a 90’s Youth. Or, The Disney Afternoon: A Retrospective

Part 2: Camera, Action, Lights!  You Wont Believe the Sounds and Sights!

Sorry it’s been a while.  Finals and holidays and all.  But here is part 2 of my Disney Afternoon retrospective.  Last time I gave a brief introduction to this block of shows and talked about the first four cartoons in the line up.  After TaleSpin, the Disney Afternoon continued to gain more original shows, shows stylistically different than what Disney had been doing previously, reflecting the change that was gong on in the animation world at that time.

Let’s not waster anymore time and get back into action with perhaps the most popular show of the Disney Afternoon…

Darkwing Duck(1991): In my opinion, the best show of the Disney Afternoon, and one of the best cartoons of all time.  Darkwing Duck was a departure from the other shows before it.  The emphasis was now placed on more superhero action as opposed to adventure.  The color scheme of this show, unlike the muted schemes of the previous shows, was vibrant and comic book-like.  Also unique was the animation style.  Rather than being very conservative and low key, Darkwing Duck had more of a eccentric and cartoony style, with more emphasis being placed on slapstick action.Jim Cummings played the main character of Drake Mallard, who protected the city of St. Canard as his alter-ego Darkwing Duck.  At times he was stubborn, egotistcal, and an attention hog, but above all else he was competent and effective crime fighter who genuinely cared about helping people.  The core of the show focused on Darkwing balancing his superhero duties with his duties as a father to his adopted daughter, the high spirited and impulsive Gosylin Mallard.  Darkwing is also aided by his sidekick, Ducktales’ own Launchpad McQuack, placing the two shows in the same universe.  This show was just great. The show had all the best elements of a superhero comi, with a ton of great tounge-and-cheek jabs at the genre.  DWD had a cast of relatable and fun character and Darkwing himself had one of the best rogues galleries of all time.  Negaduck, Megavolt, Quackerjack, Liquidator, Bushroot, Steelbeak, Taurus Baulba, his villains were larger than life and could’ve supported their own series.  The show’s writing was incredibly strong, it knew exactly what kind of show it was an played to it.  The stories were clever and engaging and genuinely funny.  The show also had an amazing voice cast.  In addition to Cummings; Christina Cavanaugh, Terry McGovern, Tino Insano, Rob Paulsen, Dan Castellanetta, Jack Angel, and Michael Bell rounded out this cast who gave great performances every episode.  Darkwing Duck was a true hallmark of the 90’s.  Everything you could want in a cartoon, it had action, it had humor, it had heart.  The new comic series by Ian Brill that continues Darkwing’s adventures is a worthy successor to this great series.

Goof Troop(1992): Like Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers, Goof Troop breathed new life into two longtime Disney mainstays, Goofy and Pete.   This show was like one of those TGIF sitcoms, but with cartoons and with less cheesiness.  The show central focus was on the above mentioned characters and their son’s, Max Goof and P.J.(as well as Pete’s wife Peg and hyperactive daughter Pistol).  Episodes tended to revolve around Pete coming up with some money-making scheme and Goofy being his unknowing but well meaning pawn, or Max coming up with some scheme and PJ being his weary sidekick.  The show featured a strong set of characters, bursting with personality and keeping each other balanced.  The show had all the slapstick elements of a classic Goofy cartoon, but characters like Max and PJ gave the show a more modern sensibility.   Like TaleSpin the show had a strong emphasis on family, specifically the relationship between fathers and sons, showing that while it seems they may be polar opposites, deep down they’re really similar.  In 1995, A Goofy Movie was released.  The movie was based on the Goof Troop series, but with key differences.  Pete’s wife Peg, daughter Pistol, and dog Chainsaw were removed, and the characters received a stylistic overhaul hankering back to their classic look.  Another key difference was that the characters were considerably older, with Max and PJ now being in High School, aging in real time.  The movie still managed to capture the charm and heart of the TV Show and developed the relationship between Max an Goofy very well.  While not that successful financially, the movie remains a fan favorite, and notable for it’s soundtrack with songs by then teen star Tevin Campbell.  A direct-to-DVD sequel, An Extremely Goofy Movie was released in 2000 which was…well….let’s move on to the next show.

Bonkers(1993): This is a very underrated show.  Bonkers was originally intended as a Roger Rabbit animated series, and it’s easy to see the influence.  The show takes place in a world where humans and toons co-exist.  Due to legal troubles, the character of Roger Rabbit was unable to be used and they instead used a character from an earlier show called Raw Toonage named Bonkers D. Bobcat.  In the series, Bonkers is a former cartoon star turned police detective.  He’s partnered with Detective Lucky Piquel(sometimes mispronounced “Pickle”), a fat, toon-hating, curmudgeon who serves as the straight man opposite the wacky and energetic Bonkers, their relationship mirrors the Roger Rabbit/Eddie Valiant relationship from the aforementioned movie.   Each episode took place in Hollywood and revolved around Bonkers and Lucky solving crimes as part of the “Toon Division” of the Police Department.  The show, like Darkwing and Goof Troop is heavy on slapstick comedy, and it definitely works here.  Bonkers and Lucky make for a great double act, like a cartoon Laurel and Hardy.  While toned down from Roger Rabbit the basic humor is still there.  Interesting to note, Jim Cummings who voiced Pete in Goof Troop, King Louie and Don Karnage in TaleSpin, Fat Cat and Professor Nimnul in Chip n Dale Rescue Rangers, Razoul in Aladdin, and of course the title character in Darkwing Duck, returns yet again (Disney loves this guy), to play not just Bonkers, but Lucky as well. Cummings does such an excellent job creating unique voices for both characters that it’s hard to believe it’s just one guy.   The show had a great, whimsical atmosphere where almost anything could happen.  I love how expansive the cartoon world was, it felt like Disney meets Fleischer Studios.  It didn’t feel like a traditional Disney cartoon, instead taking on a bit more of a gritty tone, but not Dirty Harry-gritty by any means.  65 episodes were produced but only 42 featured Lucky.  Originally Bonkers was too be partnered with a female officer named Miranda Wright(get it?).  19 of these episodes were produced but were thrown out due to Disney not being satisfied with the final product.  The Lucky Piquel episodes were aired instead.  Strangely enough, the 19 Miranda episodes were aired later with the explanation that they took place after the Lucky ones, despite chronologically being before them.  Personally, I prefer the Lucky episodes, the two characters just had the better dynamic, Miranda was just too boring a character.   Overall, it was fun show that doesn’t get the praise it deserves.

Gargoyles(1994) – Disney’s answer to Batman the Animated Series.  Gargoyles was a drastic change for Disney.  While their previous shows were light-hearted, wacky, and were primarily targeted at kids, Gargoyles was dark, emotional, and very story-driven.  The show was about a clan of mythical beings known as Gargoyles.  Once a thriving species of warriors led by the mighty Goliath(voiced by the amazing Keith David), they were betrayed by the humans they protected and were nearly rendered extinct, laving all but six alive, including Goliath.  The surviving Gargoyles, thanks to a misunderstanding, were placed under a magic sleep spell, only to awaken in 1994 tanks to  billionaire David Xanatos(voiced by the equally amazing Jonathan Frakes), who planned to use the Gargoyles for his own means.  The Gargoyles, after foiling the schemes of Xanatos ,and  another surviving  Gargoyle, Goliath’s former love and second-in-command turned evil Demona(voiced by threequally amazing Marina Sirtis) ,swore to protect their new home of Manhattan alongside their new friend and ally, NYPD detective Elisa Maza.  Gargoyles was true masterpiece.   Show  creator Greg Wiseman carefully crafted a deep and compelling mythos for the show taking elements from comic books, Shakespearean lore, sci-fi, and folklore and mythology from all over the world.   Some episodes had the characters battling robots, clones, mercenaries, and mutants.   Others had them encountering such figures as King Arthur, Anubis, Odin, Oberon, Puck, Coyote the Trickster, and the Banshee.  It was a show that kept you guessing what they would tackle next.  It could be grounded in reality in one episode, and deep in magic and mysticism the next.  The show featured an amazing cast, a lot of whom being Star Trek alumni.  Keith David played the lead character Goliath, giving him the deep, booming, powerful voice the character needed.  Goliath was tragic hero, though powerful still carried the deaths of his clan on his shoulders, and you could just feel it in his voice.  While most leaders in action cartoons were for the most part bland, Goliath was well developed.  He was logical and compassionate, yet stubborn and at times quick to anger.  He was well-read and intellectual yet in battle he was fierce and deadly.  A major element of the show was Goliath’s relationship with Elisa Maza, reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast(they even made a great reference to that in one episode).  It never felt forced, instead it naturally grew over the course of the series as the two learned more about each other.  It was handled very intelligently and with a strong maturity not seen in most cartoons of the time.  Rounding out the good guys there was Hudson, the elder of the clan, and Goliath’s mentor, Brooklyn(my favorite), the cool and collected second-in-comand, Lexington, the gadget-loving member of the clan, Broadway, the gentle giant, and Bronx the loyal guard dog-gargoyle-beast-thing.  Later on Angela, Goliath and Demona’s daughter, revealed to have survived the original massacre as an egg, is added to the cast.

The villains made this show.  David Xanatos was unlike previous villains.  He was cool and calculating, never losing his cool or letting his ego get the better of him.  He always had a plan, and back-up plan, and a back-up for the back-up.  He would always find some way to win, sometimes even losing to achieve victory, the guy has a whole system named after him. (seriously, look up “Xanatos Gambit” on TV Tropes).  He was like Tony Stark, complete with battle armor.  Xanatos was never a mustache-twirling villain, and he wasn’t evil, just a schemer with is own agenda.  If Goliath was a tragic hero, Demona was a tragic villain.  Turned better by centuries of hatred towards humans, Demona was cold, lethal, and truly genocidal.  She frequently tried to destroy the human race, blaming them for the near extinction of their species, when in reality she herself was at fault.  She masked her loneliness and grief with bigotry and anger.  She clearly still loved Goliath, but her own spiteful nature, as well as Elisa’s presence kept them for being together again.  She was hands down one of the greatest villains of all time, and Marina Sirtis delivered an amazing performance, a far cry form her previous role as the benevolent and caring Deanna Troi on Star Trek the Next Generation.

The show tackled many issues, form gun violence, to environmentalism, to betrayal, to love and loss, as well as an overall theme of discrimination with the Gargoyles being feared for their monstrous appearance despite their peaceful nature.  The show was also very pro-literacy, with one episode in particular, “Lighthouse int he Sea of Time”, dealing with the power of the written word and it’s impact on society.  While the animation wasn’t as strong as Batman’s, it was passable, making up for it with the amazing score and complex storytelling.  Stories were interconnected with minimal elements from some episodes becoming major factors in later episodes.  They were very emotional, some episodes could be down right heartbreaking.  It never talked down to kids watching, and offered enough action and fun to keep them satisfied, while keeping older audiences hooked with it’s strong storytelling and complex character development.  Gargoyles was truly ahead of the curve and managed to stand out among the other shows of it’s type.  Truly a work of art.

Next time, I finish my retrospective by looking at the remaining DA shows and  it’s lasting legacy.

By Colin “Ballsmonkey” Hill”

Part 1: Step right up and come on in, here’s where the fun begins.

Those were the words that introduced a block of cartoons that never failed to enlighten and entertain every kid in the 1990’s, The Disney Afternoon. The Disney Afternoon ran from 1990 to 1997, and featured a myriad of cartoons that delivered all the action, adventure, and comedy we needed growing up. This group of shows re- invented such classic Disney characters as Uncle Scrooge, Goofy, and Chip ‘n Dale, as well as introducing us to a whole cast of new ones like Launchpad McQuack, Max Goof, and Gadget Hackwrench. If you’re like me, this block of shows helped define your childhood. The DA was just as big a part of my developing years as Ninja Turtles, Batman, and Power Rangers. It was both kick ass and family friendly, proof that studio driven cartoons can be good when done right. Today in this article, I’m bringing you a Disney Afternoon.

The Disney Afternoon officially came into being on September 10, 1990, though three of its shows (Adventures of the Gummi Bears, DuckTales, and Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers), had debuted some years prior. The three already popular cartoons were repackaged and grouped with TaleSpin, the first cartoon original to the block, and thus the legend was born. The Animation was done by the Australia-based studio Disney Toon Studios (now Walt Disney Television Animation and relocated to Burbank, California). The first four DA shows featured more conservative and soft traditional Disney animation, though later series would be more energetic and cartoony. Also notable among the shows were their incredible theme songs. Each was very catchy, they fit the tone of the show, and did what every theme song should do, get you pumped for the actual show. From Gummi Bears’ majestic and harmonious score, to the jazzy and noir-feel of Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers’ theme, to the mind-bogglingly quirky and freakishly addictive theme that preceded DuckTales, these songs were well constructed and made sure these shows stuck with you for a long while. Also common among the shows was their robust and incredibly talented voice casts. Such greats as Jim Cummings, Bill Farmer, Tress MacNeille, Christine Cavanaugh, Russi Taylor, Rob Paulsen, Jeff Bennett, Corey Burton, and late, greats like Paul Winchell and Dana Hill gave life to the amazing and loveable characters.

In 1991, Darkwing Duck made its debut, pushing Gummi Bears off the line-up. This would become a common practice in this line-up, whenever a new show was added, the oldest show would be bumped off and the rest would be moved up one, a system that looking back was very fair and logical. Goof Troop’s addition in ’92 would move DuckTales off, and 93’s Bonkers would go on to replace Rescue Rangers. Other shows to make their way onto the line-up in one form or another included Gargoyles, Aladdin the Series, Quack Pack, Timon and Pumbaa, The Schnookums and Meat Funny Cartoon Show, Mighty Ducks, and 101 Dalmatians the Series. The Disney Afternoon would continue to air in syndication until the Fall of 1997 when it was removed from the air and its shows played sporadically on Toon Disney. In its run, the block’s individual shows spawned toys, video games, and soundtracks, two feature films, and even a whole attraction and rides at Disneyland.

With that bit of history aside, let’s now look at the individual shows themselves and what made them so damn good.

The Adventures of the Gummi Bears (1985): The first of the DA shows before DA even existed. Gummi Bears, indeed inspired by the candy of the same name, told the story of a group of mystical and anthropomorphic bears called Gummies who drank a special elixir known as Gummiberry Juice that gave them the ability to bounce like rubber, as well as giving super strength to any human that drank it. Thought extinct, a group of seven Gummi Bears (Zummi, Gruffi, Grammi, Sunni, Cubby, Tummy and later Gusto) live in secret and protect the medieval kingdom of Dunwyn from the evil Duke Igthorn and his army of Ogres. Gummi Bears was a breath of fresh air in the dark decade of animation known as the 80’s. It featured an engaging and surprisingly deep story with believable characters. The Gummi’s themselves talked and acted like real people, and had their own unique quirks. Gusto Gummi was my favorite. He was wacky, quick witted, and hilarious, thanks in part to the vocal stylings of Rob Paulsen. The show was rich in fantasy and created a world of wizardry and gadgetry, a world where anything was possible, and served as the inspiration for another show on this block that we’ll get to later. It even had a proper series finale, which sent the series out on a hopeful note. Why this show never spawned a movie I’ll never know.

DuckTales (1987): Life is like a hurricane, here in Duckburg. All it takes is those words to get that horribly addictive theme song stuck in your head. DuckTales was based off the Uncle Scrooge comics by Carl Barks. It told the adventures of Scrooge McDuck, the richest Duck in the world, as he hunted for treasures and such with his nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie, and his pilot Launchpad McQuack. DuckTales combined the spirit of Indiana Jones with the whimsy of Disney. Scrooge was a great lead character, crusty and greedy, but honorable and fair. Huey, Dewy, and Louie served as very resourceful sidekicks. But the clear breakout star of the show was Launchpad. A jack-of-all-trades with a million dollar heart and nickel head, with the ability to crash any plane he flies, a skill which he was proud of. DuckTales took us all around the world from African jungles, to the deserts of Egypt, to European country sides. The show was unintentionally teaching us geography while thrilling us with adventures. The show featured a great cast of supporting characters like the inventor, Gyro Gearloose, the superhero Gizmoduck, the bumbling burglars the Beagle Boys, and the nefarious Magica DeSpell and was a staple of kids programming, even spawning the excellent movie Treasure of the Lost Lamp. If the show had one failing, it was that during the final season Launchpad was removed (then starring on Darkwing Duck), and the focus was moved to Scrooge’s accountant Fenton Crackshell and his heroic alter- ego Gizmoduck. The show really lost what made it so good and sadly ended on a low note. Thankfully, the adventures of Scrooge and company continue in the Uncle Scrooge comics which have been rebranded to incorporate the whole DuckTales universe. Everything comes full circle.

Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers (1989): Disney’s chipmunk duo had until then been pretty bland and one-note. Who knew that the key to revamping Chip ‘n Dale was to stick them in a fedora and Hawaiian shirt respectively? CDRR grouped the chipmunk duo with three new characters; Gadget, the bubbly and absent-minded inventor of the group, Monterey Jack, the boastful and seasoned adventurer with a cheese addiction (who was voiced by Optimus Prime himself, Peter Cullen), and Zipper, Monty’s loyal fly sidekick. Together they served as detectives who helped any animal in need, and on occasion came up against Fat Cat, a kitty crime boss, and Professor Nimul, a mad scientist as well as their only human enemy. Rescue Rangers was a fun show all around. The characters all had a great dynamic and played off each other perfectly. Chip ‘n Dale made a great duo, with the former as the serious and straightforward leader and the latter being the playful goofball and the resident comic relief. Also great was the duo competing for the attention of Gadget who was always comically unaware of their affections. The show was great at combining the feel of a 40’s noir detective movie with a 70’s TV cop drama, granted the stories were for kids, but they never felt dumbed down. Another quirk was due to the Rescue Rangers being chipmunks/mice, they used common household items like thimbles, detergent bottles, and rubber bands to make things like planes, televisions, and cars. It was creative and always fun to see, and it was that little quirk that inspired the Gadget Go-Coaster at Disneyland, which, as of time of me writing this, is still there today. CDRR was recently revived in comic book form, its first issue debuting this week. It remains to be seen how well the series will stay true to the source, but I have high hopes.

TaleSpin (1990): TaleSpin was originally conceived as a starring vehicle for DuckTales’ star Launchpad McQuack, but was quickly retooled to feature the characters of the Disney movie The Jungle Book set in the 1930’s with an aeronautical theme. The end result as a show filled with adventure and heart. The show centered on the adventures of Baloo, an ace pilot who works for the air cargo service “Higher for Higher”. Each episode would feature Baloo and his sidekick Kit getting into various adventures, discovering new worlds, and eluding the sky pirates led by the evil Don Karnage, all while trying to deliver their cargo. The show was like DuckTales, with the emphasis on travel and adventure, though the tone of this show was very different, more reminiscent of a 30’s and 40’s adventure serials that came before the movies. It did a good job of utilizing the Jungle Book characters in new roles. King Louie was now just Louie, the owner of a tiki bar/pit stop for pilots and Baloo’s best friend. Shere Khan went from being a ruthless killer to a ruthless, yet somewhat honorable, businessman. Mowgli was replaced by Kit as Baloo’s young companion and surrogate son. Baloo himself remained largely unchanged, still laid back and fun loving. The show also had a strong family aspect with the main characters (Baloo, Kit, Rebecca, and Molly) having a strong bond that gave the show a certain charm the previous shows didn’t have. Not the best show of the line-up, but still genuinely fun and exciting.

Since this one is running long, I’ll continue my look back next time with Darkwing Duck, Goof Troop, Bonkers, Gargoyles, and the rest. Until next time kids…