Episode 3
H.M.S.
Yakko
It’s great that even this early in the run, the works
this show presents are pretty dang amazing, and this cartoon is one of
them. Like most cartoons starring the
Warners, it’s pretty basic in terms of plot, but its animated execution is what
makes a marvel.
The plot simply has the
Warners pick a beach to hang out at, but it turns out to belong to a homicidal
pirate who’s missing most of his limbs, Captain Mel, and he’s set on killing
the siblings for trespassing on his private pirate property. That doesn’t sound like much to the story,
but with little elements on prominent display, it feels a lot more substantial.
First, there’s the music, which takes a lot
of inspiration from the Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, H.M.S. Pinafore and The Pirates of Penzance two classical
musical works that are sure to fly over the heads of most people. With this sophisticated choice of music comes
several short songs to enhance the story whether they help introduce the main
players or give an upbeat edge to their confrontations.
The cartoon is also a strong show of
characterization for the Warners. Even
in the face of death from a stubby pirate captain who’s way more threatening
than he appears, they’re completely level-headed and aren’t afraid to work in humor to their morbid situation all throughout.
This is a more amazing tactic of dealing with a dangerous situation than
one might think. Most people in real
life would probably be scared out of their wits to fight back against someone
who wanted to kill them let alone make jokes.
Heck, even characters in most other cartoons are shown to react to
serious problems this way. However,
through treating a murderous adversary as lightly as they are, the Warners
prove themselves as one-of-a-kind cartoon characters, with randomness and
unpredictability synonymous with animation’s endless possibilities to portray. They break into song, engage Mel in a friendly
conversation when he plans to attack them, and when it’s time to face him in
battle, they use big comedy weapons they pull out of nowhere and nonchalantly
use them against Mel. In fact, the
latter tactic is what ultimately brings the strengths of the cartoon
together.
When Mel asks how they got
their big weapons, the strongest song plays to answer the question. It’s a big fast-paced tribute to how
cartoonish gags can be an effective mean to fight against one’s enemy. So many different gags are used such as
starting and stopping the action on a whim, freaking out the opponent with
sudden scary faces, and having random objects like anvils and even cannibals
appearing when needed. Accompanied with
a lively orchestration of classic Gilbert and Sullivan piece "I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major General", the whole song
that finishes off Mel and ends the cartoon is not just a fun song on its own,
but is also effective proof that when it comes to cartoons, humorous means of
retaliation can be just as effective as common serious battle strategies.
With a great choice of music to accompany
what goes on, great shows of character from the protagonists, and reasons why
cartoonish humor should be used more for retaliation against enemies in today’s
shows, this is another high point for the series fully confirming it to be the
ultimate show for animated greatness. 10/10
Slappy Goes
Walnuts
Teamed with a Warner siblings cartoon where the kids utilize
the wonders of cartoon violence to deal with their enemy, this cartoon
officially introduces a member of the cast who makes an art out of that brand
of comedy, Slappy Squirrel.
The very
idea of this character is one of this show’s most ingenious. She’s a retired
cartoon character who had her own short film series during the Golden Age of
Animation, and retains her knowledge of cartoonish physical comedy in the
present day constantly putting it to good use against a set of enemies. Many of Slappy’s starring roles pit her
against a spiteful adversary or major annoyance to her peace and quiet which she
handles with a good old blow to the head or surprise explosion resulting in
hilarious outcomes on the enemies. These classic forms of physical humor are still hilarious to this day, and make it
all the more unfortunate that most modern cartoons have
characters fight with fists or complex weapons and get hurt realistically with detailed gore and bruises which
usually look too painful to be funny.
In addition to
utilizing a grossly underused style of humor, Slappy’s cartoons also have a
heart to them as she willingly passes down her comedy knowledge to a younger
generation in the form of her nephew, Skippy, who completely idolizes her. In her first starring role, Slappy puts all
her strengths to great effect as she takes Skippy to get walnuts from the yard
of a dog named Doug while she uses all the cartoon gags she knows to outwit
Doug when he tries to stop her. Skippy
opts for playing safe and simply buying walnuts, but Slappy is brave enough to
go for a more laugh-filled mean of getting them, and it shows that she knows
what she’s doing.
Her retaliation is as simple as whacking him on the head with
something like a club or frying pan often coming with humorous reshapes instead
of realistic cuts or brain damage. However, they increase in cleverness when
she later tricks him into getting hold of an active dynamite stick, and putting
her own spin on the rigged instrument gag frequently seen in classic Looney Tunes shorts. There’s even a creative gag all her own when
Doug tries to distract her with a walnuts video, and through fixing it by
rewinding it, she traps him inside the program where he’s not only treated to
another explosion, but also a somewhat suggestive scene of a squirrel hiding
his nuts where the sun doesn’t shine.
B.T.W.: there’s a lot more suggestive scenes like this to come from this
series. To close off the cartoon, we get
a good payoff to Slappy’s cartoon knowledge when Skippy shows how much he’s
learned from his aunt that day, and with the help of the “brain food” made from
the walnuts they got, he delivers one last gag on Doug, a good old anvil to the
head.
Even if classic cartoon violence
may be rare these days, it’s good that cartoons like this one are timeless
enough to give it some hope. More
importantly, this is an amazing cartoon to show off Slappy Squirrel and
everything that makes her such a great addition to the show’s cast and a huge
tribute to the appeal of cartoon comedy.
10/10
Yakko’s
Universe
A great song is one that not only sounds good or has poetic
lyrics, but also can leave a significant impact on the listener in some
way. While this show has many masterful
song segments, if I had to pick one to represent it, this would easily be the
one. In fact, it’s the most impactful
song I’ve ever heard in an animated TV series.
Mostly set against a wholesome winter scene, it features Yakko singing
about the universe and its vast and wondrous features. Accompanied by a highly soothing tune that
leaves you peacefully smiling for the duration, the song takes us through
many prominent parts of the universe like the Earth itself, the stark void of
space, and the many moons and galaxies.
The visuals of all these elements really sells just how big the universe
really is. As a matter of fact, it
frequently lists little tidbits about its grand size while impressively keeping
up with the tune.
One endearing factor of the song is that it brings to light something a lot
of us frequently take for granted. The
whole thing serves as a reminder that every part of the universe, including
human beings like us are very small and insignificant, and the universe itself
just keeps growing for infinity leaving endless possibilities for things to
see. It honestly makes the universe we
live in a very beautiful thing to behold, and it may seem sad when you start
thinking that even if we try, none of us will ever match its magnitude. However, that’s where the aspect that makes
this song such a masterful work comes in.
After hearing so much about how beautiful and ever-expanding the
universe is, the song closes with a reassuring message for the infinitely
smaller lifeforms out there: “Though we don’t know how it got here, we’re an
important part here; It’s a big universe and it’s ours’.” This means that no
matter who you are in this world, galaxy, or universe, you’re still a part that
makes up the universe’s beauty. So,
whenever you may feel worthless and don’t give any value to anyone anywhere,
this moving, awe-inspiring, song exists to remind you that everyone exists for
a reason. Not only can you be immensely
enthralled by this song for how it sounds, but you can also be left feeling
truly good about yourself when it’s over.
With its great visuals, serene construction, and an optimistic message
for people everywhere, this is an amazing song that I’m really glad is from a
show as amazing as this one. 10/10
Cartoon Ranking
- Slappy Goes Walnuts
- H.M.S. Yakko
- De-zanitized
- Win Big
- Cookies for Einstein
Song Ranking
- Yakko’s Universe
- Yakko’s World
- The Monkey Song
Miscellaneous Ranking
- Nighty-Night Toon
Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where the Warners interact with the historical figure, Michelangelo, and a big string of animated antics ensue, and we see the beginning of the Goodfeathers.
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