December 13, 2010
-Contributed by Connor S.
Osmosis Jones is a story about a widower who is the midst of a personal dilemma, represented by the animated story in his body. Each character in the story is a different part of Frank’s subconscious:
- Osmosis Jones is the representation of Frank’s desire to get better for the sake of his daughter, Shane. Osmosis Jones is Frank’s love for his daughter, who is willing to do anything in order to make his daughter feel better.
- Drix is an external motivator, appearing to represent the guilt he feels at disappointing his daughter. This is why Drix and Osmosis form such a potent team and why Drix was willing to work with Osmosis in the first place. Shane recognizes that her father loves her, just that he doesn’t know how to show it.
- Thrax is the fact that his daughter will stop loving him if he keeps his current laconic habits. To Frank, this equates to death. If he loses his daughter’s love he will lose all traces of the person he was and be forever changed. Due to the fact that the subconscious dilemma is occurring in his body, this turns into actual death for him. Both Thrax and Drix are invaders in Frank’s body and both appear at around the same time. They represent both options that are open to Frank concerning his daughter. He can either change and regain her love, or he can stay the same and lose her love forever.
- Mayor Phlegmming is the laconic habits of Frank, keeping him in the current mood. He doesn’t want the lifestyle and mood to change and is corrupt enough to try to keep anything from happening. For Frank, it is easy to keep going in the same rut he’s been in without trying to change. He knows that if Frank changes he will be out of a job and will have to work hard to make up for what he’s done, as shown in the ending by him performing public service for the betterment of Frank. The political campaign is a joke about JFK, showing the Mayor’s fear of being replaced. It is a small joke about how the Mayor is willing to do anything to keep his power, even ignoring other personalities that were previously considered important.
- Leah is his grief over his wife’s death. Her bond with Osmosis Jones shows Frank dealing with his grief in an effort to love his daughter.
- The news broadcasters are what dilutes this for Frank. They are purposefully imperfect as they keep all raw thought from flooding Frank’s mind. Why else would a news station be making broadcasts on what is happening in the police department and pointing out such insignificant citizens such as Osmosis Jones.
- The people of Frank are Frank himself. He is watching the news and only gets the general base emotions. He panics, follows the Mayor’s thoughts, whoever the Mayor is. The office of Mayor is closer to who Frank is than the people of Frank. Frank follows the Mayor’s mentality rather than the other way around.
Symbolism and Sequence of Events:
- Eating the soiled egg, disappointing his daughter / Allowing Thrax into his system.
- Chicken wing festival over school hike, disappointing his daughter, losing daughter’s love / Mayor Phlegmming trying to maintain the status quo and keep his office.
- Science fair flashback shows his grief for his wife’s death and pukes over Mrs. Boyd, his daughter’s teacher / Osmosis Jones falling from grace and making mistakes over and over again that keep him and Frank from moving on.
- Asking Mrs. Boyd, Shane’s teacher, to lift restraining order / Confronting inner demons for daughter’s sake. This is actually initially successful, but outside forces keep it from happening. It’s kind of difficult to say “outside forces” when Frank’s pimple pops all over Mrs. Boyd’s lips, but the outside force that prevents him is actually Mrs. Boyd herself.
- Decision to go to the chicken wing festival instead of school hike / Thrax killing Frank.
- Daughter crying over her father, last chance to change and become a better father / Osmosis Jones returning to Frank a hero.
2 Comments | 
death, Osmosis Jones, villains | Tagged: Drix, Frank, semi-permeable membrane, soiled egg, Thrax | 
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Posted by The Editor
July 21, 2010
- I noticed an interesting, if pointless, link between the cartoon show The Boondocks and Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax. In both of these cartoons (or comics, books, whatever) there is a character representing big business, corporate greed, what have you. In The Lorax this character is the Once-ler, and in The Boondocks, well, it’s Mr. Wuncler. Both Once-ler and Wuncler represent the way big business uses the lower class for their own goals and rapes the land of it’s resources at the expense of all those on it. It’s just a nice little parallel, a nod of the head on the part of Aaron McGruder, as both characters’ names are pronounced the same.
-Contributed by SamRay
- We’ve all had our suspicions about Spongebob’s sexual orientation. Oddly, being close with a friend of the same gender points to homosexuality but, this isn’t about a relationship with Patrick. This is about the episode of Spongebob Squarepants in which his B.O. fends off residents of Bikini Bottom.
In the episode, Spongebob confuses his B.O. for “ugly”. Spongebob’s “ugly” is homosexuality. This is backed up by a few events in the episode. Mainly, the scene where he stands on the roof of his pineapple and proclaims his ugly pride. Right after he exclaims his pride, we switch to Squidward alone remarking “Is that what he calls it?” It was right there and then that I knew that this episode was, very subtly, taking on the issue of homosexuality.
-Contributed by Matthew S.
- The toy characters in the Toy Story series are shown to internalize what they are made to represent: Buzz Lightyear initially believes himself to be a space explorer, the Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots are extremely combative, and the like. However, they are not always equipped to actually carry out their assumed functions: Buzz’s laser doesn’t work, Rex cannot actually eat smaller animals, etc. One key inability shared by all of the toys is the inability to reproduce. Strangely, though, Woody and Bo Peep carry on a low key relationship. What makes this even stranger is that in Toy Story 2, Woody is prepared to leave for Japan and never come back, but does not even mention his relationship with Bo Peep, even though this would jump immediately into the mind of any normal person. This would suggest, then that their relationship is essentially “going through the motions”: they do it because they are “imprinted” to do so, rather than for any biological reason.
-Contributed by H. Rex
3 Comments | homosexuality, knock-offery, Mini-Analyzations, SpongeBob SquarePants, The Boondocks, The Lorax, Toy Story, Toy Story 2, villains | Tagged: Buzz Lightyear, Squidward, Woody | Permalink
Posted by The Editor
December 1, 2009
Contributed by J. W.
In Darkwing Duck Season 1, Episode 7 (“Dirty Money”) Darkwing is hired by a banker named J. Gander Hooter to find out who’s been removing the ink from the nation’s printed money. Showing Darkwing a stack of unprinted bills, Hooter presents an observation that subtly explains the core philosophy and flaw of the central banking system (i.e. the Federal Reserve): “This paper was once worth $10,000,” he says. “Now, without the ink, it’s worthless. Without printed money, the economy will self-destruct.” The episode never really returns to this point – in fact, the entire question of the missing ink goes largely ignored – but the fact that a children’s cartoon would even mention the economy’s self-destruction and the fact that printed money is essentially worthless paper makes it hard to believe that there’s not a greater metaphor at work in this episode.
Prior to hiring Darkwing Duck, J. Gander Hooter had hired an investigative firm called SHUSH, which is represented by a character named Agent Grizzlikof. Appropriately, Agent Grizzlikof is a bear with a Russian accent (a double layer of meaning, given that the Bear is the symbol of Russia). Throughout the episode, Grizzlikof demonstrates a Soviet’s penchant for excessive bureaucracy and an insistence that everything be done “by the book.” Before allowing Darkwing to take part in the investigation, for example, he demands that Darkwing become a member of SHUSH. This involves a lengthy application process that includes a physical obstacle course (Darkwing is literally made to jump through hoops) and a mountain of paperwork. Seeing the huge stack of papers before him (the D-11 Stroke 6 Destination Disclosure Form), Darkwing remarks that “This is worse than the obstacle course.” On cue, he is informed that “Those are just the forms for permission to fill out these forms,” at which point 7 or 8 new, even taller stacks of papers are brought to him on a forklift.
According to J. Gander Hooter, however, Grizzlikof’s methods of over-regulation have failed (a jab at the failure of Communism, perhaps?), which is why he’s hired Darkwing Duck to take over. In contrast to Grizzlikof (whom Darkwing describes as a “predictable paper-pusher”), Darkwing is praised for his “unpredictable methods,” as well as his “unique brand of logic and deduction.” It is perhaps no coincidence that “unpredictable” and “logic” are both buzzwords frequently used to describe the unregulated capitalist system idealized in libertarian/free market circles. As Dr. Robert Murphy writes in his Politically Incorrect Guide to Capitalism, “Aside from the ‘fact’ that it hurts the poor, the other major objection to capitalism is that it is allegedly chaotic [unpredictable]. After all, in a market economy no one is ‘in charge’ of car production, and it’s nobody’s job to make sure that enough newborn-sized diapers get made.”
The actual villain of the episode is a cleaning lady named Ammonia Pine (interesting that the villain is a worker, the central mythical figure of Marxist philosophy), who secretly works for the shadowy syndicate known as F.O.W.L. Her goal, unlike most cartoon villains, is not to steal a large sum of money, but to wage economic warfare. “With SHUSH off my tail and all the money scrubbed,” she cackles, “the banks will go down the drain like scum in a bathtub.” This dastardly scheme is championed by the High Command at F.O.W.L., with whom Ammonia Pine communicates via a small telecommunication device. Once the banks fail, they say, “Our economic experts will move in to mop up.” Towards the end of the episode, High Command reiterates this point, describing the manner in which they can “begin taking control of the banks and financial institutions.”
Thus, in a single cartoon we have a Russian bear whose mountains of regulation prove ineffective (Darkwing is only saved from Ammonia Pine’s giant vacuum cleaner when he tears Grizzlikof’s SHUSH manual into pieces and uses its pages to block the vacuum’s vent system); a villain who realizes that power comes from destroying (and then controlling) banks and financial institutions with the help of “economic experts”; and a hero whose greatest virtues are his lack of rules (i.e. he is unregulated) and his unpredictability. Sounds to me like two critiques of Communism (its bureaucracies and its thirst for economic control and power) and a wink at free-market capitalism. This is perhaps no surprise, given that Darkwing Duck first aired in 1991 when the Soviet Union was well on its way to collapse.
5 Comments | Darkwing Duck, politics, villains | Tagged: capitalism, Communism, free market, Marxist | Permalink
Posted by The Editor
August 6, 2009
Contributed by Brendan S.
Two of my all-time favorite movies, 1939′s The Wizard of Oz and 1968′s Yellow Submarine, have several things in common besides being musical fantasies- they’re practically parallel in a number of ways:
| The Wizard of Oz |
Yellow Submarine |
Colorful, peace-loving kingdom under siege by evil despots and their minions:
The Wicked Witch of the West
The flying monkeys |
Colorful, peace-loving kingdom under siege by evil despots and their minions:
The Chief Blue Meanie
The Dreadful Flying Glove |
| The Mayor of Munchkin City |
The Lord Mayor of Pepperland |
| A sepia-toned Kansas |
A bleak, grey Liverpool, England |
| Dorothy wanting more than her drab surroundings |
Ringo: “Nothing ever ‘appens to me.” |
| The song “Over the Rainbow” |
The rainbow gate to Pepperland |
| The Kansas farmhands each having counterparts in Oz |
The Beatles meet their Pepperlandian doubles- namely Sgt. Pepper’s band |
| Evil talking trees throw apples at Dorothy and the Scarecrow |
The Apple Bonkers drop large apples on the heads of innocent victims |
| The Yellow Brick Road served as the path to Oz |
The Yellow Submarine brought the Beatles on a perilous journey |
Highly intellectual albeit slightly befuddled individual who befriends the main characters:
The Wizard |
Highly intellectual albeit slightly befuddled individual who befriends the main characters:
Jeremy Hilary Boob, Ph.d. |
| The Emerald City, which led to the Wizard’s palace |
The Sea of Green, which led to Pepperland |
| The Wizard, in his hot-air balloon, accidentally leaves Dorothy stranded in Emerald City |
Old Fred, on board the submarine, Old Fred, on board the submarine, stranded in the Sea of Phrenology at one point |
Brief but effective use of classical music:
“Night On Bald Mountain” by Mussorgsky |
Brief but effective use of classical music:
“Air On a G String” by Bach and “Peer Gynt Morning Suite” by Grieg |
| On her broom, the Wicked Witch skywrites “Surrender Dorothy” over Oz in hideous black smoke |
The Flying Glove left behind a trail of smoke jetting the skies of Pepperland while terrorizing the populace |
| The Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion successfully infiltrate the Witch’s army to rescue Dorothy |
The Beatles crudely disguise themselves as an Apple Bonker to infiltrate the Meanie army and bring Pepperland back to its glory |
Act of kindness used to defeat the bad guys:
a bucket of water thrown at the Wicked Witch |
Act of kindness used to defeat the bad guys:
music was used as a weapon against the Meanies & completely restored Pepperland |
| With the Witch having been killed, the flying monkeys and army are free from her control |
The Blue Meanies decided to give up their evil ways and join in the eternal celebration/happiness |
| In spite of it all being a dream, Dorothy spoke fondly of her adventure in Oz, the good and the bad |
Back in our world, the flesh and blood Beatles speak of the great time they had in Pepperland-even with more Blue Meanies lurking in theaters |
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7 Comments | knock-offery, villains, Yellow Submarine | Tagged: Blue Meanies, Liverpudlian, Mussorgsky, Surrender Dorothy, The Wizard of Oz | Permalink
Posted by The Editor
June 12, 2009
[Editor's Note: I found this Ex Situ via the indispensable The Disney Blog.]
Mr. Michial Farmer at Ladder on Wheels has written an excellent two-parter about themes of darkness and anxiety in Disney and Pixar movies (including Up). It’s practically a survey of disturbing things in Disney and Pixar movies. The first part is all about how dark the early Disney features were, and how they lost some of that darkness after (roughly) World War II:
…All of the early Disney features—for our purposes, let’s define “early” as prewar, which would allow us to work with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo, and Bambi—are shiny and beautifully drawn, but all of their prettiness only serves to hide the deep, existential dread at their cores.
While Mr. Farmer has a good point, I do think he neglects some of the darker imagery of The Rescuers, The Black Cauldron, The Lion King, or even Lilo & Stitch. Though the darkness in these films isn’t quite as fundamental or thematic as most of the pre-WWII examples he gives.
His second part is all about how Pixar’s stories are successful partly because they have embraced those mature themes which have been largely absent from the post-war Disney films. Here’s part of his discussion of Finding Nemo:
Finding Nemo, on the other hand, begins with a reference to and amplification of the central terror in Bambi. Here Marlin’s wife dies a terrible death just as they’re planning their life together, and the Barrucuda who eats her also goes ahead and takes out all but one of her eggs. Marlin—understandably, although the film doesn’t seem to acknowledge that!—becomes a picture of anxiety, protecting his disabled son (a nod to Dumbo, though Nemo doesn’t get the brutal mocking that his elephantine counterpart does) from the world that took his wife with little to no warning.
It’s very true that Pixar does not shy away from including more sophisticated and mature themes. It’s certainly part of the reason why Pixar movies resonate strongly with both kids and adults. Pixar also does not make the mistake (common among the filmgoing public) of mistaking “dark/edgy” for “dark/mature.” A lot of cartoon and comic fans seem to think it validates their love of the artform if disturbing stuff is haphazardly included, whether or not it actually adds anything symbolically or thematically. Pixar probably learned its lesson after that first disastrous “edgy” draft of Toy Story.
Deep in the Big Black Heart of the Sunshine State
Part 1 >Catena Ex Situ
Part 2 >Catena Ex Situ
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1 Comment | A Bug's Life, Atlantis, Bambi, Bolt, Brother Bear, Cars, Chicken Little, Cinderella, death, Dumbo, ex situ, Fantasia, Finding Nemo, Home on the Range, Lady and the Tramp, Lilo and Stitch, Meet the Robinsons, Monsters Inc., morality, philosophy, Pinocchio, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Song of the South, The Black Cauldron, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Incredibles, The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, The Princess and the Frog, The Rescuers, Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Toy Story 3, Up, villains, violence, WALL-E | Tagged: angst, existential dread, ontological, The Island, World War II | Permalink
Posted by The Editor
April 24, 2009
So what’s the deal with Sugar Bear (you know, that seemingly cute character that always terrorizes his victims by chanting the “you can’t get enough of that Golden Crisp” jingle), is he a good guy or a bad guy? While the traditional response is that he’s a good guy, I propose that he is pure evil. He’s constantly stealing the cereal from Granny Goodwitch, and doesn’t her name suggest that she’s a “good witch?” She goes all the way back to the old wild west in an attempt to escape him, but he’s always there, he’s always one step ahead, waiting to crush the hopes and dreams of an old lady. And if he is a good guy, is this encouraging kids to steal?
- Contributed by Joshua L.
Hmm, actually Sugar Bear has constantly walked the line between good and evil. In all of his early commercials he was that defender and not the aggressor. Alligators and other animals would constantly try to steel his Super Golden Crisp and he would eat it and smack them around (think Popeye with cereal). But in his more recent commercials he does indeed steel cereal from Granny Goodwitch, so the question is, what caused Sugar Bear to fall from grace?
-Contributed by Karmacide
Reading this stuff about Sugar Bear’s transformation from good guy to bad made me think that this change was brought about by society’s view of sugar! Originally, the cereal was known as Post Super Sugar Crisp. Somewhere in the 1980′s, society decided that all things sugar were bad (note that Tony the Tiger once sold “Sugar Frosted Flakes”). Sugar was demonized, and dropped from the names of cereals everywhere – Kellogg’s Corn Pops and Honey Smacks were once Sugar Pops and Sugar Smacks – thus the transformation to Super Golden Crisp. Unable to change the name of an established and possibly possible character, the powers that be probably changed the animated ursine’s personality traits to make them more in line with the view of sugar in American society.
- Contributed by Rich S.
Actually (at the risk of dating myself) Sugar Bear was part of a trilogy of cartoons that used to run on ABC in the late 60s/early 70s (?). He appeared in his own episode along with a postman that represented another Post cereal, Alpha-bits, and a lion that represented yet another cereal I have forgotten. In his cartoon, he was a good character.
- Contributed by Ken G.
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5 Comments | from the archives, morality, Sugar Bear, Tony the Tiger, villains | Tagged: Frosted Flakes, Golden Crisp, Granny Goodwitch, Sugar Crisp | Permalink
Posted by The Editor
April 20, 2009
- In Little Bear, the Bear family celebrates not Christmas or Hanukkah or even Kwanzaa, but “Winter Solstice.” This implies that the Bears are, in fact, pagans. It is also curious that the adult bears wear clothes while Little Bear is free to roam naked. Perhaps there is a coming of age ritual (a breeching?) in which younger bears are finally allowed to wear clothes as part of their symbolic transition into adulthood.
-Contributed by The Editor
- Several of The Backyardigans can be associated with a different continent:
- Pablo the penguin (family Spheniscidae)→ Antarctica
- Tasha the hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) → Africa
- Austin the kangaroo (genus Macropus)→ Australia
Tyrone is either a North American moose or a European elk (Alces alces). Uniqua is most likely either a mud salamander (Pseudotriton montanus) or an axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum), both found in North America. Thus, Tyrone must be associated with Europe.
-Contributed by The Editor
- Handy Manny can be viewed as one man’s quixotic battle against the Second Law of Thermodynamics.
-Contributed by The Editor
- I’ve finally figured out a common trait in lovable cartoon dogs: a relatively large nose.
- debonair dog Brian Griffin has a massive fan base (which I am part of)
- Scooby Doo has enormous fame, not to mention his face on lots of merchandise
- Muttley (popular in Britain at least) has a capability to do anything without getting in trouble. i.e. people will feel sorry for him more often than not.
- Augie Doggy and Doggie Daddy (of Quick Draw McGraw) have a pleasant un-harmful air to their appearances.
-Contributed by UCH
- This is more of a question than an observation. Exactly what time period does Batman: The Animated Series take place? Look at the cars (Batmobile excluded) all of them are from roughly the mid 40′s and all the gangsters wear pinstripe suits and use tommy guns. (Including some of the villains look at Scarface and Two-face) But for all these antiquated references the people of Gotham city still use cellular phones, satellite communication, the latest in biological engineering and lasers, not to mention the multitude of nifty gadgets the super villains use.
-Contributed by Dante Wyrmfoe
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5 Comments | Batman, Family Guy, Handy Manny, Mini-Analyzations, Scooby-Doo, villains | Tagged: Augie Doggie, axolotl, breeching, Doggie Daddy, Muttley, Pseudotriton montanus, Uniqua | Permalink
Posted by The Editor
April 9, 2009
[Editor's note: This incredible, epic article has been floating around the web for about a year; it's originally from one of the memers at 4chan (though it is suspected to have actually been written by either Francis Bacon, Mary Anne Evans, or George Eliot). Recently over at deviantART, an individual known only as BellicoseBreakfast took it upon itself to edit and proof the article for improved readability and coherence, and post it on the deviantART forum. For this, we are most grateful. Rather than merely link to a forum, diaphanous and mercurial as feline affection, we have taken the liberty of reposting it below in its lengthy entirety, with a merciful page break.]
Have you ever noticed that the pacing, tone and story development of Pokemon changes after Ash is hit by lightning in the early episodes, how Ash and his world were relatively normal until after the incident?
I have a theory.
The accident with the bike put Ash into a coma. Days later he was found and was hurried to the hospital and treated with heavy medications, which is why Team Rocket became less menacing. The medication took effect and stabilized his coma dreams so that instead of being terrifying, they became idyllic, allowing him to live out his Pokemon master fantasies.
After the beginning episodes, the series is the result of Ash’s subconscious mind fulfilling his desires, as well as attempting to escape reality. Should Ash realize he’s in a coma, he would wake up, but suffer brain damage, so he must take down all of his mental barriers one by one until he can come to grips with who he is and escape his coma (since his mind will not allow him to escape until he’s come to terms with himself).
Further evidence comes from the realization that even though his journeys take him vast distances, he never travels on a bike due to having developed a phobia.
The coma and fantasy explains why he doesn’t change much physically. It also explains the worldwide socialism, as he thought up a safe system of government that would run smoothly and keep the world going, allowing his adventures to work like they do. It also explains how a child can go off on his own into a world full of dangerous and untamed animals, and why town has the same police officer and every Pokemon centre has the exact same nurse. Joy and Jenny he knew from his hometown, and they act as a safety net or anchor, allowing him to feel safe no matter where he goes. Joy and Jenny represent stability. The professors represent Ash’s ideals, which is why Gary became a professor. The fantasy also explains why every time he enters a new region, virtually no one has heard of him, despite his conquests. How could Paul, the rival of the Sinnoh area, not know of someone who has placed in at least the top 16 of all three leagues and has destroyed the Orange League and Battle Frontier?
Read the rest of this entry »
1,019 Comments | cross-dressing, death, homosexuality, Pokemon, villains | Tagged: 4chan, coma, Meowth, Pikachu, raging inferno of disobedience, Squirtle, Team Rocket | Permalink
Posted by The Editor
April 3, 2009
Contributed by Sterling F.
Of all the shows mentioned on this web site, no one has mentioned Biker Mice from Mars. This truly underrated show had some surprising adult characters and situations.
First let’s look at the main characters. Throttle is the quintessential leader who is smart and your average guy. He is the only one with a girlfriend who is tough and very loyal. Vinnie is the classic young, hyper, oversexed man. He boasts and brags consistently and of course tries to get women (I’ll explain that more later). Modo is the lovable big guy who is committed to family (he is pretty much a mama’s boy). Charley is a woman who lives alone and is a mechanic (she is also the most realistic looking woman as she rarely wears sexy clothing). She obviously enjoys the company the Biker Mice bring her. The villain Limburger is very similar to the British villains seen in James Bond films. His assistant Carbunkle is androgynous in both look and voice. Greasepit, a henchman, is an idiot.
Now, there are tons of sexual overtones and innuendos between Charley and Vinnie. It is evident in the first episodes (in the second episode when Charley is dressed in a short skirt and falls over in front of them, Vinnie asks her to “turn around again”). Other incidents include: his reactions to when Charley is in danger (male protectiveness of his woman), flexing in front of her, jealousy (evident when Charley’s old boyfriend showed up), and many incidences in which he wants her to check him out. Charley flat out refuses all his advances (after all, that is bestiality) but even including that kind of relationship which is more obvious than Elisa and Goliath in Gargoyles is bold.
Also, the Biker Mice are borderline chauvinistic in most of the episodes. They fight while Charley sits in the garage only because they make her. She often has to fight to get equal treatment from them which mirrors the women’s rights movement and the glass ceiling issue.
The villain Limburger could be considered gay. He never does anything himself against the Biker Mice, he hires someone else to do it. Limburger has no family to speak of (except for a nephew…think of Scar from The Lion King) and is often running, yelling, and screaming (with Carbunkle in tow) from the Biker Mice. Also, Limburger has an inferiority complex. He loathes anything dealing with being Plutarkian (he is an alien). He despises doing the Plutarkian greeting and always has on his human mask even when he does not need to (in fact an episode showed a flashback where he was infatuated with Earth movies).
One thing about the show that seemed negative was the portrayal of rats. All the rats on the show are evil or do evil things. Modo, in particular, gets angry when anyone compares him to a rat. The person(?) that brings down the Martian forces is a rat disguised as a mouse who infiltrates the group. He also kidnaps the girlfriend of Vinnie (note that this takes place before they get to Earth). This smells of racism (the rats being African-Americans) and the rat kidnapping one of the mice’s girlfriend goes right into the stereotype of African-American men craving white women.
There are also lots of in-jokes. The voice of Vinnie is Ian Ziering of 90210. Thus, the show had guest appearances by people from 90210 including Luke Perry, Jason Priestly, and Jennie Garth (in fact, Luke Perry’s character looked like a twisted version of him). Also, an episode of the show dealt with Shakespeare. The voice of Limburger is a Shakespearean actor.
I hope this gives you an idea of the show, which was on the air for three seasons. Even though the animation was not nearly as good as Disney or Warner Bros., the writing combined sexual tension, humor, action, and adult in-jokes in virtually every episode while staying within the realm of children’s television. Also, what show geared toward kids would stretch out a storyline through 3 weekly episodes (as it did in its final season, before shows like ReBoot or Beast Wars did it)? Anyone who is a fan of this show or vaguely remembers it should comment and tell me what you think.
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6 Comments | Beast Wars, Biker Mice from Mars, ethnicity, from the archives, Gargoyles, gender, homosexuality, racism, ReBoot, stereotypes, the female gender, The Lion King, the male gender, villains | Tagged: 90210, bestial, Limburger, Throttle | Permalink
Posted by The Editor
February 27, 2009
- A long-running – seemingly endlessly iterated, in fact – conflict between enemies known as Tom and Jerry. Where else have we seen this? That’s right, the First World War, in which the Brits were known collectively as “Tommy Atkins” and they called the Germans “Jerries” (well, when they weren’t calling them “Huns”). Interesting, then, that it’s with Jerry – the historical loser – that our sympathies lie. Revisionist propaganda? Perhaps. Perhaps.
Come to think of it, weren’t the majority of these cartoons produced during and shortly after the second World War, in which Jerry (if you will) was once again the enemy? Posited: a subversive attempt to counteract the “all Germans are Nazis are Evil” propaganda then current – a sort of Don’t Let’s be Beastly to the Germans, without Noel Coward’s sarcasm.
-Contributed by Jeffie
- You know, if you think about it, The Muppets were quite a sublime commentary on the human condition. None of the Muppets were good at what they wanted to be. Piggy wasn’t beautiful. Fozzie wasn’t funny. Kermit couldn’t make his show a success. The Swedish Chef could not cook, etc. They all constantly failed, yet kept trying.
-From Scott Kurtz’s PvP, 12/10/2008
- There’s one reservation I have about [The Rescuers Down Under]. Why does the villain have to be so noticeably dark-complexioned compared to all of the other characters? Is Disney aware of the racially coded message it is sending? When I made that point to another critic, he argued that McLeach wasn’t dark-skinned – he was simply always seen in shadow. Those are shadows are cast by insensitivity to negative racial stereotyping.
-From Roger Ebert’s Review of The Rescuers Down Under
- The Count from Sesame Street shows classic symptoms of OCD.
-Contributed by Jim W.
- In WALL•E, the span of years listed for each of the Axiom’s previous captains is ambiguous about whether it denotes each captain’s lifespan or the number of years in which he or she was captain of the ship. It should be noted that there is no overlap in the years for each captain. This leans towards the possibility that each person’s time as captain lasted an average of 133.2 years. Regardless, whatever each captain’s span of years denotes, they just happen to total out to 666.
From the first captain to the last one before Jeff Garlin’s character:
143+131+140+124+128 = 666
-Contributed by Joon K.
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2 Comments | diagnosis, ex situ, Mini-Analyzations, philosophy, racism, Sesame Street, stereotypes, The Muppet Show, The Rescuers Down Under, Tom and Jerry, villains, WALL-E | Tagged: 666, Axiom, Don't Let's be Beastly to the Germans, Fozzie, Kermit, Miss Piggy, The Count, The Swedish Chef | Permalink
Posted by The Editor
