Jace_the_Peanuts_Fan Reviews

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004)

I'm a Goofy Goober, Yeah!

[10/10 · 22 May 2024]

SpongeBob has been one of my favorite shows for all my life, and I always thought the SpongeBob Movie was just as good. The movie is 100% faithful to the show, and the animation, humor, characters, etc are just what you'd expect out of a SpongeBob movie. It's very welcoming to those who are unfamiliar with the show and has it's signature tone, presents who the characters are, and explains what all is happening in Bikini Bottom. Surprisingly, all the returning characters are voiced by the same people who voice them in the show rather than using stunt casting.

I heard that the show was originally supposed to get cancelled after season 3, and this was supposed to be the end of the franchise altogether, but the show is still running. This feels somewhat like a series finale and would've ended the franchise perfectly if this was the end of it because Plankton tries out plan Z to steal the krabby patty secret formula and succeeds after failing plans A-Y throughout the series, he finally gets arrested at the end, and SpongeBob becomes the manager of the Krusty Krab 2 after showing the hard work he has done to earn it throughout the series as a whole.

It has a strong, positive message, saying it doesn't matter if you're a kid. Even though SpongeBob and Patrick have been told time and time again that they're kids, they proved to the world that little people can do big things and did what everyone said a kid couldn't do: they made it to Shell City, beat the cyclops, rode David Hasselhoff, and brought King Neptune's crown back.

The songs are awesome! My favorite SpongeBob song, The Best Day Ever, debuted during the end credits, and it later appeared in an episode of the same name in 2006, 2 years after this came out, which makes it even better!

Thomas & Friends (1984–2021)

A Great Show for All Ages!

[9/10 · 15 May 2024]

I watched a lot of Thomas when I was little and had my own Thomas train set. I still watch and love it and have my train set to this day. Thomas and Friends seems to be one of the most popular PBS Kids and Sprout shows with older audiences, and it's easy to see why. For many years, there were other kids in my class at school who liked it, even when I was no longer the target audience for the aforementioned channels. You're never too old for the original Thomas, but you're too old for its boring reboot, All Engines Go, the second you're born (I'm exaggerating). I heard an old interview with Rev. Wilbert Awry on YouTube that the Railway series, the book series it's based on, was written for everyone, not just kids. I love trains, and other train lovers are sure to like this too, however, there's more to Thomas's character than just being a talking train with a face. It's a quiet show and not one of those preschool shows where the plot is interrupted by characters who talk down to the audience and randomly sing. There are learning segments where the audience is asked questions and music videos, but they're in between episodes, not in the episodes themselves. What else do I like about the show?

The realism is one of the main reasons why it's as popular as it is, despite having a few fantasy elements, and that's one of its best aspects. Actual railway practices are present, and it has taught many kids, including yours truly, how railways work. The trains are driven by people and have firemen, and they all have jobs that trains have in real life, like pulling cargo and trucks. They move just like real trains and don't sway from side to side, jump off the tracks, use their wheels like hands and feet, turn their heads, or anything. The only big differences between them and real trains are that they talk and have faces. A lot of people talk about the greatness of these aspects, but there are some realistic aspects of the show I like that not a lot of people talk about. In the model/stop motion era (seasons 1-11), everyone and everything looks real (minus the humans and animals): the trains, the sky, the grass, Tidmouth Sheds, the train tracks, the smoke, the water, etc. I heard somewhere that real water was used in the model era. In those seasons, Thomas and company look like real trains or toy trains that come to life, and toys trains would probably move exactly like them if they could come to life in the real world. Their mouths don't move along with their voices, but that makes them even more realistic because of the way they're built. Toy trains probably wouldn't move their mouths either if they could come to life in the real world if they were built the same way as the Thomas trains' mouths and didn't have animated mouths. Don't get me wrong, I like the CGI era too, but I like the model era more.

Despite being ordinary trains, Thomas and his friends feel somewhat like real people. They're all very expressive and have a wide variety of different facial expressions, and it's always easy to tell how they're feeling, even when an unfamiliar word is used. For example, the show taught me what it means to be cross, and when the narrator says "Thomas was cross," it's easy to tell that he's angry by the scowl on his face. The engines all have their own unique personalities, with Thomas being the cheeky and fussy yet optimistic, playful, and kindhearted title character, Percy being the naive and childlike green tank engine, James being vain but lots of fun, Edward being old, wise, kind, and full of experience, Gordon being pompous yet proud and strong, Henry being the gentle giant with a love for nature, and many more. Even though they have a tendency to argue and get on each other's nerves, they're still very good friends who rely on each other for emotional support, and they always make amends in the end. They're all quite human and relatable, especially Thomas.

Seasons 1-11 and 17-21: 9/10

Seasons 12-16: 7/10

Seasons 22-24: 3/10.

Super Mario Logan (2007–2021)

Rest in Peace, Super Mario Logan (2007-2017)

[3/10 · 4 May 2024]

Unlike some other old Super Mario Logan fans, I didn't grow up with SML because I didn't know it existed until many years after it started. I started watching it when I was 11 years old in December 2014, when the Junior era was being made, and I loved it since then. However, I've also seen a lot of the classic era (2007-2012) videos years after they were uploaded and always enjoyed them too. My favorite video has to be either Bowser Junior's Summer Vacation or The Big Thanksgiving. SML was funny, action packed, sometimes touching, had diverse characters, and inspired lots of people, including yours truly, to make their own plush videos, but it began to slowly go downhill when a new character named Jeffy came along. It's now a lot more mean-spirited, unfunny, formulaic, repetitive, and horribly written, some of the old characters have been flanderized and have no personality besides their archetypes (e.g., Mario/Marvin is now a boring, generic stressed out character who gets mad over the tiniest things, Rosalina/Rose is now an annoying wife who never sympathizes with her husband), the characters scream nonstop, the Nintendo characters were renamed and are now human puppets, some unlikable new characters had come along, the videos are rushed, and some hurtful and sometimes plain awful morals are present (e.g., greed is good, it's okay to force feed your kids foods they don't like, you should let people walk over you, etc.). There are too many things wrong with the current state, so I'll only go in depth about the most problematic aspects.

1. Jeffy. He started the downfall and caused numerous fans, including yours truly, to lose interest in the channel. He's the channel's cash cow, he hogs the other characters' screen time, and in multiple videos, he makes cameos and doesn't contribute to the plot but still has his name in the titles, likely just to get more views. I'm intrigued how Logan thought of a dimwitted kid with a bike helmet, a diaper outside his pants, and a pencil in his nose who yells "Oof!" while smacking his diaper. His behavior can lead to temptation and making bad choices, and he's extremely immature for his age; he stuck his "pee pee" in Cheerio boxes (yuck!) and threw swearing tantrums nonstop from 2017-early 2019, makes Mario's life a living Hell, has little to no manners, breaks fragile items on purpose (e.g., plates, glass cups, vases, etc.), does the most dangerous possible acts (e.g., he once stuck a fork in an electric socket and burned Mario's hat in the house), wastes food, flips his desk at school, and more. One might think he'd learn from his mistakes and behave after getting grounded and called out thousands of times, but no; he's still the same brat, and he never finds any problems with the trouble he causes or learns anything from it no matter what. He's now 19 years old for Heaven's sake (for those of you who don't know, unlike numerous characters from other media, the SML characters' ages change every year like real life people). He SERIOUSLY should've shaped up a long time ago. To be fair, he has slightly matured since late 2019, and he's not as bad as he used to be, but still not too good. To make matters worse, he has badly influenced lots of younger viewers to act like him, which led to some controversies. Jeffy makes Caillou look more likable, more mature, and better behaved in comparison. I don't understand why Mario adopted him and still keeps him. The two of them had no happy moments together before the adoption, and Mario didn't want anything to do with Jeffy in the first place, which brings me to my next topic.

2. As I said, the show/channel is VERY mean-spirited now. The characters were still jerks to each other at times before the current state, however, they had great chemistry and loved each other like a family, but not anymore, and being jerks is all there is to them now. Characters like Mario, Chef Pee Pee, Cody, Brooklyn Guy, and Chives constantly put up with needless torture when they don't do anything to deserve it, even when they do things like express their personal opinions. Jeffy makes Mario look like a bad guy, and they have an antagonistic relationship. The former is now the main protagonist alongside Junior, despite the title, and the latter feels like an antagonist now because he's always opposing the former, getting angry at him, and "raining" on other's parades, despite being the original PROTAGONIST. He can be mean to Jeffy, and he's a bad father, but at the same time I feel sorry for him because his "friends" and family are often mean to him first, and good things rarely happen to him. It seems like Logan secretly hates him, which is ironic because he's been his favorite fictional character for the longest time and is what made him start YouTube. Jeffy, Rosalina, and sometimes Black Yoshi do everything they can to make Mario's life miserable. Junior and Joseph and Karen have a tendency to do the same for Cody and Chef Pee Pee and Brooklyn Guy. For some reason, Mario always lets everyone walk over him and never stands up for himself. Why doesn't he divorce Rosalina, kick Jeffy out of the house, and un-adopt the latter? He and Rosalina clearly aren't meant for each other, so why stay married? Goodman comes over for house payments every month, and he always threatens to rip Mario's nipples off when he doesn't pay (ouch!). The former likes to torment the latter just for fun, and he cooks up a lot of schemes just to mess with the latter. Bowser owns the house, so he owes Goodman house payments, not Mario. Also, Goodman is extremely greedy, he makes fun of the poor just for being poor, and all he cares about is himself and money. He always spanks his butler Chives for making little mistakes, like cooking his food the wrong way (he could just clarify what he wants. It's that simple) or giving him a glass of water with fingerprints on it (to make matters worse, those were Goodman's own fingerprints), and he treats the latter like a slave. Modern Goodman has admitted that it hurts him to do anything nice, and he's the definition of a mean person, making his name misleading. In one episode, it is confirmed that Chives is the 14th butler he's had. Sounds like nobody wants to work for him, and it's as easy as 1-2-3 to see why. In the aforementioned episode, Mario asks him, "Don't you think your employees will want to work for you if you treat them nicely?" I was thinking the same thing. It has never been explained what led to Goodman's turn to evil, making it come out of nowhere. Hank Huckerdoo forces his family to be "clones" of himself, and he never lets them express themselves or their own opinions. He tries way too hard to be perfect and make his family a nice, happy family, but he does the opposite. He is also a huge showoff, and he once threw a hot pan of cookies at his kids for their horrible singing, grounded them, and angrily forced them to sing better. There's nothing wrong with expressing yourself, and there's nothing better to do than practice or try a different skill if you're lacking talent in something like singing. Besides, the world would be boring if everyone was the same. I'm very different from the average person in some ways, and I feel extremely privileged that I don't live in the SML universe, the current state that is, because I could easily be bullied, tormented, and maybe even grounded for being different and expressing myself all the time. It seems as if having a different opinion is the equivalent of being Satan.

3. Unlike the old eras, there's little to no character development. The characters seldom learn from their mistakes, but when they do, they usually change back to their old ways again in their next appearance and keep making the same mistakes over and over again, as if they never learned from them in the first place. In Jeffy's Parents and Jeffy's 18th Birthday, Jeffy promises to be a good boy, and Mario starts loving him and promises to be a better dad, but they don't keep their promises, proving they learned nothing, and Mario only cares about Jeffy when the plot calls for it. In Zombie Jeffy, it is revealed why Jeffy hates green beans so much, and Mario promises to never force feed him green beans again, but the latter doesn't keep his promise in later videos. In Goodman's New Life, Mario and Goodman switch bodies and learn what it's like to be in each other's shoes, and Goodman learns his lesson, but he disregards it in his later appearances and continues to torment Mario nonstop.

4. It's unclear who the target audience is. Adult themes like swear words, dark violence, and heavy toilet humor are very noticeable, but the reason Jeffy appears all the time is because the bratty Jeffy fans, mostly little kids, are always screaming for him and won't give the other characters a chance. The homemade puppets look like they were bought at a toy store, and there's a lot of SML merch that only kids are likely to use, like backpacks and pencil pouches. Is it supposed to be a kid show or an adult show?

One might think Logan would learn his lesson and improve his content after appearing on Good Morning America, getting a number of his videos age restricted, getting 3 of his channels demonetized, receiving a lot of complaints from parents about Jeffy badly influencing their kids, and being sued by Nintendo, but he's made little to no improvements to his content. He refuses to take advice from fans who have been watching him since day one (or during the early days at the most) and are trying to help him, and he rarely ever keeps his promises. He may not be able to bring back the Nintendo plushes, but I'm sure he could improve his show and take his time if he tried. I barely watch the new content anymore, and it continues to get worse and worse overtime. I can't take it anymore. What's the point of still supporting the channel? The SML parodies are much better. Enough said.

Toy Story (1995)

You've Got a Friend In Me

[9/10 · 4 May 2024]

Who doesn't love Toy Story? The Toy Story series is likely one of the most popular Disney and Pixar franchises, and I can see why. This is one of many Pixar movies that reveals the secret world of things that aren't alive in the real world or things that society has very little knowledge about. I read in an article that the reason Tom Hanks wanted to voice Woody was because the premise reminded him of his childhood; when he was a kid, he wondered if his toys would come to life when he'd leave the room. Toys coming to life has been done before, but never quite like this. For example, in the Winnie the Pooh franchise the plushes are alive because of Christopher Robin's imagination (as far as we know), and the franchise wouldn't be as different if the characters were anything other than stuffed animals (don't get me wrong, I adore Winnie the Pooh, but thankfully Pooh and friends being stuffed animals has a little bit of an impact on the story, though not as much of an impact as Woody, Buzz, and company being toys does; the former cast of characters couldn't be Christopher Robin's imaginary friends if they were real live animals, Eeyore couldn't lose his tail, etc.), but the story isn't shown only from the perspective of a child's imagination here, and it gives the audience an opportunity to see toys come to life when humans leave the room and still see them be ordinary toys who get played with by kids. Woody, Buzz, and the rest of Andy's toys are a vibrant community, facing their own anxieties, dreams, and hilarious hijinks when humans are absent, and that's one of the movie's best aspects. Each of the Toy Story movies tackles a common "issue" that kids and toys often face together in real life and adds their own twists to them. This one tackles a kid getting a new favorite toy and slightly growing out of the old one, causing Woody to be jealous of Buzz and lose his friends.

If you've seen this before, you know that there are real-life toys and board games in it, like Mr. Potato Head, Slinky Dog, a troll, Mr. Spell, a Barrell of Monkeys, Candyland, Battleship, and many more, which is another one of the movie's best aspects. That makes perfect sense because this is a TOY STORY, hence the title. I heard in a YouTube video that the presence of these toys has brought some nostalgia to the parents of those who were kids when this was new and helped increase their (the toys') popularity.

The animation is brilliant (for the most part), colorful, very detailed, and realistic yet cartoony at the same time. This was the first movie to be in full CGI, and I got to admit that it looks good for being Pixar's first movie. However, it is outdated in some areas. For example, the humans don't look on par with the Incredibles (but they do look decent), and Scud isn't fully rendered and doesn't have much texture, but what do you expect? This was Pixar's first movie like I said, and the animation looks even better in the sequels.

This movie's plot is full of nonstop fun and adventure and also concentrates on friendship, teamwork, and overcoming all odds. At first, Woody was jealous of Buzz Lightyear when Andy gets the latter for his birthday, but when they're stuck at Sid's house, they reconcile and work out their differences. Buzz feels sad when he finds out he's not the real Buzz Lightyear, but Woody gives him a motivational speech about why being a toy is better than being a real space ranger, and he happily accepts being a toy. I agree that being a toy is better than being a space ranger. Who said old toys like Woody and newer, high-tech toys like Buzz or people who prefer one of those things over the other couldn't get along? Just because someone or something is old doesn't mean they suck or are outdated. I've had a very special place in my heart for Toy Story ever since childhood and always will. If you haven't seen it, where have you been? You should check it out if you haven't before.

Baby Looney Tunes (2001–2005)

Cute, Fun, and Entertaining!

[7/10 · 29 April 2024]

Unlike some other reviewers, I don't think this is a disgrace to Looney Tunes, but I agree that it's not as good as the original Looney Tunes and not entirely faithful to the source material. It's not without its flaws (more about that later), but it's better than The Looney Tunes Show (2011) and Wabbit. This is one of many prequel shows with the characters as babies or kids that I've come across, and it's not one of the best ones, but it's better than Yo Yogi and Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go (although I don't think the latter is supposed to be a prequel series to Thomas & Friends. It's a non-canon reboot with the characters as kids).

It has a completely different premise in place of the old one, and the characters' personalities may not be as fleshed out as their adult counterparts, but some of them still have a little bit of their original personalities in them. Taz is still the dimwitted "tornado" who eats everything, grunts, and blows raspberries, Daffy Duck is still the short-tempered and hyperactive duck who has a tendency to get jealous of Bugs Bunny and yell "Woo hoo!", Lola Bunny is still the tomboy who is good at sports, etc. Sylvester doesn't try to eat Tweety Bird anymore, but maybe the show would be darker than necessary if he did. I don't know, I can't imagine babies or little kids doing such a thing to each other. However, a couple of the songs from the show mention him trying to catch birds and failing at every attempt. In the original Looney Tunes, Granny smacks Sylvester whenever he picks on Tweety, but I find that so difficult to imagine happening here. She is a benevolent mother (or maybe it'd make more sense to say grandmother) figure, and I like that side to her. Most of the characters' voices sound the same but slightly higher, but that makes perfect sense because that makes them sound like younger versions of themselves, and they are. To put more bread on the table, June Foray has returned as Granny.

The character designs and stories are cute. The babies get into all kinds of appealing childlike shenanigans and adventures, like playing school, making a Mother's Day card for Granny, Sylvester tripping over a towel that wraps around his head and makes everyone else think he's wearing a cool hat, and more. The plots are relatable and perfectly capture childhood innocence. I don't know what else to say about them.

The songs are catchy and sometimes funny. Most of them are parodies of children's songs, but some of them have their own original melodies. My favorite one might have to be either The Looney Riddle or Born to Sing, and both of them have entirely original tunes. The album version of the latter is a little bit longer and mentions some of the Looney Tunes who aren't mentioned in the version from the show and singing about things they do or are into (e.g., it mentions Yosemite Sam singing country music and Pepe Lepew singing love songs), which makes the album version even better! Some of the music videos have nods to the original Looney Tunes that never appear in the main story, like Wile Coyote chasing Roadrunner, Elmer Fudd hunting Bugs Bunny, Pepe Lepew being a lovesick skunk, and more.

If the five Looney Tunes who are most commonly seen on merchandise (Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Taz, Tweety Bird, and Sylvester) plus Lola all lived with Granny when the animals were babies, I'm guessing Granny has had Tweety and Sylvester since the two of them were babies (although Tweety is still a baby in the source material. Maybe he's slightly younger here and birds age much slower in the Looney Tunes universe than in real life. I don't know how that works), and Bugs, Daffy, and Taz moved into the woods later. Granny still being old makes sense because she's the babies' guardian, and I think she's supposed to be much older than most of the other characters. These items bring me to my next point.

Like I said, the show is not without its flaws. Lola is one of the main characters, and she and Bugs have known each other since they were babies according to Baby Looney Tunes. However, Lola is not an original Looney Tune, and she and Bugs meet for the first time as adults in Space Jam. Computers, video games, a modern telephone, color TVs, and a Blue's Clues parody are present in various episodes. This is obviously set before the original Looney Tunes as far as I know, and those things didn't exist when the source material was being made. These items make me think maybe Baby Looney Tunes is non-canon. There are a number of Looney Tunes characters who appear in post-episode music videos but never in the episodes themselves, like Yosemite Sam, Gossamer, Marc Anthony, Michigan J. Frog, and even important Looney Tunes like Porky Pig, Roadrunner, and Wile Coyote. Petunia Pig, Porky's girlfriend and a minor character in the source material, appears in both episodes and music videos from time to time, but why not Porky? Also, it's unclear to me as to how old this show is. This page says it ran from 2001-2005, and the episodes' end credits have the same dates in them, but my mother once told me she watched this as a kid. She wasn't a kid during the aforementioned dates, and the modern technology we have today didn't exist when she was a kid. The show would be close to my age if the aforementioned original airdates are the right ones. Maybe this is a reboot of an older show. Anyway, this is still a good show regardless of these flaws.

Fanboy & Chum Chum (2009–2014)

Worst Nickelodeon Show Ever

[1/10 · 21 April 2024]

If you read the title, it's obvious that I'm one of many people who finds Fanboy and Chum Chum to be one of, if not the worst Nickelodeon show in the entirety of its history and one of the worst TV shows in general. Nick has made other not so good shows, like Dora the Explorer, The Mighty B, iCarly, and a few others, but this one REALLY takes the cake and makes the other aforementioned shows look like masterpieces in comparison. I once saw a YouTube video of a guy ranting on Fanboy and Chum Chum where he said he'd rather watch Dora than this, and I'm 100% with him (even though I still hate Dora, and it's unclear to me as to whether or not that YouTuber likes it). I have a hard time believing that I used to like Fanboy and Chum Chum when I was little, but thankfully I started to hate it a couple years later, and my interest in it was short lived. Why do I hate it so much now?

The show is extremely repetitive, loud, and one of the most annoying shows I've ever seen. The two title characters, Fanboy and Chum Chum, have squeaky voices, make weird noises, bounce all over the place, scream at the top of their lungs a lot, and annoy everyone around them. There's an episode where their schoolteacher, Mr. Mufflin, makes Fanboy separate his from Chum Chum's because they caused too much trouble in class. Fanboy deserved it, and I can't blame Mr. Mufflin for hating them and making Fanboy separate his desk. The second half of the theme song consists mostly of the word(s) "Bah, bah, bah" being repeated nonstop, which makes it extremely annoying.

Most of the characters are humans who have weird names, like Yo, Mr. Mufflin, Stinks, Mr. Trick, and more. Even the title characters have weird, superhero-like names. Who names their kids Fanboy and Chum Chum? The only characters I can think of who have normal names are Kyle and Lenny.

It is extremely mean-spirited. Fanboy and Chum Chum always torment and annoy Kyle and Lenny, and the former two never realize that the latter two hate them or have no interest in hanging out with them no matter what they say or do. To make matters worse, Kyle is always getting hurt and being treated like dirt by everyone for little to no apparent reason.

The character designs are extremely ugly, uncanny, and unnatural, and they don't work well in CGI/3D animation. The eyes look like they're bulging out of their skulls, some of their hands and foreheads are too big, and some of their ears and noses make them look like monkeys rather than humans (most notably on the title characters). Fanboy and Chum Chum always wear superhero costumes and underwear outside of their pants, even to bed and at school, and nobody ever seems the tiniest bit surprised. Now that's random. Despite this, they never act like superheroes.

This is one of many Nicktoons from the late 2000s and early 2010s that uses gross out humor all the time, and that's part of what caused Nick to go downhill for a while. During the theme song, the protagonists stick out their underwear. There's also an episode where Fanboy gets his head stuck in a toilet, another episode where a bunch of girls are attracted to Fanboy's smelly odor, and more, which is absolutely disgusting!

Whatever you do, don't watch Fanboy and Chum Chum. There are much better Nick shows that you should watch instead of this, like SpongeBob SquarePants, The Fairly OddParents, Jimmy Neutron, Catdog, Rugrats, Blue's Clues, The Backyardigans, Wow Wow Wubbzy, and more.

Regular Show (2010–2017)

Not a Regular Show (Sorry Regular Show Fans)

[1/10 · 7 April 2024]

I used to like The Regular Show and watch it all the time, but I now hate it, have a hard time believing that I used to like it, and don't watch it anymore. However, when I was in grade school and still liked it, my friends and I would sometimes play a game called "Regular Show/Adventure Time" during recess, where we would act out our own Regular Show and Adventure Time crossover and each play the roles of one of the characters from both shows. We'd play the same roles every time, and I played both Mordecai and Jake the dog. To be honest, I look back very fondly on these memories to this day! Sorry Regular Show fans, but this show isn't for me. We all have different opinions and points of view, and there's nothing wrong with that.

One of the main reasons I hate it is because the title is misleading. It's anything but regular. Does the concept of a blue jay, a raccoon, a fat green guy, a ghost with an arm on his head, a yeti with pants, and talking bubble gum working as groundskeepers for a talking gumball machine at a park sound regular to you? I'll take that as a no. The characters go on all sorts of irregular and surreal adventures, like traveling to outer space, trying to cure a sick talking golf cart, delivering a cake to flying babies who talk like grown men, and many more. In one episode, Rigby gets sprayed by a skunk and eventually turns into one. He dumps coffee on himself in attempt to turn back into a raccoon, but it doesn't work. What made him think coffee could turn him back to normal? He was in a wacky and unusual situation, and I also wouldn't know what to do if I were to turn into a skunk, but I still don't understand it. Also, Margaret is a cardinal, and her dad is a human for some reason, though I'm guessing that she's adopted. The idea of turning boring jobs into exciting adventures is original and gives lots of opportunities for both the creator(s) and the audience to let their imaginations run wild, but it could've been handled better and would've made more sense if the show had a different title. The Mordecai and Rigby Show, Mordecai and Rigby, or The Adventures of Mordecai and Rigby would be a better title.

This abomination is a kid's show, but it's ridiculously dark for a kid's show. There are on screen deaths, uncensored swear words in the first season (though thankfully the voices were later redubbed, and the swear words were replaced with clean language), heavy violence, drugs, scary monsters, and other elements that may be too much for younger viewers. The characters have a tendency to beat each other up and fight a lot. Muscle Man makes offensive jokes about his mom all the time, and she probably wouldn't like those jokes if she knew her son always made fun of her. It's rated PG/TV PG, but it would've made more sense to give it a PG-13, TV 14, or TV PG DLSV rating.

The dialogue and characters can be annoying, cringeworthy, mean-spirited, and repetitive a lot of the time. Mordecai and Rigby are slackers who goof off all the time. They also have a tendency to use modern slang, like "yo," "bro," "bruh," and "yay-uh!" The Regular Show popularized the cringeworthy trend of cartoons being hip and modern for young audiences, but the show has a slightly superior approach on that concept and doesn't handle it as bad as some other cartoons. I hate when cartoons do that because that makes it obvious that they're set in modern times, they lack timelessness, and they become outdated and irrelevant very quickly. There's no way the audience will enjoy the shows or understand what they're watching in say, 20 years from now. The characters have annoying catchphrases, like Rigby's "STOP TALKING!!!", Muscle Man's "MY MOM!", and Benson's "Or you're fired!" They yell a lot, which causes them to beat each other up and act violent towards each other, hurts my ears, and gets on my nerves. They seriously need to calm down, and sometimes Rigby doesn't let people finish talking and yells his catchphrase in places that are supposed to be quiet, like a golf course and a movie theater. Benson's face turning red and loud yelling can get extremely obnoxious and ear-piercing for some viewers, including yours truly. You can probably already tell that I'm one of those people who is sensitive to loud noises.

Benson has always been my least favorite character, even when I liked this, and he's a huge factor as to why I hate this show. He threatens to fire Mordecai and Rigby over things that aren't their fault, suggesting he'd use any excuse to get rid of them. It's true that Mordecai and Rigby are slackers, but he's too hard on them, and he acts like they never get the job done till the last minute, but at least they do it. He has a tendency to rip a telephone off the wall and kick, throw, and destroy items in his apartment, like pictures in frames, a TV, a telephone, his couch, and more. He's also a rip-off of Squidward Tentacles, who is much better. Enough said.

Hop (2011)

I Want Candy

[8/10 · 31 March 2024]

Hop used to be one of my favorite movies, and I'd watch it constantly when I was both 8 and 9 years old. It's not the most original movie in the world, but I still enjoy it regardless. I'd have to agree with what some of the other reviews say: it was high time there was a theatrical Easter movie with bunnies, eggs, and candy and isn't about Jesus. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against religion, but there were already a lot of theatrical movies about the resurrection of Jesus. There are also a lot of Santa Claus movies out there, but how many Easter Bunny movies can you think of? My favorite part is when EB and Fred upstage Fred's adopted sister Alex's Easter play and sing I Want Candy, and even the kids in the play and the audience sing along with some of the lyrics.

I enjoy the animated portion more than the full live action one. There's lots of color on its visuals, and the characters look very realistic but slightly cartoonish or stuffed animal-like. Easter Factory looks like how I picture an Easter candy factory (or any candy factory) to look. Heck, there are closeups of Hershey Kisses being made and wrapped. At the beginning, it is shown that the main human character, Fred O'Hare, saw the Easter Bunny aka EB's dad when the former was a kid, and his family didn't believe him. Now that's something you don't see every day!

There are a few Christmas-like elements here and there: EB's dad (later EB and Fred) rides an egg-shaped sleigh pulled by chicks, the same chicks and a couple of other bunnies paint the eggs and make the candy like how the elves make toys, and they live and work on Easter Island like their North Pole. Now we know how the Easter Bunny's yearly basket deliveries work and what Easter chickens do. There are a few differences between Easter Island and the North Pole, like there's no naughty or nice list, and there has been a different Easter Bunny keeping the tradition alive from generation to generation.

There are positive messages here about being open-minded with their children and supporting their career choices. That's an unoriginal but important lesson for all, especially parents, and doing the opposite can lead to trouble. At first, EB's dad retires from being the Easter Bunny and forces his son to take over, but the latter wants to be a drummer in a band instead. EB runs away from home and meets Fred, and the two of them help each other fulfill their dreams. EB's dad starts to miss EB and regret his behavior, and when EB goes home, the former apologizes for the way he acted and lets EB become a drummer, but EB decides to become the Easter Bunny alongside Fred and still be a drummer too (it's true that Fred isn't a bunny, but he's a human Easter Bunny). Who said one can't have two jobs or both fulfill your own dreams and do what your parents want you to do (but if you don't want the kind of job your parents want you to have, then just follow your own dreams)? At the beginning, Fred says that when he was a kid, his dad told him that he (Fred) was going to grow up to do something great. I'd have to agree with Fred's family; he did grow up to do something great. Who knew humans could be the Easter Bunny?

There are a lot of funny moments present. One of the funniest moments in EB playing the drums on Guitar Hero (or a similar video game) and saying, "You never had one more lesson. I'm the EXTREME ROCK MASTER!" I used to randomly repeat that line all the time and say extreme master master in the same growly voice as EB, which my friends and family also found funny. EB playing the drums at end and making Phil dance, mess up guiding the sleigh while Carlos is driving, and cause the sleigh to crash is also funny, and that should teach Carlos a lesson for trying to ruin Easter. I got to admit that Phil has great dance moves!

I'd have to disagree with most of the negative comments some people say about Hop, but it's not without its flaws. Like I said, the story isn't entirely original, and it has a few mean-spirited moments: at first EB's dad and Fred's parents were jerks to their sons and force them to get certain jobs (though this is likely intentional so they can learn the morals), Alex kicks Fred in the leg and steals his flowers after her play, and she tells Mr. And Mrs. O'Hare that sometimes she feels like they adopted her because Fred is a disappointment. Like Mr. O'Hare says, "That's a very hurtful statement." Towards the end, EB's dad tells his second in command Carlos that the Egg of Destiny to too dangerous for chicks. He should've said so sooner because Carlos was thinking about being the Easter Bunny much earlier, and only the Easter Bunny can touch the Egg of Destiny. Overall, it's still a great movie for Easter or any other day.

Here Comes Peter Cottontail (1971 TV Movie)

A Basket Full of Easter Joy!

[9/10 · 25 March 2024]

I'm one of many people who loves Rankin-Bass's Christmas specials, and I used to think they made Christmas specials only. In first grade, my class watched Here Comes Peter Cottontail shortly before Easter, and I enjoyed it very much! You can probably already tell that it was my first exposure to any of RB's other content (minus the Easter Bunny is Coming to Town. I've seen it previously, but I didn't know it was made by RB at the time). A year later, my grandma got me the DVD, and I still have it and watch it every Easter. Like the Christmas specials, it is based on a song (obviously Peter Cottontail in this case), tells the song's story while adding new elements as well, is narrated by a celebrity (in this case, Danny Kaye), and has a lifelike stop motion animation style, which makes the characters look like living toys. The title character is voiced by Casey Kasem, who was also the original voice of Shaggy from Scooby Doo, and his voice sounds like Shaggy but slightly lower, which makes this even cooler! What else do I like about the special/TV movie?

Another one of the best things about it is the premise. It has a warm, Easter feeling, and has a little bit of all the holidays in it. The evil Irontail wins a contest to become the new Easter Bunny, and Peter Cottontail oversleeps and time travels so he can become the Easter Bunny and stop Irontail from ruining Easter. He accidentally goes to all the other holidays and paints the eggs to look like they're for those respective holidays: Halloween, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Mother's Day, the Fourth of July, and New Year's Day. Now that's an original concept! He does give some away, but a lot of people won't take his eggs, and he has trouble keeping them safe from Irontail. To put more bread on the table, the same version of Santa Claus from the Rankin-Bass Christmas specials appears. According to Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July, all the Christmas specials are from the same universe, and Peter Cottontail is probably set in the same universe as them. If you're wondering, yes, Peter does win the contest at the end, become the Easter Bunny, and save Easter. Thank goodness for that! Don't get me wrong, I like Irontail, and I find him funny, but he was not a good Easter Bunny. He got rid of all the old Easter traditions, replaced chocolate chickens and bunnies with chocolate octopi and tarantulas (yuck!) and Easter eggs with Easter galoshes, and he tried to get revenge on the children after one of them caused an accident. Peter is a better Easter Bunny!

The songs are catchy, memorable, and have good beats, especially "If I Could Only Get Back to Yesterday" and Antoine's song "When You Can't Get It Altogether, Improvise." The former is my favorite of them all because it tells the importance of second chances, which I can relate to, hence the lyrics "If I could only get back to yesterday, today would be a perfect day" and "I'd be a different man if I had a second chance, yes I would." Second chances give people an opportunity to make up for their mistakes and improve their behavior. Also, there are absolutely beautiful visuals during the song, which consist of a night sky with stars making symbols of all the different holidays, like an Easter Bunny, a Christmas tree, hearts, and more. The latter also has a distinctive, dance-like beat and a timeless message: do something with whatever you have or without being planned at first if you're unprepared (e.g., on Halloween give your girl a Valentine, and who cares if Easter eggs are usually only given away on Easter?).

The special is great for kids and adults alike! Its charm and timeless messages about the importance of responsibility and not giving up hope are sure to appeal to everyone. This is easily the best of the three Rankin-Bass Easter specials and fun to watch, whether it's Easter or not. It's good for any holiday, but mostly for Easter.

It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown! (1974 TV Short)

It's Not the Easter Bunny, It's the Easter Beagle

[10/10 · 19 March 2024]

This is not only one of my favorite Peanuts specials, but also one of my favorite Easter specials/movies of all time, alongside Winnie the Pooh: Springtime with Roo, Here Comes Peter Cottontail, and Yogi the Easter Bear. I'm one of many people who can't argue that the holidays (except for the ones there's no special for, like the 4th of July) would be incomplete without the Peanuts specials, including this one. They're timeless and fun to watch! My favorite part is when Snoopy dances with the bunnies in the egg.

This is one of many Peanuts installments that has a simple plot with not a lot going on; it consists of Peppermint Patty trying to teach Marcie how to boil and color eggs, Snoopy buying and arranging birdhouses for Woodstock, the characters buying Easter items, and Snoopy being the Easter Beagle. The franchise has proved time and time again that a story doesn't need a "complicated" plot in order to be good. Like It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, Linus is waiting for a legendary holiday figure that nobody else believes in, but it's not the Great Pumpkin this time. It's the Easter Beagle, which gives the story uniqueness. Surprisingly, no mention of the Easter Bunny is made at all. Does the Peanuts Gang not believe in him?

There are a lot of funny visual gags, like Marcie's failed attempts at preparing the eggs, Sally and Snoopy trying on hats, the latter going on the wrong escalator, and his frustrations with Woodstock. Describing funniness is not my specialty. I got to admit that Snoopy is a very expressive character, especially when he gets angry at Woodstock here. When I was little, I reenacted the part where Woodstock dumps the water out of his nest and throws the nest on Snoopy's head. However, I would actually empty a basket of my grandma's cats' toys, put the basket on my head, and pretend it was the nest because it looked like a nest.

The music is very charming, very heartwarming, and really gets to you, especially the music in the beginning and end credits, and the one from the part where Snoopy plays the Easter Beagle. The piece that plays while Charlie Brown, Peppermint Patty, and Marcie are sitting in their yards all alone is emotional and makes me feel their pain. Vince Guaraldi did a good job composing the music! I highly recommend It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown! I don't know what else to say.

Curious George (2006–2022)

Great Show!

[10/10 · 17 March 2024]

I always watched Curious George before school when I was in kindergarten-second grade, on some days in fourth grade, and every day again in sixth grade, and sometimes I'd watch it again after school and on days I didn't have school too. I'd also watch other PBS Kids shows before George would come on: in kindergarten and part of the time in first grade, I'd watch Sesame Street (which is still one of my favorites to this day), The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That later in first grade, second and fourth grade, and Nature Cat in sixth grade. I've done a number of drawings of the title character during my George phase and a couple times since it came to an end. During my George phase, I had a George stuffed animal that I'd play with every day, and sometimes I'd bring him to school with me and play with him on the playground during recess. I also once brought him in for show and tell in kindergarten, and I still have him to this day. I have a few of the books and DVDs too, and I even dressed as George for Halloween when I was 7 years old. I used to have a DVD of the movie, but I don't know what happened to it. It probably got lost. I recently read in an article that if little kids are attached to a certain TV show, chances are they'll still like it when they get older, even if they are no longer the target audience. I find a lot of my childhood shows hard not to still enjoy and find nostalgic depending on whether or not they've aged well, and George is no exception, but this isn't the case for every childhood show. What's not to like about it?

This clearly isn't the only PBS Kids show or preschool show in general that I like, but this is one of the least babyish preschool shows I've ever come across. It isn't dumbed down for younger audiences, repetitive, formulaic, nor loud (except when the title character screams). The narrator speaks directly to the audience like they're just watching the show or listening to an audiobook, and he's not the tiniest bit annoying. The stories are simple yet always engaging and amusing with educational value, and they're faithful to the books and especially the movie! There's not a whole lot of educational value and more entertainment value, but there's nothing wrong with that. The show educates kids without them realizing it, and I was no exception when I was little! For example, there's an episode where either the Man in the Yellow Hat or Professor Wiseman has a broken cuckoo clock, and George imagines himself going inside the clock so he can figure out what's wrong with it and try to fix it himself; this episode makes studying a clock into a big adventure, which gives kids an opportunity to learn the science and technology of clocks and could make the education less noticeable. Another example is an episode where George gets sick, and he has a dream where he and Yoki the cat (or is her name Noki? I'm not certain which one it is) ride a flying machine to fly into his belly and fight singing germs to help cure his sickness. I'm probably the only one who has noticed this, but the germs slightly resemble the Mucinex germs. In a more recent episode, the Man in the Yellow Hat gets sick, and George and Yoki/Noki fly into either his mouth or his nose to fight the same germs and cure his sickness. Both of these episodes also make education into a big adventure and give George and Yoki/Noki opportunities to discover the science behind the sicknesses in person and learn more about them! I don't understand how anyone could go wrong with a show like that.

Not only does it educate the audience without them realizing it, but it also has simple and unique concepts in math, science, logic, and technology. For example, there's an episode where George plays both golf and basketball with his friends, and he learns that the lowest score is the best in golf while the highest score is the best in basketball, but he's confused and spends most of the episode trying to figure out why. Also, in the live action segments at the end of every episode, real life kids explore the topic the episode is about in person (e.g., ordering donuts, using an x-ray machine to see the inside of their bodies, recycling, etc.), similar to the "A Word from Us Kids" segments from Arthur.

For all my life (even before kindergarten), George has been my favorite character and a huge factor as to why I've always loved this show. Why? He wants to know how everything works and learns all he can about what he wants to know, and his curiosity often saves the day; that's what the show is all about. He wonders about very interesting things that I haven't thought about questioning before and would likely never know the answer to if I never watched this, like how certain items can drown, how to make instruments, and the most effective way to clean a messy carpet. However, he's extremely nosy and tries to get into everything, and sometimes his curiosity gets the best of him. A good example of his curiosity saving the day is shown an episode where the characters have a hoedown. The Man in the Yellow Hat's guitar needs a new string because one of the old ones broke, and George experiments with various items that would make suitable replacements for the guitar string (a rubber band, a yo-yo's string, etc.) until he finds out what works best. He fixes the guitar, and the Man can finally play it again! George never gives up and always tries and tries again until he succeeds! His curiosity also makes him relatable to kids without being pandering. You never know what's coming your way when you're curious like him, as mentioned in the theme song.

If you're looking for not so babyish, repetitive, annoying, hyperactive, nor loud kiddie show for you and your child to enjoy together, this is the one! The Curious George books have been popular with the young and old for generations, and the show gives parents and grandparents a chance to revisit their childhood and introduce George to a new generation, although the books are still available in bookstores and libraries. I highly recommend it!

Happiness Is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown (2011 Video)

Happiness Is a Warm Return!

[10/10 · 13 March 2024]

I was 7 years old when this came out, and I was excited to get the DVD, but it took a couple months for my family and I to find it. I watched this countless times, and it has been one of my favorite movies ever since the first time I ever watched it. If you're wondering, yes, I still have my DVD.

You can probably already tell by reading the title and looking at the DVD cover that Linus is the main protagonist here. That's new, and he's my favorite Peanuts character! It's all about his relationship with his blanket and him trying to stay away from it for a couple days, that way his blanket-hating grandma won't be angry when she comes to visit. Charlie Brown briefly holds onto Linus's blanket for him and stays in his room with him at night. What a great friend!

I've loved the dialogue ever since I watched this for the first time. Linus's line, "Tell me where you buried the blanket! TELL ME WHERE YOU BURIED THE BLANKET!" is kind of funny, and my mother and I have both repeated it a few times. Linus's other line, "What do you want? Do you want to see me unhappy? Do you want to see me insecure? Do you want to see me end up like Charlie Brown?" is another one of my favorite lines. He says that while standing up to himself after being ridiculed for having blanket and being told to get rid of it. He really hit the nail on the head with the entire lecture, especially the aforementioned line, and standing up for yourself can be hard for kids his age (and anyone else). Kudos to Linus! Maybe I'll ask the same things the next time it seems as if somebody is intentionally making me unhappy. Enough said.

The "classic" effect is obtained through the retro animation that looks similar to the old Peanuts cartoons, bringing some nostalgia. I must say that the movie's animation looks great for the time it was made, especially with the huge time gap in between the releases of this and the Peanuts cartoons from last century. The music sounds similar to the old Peanuts music, and some Beethoven symphonies are present as well. Even some minor characters who have been gone for quite some time appear in this, like Shermy, Patty (not to be confused for Peppermint Patty), 3, 4, 5, and a few others.

Peanuts (2014–2017)

Decent Show

[6/10 · 9 March 2024]

You can probably already tell by my username that Peanuts is my favorite media franchise of all time. I've actually been waiting for this show to come out years before it was announced in the US, where I'm from. I'm aware that Cartoon Network has previously made spinoffs and/or reboots of popular classic/old cartoons that are from around the same time as Peanuts, like Looney Tunes, Tom and Jerry, Garfield, Scooby Doo, and a few others, and they've also played most of their source materials at some point, but I was surprised that they have not yet made a Peanuts show or even aired any of the old incarnations at all before this came along. I was hoping they would make a Peanuts show, entitle it "Charlie Brown and Friends," air it on Boomerang after it got cancelled, and that it would be in CGI like the Peanuts Movie, but this didn't come out until 2016. It's not everything I was hoping for, but Peanuts is an appropriate title too, and the animation and art style look similar to the old cartoons, which is good enough for me! Also, Boomerang and Cartoon Network aired this simultaneously when it was still being made. If you're confused about the page saying it ran from 2014-2017 and know the Peanuts Movie was released in 2015, this ran from the former dates in France, where it originated, the first trailer for the Peanuts Movie was released in 2014, and this ran from 2016-2016 in America. This is one of the only good modern shows that Boomerang has played. The Boomerang revamp sucked at first because its new commercials, bumpers, and logo were (and still are) unoriginal, it was (and still is) a clone of Cartoon Network (but not quite a rip-off of it because CN owns Boomerang), and it didn't live up to its own name and purpose anymore, but it now mostly plays classic cartoons again, much to my amazement! Boomerang is supposed to be exclusively for classic cartoons, and this should've aired on Cartoon Network only, as good as it is.

This show is very true to the old Peanuts cartoons, little to no changes have been made, and it barely ruined the franchise! A lot of classic cartoons that have been popular with the young and old for generations have been ruined during more recent years, much to my sadness, but thankfully Peanuts has never been ruined! I'd better keep my fingers crossed and hope for the franchise to stay good forever. This is one of the very few good reboots that CN and Boomerang have played. It has a similar variety show/sketch comedy-like format to The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show, where it has a main plot that is based on the comics and takes up most of the episodes, with some short skits in between that are also based on the comics. I bet there are some episodes have completely new plots too. The episodes consist mostly of a series of comic strip panels that are reminiscent of the newspaper comics. There are a few callbacks/similar plots to the specials and comics as well. Peanuts (2016) reveals some origin stories that haven't been explained in the older shows/specials, like when Rerun was born and when he started school. The aforementioned episode reveals that for a while, Rerun would do nothing but cry all day every day until he received his first dog kiss from Snoopy. What a good friend Snoopy is! Rerun is one of my favorite characters in the entire franchise, and this marks the first time he has appeared in a long time. It's good to have him back!

Like I said, the animation looks similar to the old specials and TV series, but not exactly like them. It doesn't look too much different. It looks just like the art style in the comic strip and on a lot of the merchandise and promo art from my childhood, which has brought some nostalgia to me!

Peanuts (2016) is not without its flaws, and it's not my favorite Peanuts show. The theme music is corny, some episodes are rehashes of the specials/TV movies, there are a couple of not so good episodes, and Woodstock's chirps sound off and not much like him. He sounds more like Beaker from The Muppets. I like The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show, This is America, Charlie Brown, and The Snoopy Show (2021) better. Overall, this show is good but not great, and it's a good show to watch for nostalgia purposes, just for your own entertainment in general, or to introduce the Peanuts franchise to a new generation.

Animaniacs (1993–1998)

Zany to the Max!

[10/10 · 9 March 2024]

I was not yet born when Animaniacs was being made, but I was lucky enough to grow up with both this and Tiny Toons via reruns on The Hub, and I now have a DVD box set of the complete first season of Animaniacs. To put more bread on the table, I'm aware that Animaniacs and Tiny Toons have had a number of crossovers, and both shows are obviously from the same universe and have the same creator, Steven Spielberg. This is one of the best, funniest (more about that later), and likely most popular 90s cartoons of all time! I haven't seen the reboot, but I'll watch it at some point, and I bet it's very true to the original series because it was also created by Steven Spielberg.

There is a huge mystery about this show that might never be solved: I'm guessing that Yakko, Wakko, and Dot, aka the Warner Brothers and Sister or the Animaniacs, are dogs, but nobody knows what they are, not even the Animaniacs themselves. There's a song where Dr. Scratchensniff confuses them for monkeys, but they say at the end of the song that they're not monkeys. They look like early Looney Tunes characters and the vintage Mickey Mouse, and I got to admit that they're cute.

The humor is clever, Looney Tunes-like, and very well written! The Animaniacs are funny as heck! They tell jokes about most of what the people around them say and make expressions or sayings literal a lot, which makes them as funny as they are. Just to name a few examples, they literally turn invisible when the teacher asks them if what she said was clear in the episode where they start school, and when Dr. Scratchensniff tells Yakko to say whatever comes to mind after the former says something in the first episode, the latter replies, "begun," "cease," "plenty," "quiet," and "comprehend" after the former says, "start," "stop," "enough," "silence," and "understand." However, the former wasn't ready yet and kept telling the latter to be quiet for a moment, which makes it even funnier! The Pinky and the Brain segments are funny as well, most notably when Pinky says, "Narf!" I'm aware that Pinky and the Brain later had their own show, which led to them leaving Animaniacs, but I've never seen it. I heard that there are some adult jokes in this, and some have given them positive comments for being so well hidden that kids won't find out about them until adulthood and said that makes the show entertaining for both kids and adults. I never actually noticed or understood any of the adult jokes, so they must be well hidden, and maybe I'll get them when I'm older. This really is a wacky cartoon and a huge throwback to the "Golden Age" of animation!

There are a number of parodies and pop culture references in this, and it combines some of my favorite (or former favorite) shows together! Just to name a few examples, there's an episode where the Animaniacs meet a vampire and confuse him for the Count from Sesame Street, an episode or two where Yogi Bear is mentioned, and a Goodnight Moon parody narrated by one of my lifelong favorite fictional characters, Winnie the Pooh. The Looney Tunes appear in a number of episodes, and they're sometimes seen around the Warner Bros studio, the main setting. It's not that surprising because this and Looney Tunes are both owned by Warner Bros. These items are a couple of the main reasons why I love this show, other than what I already mentioned. At the end of the Goodnight Moon parody, Yakko says, "Goodnight, Wakko's underwear." Ever since I saw that episode for the first time, I've been intrigued as to why Wakko has underwear if he never wears it. I'm not sure if these episodes count as parodies, but in various episodes, the Warners meet historical figures like Abraham Lincoln and Albert Einstein, help them with their problems, rewrite history, and sometimes wreak havoc at wherever they're at.

There is some educational value here and there, though the show mostly entertains rather than educates (but there's nothing wrong with that. Besides, people watch TV to be entertained and not to learn, and I never once watched TV to learn something). At the end of various episodes, the Warners turn the Wheel of Morality (I'm guessing it's supposed to be a parody of the Wheel of Fortune) so it can tell them a life lesson they should learn, though it often has nothing to do with the story. In the song "Wakko's America," Wakko says the names of all 50 states and their capitals, and Yakko says the names of all the countries in his song, "Yakko's World." The latter is one of the most iconic Yakko moments and one of my favorite songs in the entire series, but unfortunately, I can never remember all of the lyrics no matter how many times I hear it. There are too many countries to remember. I once saw a comment on a YouTube clip of the song saying, "You should sing this to your social studies teacher," and I strongly agree.

Winnie the Pooh: Springtime with Roo (2004 Video)

A Childhood Favorite!

[9/10 · 2 March 2024]

I've been a diehard Winnie the Pooh fan since birth (or close enough), and I refuse to grow out of the Winnie the Pooh franchise. I know that it's for everyone and you're never too old for Pooh Bear, but I thought I'd still say that anyway. This isn't my #1 favorite Pooh movie, but it is a sweet and enjoyable movie regardless! I watch it every Easter and sometimes other times too, and it brings nostalgia to me every time. There were already Pooh movies for Halloween, Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Valentine's Day before this came along, and it was high time there was a Pooh Easter movie. For the longest time, I had no idea that this was a parody of A Christmas Carol. It's very different from most other Christmas Carol parodies and adaptations I've come across, and it has more originality; it's about Easter rather than Christmas. Rabbit is Ebenezer Scrooge, Roo is Tiny Tim, Tigger is the Ghost of Christmas Past, the narrator is the Ghosts of Christmas Present and Future, and the rest of the characters are themselves. I like the idea of Rabbit being Scrooge because he's the main antagonist of the Pooh franchise and the closest thing to a villain that it has. I assume that this was supposed to be an experiment to see if a Christmas themed Pooh/Christmas Carol parody would work.

This is a fun and sweet story all about the appeal of Easter! It shows that Easter is all about having fun with your friends and family, hunting eggs, eating candy, and showing your pals that we care, with no limits or boundaries! Festive, isn't it? The characters have their own favorite Easter items that make the holiday more special to them; Pooh has an Easter honey pot, Eeyore has fluffy bunny ears, Tigger has a striped egg that looks like him, Piglet has a pink Easter basket, and Roo has his egg hunts. I like the idea of Rabbit being the Easter Bunny because he is a bunny, possibly the only bunny in the Hundred Acre Wood. I especially like Roo's portrayal here! Rabbit cancels Easter and replaces it with Spring Cleaning Day, and Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, and Eeyore have an unhappy Easter because of that, which makes Roo sad. He's sad not just for himself, but for his friends as well, and he realized that the opportunities to show his pals that he cares and have fun with them have been taken away because of the removal of Easter; now that's an unselfish way to feel. I heard on the Pajanimals that feeling sad when a loved one is sad and trying to cheer them up are signs that you care about them, and I never realized this till now, but the exact same message is shown here. Roo handles that situation very well; he and Tigger do the best they can to fix everything, and the latter talks to Rabbit about it. The former was the first one to realize that Rabbit misses his favorite day of the year deep down inside, got his position as the Easter Bunny taken away, and doesn't truly hate Easter. He uses his love and wisdom to help his friend go deep inside himself and discover that special days are meant to be shared in special ways, and he said he'd do anything to make Rabbit happy again. He makes a new Easter Bunny hat for him because the old one got destroyed, which touches the latter's heart and brings him to tears. I don't think Roo being the voice of reason is out of place at all because little kids can be the voice of reason too. Heck, even when I was little, I'd feel sad when a loved one was sick or sad and do the best I could to make others happy, and I still do. This isn't the only time he's the voice of reason, he also has this position in Pooh's Heffalump Movie. Who said that only adults could be the voice of reason?

The story is not only sweet, festive, and fun, but it also has heartfelt messages about special days being shared in special ways (as I mentioned earlier), being a good friend, and thinking of others instead of just yourself. During the previous Easter, Pooh and friends made little mistakes and still had fun, much to Rabbit's chagrin, and the latter made a lot of rules for the characters to remember due to it being Roo's first Easter, which made the holiday harder for them. Rabbit treated the day like a professional occasion instead of the fun holiday it's supposed to be, and he rudely demanded his friends to color and hunt eggs his way and took their favorite Easter items away, much to their chagrins. These circumstances led to them leaving Rabbit's house, Tigger becoming the new Easter Bunny, him leading a fun Easter egg hunt with no rules and without Rabbit, and helping Roo have a happy Easter. Yes, it was mean of them to leave Rabbit out, but he was mean to them first, and that's payback for it. Tigger was a better Easter Bunny than Rabbit, though it makes more sense for the latter to be the Easter Bunny. The former does feel bad when he realizes that their actions hurt him, but the latter doesn't take responsibility for his actions until it is almost too late. Later, Rabbit has a nightmare about his future, where Spring Cleaning Day becomes an official holiday and everyone else in the Hundred Acre Wood moves away without telling him so they won't have to put up with his bossy and selfish behavior anymore, much to his loneliness; that's the trouble with not being a good friend and another punishment for being mean to Pooh and company. The narrator calls him out for thinking only of himself and not being a true friend. When he wakes up the next morning, he gives his friends the egg hunt they were hoping for, makes a no rules rule, gives them their favorite Easter items back, and promises to be a better friend from now on. This is a sign that not only has Rabbit become a better friend, but also unselfish and more accepting of other's differences. Some people, including yours truly, find it easier or more comfortable to do some things differently than others, and the population of the Hundred Acre Wood are no exception.

The songs are good. My favorite one is Easter Day with You because it's a bouncy, upbeat song all about the joy of giving to your friends, showing them how much you care, and throwing parties, which I can relate to. "Bright and sunny honey of an Easter" are some of the lyrics, but I don't know what that's supposed to mean. Is that when the sun brightly shines on honey on Easter? Sniffly Sniff is another one of the best songs. It's a song Pooh Bear sings about letting out a great big sneeze. I read in a comment on a YouTube upload of the song that only Pooh Bear can make sneezing into a song. I'm sure other people could too if they tried, but I think the commenter was trying to say, "Who better than Pooh to sing a song about sneezing?" or "What better song about sneezing than this?" I couldn't agree more! I don't know what else to say about it.

Springtime with Roo is not without its flaws. Rabbit can be a big jerk at times, but he's at his worst here, though this is likely intentional so he can learn from his mistakes. Thankfully he redeems himself at the end and changes for the better. He thinks his friends didn't do what he told them to on "Spring Cleaning Day," but they did before they started the Easter celebration, and to make matters worse, he literally throws them all out of his house (ouch!). During the previous Easter, he forces his friends to see the Easter rules the same way as him (e.g., he disowns Roo after the latter says he doesn't care whether or not the eggs are decorated). Yes, he always tries to be organized and practical and keep his associates on their toes, but he goes overboard with it here, and Easter is supposed to be a fun holiday, not a boring, professional occasion. Ironically, he stubbornly refuses to admit that he misses Easter when Roo sings the reprise of Easter Day with You, and he doesn't even shed a tear. Some of these negative comments about Rabbit's portrayal may sound weird to you, with me saying how sweet it was of Roo to feel sad for him, but there's usually a strong reason as to why meanies like him behave the way they do, and if he's happy and not so mean, Pooh and company are happy too, and they wouldn't be missing out on the opportunities to have fun and show how much they care about one another. Did Tigger seriously have to steal the eggs in order for his friends to hunt them? Christopher Robin isn't in this at all, but he could've given them new eggs if he was. It feels out of place for the characters to move away without telling Rabbit. You'd expect them to warn him about it ahead of time, but no. The title is slightly misleading: it's clearly about Easter rather than spring. Eastertime with Roo would be a better title. This is still a great movie, and it's perfect for Easter! I highly recommend it!

The Easter Bunny Is Comin' to Town (1977 TV Movie)

The Easter Bunny's Origin Story

[8/10 · 27 February 2024]

I'm one of many people who loves Rankin-Bass's Christmas specials, but most of their non-Christmas works sadly seem to be lesser known, and The Easter Bunny Is Coming to Town is no exception. I've been a fan of it for all my life, but for the longest time, I didn't know Rankin-Bass made it. This isn't one of the best RB specials/movies, but not one of the worst ones either. I like Peter Cottontail better. The story is narrated by SD Kluger (voiced by Fred Astaire), the same mailman who narrates Santa Claus Is Coming to Town, and he has come back to tell the story of Sunny the Easter Bunny.

If you've seen this before, you know that this is the Easter Bunny's origin story. One of the best things about it is that it reveals a number of secrets about the Easter Bunny and Easter traditions that have been kept for God knows how long, like why we color Easter eggs, why the bunny hides them, how Easter toys came to be, how jellybeans and chocolate bunnies came along, why people sometimes wear Easter clothes (even though I hate wearing fancy/formal wear and never wear traditional Easter clothing), and more. Obviously, nearly any "burning" questions one may have about the bunny or Easter are answered here. It's not afraid to have some religious elements like Easter's bible story.

The premise is interesting, but not just because the origins of Easter traditions are revealed. Only kids live and work in Kidville, the main setting. A lot of kids in Kidville have jobs, like a firefighter, a police officer, a chef, a teacher, a mailman (young SD Kluger. That's how he knows the story), and many more, which makes the premise compelling and original. They run their own shops, make their own laws, and maybe even stay up as late as they want. That's every kid's dream, or is it?

The characters are highly likable and engaging! My favorite character is Chuggs the train. He is a funny character, especially when he repeats things in a similar fashion to when The Little Engine That Could says, "I think I can! I think I can! I think I can!" (e.g., "Easter's coming! Easter's coming! Easter's coming!" or "Lots of trouble! Lots of trouble! Lots of trouble!"). He also reminds me of Thomas the Tank Engine, and his train friends somewhat resemble Thomas's friends. Enough said.

The songs are good. The titular song, "The Easter Bunny Is Coming to Town," surprisingly isn't the same tune as Santa Claus Is Coming to Town, though it has a similar but slightly different beat. "You Think Nobody Loves You, But They Do" is my favorite. Why? It is a soft, sweet, and relaxing song, and it has a heartfelt message: love yourself, and it's not true that nobody loves you, hence the title.

The special/TV movie is not without its flaws. This is somewhat of a rehash of Santa Claus Is Coming to Town. However, some changes to the plot have been made, which makes up for this problem. The ending is rushed: the main villain, Queen Lily Longtooth, is angry about everyone in Town (yes, her land/town is just called Town) having kids and celebrating Easter for a minute, and then she redeems herself right away and magically starts to love Easter. When the flashbacks fade away, SD Kluger is shown as an adult again, and the rest of the characters are shown with him, but the other kids from Kidville are still kids for some reason. These items are why I give this an 8/10. Overall, this is a good special/TV movie! It's perfect for Easter!

Wii Play (2006 Video Game)

One of My Favorites!

[9/10 · 23 February 2024]

Ever since I started playing the Wii when I was 4 years old, this and Wii Sports have been a couple of my favorite Wii games! This is also one of the earliest Wii games I've ever played, in case it isn't obvious.

Like Wii Sports, this is multiple games in one. There's Find Mii, Pool, Table Tennis, Tanks, Fishing, Charge! (the cow game. I can never remember the name of it), Laser Hockey, Pose Mii, and Shooting Range (I can never remember the name of that one either). All these games are fun and simple! There's not a lot to them. My favorite one might have to be either Tanks or Shooting Range. I always thought the the miis' screams when they get kidnapped by space shuttles in Shooting Range, the scarecrows' screams in Charge, and the miis' "Uh oh!" in Find Mii were funny as heck! I don't understand why the mii(s) in Find Mii always say uh oh when the gamer clicks the 2 matching miis, the mii they're playing as, or the fastest mii like they're supposed to, but it's still funny.

When I play Charge and Fishing, I feel somewhat like I'm actually fishing and riding a cow. The visuals in Pose Mii and Laser Hockey are bright, colorful, and appealing to the eye! The colors in the latter somewhat remind of older video games from before my time. There's a wide variety of beautiful backgrounds in Pose Mii: pictures of flowers, butterflies, and more. There are a number of different locations in Find Mii, like the sea, a mall, Outer Space, and more. To put more bread on the table, there's also a location in the same game which is incredibly dark, but a light always shines on the spot the gamer is pointing at.

The gamers themselves can appear in the game if they make their own avatars/miis, just like Wii Sports. What will they think of next? My Wii and my grandma's Wii have Miis of myself, various members of my family, and I even made Miis of some fictional characters I like (Mickey Mouse, Goofy, Charlie Brown, Pillsbury Doughboy, SpongeBob, etc.)

A Goofy Movie (1995)

A Touching Father and Son Story

[9/10 · 21 February 2024]

This has got to be one of the best Disney movies of all time, and Goofy is one of my favorite Disney characters! For the longest time, I had no idea that this was a sequel/continuation of a TV series called Goof Troop. A Goof Troop episode is one of the bonus features on my Goofy Movie DVD. I've seen various other episodes too, and I got to admit that it's a good show, though not as good as this. Goofy's recognizably goofy and slapstick personality fits perfectly as an uncool father without him being annoying to the viewer. He can't do anything right, but that's why society loves him, and he was like that in the original cartoons! His personality has expanded here, which makes him better than ever! He is a caring father, but he's oblivious of the latest trends, has no idea what being cool is or how his actions can damage his son's reputation, and at first believes that every experience he had when he was younger will work just as well on his son, but no. To put more bread on the table, Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck make cameos.

Goofy's teenaged son Max is a somewhat relatable character and a huge factor as to why I love this! He is often convinced that he is just as goofy as his dad, much to his embarrassment, and the other kids from school have called him names like "Maxie the Geek" and "Goof of the Week." Everyone has been bullied like him at some point. At first, he doesn't think Goofy is cool at all and doesn't get along with him as well as he used to. When Max gets home from school on the last day before summer break, Goofy takes him on a crazy vacation he doesn't want to go on, and the former doesn't enjoy the vacation. When the two of them get in the car, he says, "Why are you doing this to me, Dad?" and "Goodbye hopes, goodbye dreams, goodbye Roxanne" (his crush, later his girlfriend). He really hit the nail on the head with those bits of dialogue and his line "Call me when the trip's over." A number of times (even before I became a teenager like Max), my parents, mostly my stepdad, have made me go places I didn't like or didn't want to go to and brought me along. I felt as if my hopes and dreams were being crushed, felt mind boggled about being forced to go to those places, and found those experiences hard to enjoy, similar to how Max didn't enjoy the vacation and wanted to stay at home. Ever since my parents got married, I've had a number of problems with my stepdad, and he ruins everything, slightly similar to how Max thinks his dad ruins everything. Being in Max's perspective is as easy as 1-2-3! Coincidentally, my stepdad once said that he loved this movie when he was younger and watched it a billion times. Thankfully, my family has toned down with going places during more recent years, and in case it isn't obvious, I preferred (and still prefer) to spend most of my spare time at home.

The Goofy Movie has inspirational morals for kids and parents about the importance of family, being a good parent, and respecting your kids' wishes. Goofy is concerned about being a good father at first, and he takes himself and Max fishing so the latter can wind up a criminal with a fishing pole to prove that he (Max) is not a criminal. He surprisingly feels sad when he notices that Max isn't having fun at Lester's Possum Park, and the former feels angry when he finally realizes what he has been doing. These feelings are obvious signs that Goofy is concerned about his son's well-being and being a good father. I wish my parents would've felt the same way when I was on outings I didn't enjoy. He's usually so happy and cheerful, and it's unusual for him to be so angry, but he really hit the nail on the head with these feelings! Later, he lets Max pick all the stops between the restaurant they eat at and Lake Destiny, and the latter starts to have fun because of that (or tries to)! Towards the end, Max asks for his dad's attention when he (Max) is trying to talk to him, but he replies, "Why bother? I'm too stupid to understand anything." For once he admits that he's oblivious and "annoying" and regrets it. The two of them continue to bond for the rest of the vacation, and they start to get along better. Goofy finally sees how much his son has changed, respects his boundaries, tries not to annoy him, and heartwarmingly says, "Gawrsh, Maxie! You really have grown up inside! It happened so fast that I must have missed it." This line is an obvious sign that he has realized his mistakes, parents shouldn't annoy or torment their kids, and tells the sad truth about how much faster time goes by as you age. Seeing Max save him from falling off a waterfall is touching as well.

This is a musical, and I got to admit that the songs are awesome! They all go hard, especially "Stand Out" and "Eye to Eye," which are both sung by Powerline, Max's favorite popstar. Their beats are fast paced and easy to bop along to! The latter also has an inspiring message about listening to each other's hearts and seeing people eye to eye, hence the title. Powerline sings it at one of his concerts, and Goofy and Max sneak onstage and dance with him. Max's friends watch the concert on TV, and they dance along. What better than this? That's my favorite scene and song of the entire movie! On the Open Road is my second favorite because it says that if you need a break from modern living and want to shed your weary load, all you have to do is take a trip out on the open road. Sometimes I feel like I need a break from modern living too and get bored of how much the world has modernized. The song starts with the engine of Goofy's car revving, his car keys rattling, and the wheels spinning. Who said one needs an instrument to make music? Right before the song, Max and Goofy fight over music on the car's radio, which causes the radio to break, and the former says, "Oh great, Dad! Now we don't have any music." The latter replies, "Oh, Maxie! It's not so bad. We'll just have to entertain ourselves." I got to admit that he handles that situation very well! Nobody Else but You is my third favorite because it's a soft and heartfelt duet that the main duo sings about how they get on each other's nerves at times but still can't live without each other.

My Friends Tigger & Pooh (2007–2010)

Any Time, Any Place, the Super Sleuths Are on the Case

[8/10 · 16 February 2024]

I've been a diehard Winnie the Pooh fan since birth (or close enough). I watched this all the time when I was both 4 and 5 years old, and I still enjoy it to this day, but I don't find it as good as I used to. I heard that a lot of Pooh fans didn't like it because of the inclusion of pop music, Darby "replacing" Christopher Robin, unnecessary new characters being introduced, and the switch to CGI. I understand that. This isn't the best Pooh show, but it's better than Welcome to Pooh Corner, Playdate with Winnie the Pooh, and Me and Winnie the Pooh!

The aforementioned reasons why it was hated are the only major differences between this and the previous Pooh projects. My Friends Tigger and Pooh is very faithful to the cartoons for the most part, and I got to admit that the animation is surprisingly well done, colorful, and vibrant with sophisticated movements. The old characters are still the same old lovable characters they've always been. Pooh Bear may be a Super Sleuth here, but he's still the same bear of very little brain. When my grandma and I first saw the characters in their Super Sleuth uniforms, we both thought that Tigger and Pooh Bear were dressed as Superman. Their Super Sleuth uniforms do look very similar to Superman's suit. I'm aware that this doesn't mark Lumpy's debut, but this is what introduced me to him, and he's really cute and brightens up every episode he's in.

There are some great morals here and there, mostly ones related to problem solving. There's an episode where Rabbit has to write a song about his vegetables for a contest, and each of his friends write a song for him, but he likes all of them and doesn't know which one he likes best. Instead of entering one song in the contest, he merges all the songs into one song. What a perfect solution!

To put bread on the table, I find Rabbit more likable in this, Welcome to Pooh Corner, and The Book of Pooh than in the other Pooh incarnations. He's nicer and more relaxed, but he still gets irritated by his friends' actions at times. Darby is nice and resourceful, though she nor Buster is as good as Christopher Robin. I didn't know this when I was little, but Christopher Robin appears in 2 episodes of the show, so Darby technically didn't replace him. I'm intrigued as to why Darby is the main human character here instead of him. The other new characters are okay, nothing special. Beaver slightly reminds me of Gopher, but the latter and Owl unfortunately don't appear in this at all, though Pooh says that he misses Gopher in one episode.

The songs are good and easily remembered. The theme song is incredibly catchy. An off-screen singer (I don't know who) sings it in the first season, and to put more bread on the table, Darby sings it in the second and final season! The song "Think Think Think" that appears in various episodes references one of Pooh's catchphrases. Tigger has his own fast paced and bouncy song about his favorite hobby called "Nothing Can Bounce Like a Tigger." I agree that nothing can bounce like a Tigger. There's a whimsical song that all the important characters sing about the joy of the winter season called "It's So Much Fun in the Snow." I've never heard another song quite like it! I remember a song Eeyore sings about how much he misses his tail. It was high time a song like that came along! As good as the songs are, I'm surprised that Pooh and Tigger's signature songs didn't appear in this at all.

Winnie the Pooh: A Valentine for You (1999 TV Short)

A Valentine's Treat

[8/10 · 14 February 2024]

This special is good, but it's not one of the best Winnie the Pooh installments. I like the New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh episode, Un-Valentine's Day better. I like the idea of Christopher Robin's menagerie thinking that Christopher Robin got bit by a love bug. Why? I've heard of the term "love bug," but I'm guessing it's either an expression or love bugs are a myth, and Christopher Robin has been so busy making valentines that his friends haven't seen him in days. They find him writing a card for his new friend Winifred (whom they think is his new girlfriend), with there being fireflies nearby, and Pooh and his animal friends have the mentality of toddlers, so it makes sense for them to think their friend was bit by a love bug. I saw one review saying that the reviewer can relate to the animals thinking Valentine's Day was a monster, and I don't blame them (the reviewer). I don't enjoy Valentine's Day as much as I used to.

The story has a heartfelt moral about making new friends while still having a special place in your heart for old friends, hence the song the characters sing at the end. I can totally relate; even when I make new friends, my friendship with my old friends remains! At first, Christopher Robin's stuffed animals think he doesn't love them anymore and has made new friends to replace them, but they all eventually receive Valentine cards from him in the mail, and he sets them straight, proving them wrong. Not only does the aforementioned song have an inspiring message, but the music and vocals are soft, smooth, and heartwarming! To put bread on the table, flashbacks from other Pooh movies appear during the song.

The special/TV movie is not without its flaws. The animation is good, but it has a lower quality than the previous Pooh installments. For some reason, Eeyore has bluish eyes here, and they're not as dark as usual. I'm guessing that's a coloring error. Paul Winchell's voice was a little bit scratchier during his last few performances as Tigger, including this, and it didn't sound as good as before. I'm guessing it's due to him aging. This was Winchell's last performance as Tigger before he retired, and Jim Cummings did Tigger's singing voice here and voiced Tigger full time ever since the former retired.

A Charlie Brown Valentine (2002 TV Short)

A Childhood Classic!

[9/10 · 11 February 2024]

I've had a Charlie Brown Valentine DVD for as long as I can remember, and this has always been one of my favorite Peanuts specials! I still love the Peanuts franchise no matter how many times I see it! This and Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown are both good, and I'm not sure which one I like better, but neither of them are as good as the Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween, and Easter specials. This is a must watch during Valentine's Day! I believe this was the first Peanuts special to come out after Charles Schulz's death, though I'm not certain.

There are plenty of funny moments, like Snoopy writing "romantic" poems for Lucy and Sally, Charlie Brown finding the little red haired girl's pencil and saying why he can't talk to his crush, and Marcie trying to flirt with Charlie Brown. Before watching this, I didn't know that pretty faces made Charlie Brown nervous. I don't blame him, but I think that's kind of funny at the same time.

Marcie makes a Valentine card for Charlie Brown and signs it from both herself and Peppermint Patty. That was nice of her! He didn't get any Valentines in Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown, nor did he get any candy in the Great Pumpkin. Poor kid! Thankfully, he has more luck here, but he's still the same hapless and down to earth guy he's always been (nothing wrong with that, though). Snoopy dancing with all the girls at the dance and kissing them is also heartwarming and fun to watch! Mr. Big Shot! The ending is my favorite part: Snoopy walks around with a wheelbarrow full of Valentines and gives Charlie Brown a kiss and one of his Valentines, and Linus wishes the latter happy Valentine's Day. What a happy ending! Enough said.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (2017 Video Game)

Fun Game!

[10/10 · 10 February 2024]

This is one of my favorite Nintendo Switch games of all time, and it's the Switch game I've played the most as of now. I'd have to agree with what a couple of the other reviews say: this is a piece of Nintendo nostalgia! There is a wide variety of different Nintendo characters to play as: Mario, Luigi, Bowser, Bowser Jr, Yoshi, Link, Villager, Tom Nook, Toad, Donkey Kong, Princess Peach, and many more. There's a lot of fast paced and catchy music that plays when the races go on, and it sounds similar to music from old video games and makes the game more fun to play!

There are a lot of unique locations to race at, like Cheese Land, Baby Park, City Tracks, Animal Crossing, and many more. Each of the locations have a specific theme, sometimes ones related to aspects of the other games that the characters are from, like babies, music, trains, rainbows, sweet foods, mushrooms, Yoshi's Island, and more, which gives the game uniqueness, a lot of detail, and huge combinations of the characters' franchises! They're all so bright and colorful, especially Rainbow Road. There's one location looks a lot like Andy's room from Toy Story, but I can't think of the name of it.

I didn't know this until I searched up this game on here, but this and Mario Kart 8 are 2 different games. I read in another review that this is an expanded version of Mario Kart 8. I like the sound of that!

Peppa Pig (2004– )

"Everybody Loves Peppa!" NOT True

[1/10 · 10 February 2024]

Peppa Pig is the worst Nick Jr show ever, and one of the worst preschool shows in general! This page and its Wikipedia page say that it has been running since 2004. It's way older than I thought it was at first, and I don't understand why it's been running for so long. I'm a 2000s kid, but I didn't grow up with this nor did I know it existed when I was little. If you're wondering, no, that's not why I hate it. I now hate some of the preschool shows I liked when I was little, and others I still like. I'm guessing that Peppa originated in the UK due to most of the characters having British accents (there's nothing wrong with that, though), and maybe it was introduced in the US (where I'm from) long after 2004. My sister used to watch this and have a few Peppa Pig toys, clothing, and DVDs, but I disregarded its content, though I watched a little bit of it before she was born.

One of the main problems I have with this is that the title character is a questionable role model. Peppa is a huge brat, a bad sport, and a bully at times. She teases her brother George all the time and always leaves him out of her games, refuses to share her toys, throws temper tantrums, body shames her father, has little to no manners towards others, moans and groans whenever she loses a game, disregards her friends' achievements that she doesn't have, and gets away with her bad actions a lot. It may be safe to say that she is the British and female Caillou. She also provides bad morals at times, like it's okay to jump on the bed, swimming in cold water is fun, and more. Peppa constantly makes Daddy Pig feel bad about his weight, which is hypocritical because all the adult male characters have the same body weight as him, yet he's the only one who is ever made fun of for being fat. That, and he's the most fit of his family: he's the only one who can swim underwater, run a marathon, etc. The password to get in Peppa's tree house is "Daddy's big tummy." What on earth? The characters never seem to grow, improve, learn from their mistakes, or receive any repercussions for their bad behavior. However, the show has some good morals too, like how to be a good friend, thunderstorms are nothing to be afraid of, the importance of sharing, and a few others, but that's not enough for me to like it because that's one of the only good things about it. Also, what kind of a name is Peppa?

The writing and voice acting are repetitive, cheesy, and annoying. The narrator constantly states the obvious, says what happens on screen, and talks down to the audience instead of telling the story like a narrator is supposed to. The voices and animal noises are extremely grating and loud, especially the oinks. Peppa and her family oink way too much, and some of the animal noises barely sound like the animals they're based on. For example, the sheep noises sound more like nervous laughter than actual sheep. George says "dinosaur" a lot and rarely says anything else, and he cries way too much. I get that he's 2 years old, and it's normal for kids his age to cry a lot, but his screen time consists mostly of him crying and crying and crying, and he never shuts up.

The animation and art style don't look like something a professional would draw. Instead, everyone and everything looks like they were drawn by a little kid. Most of the time, the characters' attires consist only of shirts, plain black shoes, and no sleeves (I have nothing against people who wear sleeveless shirts, but you'd probably expect at least one character with sleeves on to be present regularly). The arms and legs look like sticks, the bodies and shirts are shaped like small circles (big circles for the heavy characters), the outlines have a tendency to overlap, and some of the characters barely resemble their own kind (e.g., the zebra looks more like a striped bear than a zebra). The faces are always shown from a side view, which makes it obvious that they're lacking movement and implies that the characters might have 4 eyes, and maybe 2 noses too. If their bodies can appear in a full view, why can't their faces? Whenever they cry, the tears resemble water spraying out of a sprinkler.

Finally, the show has way too much publicity. There's Peppa Pig videos all over YouTube, multiple official Peppa Pig YouTube channels that are no different from each other (Why can't there be just one?), episode compilations that are multiple hours long (Yeesh! I haven't got all day to watch those), etc. Whatever you do, I don't recommend that you show Peppa Pig to your kids or even check it out on your own. Watch Bluey instead.

Wii Sports (2006 Video Game)

Awesome!

[10/10 · 9 February 2024]

This has been one of my favorite Wii games ever since I started playing the Wii when I was 4 years old. I think this was the first Wii game I ever played, but I know for sure that it was one of the earliest Wii games I ever played.

This is one of many Wii games that allows gamers to exercise and play a video game at the same time. It's 5 games in one: baseball, bowling, tennis, golf, and boxing. They all give audiences an idea as to what playing the sports in real life is like, and they're not a whole lot different than playing them in real life, as far as I know. To be honest, I'm not very good at tennis in Wii Sports, but I suck at playing tennis in real life too.

The game has catchy and fast paced music and allows multiple miis to play in one game. One can play with custom characters from around the world or even play with family and friends.

Welcome to Pooh Corner (1983–1986)

Creepy, Though Not Terrible

[4/10 · 9 February 2024]

I've been a diehard Winnie the Pooh fan since birth (or close enough), but I didn't grow up with Welcome to Pooh Corner because it's from long before my time, it didn't have reruns on TV at all during my lifetime, and I never had any of the video releases. This is the worst or least good Pooh show of all. I've seen a number of the episodes online, and only three of them are on YouTube. I don't like Welcome to Pooh Corner, I don't hate/dislike it, it's a mixed bag. Allow me to explain why.

Premise/format: The show is faithful to the cartoons for the most part, but it's very different in some ways. A little too different, but not a whole lot: Christopher Robin never appears (though he is mentioned in one episode), Roo's shirt is red instead of blue, Eeyore's house more closely resembles a tipi, the educational value can be grating at times, etc. I assume that a Christopher Robin costume/puppet would've been hard to make, and I'm guessing that's why he never appears, but a kid actor with no fursuit could've played him. At the end of various episodes, the characters would teach random stuff to kids, which often had nothing to do with the story. A lot of great morals are present like be yourself, too much of a good thing is not a good thing, you're the best at what you do best (that's a new one!), try and try again, and more.

Characters: Their personalities are mostly the same, but they feel a little less like themselves. Pooh is a lot smarter than in the cartoons, despite still being called a bear of very little brain. He knows that it isn't always a good idea to talk to strangers and what to do if one were to ever end up in stranger danger, which doesn't make any sense because the Hundred Acre Wood doesn't encounter many strangers, and the animals in the Hundred Acre Wood don't go into the "real" world very much. Owl can be whiny at times, even though he's supposed to be an old, wise figure. In one episode, he had whined over not being invited to swim with his friends. Rabbit is more relaxed and is a magician for some reason. He has a scary habit of randomly appearing and disappearing out of nowhere with his magic wand. I don't recall him liking magic in any other incarnation. I remember Tigger putting on a magic show in a book, an episode of The Book of Pooh, and an episode of My Friends Tigger and Pooh. He should've been the magician here, not Rabbit. However, I find Rabbit more likable here than in the cartoons for the most part, and his flanderization is a good flanderization, minus the part about him being a magician and randomly appearing and disappearing out of nowhere. Pooh and Owl's flanderizations are barely noticeable, and they were still themselves for the most part. The rest of the characters were still likable, had barely changed, and were not the tiniest bit flanderized.

Visuals: Most of the episodes were recorded with a green screen or blue screen and had custom backgrounds from the cartoons, which I like. However, the quality is a bit dark, dull, and not so bright and colorful, which slightly creeps me out. I find that somewhat justified due to the time this was made. The characters are slightly creepy, and that's one of the main reasons why I don't like Pooh Corner as much as the other Pooh incarnations. Pooh Bear, Kanga, and Roo have whites in their eyes for some reason, which makes them as creepy as they are. If Tigger and Piglet could still have dots for eyes, why couldn't Pooh Bear, Kanga, and Roo? Piglet's design is accurate, but something about the way his face was built creeps me out. Pooh Bear has the creepiest design of the whole cast, and Eeyore and Rabbit look the least creepy. For some reason, Roo was originally a traditional puppet, and for the entire series, Piglet was a costume with animated eyes and an animated mouth like the rest of the characters. Both of them are much smaller than the rest of the cast in the other incarnations, and Piglet is a tad bit taller than Roo. They could've both been traditional puppets, or they could've both been costumes for the entire series. However, this problem was fixed later: Roo became a costume like everyone else.

Voice acting: The voices are on par with the cartoons for the most part, but they have a few hiccups. Piglet's voice is the worst offender, which I find hard to believe because he was voiced by Phil Baron, who also voiced Teddy Ruxpin, another one of my favorite fictional characters. His voice is too high pitched and feminine. Tigger's voice is decent, but it sounds like a hybrid of his cartoon voice and Grubby's voice from Teddy Ruxpin. He was voiced by Will Ryan, who also voiced Grubby, which explains a lot. I'm surprised that John Fiedler and Paul Winchell didn't return as Piglet and Tigger. The only voice actors from the movies who reprised their roles here were Hal Smith (Pooh and Owl), Will Ryan (Rabbit), and Laurie Main (the narrator).

Songs: The songs are actually good! The theme song is the same tune as the theme song from the movies, but most of the lyrics changed. That's a plus because this is the only TV series to feature the franchise's theme song! I like it better than the regular Pooh theme song because it gives a brief description of each character (don't get me wrong, I still love the regular theme song too)! All the characters have their own signature songs here, which is another plus because Pooh and Tigger are the only characters who have signature songs in the cartoons for some reason. My favorite is Eeyore's song, "Just Say Yes, I Can," because it surprisingly has a very positive message about never giving up and not focusing on what you can't do.