Wander Over Yonder Review

Disney used to have many great animated TV shows. Just ask any 90’s kid and they’ll probably hum you the tune of Ducktales or Chip and Dales Rescue Rangers till you go insane. However, the past decade wasn’t so great for Disney TV animation fans that had to suffer with bad live-action TV comedies especially since there was only one animated TV show I deemed worthy back then. But now things have turned around when a show like Phineas and Ferb showed up and became super popular. After that, how is Disney Channel making new animated TV series to capture that same spark? Why by hiring ex -Cartoon Network employees of course. First they got Maxwell Atoms, CH Greenblatt, and Tom Warburton on Fish Hooks, then Alex Hirsh, Aaron Springer, and Rob Renzetti for Gravity Falls. I think their strategy is working because Gravity Falls is one of my favorite animated TV shows. Now, they got Craig McCracken and Lauren Faust for Wander Over Yonder a new show that just recently premiered on Disney Channel.

Wander Over Yonder is set in a galaxy where space travel is possible but yet it doesn’t feel like a science fiction or science fantasy TV show. There’s baddie who acts like the Robot Chicken version of Skeletor (minus all the swearing) who plots to take over planets and do meanie things just cause of some inferiority complex where he has to be “The Greatest.” But it isn’t an adventure show in the sense where the hero has to save the galaxy from the forces of evil. Instead, it feels like a TV show about the antics of this character and his companions who just so happen to thwart evil whether on purpose or not.

The theme song of Wander Over Yonder probably best captures the essence of the main character. It’s a song that’s both charming and endearing yet funny and annoying at the same time. But it’s the good kind of annoying where you’ll hum it endlessly to annoy the person sitting next to you. Jack McBrayer does a wonderful job as Wander who isn’t annoying in the sense where the audience gets frustrated at him but rather where the audience will laugh when the characters in the show get annoyed at him. Probably the only other shows I know where this kind of “annoy the big meanie” is done successfully are old Warner Bros. cartoons and Animaniacs.

I can best describe the show as having a lot of energy. The show never skips a beat with lots of little jokes to keep you chuckling and some big jokes a few times just to keep you on your toes. Characters always spout lines, funny sounds effects abound, and characters making exaggerated faces. However, It does all this without feeling obnoxious or over bearing which I consider a rare feat. Its got some really fast pacing in some areas even for a ten minute show but each bit is varied enough so as not to feel repetitive.

Craig McCracken last show was Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends and while I thought the first few episodes were good, I didn’t really get into it until later seasons. However with Wander Over Yonder, I’ve only seen two ten minute episodes but the show has already won me over. Here’s hoping the show doesn’t lose the momentum of the first two episodes.

Video Game References: Gravity Falls – Fight Fighters

The last time I found a reference in the Disney Channel series Gravity Falls it was just one reference. This time around, they got Paul Robertson and done a whole episode about a video game character coming to life and helping Dipper.

Many of them are obvious but I made this list so that people with little knowledge in video games can also know where each reference is from. I’ve listed as many as I could find and tried to reference them to a single game or game genre. Although I kept out references to the start screen, the game over screen, and the references to “winner don’t do drugs”.

Warning: Spoilers Below:

Soos mentions how he learned to cross the street with this game. An obivous reference to arcade classic Frogger. While the word “time” in frogtime is probably a reference to “Burger Time”

Soos says he learned how to eat ghosts with this game. At first glance I thought of the Pac-man game. But the character has a bow on its head, which means its Ms. Pacman.

Old Man McGucket looks like he’s dancing to a ho-down version of DDR. And the name of ho-down hero is a reference to the Guitar Hero games.

The font and the arcade cabinet look like the old Street Fighter II font and arcade cabinet

The design of Rumble McSkirmish are taken from mostly Ryu and Sagat. But I think his blonde hair is supposed to be like Ken’s. While Dr Karate’s Design is taken from M. Bison while his hair is from Guile. Rumble’s stance idle animation is the same as Ryu/Ken while Dr. Karate’s is that of M Bison.

Dr Karate does a move similar to that of M Bison.

Soos is playing a game that looks like the cycle scene from the movie Tron. The game he’s playing NORT is backwards of TRON.

I can’t really pinpoint what character Joe Zambique is referencing but is probably referencing Punch Out’s boxers names. But Beastor is Blanka and Czar Barian is both Balrog and Ivan Drago from rocky. Admiral Big-Calves is probably a reference to Chun Li who has big thighs.

At first I thought Konami code. But looking closer it more resembles a Super/special move from games like Street Fighter.

Rumble looks like he’s doing the hurricane kick, a move that can be performed by characters like Ryu, Ken, and Akuma.

In this scene, Dipper says he can’t find the traditional power ups like turkey legs (in many games like Final Fight, Castlevania etc), Pizza Boxes (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade game), or gold rings (Sonic the Hedgehog)

Rumble tells Dipper to put the taco on the floor which is how food and items are picked up in many beat-em-up arcade games like Final Fight.

I couldn’t really think of any game that uses an item menu like this. But many games do have item select screens.

Rumble’s fireball move looks exactly like the hadouken move that can be performed by fighters like Ryu, Ken, and Akuma.

Rumble is holding a metal pipe that he said he found in a metal barrel. Both of which can be done in Final Fight.

Rumble picks up a Samurai sword just laying on the street and Dipper complains that there are alot of dangerous things on the street. Like in many beat-em-up games where the streets are littered with weapons.

A reference to the old Donkey Kong Arcade game released in 1981.

The ‘Go!’ arrow is a staple of many beat-em-up games from that genre.

This is a reference to the car destroying game in some versions of street fighter II. Also Rumble uses E Honda’s move.

Rumble does the dragon punch/ shoryuken at many points of the episode (and Dipper at one point). But in this scene, rather than saying ‘upper cut’, Rumble says “All You Can Eat” similar to the way Ryu/Ken say ‘shoryuken’.

A reference to the Mortal Kombat which became famous for it’s violence and its finishing moves.

This is probably a reference to the Double Dragon ladder/wall glitch. It has to be, since Rumble’s walking animation in this scene is similar to the walking animation of Double Dragon.

This is probably a reference to the screen clearing special moves seen in many beat’em-ups like Golden Axe, Streets of Rage etc.

This is a reference to the many, many, versions/re-releases/titles of fighting games like Street Fighter 2/3. Super is a reference to many games with the prefix of Super (Super Street Fighter II, Super Mario Bros, Super Metroid etc), Turbo for Street Fighter 2 Turbo, and Neo for the Neo Geo hardware famous for its fighting games.

A reference to Killer Instict which had Ultra Combos.

When Rumble beats Dipper, he does the same victory stance as Akuma. According to user dozy boy in the comments: ” The Japanese kanji character on Rumble’s back when he poses like Akuma is ‘he’ and means… fart.”

Many games had the insert initials screen for the high score boards. It is common in arcade games.

The end credits look similar to a character select screen. This one is probably like the US Super Mario Brothers 2. Mabel says “It’s A-Me Mabel” like how Mario says “It’s A-me Mario” and Grunkle Stan says “I’m slower but I jump higher” which is probably a reference to Luigi from the Mario brothers games. At the end, Soos eats them similar to Pac-man.

The Amazing World of Gumball Season 1 Review

On Cartoon Network

Created By: Ben Bocquelet

This show first attracted my attention by its unique art style mixing 2D, 3D, and live action elements seamlessly. But after checking out one episode I wasn’t impressed. Because of it’s more dull style of voice acting, I perceived this show to be created outside of the US and created in a European or Canadian country. The Amazing World of Gumball is made in UK. And from past experience, many cartoon shows made outside of US especially on Cartoon Network just aren’t that good. Two examples would be Robotboy which is made in France and Total Drama Island made in Canada. Sure these shows aren’t that bad but I dislike them. I checked out more episodes later on and the show won me over but does have its problems.

Unoriginality

Even though the show has a unique art style, everything else just seems unoriginal.

Let me start off with the characters:

• Gumball is an elementary school student of average to low intelligence who regularly gets into trouble. Doesn’t that sound like Bart Simpson or many other characters in many other shows?

• Anais is Gumball’s younger sister who is probably the smartest kid in the entire school. Doesn’t that sound like Lisa Simpson?

• Richard Watterson their father is a fat, lazy, and stupid man baby. All he needs to do is drink beer and he’s basically Homer Simpson.

Next would have to be the school setting. So many shows catered to children usually seem to have to mostly take place in the school setting. Shows like Recess, Fish Hooks, The Replacements etc. Its odd too because Nickelodeon and Disney are the ones who usually make the TV shows where the protagonists are still in school and take place mostly in school while Cartoon Network mostly doesn’t.

Lastly, the plot of most episodes usually have a clichéd plot that you’ve seen in too many TV shows. How many shows have you seen the honesty is the best policy story line, the bully storyline, or the I owe someone my life because they saved mine storyline.

A Parody of Cliche

Even though I said the show is unoriginal, it gives all these unoriginal things its own twist. You might expect it to go a certain way and the character learns some sort of lesson but in Gumball it usually doesn’t. Probably the best example would have to  the episode “The Sock” where the school counselor tells Gumball and Darwin to be always honest and they both take it too far. So I guess the show is a parody of other unoriginal shows. Or that’s how I see it at least.

Funniest Episode: The Wand

Conclusion

This show won me over and I’m looking forward to another season. If you like cartoons, this is definitely worth a look with its unique art style and its funny humour.

Favorite Episode: The Sock

What I liked:

• The Art Style
• The Opening
• Silly humour

Least Favorite Episode: The Picnic

What I didn’t Like:

• No proper episode to introduce us to the background of many characters like Darwin
• Its gross humour is usually unfunny