Say Uncle
This cartoon has an interesting background. It’s a crossover with another Cartoon Network show, Uncle Grandpa. I’ve never seen it, but just from images of that show, it’s clear this is very different from Steven Universe. While the main show is wholesome and fantasy-driven, Uncle Grandpa feels like it’s all random craziness without a point to anything. Putting these shows together does not feel like a good combination, but for what we have, it’s a pretty entertaining break from the norm. The whole cartoon is meant to be taken as a joke right down to saying that what happens isn’t canon, so you can easily enjoy the craziness.
The crossover happens as
Steven tries to use his gem to activate his shield. Him activating his shield during two of the
show’s biggest events shouldn’t make this action that hard at this point,
but with the cartoon not being canon, it’s acceptable that this is the moment that brings on Uncle
Grandpa. He has potential as a great
comedic character with his creative entrance, visual gags, and how he
light-heartedly approaches Steven’s problem.
However, he has an annoying voice and his attempts to help Steven are
ineffective and dangerous. He’s all
right for a short one-off appearance, but not a whole show, so this cartoon doesn't make me interested to check the show out.
While he’s mildly amusing here, the cartoon
really picks up in entertainment when the Crystal Gems get involved. Their confused reactions to Uncle Grandpa’s
antics and panic when he comes close to hurting Steven each have their touch of
hilarity, especially Pearl’s who is more prone to outbursts than usual. The Crystal Gems’ role also moves the plot
forward when they come to the conclusion that Uncle Grandpa must be destroyed,
and when he and Steven run away and bring out something called a “plot hole,”
the further moments of the cartoon are divided amongst the characters.
The moments of Steven and Uncle Grandpa exploring
the Uncle Grandpa Recreation Vehicle are fun in their own right, but end up
going nowhere. Even when we get
somewhere about Steven’s shield problem, it stops to crack an unneeded
joke. As for the Crystal Gems stuck in a
barren white area, this moment is much more humorously entertaining through Pearl freaking out
and running around because of the situation, Amethyst eating Pizza Steve who
casually walks in, and Garnet simply getting them out with a single stomp. They have stronger displays of character and
actually lead to something.
Just as
they’re about to attack Uncle Grandpa again, Steven finally summons his shield
to protect him due to his strong emotional connection to him, just like the
other times this happened. Out of this
we do get a message on how you should listen to people you don’t understand
instead of attacking them. Now, it makes
sense to get to know others before deciding you don’t like them, but the message’s
execution makes it feel like you should listen to all people you don’t
understand even if they’re dangerous.
That alone weakens its power, but I can’t complain too much since this
cartoon is mostly a joke.
Speaking of
joke, we close with the most unique joke of the crossover as
Uncle Grandpa checks Steven off a list of other Cartoon Network kids,
sure to elicit nostalgia and cleverness of bringing all shows of this network
together.
This cartoon may not be
required to view at all, but as a non-canon cartoon, it’s worthy of a watch if
you’re in the mood for a laugh. 9/10
The Ranking
- Full Disclosure
- Joy Ride
- Say Uncle
If you want to stay updated for more reviews, become a follower of this blog, click here to like the official Facebook page, and click here to follow me on Twitter.
If you would like to check out other Steven Universe reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.
No comments:
Post a Comment