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Episode 78
The Sound of
Warners
One
film that I seem to appreciate more the older I get is The Sound of Music. Such an
inspiring emphasis on the power of music and wholesome themes of family love amidst
sweeping production values is simply one of cinema’s most enthralling works. In its trend of
parodying popular works, this film is the target of this carton. Thankfully, this cartoon doesn’t really
attack The Sound of Music for what it
is. It instead shows how the nature of
that film doesn’t fit that of a cartoon starring the Warners.
Starting off with overhead pans of the city
of Burbank just before the first song, the immersion in the parodied material
is clear. As for the first song that
plays just as the focus is set on the cartoon's version of Maria, named Prunella
Flundergust, it sets up a funny formula for the song parodies. This one is of the titular song of The Sound of Music which highlights the
beauty of nature that causes the performer to burst into song. In the parody, it describes the much less
attractive smog-filled, traffic laden Burbank street, but is approached with
the same love for nature. One thing you
can get out of this fist song is that it’s very telling of what to expect from
Prunella. Like the original Maria, when
she has the spirit of song in her heart, she’s just got to express it everywhere. Though unlike Maria, Prunella is too fixated
on her songs to show any emotion other than joy and happiness and practically seems inhumane.
This is realized when she reaches the Warner Bros studio, where she
willingly takes on the role of the Warners’ new nanny.
In a lively song parody of
“Maria,” a list of all the wild things the kids do to the studio staff leads to
their introduction. The Warners at first
are perfectly accepting of a new nanny, even adding their own musical
flair. However, the moment Prunella
shows her overbearing motherly ways, the Warners can tell they're in real
trouble. It seems that the Warners can
overpower people with their overbearing traits, but are virtually powerless
against the overbearing ways of other people.
With Prunella’s singing about anything, it’s too much even for
them. She takes them on a picnic they
attempt to rope Dr. Scratchansniff into, and she breaks into a number about
poison oak he catches. Fitting the
comedic parodies, this number is all the funnier when you find out it’s a play
on one of the film’s most endearing songs “Edelweiss.” At night, the Warners toss and turn in fear
over Prunella’s smothering, and her help only makes them more afraid in a sappy
modern reference-filled take on “My Favorite Things.” This is enough to move them to violence, but
when Wakko tries, he can’t go through with it.
Via a fourth wall-break, it’s because the Warners annoying people isn’t
that simple. They have to be provoked by
someone being mean or rude. So, the
Warners work their own annoying musical antics during Prunella’s songs about
the benefits of oatmeal parodying another endearing song, “Climb Every
Mountain.” Despite how boisterous they
are, she’s completely unmoved. After a
good effort, the Warners resort to their next best option by asking for help
from someone who enjoys blowing people up as a hobby, Slappy Squirrel. In her humorous ways, she nonchalantly gives
the blissfully unaware Prunella a bunch of dynamite that blows her all the way
to where she belongs. Even if you have
only the slightest knowledge of The Sound
of Music you can tell that it’s the home of the Von Trappe family where
she’ll become the children's governess.
As for the Warners, it seems that they still can’t shake off Julie Andrews
characters when soon afterwards, they’re met with a Mary Poppins parody. I wonder if they’ll realize she’s even firmer
than her Sound of Music character.
On the whole though, this is a solid parody
of a classic musical with hilarious takes on the songs, and a humorous showing
of a character out of place in a given environment.
A+
Yabba Dabba
Boo
Among
the characters in this show’s cast, one of the absolute most formulaic is
Chicken Boo. The giant,
realistic-looking chicken somehow making it big until his disguise comes off
follows the same routine every time.
Yet, more often than not, the formula works with the cartoons being
short and never overstaying their welcome. They even have a few of their own
distinctive surprises. There are a few
notable ones here in this cartoon about Chicken Boo playing a renowned director
helping a film crew get a film adaptation of The Flintstones off the ground.
First off, some of the members of the crew are caricatures of people who
actually work on Animaniacs. The man in charge of the meeting is a
caricature of staff writer Peter Hastings.
One of the directors bears a striking resemblance to the series creator,
Tom Reugger. The one director calling
Chicken Boo out for who he really is takes a liking to Sherri Stoner, complete
with the snark of a certain squirrel she voices on the show. Throughout the meeting, there’s a fresh take
on how hilariously easy it is for the outside world to fall for a chicken in a
flimsy disguise. When asked what Fred
Flintstone would do in certain situations, all Chicken Boo can answer with is a
few authentic chicken clucks. This is
enough to send the directors laughing as if those clucks are perfect for the
scenes they have in mind all while the Sherri Stoner caricature gives a deadpan
glance to the whole thing. It’s one of those
things that make Chicken Boo so stupid that you just can’t help but laugh at
it.
As for how he’s exposed, it’s
actually one of the most believable ways for that to happen. Lunch comes in for the film crew, and they
all happen to be cooked chicken entrees.
The very sight of them is enough to make Chicken Boo freak out as the
sight of dead chickens would typically do to a living one, and these actions cause his
disguise to come off. His identity
exposed gets him kicked out as usual, though you can’t help but wonder how the
film will turn out now. Will the crew
still use Chicken Boo’s decisions they felt were genius? Are they going to have to think harder for
something for Fred to say in those scenes?
That’s one of the inherent problems with these Chicken Boo
cartoons.
Still, I give credit for this
being one of the best cartoons to embrace the sheer ridiculousness of the idea
of his formula.
A
Cartoon Ranking
1. This Pun for Hire
2. Go Fish
3. The Sound of Warners
4. Buttons in Ows
5. Star Truck
6. Yabba Dabba Boo
7. Gimme the Works
8. Hercules Unwound
Song Ranking
1. Multiplication
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