Episode 96
Hooray for
North Hollywood Part 2
First
of all, I find it mildly humorous that the second part of this saga starts off
with a very blunt recap of the first.
According to Skippy Squirrel and a repeated clip of the Warners saying
they want to make a movie and Plotz saying they can’t do that, this was all
there was for a full half hour. Seeing
as many stages of the Warners wanting to their movie were dragged out, he’s not
entirely wrong. As for the claim that
the second part is more of the same, it’s a slight exaggeration since more plot
happens, but it’s still short of the prestige’s lofty expectations.
Picking
up where the first part left off, the Warners enter the Hollywood party
slightly more in tune to their zany comical mannerisms. They say how the charity the party’s
sponsoring is performing a worthy cause of putting hearts into executives and
humorously trick Ralph into chasing them into the party. There are also funny interactions with
celebrities. Yakko praises Sharon Stone for her appearance in a trailer as
opposed to her acting in a film, and Dot tells Joel Shumacher that she sees all
his films hoping they’ll turn out watchable.
They get chased when Plotz catches them, but the gags of food crashing
into guests feels like a watered-down version of the chase at the end of
“Taming of the Screwy.” Also their genuine and basic determination of saying
they’ll leave when they sell their script further strips them from their true
hilarious nature. In a literal manner of
a quality script showing up to a big name director on a silver platter, the
Warners’ script gets picked up just as Plotz is about to ban them from the
lot. It’s at this point where he’s
called out for denying quality work, and he faces consequences of that for the
rest of the saga.
The
fact that the Warners’ film turns out to be a huge hit is very telling of how
genius can come from the most unlikely and even craziest of places. If only the Warners were as crazy as they
usually are to fit the magnitude of this two-parter. Now, despite this being a good lesson,
unfortunately, their film that earns a lot of success and praise doesn’t live
up to the in-universe bravado. From
what’s seen in a spoof on Siskel and Ebert reviews, the film is nothing more
than parodies of scenes of popular films of the 90s. From my research, it’s basically Independence Day, Slingblade, Fargo, Jerry Maguire, and The
English Patient rolled into one movie.
There’s no common ground to the production and it feels like the Warners
go from role to role. That’s not the
makings of a masterpiece. That’s just a
mess. At least the parodies by
themselves are funny, even if you know nothing about the targeted films. Plus, as the Siskel and Ebert caricatures
say, it does feature a bit of everything a movie should have. Maybe there’s more consistency to the film
than we’re shown, but it will probably never be known. One thing that’s totally inconsistent is a
musical number where Dot thinks a bus is named after her since it has the name
LA DOT on its side. It’s a great song
and fits this part better than “There’s Only One of You” did in the first part,
but it still sticks out from all those 90s movie parodies.
To this part’s credit, as it shows more of a plot, there is some genuine emotion when Plotz, who greatly regrets turning the script down. In fact it's shown that the types of films he approved are those that know how lacking in quality Space Jam really is and predict future disasters like Quest for Camelot. Anyway, Plotz ends up fired by the chairman of the board. The fact that this happens after he sees the error of his ways makes the usual jerk successfully sympathetic. Even with the emotion though, it resolves itself a bit too easily. The Warners have a lot of money from their film, use it to buy stock and own the studio. Then for a New Year’s Eve party, they surprise Plotz by making him the guest of honor and allowing him his old job back.
Thankfully, a few things make the rushed
resolution work. There’s still a positive
impact from the easy fix with Plotz in rags alone on New Year’s Eve getting a
warm reception. Plus, the idea of the Warners becoming heads of the studio
feels like the best conclusion for their roles especially as the show nears its end. If only it came from a better
story. Speaking of which, it ends up
dragging again when just as things are settled with Plotz, several minutes are
dedicated to a song about New Years. It
doesn’t connect to the main plot and is mostly there to set the mood of the
party. At least it’s still great as a
musical number, and is a great way to reflect on the past and prepare for the
future while rocking out at a New Year’s party.
It should probably be played at actual New Year’s parties more
often. The official final scene of the
Warners writing a script for a sequel to their film and popping up in Plotz’s
office ready to present it is also a strong finish. It’s reflective of the ambitious filmmaking
process always beginning anew with every new film idea, the very nature of
Hollywood. This being the last time the
Warner Bros Studio environment, the Warners’ home, as the center of a segment,
also adds benefit to what has unfolded.
As
for “Hooray for North Hollywood” as a whole, its issues are too big to really
allow it to stand as a grand achievement.
The funny characters in the spotlight are severely tamed, the built up
film is just a bunch of parodies, and the pacing either drags or resolves
things too easily. Still, the monumental
character-based moments are endearing, the songs are great, and there’s strong humor
in parodies and celebrity jabs. It’s a mixed experience that makes it clear
that the series is losing steam for not making a longer story the best it can
be, but it leaves a positive classy impact nonetheless.
B
Cartoon Ranking
1. This Pun for Hire
2. The Brain’s Apprentice
3. Magic Time
4. Bully for Skippy
5. Wakko’s 2-Note Song
6. Go Fish
7. From Burbank with Love
8. A Very, Very, Very, Very Special Show
9. Valuable Lesson
10. The Sound of Warners
11. Night of the Living Buttons
12. Dot’s Entertainment
13. Pitter Patter of Little Feet
14. Boo Happens
15. Buttons in Ows
16. Cutie and the Beast
17. Boo Wonder
18. Star Truck
19. Boids on the Hood
20. Back in Style
21. Our Final Space Cartoon We Promise
22. Yabba Dabba Boo
23. The Boo Network
24. The Party
25. The Girl with the Googily Goop
26. Mindy in Wonderland
27. Jokahontas
28. Gimme the Works
29. Ten Short Films About Wakko
30. Hooray for North Hollywood Part 1
31. Papers for Papa
32. My Mother the Squirrel
33. One Flew Over the Cuckoo Clock
34. Hooray for North Hollywood Part 2
35. Amazing Gladiators
36. Cute First (Ask Questions Later)
37. Soda Jerk
38. Hercules Unwound
39. Belly Button Blues
40. No Time For Love
41. Acquaintances
42. Oh Say Can You See
43. Soccer Coach Slappy
44. 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
10. Here Comes Attila
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
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