Thursday, April 30, 2020

It / Dot - The Macadamia Nut / Bully for Skippy - (Animaniacs Vol 4 Part 17) - 'Toon Reviews 39



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Episode 92


It
One of the best things about the parody segments of this show is that they can be great fun and entertainment even if you don’t know much about the source material.  I, for instance, know little to nothing about the film It based on the Stephen King novel other than it involves a clown who kills children.  This episode opens with a parody of that film, and while I don’t know much of the real scene, it’s still expertly constructed as a short scene by itself.  

The whole thing is dark and moody with a heavy blue tint covering a neighborhood street, a home, and its’ interior.  Then the frightening factor is fully realized with a big bombastic musical score playing as Wakko runs for his life through the house.  With it comes a very impressive panning shot containing absolutely no cuts as Wakko runs from room to room, knocking aside various things along the way.  It brings a strong impression that something’s out to get him and as an extra measure of fright, it feels like he’s legitimately about to meet his doom when he’s backed against a wall.  

Then the fear turns to major laughs when it turns out that the thing Wakko was running from was just Dot trying to tag him.  Once she gets him, he’s officially ‘it.’  Basically, the dramatic fear was over something incredibly minor, but with how over-the-top the horror factor was, you just can’t help but burst out laughing when it’s all over.  

Some people like me might not get the reference, but this is still one of the show’s most genius parody bumpers.
A+
Dot – The Macadamia Nut
Of all the song segments of this series, this is one of the most elaborate.  It’s very topical for sure, going for parodying a song new at the time of this episode’s release, “Macarena,” but in mocking its tropes, it greatly stands as its own thing.  

There’s always something of visual and performance-based interest going on through the whole thing essentially playing like a music video.  The tune is very catchy despite being modeled after the trendiest pop song at the time, and how every character involved puts a lot of passion into their performances is impressive.  In fact, the whole song can arguably be seen as one of the biggest musical tributes to the true size and magnitude of the cast.  

As the title states, Dot is the main focus of the whole thing as she sings about her background, but there’s room for enhancement from almost the entire cast.  Of course, Yakko and Wakko are present to offer appropriate background singing.  Dot is directly joined by the two most gorgeous beauties in the cast, Hello Nurse and Minerva Mink.  Certain supporting characters get their own standout moments. Attention is given to Pinky and the Brain for a verse, Slappy in a purple jump suit beats on her enemies, and the Goodfeathers rock out with the Godpigeon.  Other characters don’t do much other than dance, but they’re still a solid collection of familiar figures to make up the number.  Some of them are those who are not seen too often these days like Rita and Runt.  The more notable appearances are from one-off characters like Wally LlamaNewt fawning over Minerva, or Pip Pumphandle, broadening the feel of the song.  

Characters appearances aside, the song also has fun with working in abstract ideas to the unbelievably catchy tune built around the established “Macarena” number.  The rolling layers that show up in the music video proper bring to mind just what they resemble, a slot machine, complete with bar signs and lemons between dancing characters.  Lots of people start laughing for no reason before the last verse, leading Slappy to demand what the joke is, stopping the song for just a few seconds.  Aspects like this are enough to give a fresh touch of comedy, and make this pop song parody something all its own.  It may even be a perfect example of a parody that exceeds the appeal of the original work in fact.  

With solid music to model itself after, great use of character, and comedic touches, this song is one of the best ways to make good use out of the show’s creative capabilities.
A++
Bully for Skippy
One notable thing about the series is how long after it ended, it became hard-pressed to find other animated shows with the same passion.  An example of this is how the use of creative showings of comic violence on enemies got all its fun sucked out and future shows majorly stuck to true-to-reality repercussions.  As we near the show’s end, it’s fitting that the one of the cartoons shown is a commentary on how flawed the push to do away with cartoon violence really is.  

The story opens with Slappy and Skippy in a congressional hearing held by a man named Reef Blunt.  Like the FCC of our world, they declare that all kids’ TV networks must have educational content and will have none of Slappy’s typical brand of cartoon comedy.  Being one thing that defines characters like her and the Warners, Slappy is practically at her most sympathetic being stripped of her true self because of this.  

While the demands of the congressional hearing are setting out to ruin her, Slappy does still find ways to push for her way of life.  It happens with the word that Skippy is dealing with the usual yet very effective childhood challenge of putting up with bullies.  A buff squirrel in his class called Duke is on a rampage of beating on helpless students, including Skippy, and the poor little squirrel is beaten senseless.  Slappy opts to help with her brand of violence, but the threats of Reef Blunt prevent that.  Instead, Spippy goes for more nonviolent methods of managing Duke he picks up from his guidance counselor.  

The thing is, when giving Skippy advice, the guidance counselor never really seems invested in his problem.  This is especially apparent when efforts of Skippy ignoring Duke, sharing things with him, and befriending him just get him more hurt, and she doesn’t even seem to care.  It’s at this point where the big flaw of the no violence rule shows itself.  Slappy and Skippy aren’t allowed to use violence, and in most bully situations, nonviolent approaches can work.  Just from the details of Skippy’s pain alone, this is a case where defense strategies need to be implemented.  I mean, how is it fair for Duke to be allowed to beat Skippy up and not get in trouble, but Slappy and Skippy are under threat of getting in trouble for using violence?  

Truth be told, when Skippy is ready to use Slappy’s methods and forget his guidance counselor's, things turn out better for him and the cartoon’s entertainment value.  Continuously slamming Duke into a metal magnet while he’s wearing a helmet, blowing him up with a boom box, and strapping him to a jetpack are big on the cartoonish angle.  It all works moralistically too since legit attempts at nonviolently dealing with Duke didn’t work, and he deserves major pain.  Really when being nice doesn’t work, this is the only way to deal with thuggish brutes.  

Still, the government and the guidance counselor don’t see it like this and berate Slappy for her encouragement of violence.  However, there’s somewhat of a compromise giving weight to a machine Slappy is shown to be working on throughout the cartoon.  It grabs them both, beats them up when they’re inside it, and they’re beaten enough to approve of Slappy’s actions.  In other words, the violence happens off-screen, so violence can be used to solve problems after all.  It comes with the cost of not showing funny executions of beatings, but it is a strong enough tie to how such a thing goes on to become phased out in all comedy shows.  For that, I consider this cartoon to be a unique showcase of problem solving in the worst situations while being politically fun all at once.
A+
Cartoon Ranking
1.      This Pun for Hire
2.      Bully for Skippy
3.      Wakko’s 2-Note Song
4.      Go Fish
5.      From Burbank with Love
6.      A Very, Very, Very, Very Special Show
7.      Valuable Lesson
8.      The Sound of Warners
9.      Night of the Living Buttons
10.  Dot’s Entertainment
11.  Pitter Patter of Little Feet
12.  Boo Happens
13.  Buttons in Ows
14.  Cutie and the Beast
15.  Star Truck
16.  Boids on the Hood
17.  Back in Style
18.  Our Final Space Cartoon We Promise
19.  Yabba Dabba Boo
20.  The Boo Network
21.  The Party
22.  The Girl with the Googily Goop
23.  Mindy in Wonderland
24.  Jokahontas
25.  Gimme the Works
26.  Ten Short Films About Wakko
27.  Papers for Papa
28.  My Mother the Squirrel
29.  One Flew Over the Cuckoo Clock
30.  Amazing Gladiators
31.  Soda Jerk
32.  Hercules Unwound
33.  Belly Button Blues
34.  No Time For Love
35.  Oh Say Can You See
36.  Soccer Coach Slappy
37.  Anchors A-Warners
Song Ranking
1.      Dot – The Macadamia Nut
2.      The Ballad of Magellan
3.      Hello Nurse
4.      Bones in the Body
5.      Noel
6.      The Big Wrap Party Tonight
7.      When You’re Traveling from Nantucket
8.      Panama Canal
9.      Multiplication
Miscellaneous Ranking
1.      It
2.      Gunga Dot
3.      Mighty Wakko at the Bat
4.      Ralph’s Wedding
5.      End Credits
6.      Moosege in a Bottle
7.      Rugrats Parody
8.      The 12 Days of Christmas
9.      Flavio Commercials
10.  The Return of the Great Wakkorotti
11.  Pinky and the Ralph

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode featuring Dot against a shrill vain version of Snow White, the Warners bunking with the cast of Friends, a surprisingly subpar song about Attila the Hun, and Chicken Boo as Batman's sidekick.

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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