Sunday, June 30, 2019

Schnitzelbank / The Helpinki Formula / Les Boutons et Le Balon / Kung Boo (Animaniacs Vol 3 Part 6) - 'Toon Reviews 32

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Episode 56
Schnitzelbank
Some could say that this show is virtually anything it wants to be, and in a way that couldn’t be truer.  As this song segment proves, it takes a simple German children’s song and makes it a really lively and also surprising animated work. 

The tone starts off as innocent as children’s songs typically are as the Warners appear in Germany to learn what’s known as the “International Friendship Song.”  The man teaching them all about it is Otto von Schnitzelpusskrankengescheitmeyer, a jolly looking fellow.  At this point, the song is as innocent as it can get as Otto and the Warners go to different objects like chalk, a key and lock, and a clock and put them to music.  Interestingly enough, what they do is accurate to the real life Schnitzelbank folk song as you’ll find out with a little research. 
As basic as what everyone sings is, it’s kept fun by a lively musical orchestration and fast-paced animation to keep up with the tempo.  There’s so much entertainment and energy from what’s being sung, you don’t care that it may be juvenile, at least at the start.  Because of the energy, the song is open for many humorous verses when the Warners give it a shot.  Some of them play to humorous character traits like Yakko stuffing bread into Wakko’s head or Dot flirting with Otto.  The most stand-out verse is easily Wakko making one out of Otto’s incredibly long name, even if it has too many syllables to match the beats. 

Then comes the most surprising part of the song as if the Warners’ humorous twists on it weren’t enough.  Since the song here is referred to as the “International Friendship Song,” they decide to go with the more sexual definition of friendship.  In a set of verses, they draw attention to Otto’s fatness and his big butt, and later undress him, at least to his underwear from France and hairy chest.  Now, this direction is sure to catch a lot of people off guard where after spending the song innocently observing the world around them, matters turn to stripping an innocent guy.  However, like I said earlier, the last verses can also fit the nature of the title for how it can function as another way of expressing friendship.  In other words, using the song to undress Otto works as a funny twist ending to the song. 
With great animation and music and surprising yet hilarious directions taken in spots, this song is a perfect example of this show’s greatest strengths.  By taking something that’s seemingly meaningless, it leaves the audience  with entertainment destined to last a lifetime.


A+
The Helpinki Formula


Sometimes, it’s impressive how close Pinky and the Brain get to achieving their goals of world domination.  This cartoon is a prime example of this concept where everything is so well planned out to ensure success.  By the time the obligatory failure comes, it honestly comes as a surprise with a big moment that’s so bizarre, even for a show like this. 
Brain has invented a substance called the Smallerizer Plus that shrinks anything and anyone down to mouse-size with just one drop, and it works too.  However, he specifically explains that only one drop of the stuff is to be used or else there will be an unpredictable occurrence.  When it comes to letting his creation be known, an amusing direction is taken with that as well.  Taking usual inspiration from Pinky’s TV watching, Brain decides to advertise the Smallerizer Plus on an infomercial, described as a way to get people to buy things they don’t need. 
This basic description is the driving force of the legit progress in the plan via an exaggerated yet comedic atmosphere of the infomercial studio.  Throughout the show, there are frequent cuts to the same animation of an audience going crazy over key parts of the presentation.  They even go crazy over a completely random scene of Pinky setting fire to a car.  As for Brain and his product, it’s an easy venue to get the word and for people to put in a good word for it.  Considering how the direction makes it clear that people will cheer for anything on this show, it makes sense that they’d want to buy something that shrinks them.  In an ironic sense, the Smallerizer Plus is boosted by celebrities as they get what they want by getting shrunk by it.  Well, that’s at least true for Cher in regards to big hair, but it doesn’t work for Janet Jackson, the shrink, when her nose doesn’t get small with the rest of her. 
This leads to the plan’s failure which involves one of the rare times Pinky’s unintelligence is a key factor as most people would expect.  Even though he was told not to add a second drop of the Smallerizer Plus, he attempts to do that, and when Brain tries to stop him, the whole supply rains over everyone.  This brings the bizarre part where the overdose of the Smallerizer Plus turns everyone in to gigantic cleat-wearing yodelers.  I know it was said that the outcome to this would be unpredictable, but this is just random in a rather uncomfortable way.  I could find it funny for how out-there this whole thing is, but it just leaves me dumbfounded with the wayward nature.  Maybe that’s because of the extremely unfortunate implications that innocent people are now trapped yodeling in completely different bodies, possibly forever.  Won’t this cause their friends and families total grief?  Shouldn’t drastic measures be taken to turn everyone back to normal? 
As you can tell, for how fun this cartoon was, this cartoon ends with a good deal of boneheaded actions, moments so insane even for this show, and discomfort.  Thanks to the sight humor factor, with more of it coming from before the part with Janet Jackson’s nose, it’s still easy to have a fun enough time here.
A-
Les Boutons et le Ballon


Of all the segments of this episode, this one is the best reason for why we start it with the French version of the theme song.  At its core, it’s just your average Mindy and Buttons cartoon where Mindy goes after a red balloon, Buttons chases her to keep her safe, but gets hurt himself.  There is, however, one thing that makes it stand out even if it’s more to do with the aesthetic than the writing. 
The cartoon is entirely in French which makes sense considering that it takes place in France.  This direction is a great way to make the setting come alive instead of merely being a backdrop for all the actions.  It also makes good use of France where all the gags that come from the usual pursuit unfold in famed locations.  Mindy chases her red balloon along the River Seinne, it looks like she falls in, but lands on a riverboat unbeknownst to Buttons.  When she goes up to Notre Dame Cathedral to get the balloon, Buttons is walked over by a procession of nuns walking with who appears to be a caricature of Madeline.  The flight up the Eiffel Tower highlights how people can get up its many levels via elevator, making for a clever Baby Plucky cameo.  If you’ve seen his typical routine in Tiny Toon Adventures, you probably have a good idea of what he does around elevators.  Even Mindy going after a red balloon is a nice stylistic choice to fit the custom of Mindy chasing something cute looking.  Film buffs may be aware of a French short film of a boy who befriends a lonely red balloon called The Red Balloon.  It’s much more somber than Mindy’s chase for it here, but it suits the setting well regardless.  Combined with the direct use of French language, the use of the landmarks for the gags are used to their fullest potential, crafting the city through the show’s perspective. 
However, this is still the only thing this cartoon has going for it among other Mindy and Buttons cartoons.  It’s largely the same thing as we get from these characters which isn’t too interesting and still isn’t very fair to some characters.  There’s at least one point when Buttons’ pain feels deliberate as the riverboat backs into him once Mindy is safe when there’s little to no reason for this to happen.  Is Buttons supposed to get hurt on purpose just for the formulas sake?  Plus, he still gets scolded for messing up the one order he was given which doesn’t do much to dispel the usual mean-spiritedness even if it is refreshing to get a French version.  This still means his efforts went unnoticed as usual.  Even if it does feel different, the formulaic undertones are still present and hold the cartoon back.  Thankfully, the atmosphere is a key factor in at least making this one of Mindy and Buttons’ more memorable escapades.
A-
Kung Boo



Keeping with formulaic undertones, we close this episode with a Chicken Boo cartoon.  Usually, the ridiculous formula is made successful by the interesting ways key elements are shaken up.  Here though, it’s shaken up to pretty disappointing lengths. 
This time, the giant chicken is in a state karate championship and is faced off against a fierce opponent in the dojo.  As usual, it’s amusing to see a big-eyed dumb looking chicken make it to the big time in a given area.  He not only has many alleged accomplishments to him, but also his own sensei who’s been guiding him for a while.  You get the impression that he has a lot to be impressed by when it comes to karate. 
Then we get to the actual match where all the bravado built up for Chicken Boo as a karate star is put to waste.  He never actually pulls any punches with his attacks.  The jerky opponent constantly gets the upper hand during the fight, and even the sensei’s teachings do no good.  He brings up a philosophy about a grasshopper, and Chicken Boo just goes for that instead of participating in the fight.  I get the humor of the scenario since this is what a real-life chicken would do around grasshoppers, but Chicken Boo’s been more competent than this before. 
By the time we get to the part where his disguise comes off, it’s hard to really feel for him since he really doesn’t live up to his celebrated greatness.  At least there’s a funny reaction of Chicken Boo’s sensei karate chopping himself far away upon realizing his student is a chicken.  In the end it’s hard to know how to feel.  It’s very mean that Chicken Boo is given all this animosity for being a chicken which somehow means his accomplishments mean nothing now, as is usually so.  However, as mean as it is, it’s hard to say if it’s truly unwarranted given that he turns out to be no karate star even when no one except one person sees him as one.  This makes for one of the most confusing Chicken Boo starring roles.  I give credit for a few good laughs and Asian atmosphere from the sensei’s philosophies, but it’s still merely passable by this show’s standards.

C+


Cartoon Ranking

1.      Frontier Slappy

2.      The Warners and the Beanstalk

3.      Brain Meets Brawn

4.      Yes, Always

5.      Drive Insane

6.      Meet Minerva

7.      A Gift of Gold

8.      Ups and Downs

9.      The Helpinki Formula

10.  Les Boutons et le Ballon

11.  Gold Rush

12.  Kung Boo

13.  The Brave Little Trailer

14.  Girlfeathers

Song Ranking

1.      Schnitzelbank

2.      I’m Cute

3.      Dot’s Quiet Time

Miscellaneous Ranking

1.      Branimaniacs
 

The next Animaniacs review puts the Warners in an authentic morale boosting film for World War II, Rita spends a cartoon up a tree, and Wakko gets into his true animated nature with his own Rube Goldberg device.
Next time on MC Toon Reviews we meet the "Off Colors" in Steven Universe.
If you would like to check out other Animaniacs reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.

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