Twelve Forever (2019) User Reviews

From Cartoon Network to Netflix...NOT BAD!

[nasdagoodshepherd · 8/10 · 29 July 2019]

In 2015, Cartoon Network released a pilot called "Twelve Forever", features the main protagonist, Reggie who is not a huge fan of growing up, she goes on her adventures involving her own imagination with her friends. Cartoon Network made a pretty bad mistake for rejecting such a good masterpiece, but thankfully Netflix, the home of entertainment and animation made it into a full series and hopefully they don't cancel it like they did it to Tuca and Bertie...bunch of jerks, cancelled one of the greatest cartoons on Netflix. I watched Twelve Forever and it was pretty good, I didn't like the characters who picked on Reggie for being a bit immature, and the Butt Witch is also a pretty good antagonist. Twelve Forever may look like a Cartoon Network show from nowadays, but it pretty fun to watch. I give this one an 8.5/10

Great show!

[doomedmac · 8/10 · 25 December 2019]

This show is really underrated and overlooked! It's funny, with very bright, colorful animation. The best thing about this show, however, is the subject matter. This show tackles serious (and sometimes relatable) issues in a mature way. I've rarely ever seen this in a kids cartoon, and it really makes this show stand out.

Underrated to a fault!

[doomedmac · 8/10 · 12 January 2020]

This show is really really good! It deals with serious topics not usually found in cartoons. The animation and world are bright and fun. I really liked this show. It's a shame barely anyone has seen it.

An underrated show that was somehow doomed to fail

[BoxwoodExpress · 9/10 · 3 November 2019]

I think this show gets way too much hate. Despite some of this show's problems, it's too enjoyable and engaging for me to hate. Besides the hate this show gets because the creator is creepy and treated her co-workers badly (separate the art from the artist, people), a lot of people say that Reggie is too immature and that the show's depiction of the Butt Witch is transphobic. I will counter these claims, while also giving my thoughts on the show and will detail the show's downfall.

First of all, there are a lot of 12 year olds who are immature. Heck, I was immature when I was 12. I made my first few reviews on the site when I was 12 and used way too much exclamation points, and made them way too long. Now I'm 15 and my reviewing style has changed for the better. Heck, when I was 12 I was like Reggie. I loved toys, drawing, and making up stories. I still love those things today. Besides, her immaturity is what makes the show fun. Would you really want Reggie to be uptight and serious?

The show is really fun and relatable. Puberty really does suck. Sure, it's a path leading to things you can do when you're an adult like drive, get a job, and drink alcohol, but getting acne, voice cracks, etc is no fun at all. That's why before you become an adult, you should embrace your childhood and live your life to the fullest before you turn 18. Even though Reggie constantly using Endless Island as an escapism method does become a problem, you can understand why she does it. The show not only addresses puberty, but also addresses stuff like a big brother moving away and getting a crush on someone the same gender as you (Reggie gets a crush on another girl). I'm actually bi, so I relate a lot to Reggie getting a crush on a girl.

Endless Island is rich and expansive, and it would be really cool if it were real. The creatures there are kinda weird though, but that's just the result of a child's imagination. Now, onto the Butt Witch. Just because she has a man voice and is the villain of the show doesn't mean that the show is transphobic. The actual, rightful owner of the show, Shadi Petosky, is a trans woman, so there. Butt Witch having a man voice is a reference to how your voice changes during puberty.

However, the show was somehow doomed to fail. The show was originally pitched to Cartoon Network, but was rejected (I still think the Cartoon Network pilot is one of the best CN pilots next to Infinity Train and Welcome to My Life). In 2017, it was announced that the show would be moving to Netflix instead. Its release date was changed multiple times before finally premiering in late July of 2019. The show was given minimal advertisement. Then, the animation studio behind the show, Puny Animation, shut down. Later, Julia Vickerman (the creator) was revealed to be a bad person, as she followed a 14 year old boy around a carnival. Now, it's a bit awkward that the show is about a kid who wants to be 12 years old forever. Later, the show was cancelled after only one season.

That's a shame. It really did have a lot of potential. It's fine if you don't like it, since everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I think the show needs more love.

Pretty Decent Show

[desuzeprincess · 7/10 · 11 August 2019]

My sister watched and she enjoyed it a lot. I like that its normalizing LGBT relationships and exploring growing up. My one problem is the main character, Reggie. At times, she seems really impossible to like with how childish and irresponsible she is. I get that she doesn't want to grow up and getting older scares her a bit but sometimes she's very obnoxious and selfish towards her friends. Oh well, I guess we were all somewhat like that in our pre-teen years.

Love it and being 41....

[sarahgoulden-60154 · 10/10 · 8 August 2019]

Stories are way more interesting and deep for a kids show than I imagined! Voice acting is superb.....excpecially Bridget Everett who I adore! I am halfway through the season and hooked. Really hoping for season 2! I am greedy. I rarely review, but I wanted to make an exception for this little gem that transports me right into my childhood! Great characters, even the ones who only appear briefly!

Sweet Cartoon Network Series has lots of laughs and lovable characters

[NoahAndersen845 · 4 August 2019]

12 Forever is a Netflix Original that I actually ended up enjoying. Usually, I don't watch Cartoon Network, I mean, Gumball and Teen Titans are originals, but besides that, I don't really watch it, so it was a pleasant surprise when I watched it...and liked it! The show has many themes, such as keeping your childhood and friendship. The finale of season 1 was amazing and emotional, when Reggie (the main character) finally changed into a more mature version of herself after a fight with the "Butt Witch" who wishes to get rid of Reggie and her friends by giving them challenging and make-up filled obstacles. The screen leaves us with "Endless," Reggie's childhood play Island, slowly fading away into a bright light, assuming that Reggie has matured and does not need Endless anymore. Overall, I enjoyed this show that is filled with sweet messages and sweet characters.

Bethune > Endless Island

[a34trgv1 · 7/10 · 26 March 2020]

Twelve Forever is an animated series on Netflix created by Julia Vickerman, who previously worked on shows like Clarence and The Powerpuff Girls (2016). The show stars Kelsy Abbot, Anthony Del Rio, Jaylen Barron, and Matt Berry as Reggie, Todd, Esther and The Butt Witch respectively.

The show follows a trio of young preteens as they go on adventures in this magical world called Endless Island and also learn about growing up in the small town of Bethune, Iowa.

I've heard pretty good things about this show and I kept an open mind going in. Having watched the first season in it's entirety today, I can say that I like it as a whole, but I have some issues.

Starting with the good, I love the character of Reggie. I think she's the closest I'll ever get to a modern day Pippi Longstockings. She's energetic, fun, optimistic and at the same time she's really relatable. I like how she's in no hurry to grow up, but she's not a shamed to be herself. Some of the best moments in the show come from her interactions with her Mom, Judy, which are written with such authenticity and believability. Todd is also a pretty cool character, as is Esther. Both act as the inverse of Reggie, where Todd is ready to grow up and Esther is practically an adult in a 12 year old body. Sure they like to have fun every now and then, but the essentially ground Reggie and remind her that growing up is inevitable. Than there's the villain of the show, who's simply called The Butt Witch due to her relatively large posterior. She's a manipulator of chaos and causes trouble for our heroes every chance she gets. She also relishes in the fact that she's dastardly and is a genuine show stealer.

Visually, the animation is excellent. The human characters have a more human-like appearance than Vickerman's previous work, yet the faces and heads all have a unique look to them. The inhabitants of Endless Island meanwhile all look distinct from one another, drawing inspiration from various toys, drawings and sculptures among other things. The action scenes are also well done, bringing some very creative visuals and genuine stakes.

I have a few issues with the show and it's mostly to do with the inhabitants on Endless Island. The characters range from either dull to very annoying. Doctor Champion screams all his dialogue and it got pretty distracting. Tasty Troy is honestly pretty creepy, I was kinda expecting him to be secretly evil. Guy Pleasant is a jerk, Swimple Dan only exists for Spencer Rothbell (who also worked on Clarence and is a writer for this show) to do an Ed Wynn impression, Sadmantha is (as Reggie herself put it) a real bummer. Then there's Borbo, an ugly goblin creature who makes everything worse. He's annoying, obnoxious, rude and a creep (even moreso than Tasty Troy).

The only characters that are actually likable on Endless Island are Mack, Beefhouse, Brown Roger, and Manguin (before he went crazy). The other characters on the island don't leave much of an impact positive or negative.

Another issue I have is more of a personal thing but I didn't think the humor worked well. I'm sure it's funny to some, but the best I got was an "Oh no she didn't!" from Judy's comeback to people making fun of her daughter at the mall.

Overall though, I think the show is at it's best when it's a slice of life show with some action thrown in for good measure. I'd like the show more if the inhabitants of Endless Island were more likable and interesting. I'd also like Borbo to be thrown in a bottomless pit, but that's just me. It's got good animation, relatable characters and it respectfully handles themes about growing up really well. If you haven't watched it, I say give the first season a watch. Maybe it'll help if you have tolerance for the non-himan supporting characters.

Such a good show!!

[laishaandcole · 10/10 · 2 August 2019]

Twelve Forever is an amazing show that expresses the all too familiar fear of growing up and becoming an adult. While the animation style is very reminiscent of shows like Steven Universe and Adventure Time, which would make most believe that it's a show directed mostly for young children, it is incredibly mature in expressing the fears and rational irrationality of the pre-teen years through the protagonist Reggie Abbott and her misadventures with her friends. This show also has amazing racial and LGBTQ+ diversity without feeling too in-your-face and "oh look at me I'm LBGTQ+ and all I am is LGBTQ+". The main characters have great 3D personalities and development throughout the first season, and the Witch is an awesome antagonist! Anyone who has not seen this show, or has seen it recommended to them on Netflix, please give it a try! I did, and I loved it, and I feel that a lot of teenagers as well as pre-teens can relate to the plot and its characters.

Adventure time & Chalkzone taken into the imaginative world of a 12 year old girl that refuses to grow up

[sisubalan · 6/10 · 13 January 2023]

Definitely a good series for childrens. Average 2d animation with decent sound tracks.

Very relatable storyline of growing up and accepting growth (puberty) & the changes both physically and mentally. The storyline was then incorparated with elements of fantasy (power of imagination) that reminded me a lot of other famous cartoons from my childhood (Stanley and Chalkzone). The execution of the storyline was pretty neat. Loving the world building aspect that reminded me a lot of the Adventure time and Chalkzone. Tons of actions and highly comedic.

Great characters introductions (Esther was my favorite). Great villain (very much of 'Him' from the powerpuff girls series). Great line of voice casts, suit the bright cheerful tone and the characters. Cute original song. Highly ecommended.

Lots of potential, but the execution falls flat

[classira · 5/10 · 13 April 2021]

I really resent the fact that they probably tried to go all out on transgender representation with the Butt Witch by designing her character with a hyper-feminine body and a hyper-masculine voice, but at the end of the day, they just created another queer-coded villain. Not revolutionary at all, but the exact opposite instead.

Aside from that annoying fact, everything else on this show seems unfinished or not thought through. Reggie's friends designs, for instance, are supposed to reinforce PoC representation (I believe), but they never quite get there. They always just end up being the white girl's sidekicks with no actual depth to their characters (the writers even try to give them that extra layer, but it always falls flat). If the white girl wasn't so annoying and unlikable in very realistic ways, and nice and bubbly in veeeery unrealistic ways, maybe we could but that there is some actual chemistry between the 3 friends, but there isn't. It feels forced. Reggie is not a well-written character, nor are her friends, especially from the PoC representation point of view. Like, seriously? The black insecure girl being obsessed with her white girl bestie? Again, the opposite of something revolutionary.

Endless and its inhabitants are actually interesting only in episode 1, after that, they get boring and boring by the minute, to a point in which I caught myself begging so we wouldn't have to go there at all for an episode (on that note, the shopping mall episode was a breath of fresh air). I wish we could see more of Bethune and the other human characters of the show - surprisingly, the "normal" parts of Twelve Forever seem way more interesting than the fantastic and whimsical ones.

If you don't know how to do fun, random, fantastic and whimsical stuff in a way that it doesn't feel one-note, then just don't do it, or at least do it less! This show has potential to do way more than appeal to this yawn of a world every time they want to develop a plotline. Be smarter with your material, for Christ's sake.

A show that grew on me

[bhermann-40608 · 10/10 · 31 March 2020]

I wasn't sure about this series at first, but it grew on me, becoming one of my favorite shows. This was clearly cancelled before its time. The series centers around a 12-year-old pre-teen queer girl, Reggie, who is trying to hold onto her childlike nature as she is changing and maturing. It features a number of LGBTQ+ characters, like a gay couple on Endless (the magical world Reggie creates/has access to) and Reggie, who has a crush on another classmate, shown later in the series. The themes of acceptance, friendship, creativity, and much more are strong in this show. That is why this deserves its current rating

Cute Animation Style

[rtm2007-894-344863 · 10/10 · 29 July 2019]

Just started watching, so far the animation style is similar to several Cartoon Networks prominent shows, think of Steven Universe, Clarence, and to a lesser extent Adventure Time. Voice acting is crisp and also well done.

Content is meant for younger audiences (slightly given by the title of the show). If I am able to update this review, I'll give a more in depth review on the plot content.

All in all, this cartoon looks promising.

Witty and charming

[ghandhimahamata · 10/10 · 30 July 2019]

Twelve Forever is an expansion of the pilot of the same name, and surpasses it in having well-rounded and complex characters and an intriguing mixture of slice of life and deeper plot. It is a pretty serviceable examination of the psychology of growing up.

My main complaint is that Shane and Tristan aren't there. They were pretty fun characters in the pilot.

Fantastic

[frafferty · 10/10 · 19 March 2022]

A piece of literature that I don't think has been done before. The topic of growing up and living in a fantasy world where all the problems of real life become mute. My heart goes out to the team that created this I genuinely do find it special. And for a kids show I do think it holds a level of maturity above the rest while also keeping things light and fun for the target audience.

Fine animation but the writing leaves a lot to be desired

[Darwinskid · 7 October 2019]

Netflix's Twelve Forever has an interesting albeit familiar premise, a modernized retelling of the Peter Pan story about a trio of middle schoolers who travel to a magical dimension to escape reality and eventual maturity where imagination is limitless and they have superpowers. Unfortunately, that last sentence pretty much covers it as far as depth is concerned, as the series often illustrates that the creators really did not put that much thought into beyond the idea for it.

Not long in it becomes quite apparent that this was meant to be for Cartoon Network as its trying to replicate the 'fantastical sitcom' approach of Adventure Time and Steven Universe, however its tonal balance is very uneven; sometimes they try to go big with the laughs, big with the drama, but it doesn't gel all well together. Almost every episode feels like it was based on a first draft...

The world, or in this case the island of, Endless is interesting but its all too random and doesn't have any cohesion or rules. And most of its inhabitants come across as rejects from Adventure Time.

Reggie, the lead character of the show, comes across like a brat a lot of the time and isn't very easy to latch onto. She and her friends all lack chemistry and do not play off of each other well to engage a viewer much.

Not the worst show ever, but more time in the writer's room needs to be spent for it really kick into high gear. Too bad they had to redo everything from the Cartoon Network short from a few years prior - it was a lot better and more thought out.

INCREDIBLE!!

[opheliavrwilson · 10/10 · 22 January 2021]

A amazing show I have watched countless times and it never fails to make me laugh. A show for everyone.

A great show!

[tjenna · 9/10 · 26 October 2019]

A great show that helps to normalize LGBTQ relationships. While the characters can be a bit... much sometimes, they are fun to watch.

Amazing

[taddeoblakk · 10/10 · 12 May 2020]

Matt Berry is fantastic really enjoy his character and how be connect with the others

One of the best shows

[lindekooiker · 10/10 · 5 May 2022]

1 or 2 years ago I used to watch this show a lot. Today i rewatched it and I thought that it was really good. Even for adults and teenagers.

It has lgbtq+ representation like the main character is cannonly a lesbian.

Every episode is about something else and it's really interesting. This show is really original and it has something about it that I really like.

This was fun!

[vkaloustian17 · 8/10 · 28 October 2020]

The show's animation, characters, and story are all rather enjoyable and fun to be around! Endless island is every kid's dream. I relate to Reggie a lot. She's the main hook of this show. I'd say my only exception to the likable cast is Esther, but that's just a personal preference. And even with that, it's not that I do not like Esther; I just think her characterization could've been a little better.

Either way, solid show, solid storyline, and solid comedy.

This show was a masterpiece.

[andtheman-62865 · 10/10 · 15 June 2023]

With one season, this show was able to show how the main character was feeling and did it in a logical way. Even emotions got high in the show, the ability to not shy away from growing up being a human being. If that is growing pains to emotional strains or social anxiety, this show was able to capture tones that would be uncomfortable because, in the real world, it is uncomfortable to grow up. Understanding that she won't be twelve forever is a complex concept to grasp, and this show encapsulates that fear and uneasiness in this show's way through the main character's naivety and unwillingness to go with time. We are given glimpses of what endless will do to people who stay and provide a fantastic mystery about the show and the modest cost of running from your problems as well as what it will take to face and fix them. In 25 episodes, this family-friendly has a lot for all ages and no point disappointments except that there isn't more.