#He really is such a delightful character. Really really charming design & personality & fun cartoon-character elements like the ink etc

[small-small-slime]

Did a few little drawings of @coulsart's OC Pierrot/Jacques!!!

[tuiyla]

So I finally watched The Owl House

I wish I’d do this with every show I watch but it seems like only a lucky few get the She-Ra style rant of love treatment. Well, I finally watched The Owl House after my dash having been flooded for the past couple of weeks and I have some thoughts. Slight spoilers below.

First off, I love the whole vibe. I had a faint idea that this show would be about magic but I didn’t know much before watching - except for one thing, we’ll get back to that. The way it builds its world and deals with magic, though, is so refreshing. And I just have to mention here that I laughed out loud at all the Harry Potter jabs, they were hilarious. I expect we’ll learn much more about magic and its users as the show goes on but as far as the first season goes the introduction was really solid. It strikes the right balance between leaving things to the imagination but being more than “wave wand and magic happens”. It’s colourful, it’s creative, and I even like the ovens and school tracks, despite knowing that the story is about not conforming to those. It makes the Boiling Isles unique and make me want to learn more about the world even beyond the characters and the main plot.

TOH also presents a world that’s much more macabre than I was expecting from the Disney Channel, not that that’s a bad thing. I found myself thinking of Adventure Time at certain points and pondering, at scary moments, how kids would react. I think kids love this, though, and besides, nothing can be more scarring than Courage the Cowardly Dog was. It’s not that terrifying, of course, just daring enough to stand out. Overall the show has what I would classify as more of a Cartoon Network vibe than a Disney Channel one, but I admittedly haven’t really been following many Disney shows. In any case, I dig it. I dig the weird creatures and the beautiful backgrounds and I appreciate how alive the Boiling Isles feel. It doesn’t take long for TOH to immerse you in its world so I’m for one am hooked.

I make a big deal of loving the world itself because rarely does it happen that world-building stands out to me so soon in a series. I do love carefully constructed fantasy worlds but for the most part I’m more interested in the characters themselves. Here, I’d say it’s close to being a 50-50, which is something that even Avatar can’t say with its elemental masterclass in world-building (which is mostly because the character depth there is unrivaled but still). So yeah, kudos to The Owl House for achieving this. From Luz’s glyph magic to the covens and the titans, I’m excited to explore this world more.

Now, the characters. The real meat of any story. Starting with Luz, I have seen some criticism that she’s a generic hero so far, the “I’m a weirdo”, heart of gold, upbeat variety. I don’t think this makes her bland, though I do admit that being told over and over again that she’s weird makes me less engaged, even she’s also shown to be weird. I like the message of her arc and that the chosen one trope was deconstructed almost right away. I like that she’s relentlessly enthusiastic and kind to people and I like that she doesn’t have to get more bitter in order to get development. Instead, she learns from her mistakes but keeps being herself and brings her unique spirit to the Boiling Isles. We need protagonists like Luz, not just because she’s latina and bisexual but because her learning process doesn’t involve cynicism. Sure, there is a lot she needs to learn but her heart is presented as an asset and a sort of source of magic. I’m excited to see where her story goes, for sure.

I’m gonna write briefly about the other characters before I get to my favourite one. Eda is super cool and I quickly got over the fact that she’s not Beatrice Horseman, lol. She embodies such a youthful energy but the show also allows her to be a middle-aged woman comfortable in her own body - well, owl curse notwithstanding. Also, her relationship with Lilith is one of my favourite parts of the whole show. Eda subverts so many of the mentor’s traditional tropes and I’m here for it. I kinda thought she was the villain based on her design and when I didn’t know anything about the show but hey, happy she’s not.

I don’t think I’d even seen a picture of King before starting to watch the series and at first I thought I’d get tired of him real quick. He’s the type of character who can get really annoying instead of endearing really fast if he’s not given any depth or charm, both by way of writing and voice acting. Luckily, I ended up liking King and his antics. His design is indeed adorable and Alex Hirsch is a genius. The only time I felt like he went too far was, perhaps surprisingly, in the book writing episode, “Sense and Insensitivity”, but even there going too far was the point. So yeah, King’s also great, there’s much potential in his backstory and general character.

Alright so really quickly, other characters: Willow and Gus are generic best friend characters and though they already have other things going on, I expect more development as the series progresses. I like that Willow is actually super powerful, just not in the way people expected her to and Gus is clearly also talented despite being younger. I’d be happy to see more of the other kids, get more familiar with Hexside. Edric and Emira are fun characters but they were really shitty in their first episode so I was kind of surprised they weren’t more of a nuisance to Amity later on. I’m all for supportive siblings so I wouldn’t mind a good relationship between the three but I feel like it’s more complicated than that with the Blights.

Finally, I also have to mention that Hooty is... well, quite something, isn’t he. Much like with King, I thought he’d be much more annoying but somehow the show is self-aware enough that it makes Hooty tolerable. I’m almost always torn between feeling sorry for him and being thoroughly weirded out, and I think that’s the intention? It’s fitting that he’s the titular character as he embodies the tone of The Owl House well in my eyes. He’s there for the comedy but there’s just enough there to hint at something more. Very bizarre, strong CN vibes, here for it.

Now that I’ve written a paragraph more about Hooty than I expected to, let’s talk about Amity. Listen, no other character stood a chance to be my favourite as soon as I learned Mae Whitman voiced Amity. That woman gave me Katara so now I have a quasi Pavlovian response to her voice. I’d also say that I knew more about Amity going into the show than I did about any other aspect of TOH. I heard somewhere that she started out as an antagonist, I knew her parents were abusive, and the reason the show blew up on my dash and my general online bubble is the Grom episode. Lucikly I only saw stills of Lumity beneath the crescent moon but the pure Sapphic energy of that was enough to gay migrate me to this show. I’d like to note it here though that The Owl House is a good show in and of itself, the queer rep is just a nice extra. I’m gonna spend the next couple hundred words going on about Amity and her crush on Luz but I don’t value only that. The Gay Migration is great and rep is great but I’m also grateful to have a solid show behind it. That being said.

I’m a total dyke for Amity Blight. I was very biased before even being introduced to her character but I genuinely find her to be fascinating and she has great potential. She’s developing quite quickly, like much of The Owl House, but an arc not being stretched out for several seasons before getting a rushed conclusion is refreshing. The progress hits all the beats and the only note I have is that I want more. She starts out as a generic bully but the opportunity to be more is there from the beginning. We find out early on that she used to be friends with Willow, we see that she works hard and values honest work. When she becomes Luz’s rival, it doesn’t last long before Amity shows that she’s open to new perspectives. That’s not to defend or even justify her earlier and nastier moments, Amity was rude to both Luz and Willow. But through all that, she becomes a complex character who does bad things but isn’t a bad person and grows when she gets the space to. I think that’s neat.

Luz’s decision to befriend her might be cartoon logic but as someone who subscribes to the “kill them with kindness” ideology, I can totally relate. Amity’s softer side doesn’t take long to show and “Lost in Language” is such a great episode to show how complex people can be. Again, I was already biased when it came to Amity but she’s consistently shown to be capable of self-reflection and growth when others give her the chance. I think her past and potential future friendship with Willow is a great way to explore many different topics and I’m trusting the show to do it justice. I also can’t wait to meet the rest of the Blights, if only to get me some angst and further develop Amity. I half expected Grom to take the form of her parents. Too dark for Disney? Well, we don’t know Amity’s dynamic with her parents, exactly, but there’s so much subtext and potential. I love what we’ve already seen from her but I’d also say that she has one of the greatest potentials in the show.

Another way in which this potential manifests is Lumity, of course. Again, they’re developing quite quickly but that doesn’t mean it’s rushed. I’d love to explore Amity’s crush more and what Luz means to her. The Grom episode surpassed all expectations, still and gifs don’t do the stunning dance sequence justice. The animation is so smooth, the colours are amazing, the music is on point and the Sapphic vibes complete the picture. Poetic cinema, truly. Molly Ostertag and Noelle Stevenson are really out there giving wlw animation fans everything we ever wanted, huh. It also warms my heart that the crush is made very clear, not just by Luz’s name being on the note but by the delightful gay disaster that is Amity in “Wing It Like Witches”. I never thought I’d ever see such a relatable useless lesbian in animation so kudos to Dana Terrace and the whole crew. Wow, how far we’ve come.

So yeah, Amity is a funky little lesbian and I’m a 100% here for her gay disaster moments, but I also love where Lumity is going thematically. They’re great as foils and I’m hoping that they won’t get together at the very end. Look, I love me some Bubbline, Korrasami and Catradora, but it’s time a wlw relationship had the chance to exist onscreen and not only in the last episode. The Owl House has a great chance to do that. I know the creators don’t want romance to be the main focus and I respect that, I think the world they created deserves to showcased and explored to its full potential. Lumity could be a great subplot though, as representation on the one hand and as a thematically interesting dynamic on the other. Plus, Luz and Amity are just cute and sometimes, it’s as simple as that. Oh, and also the whole Little Miss Perfect thing? One of the best fandom discoveries I’ve made in a long while. Not only is the song truly perfect for Amity, I love that Joriah Kwamé went on to write Ordinary as well. This right here is why fandom is beautiful.

I think that’s about it for season 1 initial thoughts. The moral can be a bit on the nose at times, especially in the early episodes but the show is ultimately for kids and I appreciate its message. Interesting world and magic system, good characters, great potential for later seasons, just a well put together show that I’m really glad I started watching. I’m kind of sorry I didn’t keep up with season 1 as it was coming out but I would not have been able to wait between episodes. The pacing is good overall, deffo moves fast but I wouldn’t call it rushed, and the “filler” episodes still add something to the story. I’m not sure if I would still feel like the show moves at a fast pace if I hadn’t binged it but in any case it isn’t rushed, the necessary beats are all there and have time to sit. I’m going to watch as it comes out from now on so hopefully season 2 will arrive early next year.

Oh, and: I’m very new to the fandom, barely just found out about Little Miss Perfect, so any and all tidbits, fun facts, and fic recommendations are welcome. Also if you just want to chat my inbox is always open!

[oscar-isaacs-number-one-bitch]

“Bumblebee” Movie Review

Bumblebee is the latest film in the Transformers live-action film franchise, and yet functions as something of a soft reboot by way of prequel to that series. It stars Hailee Steinfeld as Charlie Watson, a young teenage girl growing up in 1987 near San Diego, California. When Bumblebee, a transformer from the planet Cybertron, is sent to Earth by the Autobot leader Optimus Prime in order to establish a base from which the Autobots can mobilize to save their planet from the Decepticons (against which a war has been raging on Cybertron for some time), he lands near this area, and is soon damaged in battle by a Decepticon who followed him. A while later he is found by Charlie while she’s scavenging for car parts in her uncle’s junkyard to fix up a Corvette her and her father were working on before his untimely passing. Soon, the two form an unbreakable bond between man and machine, and both get taken by the other on the adventure of a lifetime.

The Transformers live-action franchise up to this point has had, needless-to-say, a troubled relationship with fans of the characters. Some genuinely love Michael Bay’s takes on the robot action spectacles (even I’ll defend his first outing in 2007 as at least pretty good, although certainly imperfect), but most people recognize that the overly sexualized female characters, over-reliance on low and dutch-angle cinematography, oversaturation of color, and spectacularly offensive screenplays aren’t exactly the best fit for a franchise that made its name by being an entertaining show for children. People needed someone who would not just set the franchise right, but also deliver a good story worthy of the original cartoon people fell in love with in the 80’s. Enter Travis Knight, director of 2016’s excellent Kubo and the Two Strings. And exit with a franchise-best film that not only recaptures the heart of what makes the Transformers so fun to watch, but boasts a genuinely good 80’s-style coming of age story to boot.  

Yeah, there’s no joke here guys, Bumblebee is a genuinely good throwback to 80’s coming-of-age movies just as much as it is a much-needed course correction for the Transformers franchise, and I actually kind of adored it. It’s not perfect (in fact there’s a whole military subplot involving John Cena that gets a little hammy even if it is done intentionally and the overall plotting is a little too similar to Spielberg’s E.T. for anyone familiar with that film not to notice), but it rides the line so perfectly between accomplishing what it needs to and maybe not caring that it needs to accomplish anything in particular that one wonders why it wasn’t Paramount’s first choice to just get someone with a strong background in animation and character development like Travis Knight (one of the chief personalities at LAIKA) to helm the franchise from the start. Knight’s direction is nearly pitch-perfect here, as he keeps the movie contained and small-scale, focusing on the relationship between Charlie and Bumblebee to drive the film’s central story.

Now, don’t get me wrong, that’s not all this movie has going for it, but keeping it focused on that central relationship gives that relationship a weight no other Transformers movie has had up to this point (unless you were particularly attached to Shia LaBeouf yelling “Optimus” at a green screen every couple of hours). And it’s a really charming relationship to watch. Steinfeld is actually really good here as Charlie, hitting the emotional moments right when she needs to and making it pretty easy to forget that she’s actually talking to nothing most of the time given Bumblebee’s CGI…ness (that may not be the right term, but it’s the one I’m going with for now). I’d even go so far as to say it’s her best performance since 2010’s True Grit remake that was actually pretty good and not enough people talk about. Some of the 80’s-style comic elements of the film don’t sit the best with the kind of performer she is right now, but she makes the script work enough that you come to genuinely care when she gets hurt or when she’s in pain because Bumblebee is. Of course you wouldn’t care at all if the title character wasn’t compelling in his own way, and the filmmakers do this pretty well.

Bumblebee is a charming, delightful treat in this movie, and it’s very clear the animators and visual effects artists went to great lengths to make sure people could tell he was a Transformer by doing little things like making his chest plates the front head panels or putting the doors and wheels on his back. The visual work in this is pretty great and helps clear up a lot of the confusing during some pretty great action sequences as to who’s fighting who or who’s standing where. The damaging of Bumblebee’s voice in one of the film’s opening battles challenges the animators to have to make the character more compelling, given that he can’t really communicate the way he used to, and the facial animations that result from this challenge are a genuine marvel to behold, even if only because they’re stripped of all the clutter that came before in the Bay films.

That’s another thing this film does pretty well: it doesn’t really add a whole lot of its own material so much as strip away everything that didn’t work before, and it encapsulates this by throwing the setting all the way back to the era that Transformers worked the absolute best in, because if you’re going to model all your designs and storytelling after the era that worked best, why not throw the whole movie back to that very era? This movie actually feels like an 80’s Transformers cartoon brought to life, and while that may hurt some aspects of the film like some opportunities where more nuanced could be useful and a few cartoon-like human characters, it mostly just adds to the charm of the whole. The biggest flaws have already been addressed, like the script being too similar to E.T. (although if you’re going to use an 80’s script as a template for this, there are worse choices) and John Cena’s military sub-arc being a little bit hammy (even if it might be on purpose), but those are really the only ones that last once one thinks about the film post-viewing.

In the end, this movie didn’t necessarily surprise me given that I knew who was helming it and starring in it (and they’ve all done great work before), but I did breathe a sigh of relief when it was done. Bumblebee may not be the next E.T. or major effects blockbuster to transcend what it is to become a cultural phenomenon or Oscar-worthy classic of the genre, or even a particularly great movie, but it is a genuinely good one, and that’s all it needs to be right now. Finally, there’s a Transformers movie that actually respects character relationships and telling a good story before it even thinks about spectacle. Finally, the action sequences don’t look like a jumbled mess of CGI where no one can tell what’s going on or who’s who. Finally there’s a director in charge who has a passion for these characters that’s reflected in his work. And it’s all lead to what is by far the best Transformers movie yet.

I’m giving “Bumblebee” an 8.8/10

[dio-roga]

‘AskMarshandBroflovski’

Author/Artist:              jovishark Additional Credit:        puppetamateur Status:                         Complete Links:                           Tumblr Rec No:                        #2 (Part One)

The Gist of It (aka. TLDR)

‘Stan and Kyle go through a whole lot of shit during their last couple years of high school; with side-characters and sub-plots galore. Honestly dudes, it’s hard to summarize this one since it’s just so jam packed with all kinds of everything. This askblog, maybe more than anything else I’ve read, really does encapsulate that whole ‘something for everyone’ feeling. Just trust me my dudes, ships galore, on-point writing, and gorgeous art. Go go.”

Also putting this before the page break: I know, it’s technically not a Cryde work, but I guarantee, there’s more content between those two in there than in most exclusively cryde-centric things. For a bit of trivia, it was this blog that got me into Cryde as a ship to begin with. So c’mon below, and I’ll try and reassure you…

Also also: Fair warning, this rec’ll be long af. I’m a little obsessed. So, get yourself a drink or something?

Storytelling

So like I said in the gist, the premise is fairly simple from the outset; Stan and Kyle start up an askblog, and your usual mix of hilarity, drama and ‘will-they, wont-they’ romance ensues. Now I had read askblogs before this one, and generally found them a lot of fun, but holy shit− from the get-go dudes, from the absolute start, this one had its hooks in me like nothing else has ever quite managed before or since. I’d originally just come across it after seeing some of the Craig/Clyde panels on some google search one weekend; then before I knew it, it was Monday morning and I’d read the whole blog front to back, and was experiencing like, genuine feelings for the first time in a long while.

A lot of what snagged me was the writing, which I walked in totally not expecting to take my soul hostage the way it did. The dialogue I’ll talk about with the characters, but as far as the actual story elements were presented? It reads like a god damn mini-series, with actual self-contained story arcs, side-scenarios that mesh in with the A-plot and oh my sweet jesus, the world building in this thing… Seriously dudes, I normally try and stay more grounded in tropes and clever literary devices and what have you, but with this blog I have a lot of trouble not getting like, emotionally invested.

I think that really is what makes this one so special; the atmosphere. There’s this underlying theme of determination and overcoming adversity (mirroring the writing of the blog itself, if you read the authors notes throughout− something I’d defiantly recommend) It’s the sort of writing that genuinely inspires people, deals with difficult subject matter and just generally gives off a positive vibe about soldering on and making good on big life changes, and that includes everyone, of every age and background.

And therein lies another giant strength, the variety. I would think it a very difficult task for someone to not find something they enjoy in this story; it’s a god damn carnival ride− not to spoil too much, but there’s a wash of different genres, different dynamics, different methods of storytelling and different perspectives on those stories. There’s music, there’s action, audience-participation, and enough backstory and little details that I’m still picking up new things even after having read through multiple times.

And lastly, oh boy− pitchforks and torches at the ready –there’s the content between Craig and Clyde. Now I’m not going to sugarcoat it, or really bother trying to hide the fact that these two don’t wind up in a happy relationship here. But please, and I really do mean this, don’t let that dissuade you. They have a very complicated relationship that keeps changing throughout, but their bond never goes away− so just because it isn’t all kisses and romance, I’d say it’s still one of the most endearing relationships I’ve seen written about the two (hence why I’m sticking to my guns on calling this a cryde-recommendation). Honestly, and I can say this from experience here, it gels with how boys like that can end up acting at that age. Despite everything, they still wind up being the biggest player in each other’s lives.

Characters

There is just characters bursting at the seams here, if you’re a fan of someone in the show, you can bet they’ll probably make an appearance somewhere along the line; or at least get a mention. Even Scott Malkinson gets namedropped, and that’s the first time I’ve seen him show up in something I’ve read in this fandom in like, forever.

Stan and Kyle are great picks for the leads, it feels easy experiencing the events unfold from their perspectives− honestly, it’s like watching a more grown up version of the TV-show for the most part, with Cartman and Kenny filling in with their usual contributions of being an asshole and a sweetheart respectively. (I really do love the way Cartman’s handled; he plays a tremendous bastard to be sure, but in a way you could imagine his childhood-self becoming- he makes a delightfully hammy and worryingly formidable antagonist) Also features pretty much my favorite version of Wendy I’ve come across; she’s the real MVP.

Craig’s low-key stealing scenes at first, before kicking things into high-gear and trying to take over the show throughout the run, to the point where he’s pretty much the focal point of all the drama several times. He’s a bit of a mess, but understandably so. Truthfully, all the characters have a unique take on them (all in keeping with how you’d imagine their canon counterparts at that age) and it’s a delight to learn what makes them all tick. I think with Craig especially, his views often radically differ from what you’re presented with by the other characters (including Stan and Kyle) and it’s never written in a way that forces you to side with any particular party as being ‘in the right’. Something I always find refreshing when it’s done as well as it’s done here. Everyone is presented with both strengths and faults, with actual long-running consequences for past actions, good and bad, and it’s up to you as the reader to make what you will out of it.

But then you’ve got the dialogue, and my god, it really takes the cake. There’s not much I can say apart from I legitimately thought some scenes and mannerisms must have been penned by Trey himself− the humor especially. Truly guys, you’re in for a treat. I would have loved to have asked the boys a question back in the day.

Style

Since I’ve gone long on the writing, I have to pretty much devote this section to the artwork because it’s fucking magic. Picture paints a thousand words and all that, and my god, does it ever do that here− the way things are scripted and tied in with the respective art? It makes for all sorts of amazing comedic timing, adds tenfold to any of the emotional scenes and just makes the story flow like a dream; I always have trouble putting it down once I get started.

Jovi’s just an incredibly talented artist, there is simply no escaping this fact. Each and every character has a unique design that fits their character and− I realize this one’s super subjective –to me, they all have such charm and personality in the way they’re drawn. It’s this masterfully presented cartoon-style with an emphasis on expressions, movement and color that I honestly just adore. Even at the very start of the blog, where the art is almost entirely different than it winds up looking at the finishing point two years later, I just love it− again with a South Park comparison, it reminds me of the watching the early cardboard-cutout style of the show compared to its newer 3D designs, both holding a special place in my heart in their own ways.

It floors me to think this was the author’s first major project. As mentioned above, I’d greatly recommend reading through the blog in its entirety, including all the commentaries by the mods, the funny tags, the side-art. One of the most inspiring things about this work is getting a sense of the love and dedication that was put into it over the years it was running; like watching the behind-the-scenes on some giant motion epic and coming to terms with how much effort went into producing what you’re seeing. It’s practically another story itself, and no less heartening than with the boys and their trials and tribulations. Seriously dude, so much kudos.

Favorite Things

The content variety. There’s just so much to love here, things being kept fresh and exciting throughout the super long run-time of the blog without feeling disjointed, on top of managing a satisfying conclusion. There’s a lot of fun to be had, no half-measures.

The character dynamics are a treat. With such a big cast, there’s all sorts of different personalities playing off each other, with dynamic relationships that all manage to evolve and grow. Definite love given to proper character arcs.

Inspiring themes and feel-good moments really do make this a gem to read when you’re looking for a pick me up. The messages about dealing with depression and addiction, managing your health and fitness and even studying and making smart choices− all of them really hit home.

Relationships of all different types; one’s that work out, one’s that don’t, some being easy, some being hard, long ones, short ones, mistakes and awkward surprises. Romance is well and truly covered, and I like that it doesn’t shy away with the stuff that just doesn’t end well.

Some of the best artwork you’ll come across (and so utterly fitting of the material), drawn to such a quality standard and on such a short time-frame that it kinda makes my head spin. I’m now at the point that when I think about the characters, these versions are the ones that appear in my head.

It’s honestly a little embarrassing for me to talk about AMAB, and god knows it’s pretty presumptuous, y’know? New guy recommends beloved artwork that already attracted thousands of followers back in its day. I’m going to guess this’ll end up being the rec that I’ll have needed to have written the least− since like, all of you have probably already devoured the blog long before you learned about it here.

But you know? If anything, I hope this ends up reconfirming what an excellent choice it was for you to have read it. And as always with these review things, if the author should read this, I hope you know just how much what you’ve made affected me and countless others; how good you deserve to feel, and how proud the people in your life must be of you for doing something so important and worthwhile.

As usual, next post’ll be spoilers and artwork− and I’m just going to bury my head in the sand so hard because my artwork is garbage compared, but we’ll have to muddle through. Join me there for second hand embarrassment, okay?

[erictmason]

Re: the Disney list, any thoughts/opinions/rants about the "Ducktales" reboot?

As a matter of fact, yes!  And those thoughts are basically all some variation of “I LOVE IT!”.  

But since “I LOVE IT!” over and over again would be a pretty boring answer, I can try and get more specific: 

JUST TO BE SAFE, SPOILER WARNING HERE!

SPOILER WARNING!

SPOILER WARNING!

SPOILER WARNING!

For starters, the new voice cast is exceptional.  I do understand some of the concerns that the nephews sound a bit too obviously like adults now, but I also feel like Bobby Moynihan as Louie, Daniel Pudi as Huey, and Ben Schwartz as Dewey all give strong performances that not only invest each character with more individual personality than other incarnations (something the show as a whole does pretty effectively, to my mind), but also work together to create an enjoyable, believable dynamic between the three that is every bit the original’s equal, even as it’s a very different take.  Kate Micucci’s Webby, meanwhile, is really interesting; there’s a touch of Kristen Schaal’s iconic Mabel performance in there, to be sure, but Micucci infuses it with her own particular kind of energy, and while I do have some niggling concerns about how Webby’s been re-conceived (there’s a slight hint of the old “Not Like Other Girls” trope to it I’m not super into, and I feel like it dismisses some of the finer points of the original version along the way), Micucci smooths over basically all of them with her fantastic comic timing, her genuine and endearing enthusiasm, and her awkward, guileless forwardness in basically every interaction she has (and for that matter, taken on its own merits, I think the new Webby is pretty good overall; the choice to make her an enthused fan of Scrooge’s family especially feels like a smart choice in particular).  Neither Beck Bennett’s Launchpad nor Toks Olagundoye’s Mrs. Beakley get that much to do in the only two full episodes we’ve seen thus far, but both acquit themselves admirably (and I am all about the new Beakley; the fact that she is maybe half-a-second away from kicking Scrooge’s ass at any point is just delightful to watch, and Olagundoye invests her with a fantastic balance of stoicisim and warmth I really appreciate), and at this point Tony Anselmo’s been playing Donald for so long I don’t imagine there’s that much new to say about him, but I do appreciate how well he handles the choice to play up Donald’s protectiveness toward his boys.  The big one, though, is obviously David Tennant as Scrooge; he’s got big shoes to fill given how iconic Alan Young’s take on the character is, and to my mind he really does ace it; there’s enough of Young’s spirit in the performance that you can still feel this is the same character (especially when it comes to his affectionate musings about his beloved money bin), but Tennant carves his own mark equally effectively, and I really appreciate the slightly-more-puckish attitude he brings to the table, especially given the greater emphasis this version places on Scrooge as an Adventurer rather than simply a quadzillionaire businessduck. 

In terms of the animation, I admit there are times where the flatter overall directing style in comparison to the original is a little hard for me to accept; the lack of much shading or lighting effects, the generally simplistic composition of scenes, that sort of thing.  That said, as a whole I’d call myself a fan of the new art style; the comic book-esque touches to the color scheme (never mind the brilliant intro’s literal comic-book-pages conceit and various references to classic “Uncle Scrooge” paintings, you can see those classic four-color pigment dots all over the place if you’re looking for them, and the way ALL the colors pop so brightly is simply delightful) definitely all work, as do the newer, more angular character designs.  As I said above, the choice to more individualize the nephews really works, and I’m especially fond of how simple but striking the visual element of that is, while giving Scrooge and Donald their iconic comic book color schemes (red coat with black trim for Scrooge, black-and-white sailor suit for Donald) likewise feels like a good choice, even as I’ll always miss both of their respective more blue-heavy versions.  For that matter, I appreciate how many more variations of birds the animators are using this time around; Launchpad himself is rather more clearly a pelican this time, for example (in the original he seemed more like a duck with a big chin XD), and Gabby McStabberson (a wonderful new character I hope we see again soon, for the record) looks to be an osprey given her small, sharp beak.  And the big set-pieces, in particular Scrooge riding the golden dragon through the city and Dewey crossing the booby-trapped bridge (with an unknown assist from Donald) do demonstrate a good sense of visual creativity and energy.

But the big thing for me is the writing.  Honing in on the idea of Family as the center of the show is a great choice, not only allowing the characters to remain at the heart of the story no matter how wild the action gets but also allowing the new show to feel of a piece with the original, which definitely valued the peculiar structure of Scrooge’s family unit but only rarely made it the core of any given episode, while also allowing it an opportunity to make its own path.  And the individual characters are all wonderfully handled; again, the nephews all have nice, new personalities (and for that matter, I appreciate that of the three it’s Dewey who gets to take center stage for the first two-part episode with his conflicted attitude towards Scrooge), Webby’s awkward stabs at socializing are adorable and endearing, as is the clear and obvious trust and affection she shares with Granny Beakley (even as we only get a brief glimpse of it, it comes through so clearly), and Launchpad works well as comic relief, especially given the effective choice to turn his history as a pilot into a minor running gag in the first episode before leading to maybe my favorite single joke of the whole thing thus far (”Aww, family truly is the greatest adventure ofohnotheground!!!”); more to the point, they strike the same balance for him here as in the original, allowing him to be comic and occasionally foolish without ever being buffoonish or unlikable.  But maybe my personal favorites are Scrooge and Glomgold.  Recasting Glomgold’s overt Scottishness-accent, kilt, cap-as an attempt on his part to apply the same philosophy he uses in his business-take someone else’s idea, do it cheaper, then claim it as your own-to his business rival, i.e. he’s a cartoon Scotsman because he sees that as Being Like Scrooge But More So, is a stroke of genius, and one the episode communicates surprisingly subtly (Glomgold only makes one overt reference to it in dialogue, so the audience has to infer it from combining that reference with the employee training video we see which outlines his business ideals to understand the idea) but no less effectively.  Scrooge himself, meanwhile, is simply great; I was a bit nervous that the show’s choice to emphasize his adventuring over his philanthropy would sand too much of the edge off his character, and while this is perhaps a less-shielded Scrooge than previous versions, I can happily report that’s not the case; the zealous drive, the rough handling of personal relationships, the gruff attitude...it’s all still there, but channeled in a slightly new direction, and quite nicely at that.  Plus, there’s lots of great little touches to this version I simply adore (the way we see him gently playing with some of his coins during a dull business meeting in particular).  And on top of all that, the show seeds a longer overall story thread into things with a pretty nice cliffhanger; even as, at present, the answer to the question it poses would seem obvious (something happened to the nephews’ mom, and Scrooge and Donald each blame the other for it), I’m eager to learn more even so, especially because the show has already done a good job making the world it inhabits feel full of endless possibilities, so GETTING to that answer will all but certainly be sufficiently exciting.

“Ducktales” 2017 feels very much like the ideal way to restart this series, in other words.  It’s fun, it’s funny, it’s charming, and it does a good job modernizing the best elements of the original while still honoring them.  I’ve very much enjoyed the first two episodes all four times I’ve watched them, and I’m exceptionally eager for the full series to start in the coming weeks.

Oh, and yes, it still has one humdinger of a theme song.