Mickey's Farm
-------------------------
Have you ever thought that your children shouldn't be exposed to action or conflict? Is the idea of big problems too much for you to grasp? Well, for those who can't possibly stand conflict being a part of children's entertainment, look no further than Mickey's Farm, where nothing particularly troublesome ever actually happens.
The best way one can describe the first entry on our list is uninspired, at best. No animals have moving lips and are instead provided voice-overs that in no way match the facial expressions of the animals. Animation is choppy and constantly re-used. The musical numbers are boring and re-used. Everything about the show is re-used. Mickey the dog, his animal friends and his girl Megan do not face problems that cannot be solved with a simple song or basic apologetic statement. It's the very definition of an attention holder, and that isn't good. The goat has a nice voice, though. Pity I can barely hear it over the shrill squeaks of the blasted ferret.
1/5
------------------------------
Nest Family Animated Bible Stories
------------------------------\
Hey, it's another animated Bible show! While I do have a relatively 'meh' opinion on this network in general, I do applaud the animated shows such as Little Women and Swiss Family Robinson (which, I learned, were early works of Miyazaki), and The Story Keepers blows most on the network out of the water by actually being entertaining to watch and providing a unique story. Nest Family Animated Bible Stories is sort of between Little Women and The Story Keepers, in that it tells sometimes interesting stories with admittedly decent animation. These episodes are animated retellings of stories from the Bible, and as such can have good meanings and values it intends to teach (the one on forgiveness is actually quite nice). The voice acting is well-done, and overall it seems like something from a Saturday morning block on an old cartoon channel. Question is, what are this and The Story Keepers doing next to things like Little Buds or Mickey's Farm?
4/5
--------------------------------------
Veggietales
---------------------------------------
Aww, yeah, now we're talking!
It's going to sound ridiculous to some people, but back when I was a tadpole, we had a group of singing, talking, Christian vegetables to teach us about God. They were the stars of Veggietales, and they had something that most Bible kid's shows don't have nowadays: an actual sense of understanding when it comes to humor and parody (I was gonna say talking vegetables, but Aardvark to Zucchini has one too). It was a show that taught us lessons while being actually entertaining to watch, that sticks in your head even when you grow out of it (I can STILL remember the lyrics to 'The Pirates who Don't Do Anything'). But what was it that made Veggietales so good?
A lot of it comes from the characters, and how they retain their personalities even during their retellings of Bible stories. Larry the Cucumber may play a legitimately serious character (such as one of the ship workers in Jonah and the Whale), but still retains his silliness and unexpected reactions to the events. Bob the Tomato is always the straight man. Archibald the Asparagus is snooty and uptight. The list goes on and on. Just the fact that I can still remember these characters to this day does say a lot about the impact the show can have on a kid.
But of course, the big aspect of a Bible show is the lessons from the Bible, and....you know what? I'm cool with them. They bring up faith and believing in god, sure, but do it in a way that doesn't exclude faiths or belief systems (my dad was Jewish and was fine with Veggietales, and I'm agnostic but still like it), and focus more on standard behavioral and social lessons such as not stealing and perseverance, through original and old stories (Sumo of the Opera was always my favorite), with the sole purpose of teaching kids not to be jerks. Not bad for the contents of your produce bin.
5/5
-------------------------------------------
Pahappahooey Island
---------------------------------------------
Hey, this one's actually a lot of fun! I didn't expect to see a decently-made puppet show on the network when I first came across it. But, after several days of watching it (it was either that or the Home Shopping Network) , I found out that not everything on the channel is awful. Some of it is only slightly awful.
I kid, I kid. As I've mentioned, there are a few bright spots on the network, much as any other channel has. And while Smile of a Child doesn't have shows that rival things like Adventure Time (which has quickly become one of my favorite cartoons), it does have shows like Dr. Wonder's Workshop or Pahappahooey Island that are interesting concepts or otherwise enjoyable. This one's a puppet show that reminds me of a Christian Muppet adventure, with an ongoing story, reocurring characters and some surprisingly decent humor.
The story centers around Allie (there's no proper spelling I could find, so I'm going by pronounciation here), a young girl who quickly becomes the subject of a grand adventure thanks to her discovery of a mysterious tablet. This tablet holds a key to the Lost City, which is said to contain a mystic book that can prevent Pahapahooey Island from destruction. She assembles a team of heroes to find the city and save their home. Our characters are the determined frog Captain Hobbs, greedy but good-hearted navigator Milard the penguin, short-sighted woodchuck mechanic Hacksaw, and on-board entertainer Fernando the firefly, all joining Allie for their own reasons (Fernando wants excitement and a new venue, Millard wants treasure, etc.). After discovering the lessons of the book (the Bible, of course), the group shacks up with crocodile chefs Guiseppe and his mama (Mama Mia) and their aid Wee Tyke, working hard and spreading the messages of the book whenever they can, to the delight of the island's elders.
This is actually quite a fun series; the jokes are on par (Allie, approaching the bar Hobbs hangs out at, remarks that sailors seem more dangerous when they're having fun), the lips on the puppets match up to the line reads, the songs are catchy and amusing, and even the lessons aren't too hard. The few things I do have issues with are nitpicks at best: there's a lot of buildup to the Lost City that goes nowhere (the 'traps set are literally grabby toys sticking out of the walls) , a lot of the legends leave open how they spread or were lost (Hobbs knows what the Lost City is, and is surprised that they left a marker), and the Council of Elders fades from relevance shortly after the heroes return. But those really are nitpicks for a show like this. For Bile shows, this one isn't bad at all. Its funny, entertaining, and well-made. No doubt, Pahappahooey Island is for you, and me, and he, and she, and them, and us, and...aww, forget it. (Line from the theme song)
5/5
Pahappahooey Island
---------------------------------------------
Hey, this one's actually a lot of fun! I didn't expect to see a decently-made puppet show on the network when I first came across it. But, after several days of watching it (it was either that or the Home Shopping Network) , I found out that not everything on the channel is awful. Some of it is only slightly awful.
I kid, I kid. As I've mentioned, there are a few bright spots on the network, much as any other channel has. And while Smile of a Child doesn't have shows that rival things like Adventure Time (which has quickly become one of my favorite cartoons), it does have shows like Dr. Wonder's Workshop or Pahappahooey Island that are interesting concepts or otherwise enjoyable. This one's a puppet show that reminds me of a Christian Muppet adventure, with an ongoing story, reocurring characters and some surprisingly decent humor.
The story centers around Allie (there's no proper spelling I could find, so I'm going by pronounciation here), a young girl who quickly becomes the subject of a grand adventure thanks to her discovery of a mysterious tablet. This tablet holds a key to the Lost City, which is said to contain a mystic book that can prevent Pahapahooey Island from destruction. She assembles a team of heroes to find the city and save their home. Our characters are the determined frog Captain Hobbs, greedy but good-hearted navigator Milard the penguin, short-sighted woodchuck mechanic Hacksaw, and on-board entertainer Fernando the firefly, all joining Allie for their own reasons (Fernando wants excitement and a new venue, Millard wants treasure, etc.). After discovering the lessons of the book (the Bible, of course), the group shacks up with crocodile chefs Guiseppe and his mama (Mama Mia) and their aid Wee Tyke, working hard and spreading the messages of the book whenever they can, to the delight of the island's elders.
This is actually quite a fun series; the jokes are on par (Allie, approaching the bar Hobbs hangs out at, remarks that sailors seem more dangerous when they're having fun), the lips on the puppets match up to the line reads, the songs are catchy and amusing, and even the lessons aren't too hard. The few things I do have issues with are nitpicks at best: there's a lot of buildup to the Lost City that goes nowhere (the 'traps set are literally grabby toys sticking out of the walls) , a lot of the legends leave open how they spread or were lost (Hobbs knows what the Lost City is, and is surprised that they left a marker), and the Council of Elders fades from relevance shortly after the heroes return. But those really are nitpicks for a show like this. For Bile shows, this one isn't bad at all. Its funny, entertaining, and well-made. No doubt, Pahappahooey Island is for you, and me, and he, and she, and them, and us, and...aww, forget it. (Line from the theme song)
5/5
No comments:
Post a Comment