Three animated, slice-of-life stories about the trials and tribulations of a highly neurotic, wimpy, ten year old boy. The animation isn't great, but I've never really been a fan of Nelvana. The voice work is pretty good, but the writing and directing are a bit uneven. Even though the movie is only 70 minutes, it's still got some singing, dancing, and other filler.
The first story concerns mortality, animal rights, creepy teachers, and impressing the opposite sex. Our neurotic protagonist agonizes over whether it's ethical to dissect a dead cat, culminating in a nightmare where the dissected cat haunts him.
I liked Ed Asner as the cat's ghost. His characterization was full of hilariously over-the-top hostility. It wasn't particularly witty to resort to constant use of profanity, but I still laughed. I can understand how some people would find this tiresome or offensive, but it worked for me. I enjoyed the absurdity of the situation, made all the more surreal by Ed Asner's potty mouth.
The second story is about sex, pornography, and sexism. After undressing a sexy waitress with his eyes, our neurotic protagonist once again agonizes over ethics and wonders whether this makes him a sexist. This story doesn't really have any standout characters and abandons the grotesque style of the first story. Instead, it goes for a more erotic style, full of ironic nudity.
The third and final story is about Halloween, urban legends, and monsters. Looking to impress his friends, the protagonist faces his worst fear and goes trick or treating at the house of a reputed witch. Not too much happens, and the witch seems a bit underwhelming. They could have really gone hardcore with this, making her both disturbing and scary, but it ends up being a wannabe Disney villain. Of course, the witch doesn't really exist -- it's just a kindly, old woman who enjoys having visitors. Predictable, at best.
Still, it was an enjoyable movie, if you're in the mood for a cynical take on adolescence.
The first story concerns mortality, animal rights, creepy teachers, and impressing the opposite sex. Our neurotic protagonist agonizes over whether it's ethical to dissect a dead cat, culminating in a nightmare where the dissected cat haunts him.
I liked Ed Asner as the cat's ghost. His characterization was full of hilariously over-the-top hostility. It wasn't particularly witty to resort to constant use of profanity, but I still laughed. I can understand how some people would find this tiresome or offensive, but it worked for me. I enjoyed the absurdity of the situation, made all the more surreal by Ed Asner's potty mouth.
The second story is about sex, pornography, and sexism. After undressing a sexy waitress with his eyes, our neurotic protagonist once again agonizes over ethics and wonders whether this makes him a sexist. This story doesn't really have any standout characters and abandons the grotesque style of the first story. Instead, it goes for a more erotic style, full of ironic nudity.
The third and final story is about Halloween, urban legends, and monsters. Looking to impress his friends, the protagonist faces his worst fear and goes trick or treating at the house of a reputed witch. Not too much happens, and the witch seems a bit underwhelming. They could have really gone hardcore with this, making her both disturbing and scary, but it ends up being a wannabe Disney villain. Of course, the witch doesn't really exist -- it's just a kindly, old woman who enjoys having visitors. Predictable, at best.
Still, it was an enjoyable movie, if you're in the mood for a cynical take on adolescence.
