TheBLTSandwich Reviews

Once Upon a Studio (2023)

A Perfect 100th Anniversary Celebration

[10/10 · 18 October 2023]

It's probably not fair that I am reviewing "Once Upon a Studio" after my first viewing, as I'm sure you could watch this short 30 times and find something new to appreciate each time. However, I thought I would share my initial thoughts on the short.

Overall, this was fantastic. I cannot see how the crew could have made this any better. From the lovely opening with the live action Disney employees to the final group photo at the end, this short film was a perfect culmination of Disney's 100th anniversary.

Here are some random moments, in no particular order, that I especially enjoyed:

-The elevator scene was probably my favorite scene in the entire thing. It was the perfect way to include Flash, and Baymax coming in at the very end was the cherry on top

-I love that Scar got to incorporate his, "I'm surrounded by idiots" insult in there somewhere. One of my favorite Disney villain lines

-Ursula being chased by the blue creature from Strange World was a fun addition

-Rapunzel slamming Kaa in the head with her frying pan was a character interaction I never knew I needed in my life

-Very glad Kuzco's "No touchy!" line was used

-Also appreciated that some characters from less popular films were included, such as "Meet the Robinsons" and "Brother Bear." There were even some characters I didn't recognize

-I got a huge smile when Genie had his moment to shine. So neat that Robin Williams could make it into the short

-Fix-It-Felix repairing the camera was extremely clever

-Nice seeing the new lead from "Wish" make an appearance, as I believe this short is set to play before the movie

-The moment between Mickey and Walt's photo was sweet. Predictable, but sweet

Again, there is so much more to this short, but this was everything I could remember without going back and scrolling through. Overall, I absolutely adored Once Upon a Studio. I'm looking forward to seeing it again when "Wish" is released!

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul (2017)

A huge plummet in comedy

[2/10 · 3 January 2023]

I love the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. I've been reading the books since elementary school, and the first three live action films were solid, mostly faithful love letters to the novels. Sometimes literature doesn't translate well on-screen, but in my opinion, the original trilogy did fair job. All of them were entertaining, hilarious, and well casted.

Then you have this movie.

I knew it was going to be bad, but I still decided to give it a chance. Since my expectations were minimal, the film had a low bar to clear. And it still managed to slip well below that bar.

Where to begin? How about the elephant in the room: the new cast. Obviously, the kids in the trilogy were too old to portray middle schoolers. But why recast Susan, Frank, and heck even Rodrick? Unfortunately, all of the main cast grossly overacts in their roles. And while Wimpy Kid is often over the top, there is such a thing as overkill. Susan was probably the worst, which is too bad because she's one of the best characters. Alicia Silverstone isn't a bad actress, but she goes over the top on Susan's "Karen-ness" (which I'm 99% sure is partly the producers' fault). Also, Susan is not blonde. The new Greg is alright. Jason Drucker tried his best, but he just couldn't nail Zachary Gordon's subtle sarcasm. Rodrick is flat out annoying, and Frank is just bland. The best new actor might have been Rowley, but he was sorely underused.

Even the plot suffers. It feels like this film really deviated from how the novel played out. In another timeline, when a Wimpy Kid film would change up the plot from the book, it would do so in a way that made sense. Here there are all kind of random changes. Why add in the new video-game convention side plot? Or the cringey Greg meme thing? Why cut out the waterpark scenes, or bring Meemaw back to life (she died in Book 8). They literally could have replaced her with Gammie, but no. The writers were apparently too lazy to do that.

If there's anything positive to say about this train wreck, there were some scenes that were amusing to watch (Frank's disastrous business call comes to mind). The actors who portrayed the Beardo family had their moments. And when Silverstone WASN'T overacting, she showed a great softer side to Susan. But that's about where the list of pros ends.

Overall, yeah. This movie sucked. Unfortunately, I full out expected it to, so let me say that I was SHOCKED when the credits rolled and I saw that the same producers and directors from most of the first films were attached to this project. In large roles. How can you go from the delightful Dog Days to this? Maybe 5 years really took a toll on them...

A Christmas Movie Christmas (2019 TV Movie)

Surprisingly great

[8/10 · 18 December 2020]

Was this an astounding, phenomenal masterpiece of a film that made you ponder the true meaning of Christmas and life? No. Of course not.

But it was still a good time! I never thought I'd see a film that poked fun at all the Christmas tropes you see repeatedly in Lifetime and Hallmark movies. For instance, the fake holiday film that Eve was infatuated with, "Christmas Cove," was very funny. The clip from the sequel, "Return to Christmas Cove," which was essentially the same clip from its predecessor but with the word "again" added in, was even funnier. The writers knew exactly what tropes to pick on, which accounted for several laughs throughout the film. I personally think that the cheese factor could have been pushed even harder in some scenes.

For the most part, the actors all did a good job playing their parts. Lana McKissack was excitable and bubbly, but not too over-the-top, while Kimberly Daugherty convincingly portrayed the more down-to-earth contrast. Brant Daugherty (who is married to Kimberly) was a loveable goofball and had great on-screen chemistry with his real-life wife.

The ending was...sort of random and unbelievable, but I suppose that was the point that the writers were trying to make.

And I loved seeing Frankenmuth, MI in a film (though my midwestern roots make me biased). I've visited this town several times, and on my latest trip, I stopped by many of the filming locations having no idea I'd watch this movie in the future. For example, I stayed in the "Holiday Falls Inn" (Bavarian Inn Lodge) and grabbed a sweet treat at the "bakery" (Zak & Mac's Chocolate Haus). It was fun perusing the background for shops that I recognized ("There's Bead Haven! Time to mark that on my bingo card!").

Overall, while not incredible in terms of cinematic quality, I loved this movie and am seriously considering watching it as a yearly tradition.

The Christmas Train (2017 TV Movie)

Confusing plot

[5/10 · 18 December 2020]

With big-league actors like Danny Glover and Joan Cusack, I expected this to be a thought-provoking, intelligent screenplay (even though it is a Hallmark movie), but instead the plot was baffling.

So, the big "twist" that occurs within the last ten minutes of the film is that all of the events that occurred on the train were initiated by actors hired by Max Powers, a famous film director who was riding on the train. Well, except for the two leads, they were real people. And Agnes, who was actually an undercover cop...for some reason. And the thief. Oh, and that snowstorm that almost killed everyone on the train? That was genuine, too. And the soon-to-be-married fake couple actually DID fall in love on the train, so they weren't acting throughout most of the film. See what I'm getting at? It's not a bad twist ending on paper and I think it could have been a neat, unique idea, but the way it was executed in the movie was too quick and too confusing. They did not flesh it out enough at all. Too much build-up for a rather lame result.

I did enjoy the romantic progression between the two leads and the acting was pretty decent (considering all those famous actors I mentioned). But, honestly? There are so many better Christmas movies out there that are heartfelt but aren't as tricky to follow.

Oh, and this is a small detail, but as a native Ohioan, I was VERY annoyed with the obvious aerial shot of Cleveland that was mislabeled as Toledo. I mean, you can clearly see Key Tower in it. Was it that hard to get footage of the Toledo skyline? It was lazy editing if you ask me.

12 Pups of Christmas (2019)

Couldn't make it past twenty minutes in

[2/10 · 17 December 2020]

Okay, I know that it's not really "fair" to review a movie without seeing it in its entirety, so heed my message as a warning for what you are getting yourself into if you choose to waste your time on this film.

This is not a cute, feel-good, heart melting, family-friendly film about adorable puppies finding homes. Well, I guess maybe it could be later on, but I didn't stick around to find out because the first twenty minutes gave off a much different vibe.

The story focuses on this woman, Erin, who's a canine therapist (what?). She is about to move from New York to the West Coast because of a job change, but before that, she and her boyfriend are set to be married. But, surprise surprise, her boyfriend reveals at the wedding that he doesn't want to marry her because he's been cheating...with her best friend!!! (Cue dramatic sting). We then get a very awkward scene of the woman yelling (and I mean YELLING) at her now ex-boyfriend and ex-best friend. The reason I emphasize "yelling" is because Erin is clearly enraged during this scene...yet the background music is light and has an almost comical sound to it. Is this supposed to be a funny scene? A sad scene? A dramatic scene? I wasn't sure whether to laugh or to be appalled...or both. Her best friend starts crying, which would indicate that the scene is supposed to be taken seriously, but the actress was so bad at crying that I found myself guffawing anyway.

The quality of that scene sums up the rest of what I saw of the film. More bad acting and angry attitudes by the lead (who I wasn't sure whether to laugh at or be sorry for) filled the remaining minutes. The puppies did show up at one point, but their small appearance didn't make slogging through the other dreadful content worth it.

When a film has a title like, "12 Pups of Christmas," you'd think it would be a nice, happy film to watch with the kiddos. Unfortunately, the salty language and overall negative tone of the film discouraged me from finishing to the end. Oh well. Back to Hallmark and Lifetime I go.

Dorbees: Making Decisions (1998 Video)

A Real Life Changer

[10/10 · 15 December 2020]

Every college kid knows that exams week is stressful. This semester was no exception, so to pacify our nerves, my animation class gathered together to watch Dorbees: Making Decisions. Before this half-hour piece of media was exposed to my eyeballs, I had no clue what to expect. Never would I have guessed that this magnificent film would change my life entirely.

Before watching Dorbees, I was a very indecisive person, but as the title would suggest, this film presented some great insight on how to make better choices. Why would I buy overalls at the general store for 59 cents when I could get some for free, like Flec did? Or wallow in a dark pit of despair for 15 years when I could ask Mary Jane to go get help, just as Jack did? This movie was surprisingly deep for a work meant for children. Thanks to Dorbees, I now can make informed, healthy decisions surrounding my shopping addiction and crippling depression.

The characters in Dorbees were extremely well-written and believable. Jack's burning desire for wanting to grow old reminded me of my own longing for an adult life of stability and success. Delta reminded me of the warm patriarch figure that is my grandfather. His soothing voice pulled me into the story and had me asking for more. Mr. Poe was a true hero and a noble man, which is what we need in this country more than ever. Even minor characters were amazingly detailed. The schoolteacher's love for math was an important reminder of the vital role arithmetic and geometry has in our science-based society.

My favorite character had to be Flec. His zany nature and ability to randomly pop up anywhere in the universe, thus breaking all laws of physics and normalcy, was a hilarious source of comic relief. His inability to enunciate his dialogue and speak at a speed that anyone could understand kept me on my toes. It was much fun trying to guess exactly what in the world he was saying! Oh, and I can't forget about the Dorbee who was watching TV in arbitrary cut scenes. I aspire to have a snack stash like his one day!

Perhaps the most impressive aspect about Dorbees (aside from the plot, characters, animation, really everything) was the music. I'm shocked they have yet to produce Dorbees: the Broadway Musical, because the soundtrack was STUNNING. "Go to Dig's" had some sick rhymes, and "I Wanna Be Grown Up" has been stuck in my head all day long. They also included some all-time classics in the movie, such as "U Can't Touch This" and "Rocky Mountain High." I wish I had the talent that the composers and singers in Dorbees possessed. One day, I would love to own the album from the film.

Overall, Dorbees: Making Decisions impacted me in ways I never would have imagined.

11/10, a must watch. I hope that it inspires you the way that it inspired me.

As my animation professor once said, "Dorbee on!"

Minions Holiday Special (2020 TV Special)

Marketing Lies

[2/10 · 29 November 2020]

As others have mentioned, this is far from a "holiday" special. It's four previously released short films that the editors slapped together to fit a 22-minute prime time slot on NBC. At least the first film was actually holiday themed - the rest of them had nothing to do with Christmas (one was about Cub Scouts and took place in the SUMMER). At the very least, there was some fun Minions holiday animation sprinkled throughout this thing, as well as some themed Secret Life of Pets and Sing animation. But if you're looking for something Christmasy to watch with the kids, this really isn't it.

The woman doing the narration was also really bad.

We Bare Bears (2014–2019)

What happened?

[5/10 · 28 December 2019]

When We Bare Bears first premiered on Cartoon Network in summer 2015, it set itself up to be an entertaining, heartwarming and charming slice of life cartoon. And it was...for a while, that is.

I'm not sure what happened. Almost every episode of season one was at least semi-enjoyable, some being even laugh-out-loud hilarious. Then, season two arrived and the show began going downhill. The stories became more random and the humor took a large hit. Some episodes almost felt like they were from a different show. Don't get me wrong, not every episode season two-onward was bad (see "Yuri and the Bear," "Icy Nights," "Hurricane Hal,""Family Troubles," "More Everyone's Tube," etc.). However, for me most felt very...meh. And yes, there were some EXTREMELY bad ones as well ("Losing Ice," "Baby Bears on a Plane," "Yard Sale," "Teacher's Pet," "The Demon," etc.) It's like the magic that the series had at the beginning had been sucked out after a certain number of episodes had aired.

Another factor that led to the show's demise is its reliance on the Baby Bears. In season one, these adorable younger versions of the main characters made an occasional appearance to tell stories of Grizz, Panda and Ice Bear's past. These episodes ("The Road" and "Pet Shop") were sentimental and reserved for important moments in the Bears' younger lives. Well, starting with season two (and especially seasons three and four) the Baby Bears episodes became less "significant" and more of just random one-offs with the bears as babies. Most of the stories could have been told with the adult bears, but they weren't because the writers thought "oooh babies are cute let's use them more!" In season four, literally more than 1/4th of the episodes in the season featured the Baby Bears, where as there were only TWO Baby Bears episodes in season one (three if you count Baby Grizz at the end of "Burrito.") I know it's just an opinion, but I consider that overkill.

The show currently has 140 episodes, which, to me, is PLENTY, especially considering it's a slice of life show and can only do so much. There hasn't been a season five confirmation yet, but apparently in 2020 a Baby Bears spin-off is coming. Great, more of the same...

Overall, this show isn't awful, but it definitely started to lose its desirability after its first season.

Olaf's Frozen Adventure (2017)

Not as bad as people say

[6/10 · 9 September 2019]

I honestly think people overreacted when this "short" (much emphasis on "short") was released along with Coco back in 2017. Yes it was too long. Yes it wasn't a Pixar property. Yes it wasn't REALLY needed. But is it the animated abomination people are making it out to be? No. In all, it's a harmless, cutesy, fun way to spend 22 minutes. If you hate the character Olaf, then I could understand why you might despise this thing. But for someone who enjoyed Frozen and could take or leave Olaf, I really didn't understand what all the fuss was about after I watched this whole short through the first time. It wasn't THAT bad. Granted, there were parts of it that were annoying or seemed stupid, Olaf was definitely more charming in Frozen than he was here, and the movie that followed the short (Coco) was ten times better. However, the animation was stunning (as always), the songs were nice and the characters we've come to know and love were still the same.

If you liked Frozen, give this a chance at least once to form your own opinion. You may be surprised. But I guarantee one thing: had this been released on ABC or Freeform as a holiday special instead of a theatrical short, Olaf's Frozen Adventure's 5.3 IMBD rating would be much higher.

Monsters University (2013)

Not perfect, but a solid follow-up

[8/10 · 14 August 2019]

In June of 2013, I was a twelve-year old kid who was over-the-moon that the sequel to her favorite childhood movie was finally being released in theaters. Ever since I first saw the movie, I was hoping that in some way, we'd get more of Mike and Sulley, and sure enough, my wish was granted. Monsters University is a movie that takes a route not usually seen in animated successors: it's a prequel! When I first discovered this, I was slightly disappointed we wouldn't be seeing Boo as a teenager or adult, but what we got instead remained nothing short of amazing.

The movie revolves around our two main characters, Mike and Sulley, during their first year in college at the prestigious fictional school Monsters University. Mike is your A+, diligent student who worked insanely hard to earn a spot in the freshman class. Sulley, on the other hand, got into the school based on a legacy status. His father previously attended the school and was a well-known scare major. Both students are polar opposites of each other, but throughout the film, they become unlikely friends.

One thing in particular I like about the movie was the realness of it. From the beginning, they make it clear that some of the monster students would not make it through the first semester in their major, which is very true at some schools. College is a beast for many people, and especially at an Ivy-caliber school, you have to keep up with all your schoolwork, on top of activities, friends and a possible job in order to succeed. The movie definitely proves this description to be true. Based solely on the prior statement, it would appear that Mike would excel in the scaring program; however, because he isn't scary and lacks the talent to be an excellent scarer, he gets kicked out. Sulley possesses all the talent in the world, but because he doesn't have a good work ethic, he gets ejected as well. I love how the film gives each character flaws, and shows that either extreme student type comes with problems. I actually relate a lot to Mike. In middle and high school, I was always the "perfect" student, getting good grades, never getting in trouble, winning all the awards, etc. However, in my major (which is, ironically, animation) I lack a lot of the drawing skills my fellow peers have had for years. So, no matter how hard I work, I will never be the most amazing artist in the room. However, that won't stop me from bettering my artistic self and working towards achieving my goal of having a job somewhere in the animation industry.

Being set in a new location and during a new time period, it makes sense that the film would include many characters not seen in Monsters Inc. Luckily, pretty much all of them add a lot of good merits to the prequel. Weirdly enough, Randall is actually a good guy in the movie (until the very end), so he does not return as an antagonist. Instead, we get Johnny J. Worthington III and the Roar Omega Roar frat, who compete against Mike and Sulley's frat in the scare games. Johnny is your stereotypical "leader of the pack" frat boy; jerky, full of himself, and likes to put others down. Nathan Fillion does a great job getting his suave personality down. His cronies, especially Chet Alexander, make for some chuckles throughout. The other antagonist we see in the film is Dean Hardscrabble, who makes the deal with Mike to let his team back into the scaring program if they win the scare games. Helen Mirren nails her cryptic, serious tone. On that note, there really isn't any bad voice actor or actress here. The movie was extremely well casted all around, for characters new and old. The members of Oozema Kappa are more wonderful additions to the movie. You can't help but fall in love with them throughout. Squishy's mother was hysterical, and the bit where it's revealed that she and Don are getting married at the end is sure to get some big laughs. I liked how each member of Oozema Kappa all found their own ways to succeed in scaring. Sure, they weren't scary in the way that most think of the word, but by using their unique talents, they were able to prove themselves "scare-worthy." I think that's a good message for kids and adults alike. I also enjoyed the many references to the first film sprinkled throughout, from them showcasing the Monsters Inc. building several times in the film to Roz getting her own cameo.

While I thought highly of the movie overall, there were a few minor things I was disappointed with. Firstly, since I love Randall, I would have liked to have seen just a bit more of him. Second of all, the film didn't have as much comedy as the first one did. Monsters Inc. was filled to the brink with plenty of sarcasm and witty one liners, something I felt that Monsters University lacked. That is not to say, however, that it wasn't funny. While Monsters University didn't have as many laugh out loud moments, it had plenty of scenes that made me giggle, smile or chuckle. Also, the beginning of the film was a tad slow; it didn't really start to get exciting until the scare games kick-off. Additionally, I noticed that some of the same background music was used in certain scenes. Some may say that this was a clever throwback to the original film, but to me, it felt like lazy nostalgia. Finally, the abominable snowman appearance at the end was more random than funny. I get that Ratzenberger needed to be in it somewhere, but how did the abominable snowman go from working at Monsters Inc. to living in the Himalayas? What could have been a great moment was ruined by the logic working against it.

Overall, this was a fantastic follow-up to Monsters Inc. Of course, I like the original better and do believe it is the superior film, but that's not to say that its sequel isn't something that can be enjoyed by fans. Recently, I rewatched Monsters University to celebrate my send off to college, which is why I am writing this review. Despite what others think, this will always be a special film to me, especially now that I am going to live it (well, kind of...).

Victor & Valentino (2019–2022)

The biggest disappointment of the year

[3/10 · 11 August 2019]

In 2016, the pilot for Victor and Valentino was released on Cartoon Network's YouTube channel (around the same time as Infinity Train, ironically). As soon as I watched it, I fell in love. The pilot had good writing, some comedy here and there, likeable characters and a really interesting story. Plus, it ended on an AWESOME cliffhanger that made a full series pickup sound super promising. If the show were to become an actual series on Cartoon Network, it would be like a celebration of Mexican lore and culture, a Mesoamerican Gravity Falls of sorts with some Drake and Josh thrown into the mix. When it was announced many months later that both V&V and Infinity Train got the green light from the network, I was ecstatic. Two amazing pilots now becoming full series? This was going to be awesome! A bright future was certainly ahead for Cartoon Network.

Flash forward to August 2019. V&V has been going on for almost six months and Infinity Train has just wrapped up its first season. Sadly, I can say that only one of these shows lived up to its hype. And I'll bet you can guess which one I'm talking about.

So far, Victor and Valentino has been, pretty much, a mess. What many thought was going to be a wacky comedy with cool Mexican paranormal creatures and an underlying story is, in reality, yet another slice-of-life cartoon with awful characters and cool Mexican paranormal creatures that SOMETIMES show up. I've laid out the reasons below on why I think the show fails.

Slice-of-life aspect: There are already a ton of slice-of-life 'toons on Cartoon Network presently (Craig of the Creek, We Bare Bears, PPG reboot) and in the past (Regular Show, Clarence, Uncle Grandpa). Granted, all of those other shows aren't bad, but why do we need more like them? I was hoping that Victor and Valentino would be a fresh of breath air and would maybe lead up to something big, especially with Grandma Chata explaining at the end of the pilot that in her small village, there's more than meets the eye. Unfortunately, so far, every episode just returns to the status quo at the end. Characters don't learn their lessons and nothing really changes. It's a monster of the week show that only has monsters half of the time. Sometimes, episodes are literally just mundane dramas; for example, "Fistfull of Balloons" was another "whodunnit" episode with a predictable "surprise" culprit.

Characters: This is, by far, the thing that brings the show down the most. Our loveable main characters from the pilot are completely ruined here. Victor is a spoiled brat that is extremely selfish and goes out of his way to get what he wants, even if it's at the expense of hurting others, including Valentino. He kind of suffers consequences at the end of each episode, but during the next story, the show resets and Victor's back to where he was before. Even his voice was more toned down during the pilot. Here, it's higher pitched and super grating on the ears. I don't mind when show creators voice their own characters if they're actually good at acting, but Diego Molano unfortunately creates a very annoying voice that isn't fun to listen to at all. Valentino is better, but not by much. I actually prefer Rico Rodriguez's voice in the pilot, but Sean-Ryan Peterson doesn't do a bad job or anything. At the very least, his voice is normal and not a pain to listen to. While Valentino's voice is okay, his personality isn't. He is very wimpy and mentions things like using lotion and doing yoga, which just screams "try-hard" to me. It's like the writers want to make him as nerdy as possible by having him do stereotypical "nerd" things. Grandma Chata may be one of the only decent characters in the show, but we know so little about her. That cool transformation you saw of her at the end of the pilot? Yeah, you won't see that in the actual series. She could have made a fantastic character yet she is totally gone to waste here. The side characters are pretty bad, too, the worst being Reynaldo and Reynalda. Don Jalapeno is just boring, Charlene is weird, and Xochi is decent. Pineapple annoys me. Maria Teresa can be interesting occasionally. CaoCao made for a very stupid one-off gag. Guillermo can be amusing at times (good thing they got a decent voice actor for him). And Rosa is your average child, I guess. There are more characters, but this is a big enough list to officially say that vast majority of the characters are not good.

Creatures: The creatures that show up in V&V are just..okay. Some are neat, but others are sort of...lame. Like, none of them really seem to pose an actual threat, especially considering our main characters always come out victorious with no real evidence that they were ever in danger. I like the fact that the monsters actually come from Mexican folklore. I just wish they were more exciting.

Comedy: There have been only a few times during this show where I have laughed. I've gotten through certain episodes where I haven't chuckled at all, or even smiled for that matter. I see that the writers are trying to add hints of comedy in episodes, but they bomb hard almost every time.

Well, there you have it. My full-out review on why I think this show is a stinker. I was hoping for so much when I first saw that pilot. In fact, I recently rewatched the pilot and all I kept thinking throughout it was how much BETTER it is than the actual series. I don't know what happened. I really don't. I'm honestly shocked at all the glowing ten-star reviews on here, as the people on the other places on the internet I've visited pretty much collectively have the same opinion as me. All I can say is that I truly believe that Victor and Valentino should have simply remained an eight minute short.

Summer Camp Island (2018–2023)

More of the same

[4/10 · 11 August 2019]

Unfortunately, I don't have many good things to say about Summer Camp Island. Granted, I haven't seen a lot of episodes, but it didn't take much for me to determine that this show would not be a keeper on my watchlist.

The main problem I think this show has is that it's more of the same. There have already been a lot of children shows about summer camp (Bunk'd, Camp Lakebottom, some Total Drama seasons, the upcoming Kamp Coral). In fact, there's already been a show about summer camp with anthropomorphized animals on the SAME CHANNEL (Camp Lazlo, anyone?) Because of this fact, the show feels rather unoriginal. It does try and differentiate itself by adding a magical element, but that's a whole other issue. The magic in this show is too random. You have your normal mythical creatures like unicorns, but then you have stuff that's totally weird and doesn't make a lick of sense. There are faces on everything, and I'm not sure why. I feel like the writers on the show just said, "let's make a show about summer camp, but we'll add MAGIC to it!" without taking the time to establish some universal rules. Any kind of magical thing can happen in this show, no matter how bizarre it is. That kind of idea might work well on a surreal Adult Swim cartoon, but on a laid-back children's series, it's more jarring than it is cool.

I will say that I appreciate the unique art style, and it looks ten times better here than it did in the pilot. However, it's still rather ugly in some places, and it is odd seeing the anthropomorphized animals...not really looking like animals. An elephant having a short trunk doesn't seem right design-wise. Also, Hedgehog does not look female at all. At least draw some eyelashes on her!

While the show can offer some slivers of creativity and have some chuckle worthy lines, overall, it's nothing to scream at and just another boring slice-of-life show on Cartoon Network, a channel that is already filled to the brink with this repetitive genre.

Infinity Train (I) (2019–2021)

Everything the pilot promised and more

[10/10 · 10 August 2019]

When the pilot for Infinity Train was released in late 2016, many animation fans were excited. The eight minute clip had everything that a good serialized cartoon should have: mystery, drama, comedy and an intriguing story. Now that the real show is actually here, I have to say that it definitely lived up to the hype. The ten-episode journey of Tulip trying to get off the train was extremely well-written and held the audience's interest throughout the entirety of the season. Being only 110 minutes in length, the show had no time for filler, and each episode led us closer to closer to Tulip triumphantly returning home. The train cars themselves were extremely cool and creative. Even the ones that didn't get a lot of focus were interesting to see. The series' characters were also likeable and relatable. Tulip feels like a real 13-year-old girl. She has her faults, she's a bit moody, she makes mistakes, but overall, she's a good person with brains and a big heart. One One was a unique companion with some hilarious moments and One-liners (pun intended) throughout the show. And what's not to love about Atticus? Brave, loyal and adorable all rolled into one. Additionally, the villains were quite fascinating as well. I absolutely loved the cat! Her cryptic way of talking, her little outfit and voice, her shuttle, all traits that made for a well-thought out villain later turned good guy. The "conductor" also made for an unexpected reveal: being a lonely woman who's been stuck on the train for decades. I liked the twist of One One being the real conductor. It made "The Unfinished Car" make a lot more sense.

Overall, if you like animated shows with mystery and a big story (Steven Universe, Gravity Falls, etc.) I highly recommend Infinity Train. And good news! Apparently, it's not a mini series and is coming back for a season 2! So, I guess we'll be getting more of the train sometime in the future, a fact I am very happy about.

The Lion King (2019)

I just watched the same movie from 1994...

[4/10 · 31 July 2019]

...but it was worse this time. They basically just remade "The Lion King" exactly how it was before, but took out the heart and charm of it. Most of the dialogue is the same, but the new lines that the "screenwriter" decided to actually write (because, you know, that's kind of what a screenwriter does) aren't funny and don't flow like the original script does. For example, they take out Zazu's line about turning Scar into a throw rug and replace it with some unfunny remark about his cousin thinking that he's a woodpecker.

The animals also don't really show any kind of emotion, especially the lions. Cats can be very expressive (anyone who's ever owned a sassy cat I'm sure can agree with this statement). But here, the lions sort of look the same in every shot, even when something really intense or scary is happening. You can NOT mimic the same techniques of 2D animation in 3D, especially when you're going for hyper-realistic like the animators were here.

Another bad thing that stuck out like a sore thumb was "Be Prepared." Wow, was it bad! The iconic song wasn't even a song: just a speech that Scar gave to the hyenas. While Scar acted his speech very well (emphasizing his words and giving them passion), the fact that they ripped one of the best songs of the soundtrack out of the remake was disappointing, to say the least. Also, it was so stupid how they turned "Be Prepared" into this weird song/monologue hybrid. Some odd music track was playing in the background as Scar spoke, and at the end, he randomly sings one, "be pre-paaaaared!" Terrible, terrible, terrible job, music department.

The film wasn't all bad, though. Beyonce and Donald Glover fit their roles well. Chiwetel Ejiofor brought new life into Scar. The child actors for Simba and Nala sang very well (makes sense considering the girl who voiced Nala also played her on Broadway). The FEW new things they added at least mixed up the movie a bit. The longer version of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" was nice. The "Be Our Guest" reference made me chuckle. And lastly, the animation was lovely. As much as I didn't think this story worked well in "live-action" (quote-on-quote), the backgrounds and animals are stunning to look at. It's amazing how far our technology has come.

Overall, see it once to quench your curiosity, but don't go in expecting this film to be one you'll buy on DVD.