Penn Zero is a cartoon that deserves to get noticed. since 2012 with the premier of Gravity Falls, Disney has entered a new era of cartoons that have been very good so far. sure there have been shows that are more meh like Randy Cunningham or the 7D, but there have been way more good then bad. Personally, the best shows currently on the channel include Phineas and Ferb, Gravity Falls, Wander over Yonder, Star Vs. the Forces of Evil and now Penn Zero. There are many reasons why this show is really good and a couple reasons why not everyone will like it.
Let's start with the plot and structure. Basically, it is one of those cartoons where you have an ordinary team of kids saving the day. The show might seem generic at first, but it is actually very good at what it wants to be. With such a broad and easy premise that the show has, you would expect the writers of the show to just throw the characters into very generic scenarios such as space world or pirate world. Instead, the characters actually travel to pretty unique dimensions that have plenty of thought put into them. One episode has the gang travel to a world of stuffed animals and the villains are giant babies. It might sound strange, but the show knows how to handle the settings well and how the characters will adapt and fit in to the world.
Then, there are the characters. At first, the main trio looks like the most generic cast of all time. you would expect Penn to be the jerk who wants everything done his way, Boone to be the fat sensitive type that always does whatever the jerk tells him, and Sashi to be the moody nobody girl that always complains about how dumb the other two are. Surprisingly, this is not the case. Penn is much more enthusiastic and definitely makes good decisions while also being pretty goofy. Boone is more of a laid back character who also looks out for his team. Sashi is the more serious one, but she seems to actually enjoy Penn and Boone's company. Then there are the villains, Rippen and Larry. These two are actually pretty hilarious with Rippen being the focused villain and Larry being the unfocused chatterbox. These two might feel generic but they have their own little quirks that really make them enjoyable.
The humor and character development is very strong here. One thing you will notice with this show is that there is not much toilet humor, gross out, or unfunny puns. Usually, most of the humor comes from the dialogue and how the characters say it. Some jokes in the show would probably be not as funny if the voice actors did not put so much heart into their voices. The show also does contain a small dose of toilet humor, but it is not just shoehorned in like Sanjay and Craig. Usually, the toilet humor comes from Penn and Boone mispronouncing words or just because the characters are in a dimension that relates to toilets literally. It might seem a little meh but they barely use it and it's nowhere near as cringe worthy as Breadwinners or anything Nick. As for the character development, they actually do this very well. Usually when the trio goes to a dimension that challenges their abilities they learn weaknesses they have and they try to improve them. One episode involves Sashi not being able to complete the mission because she is too serious and cannot be seen clowning around in a clown dimension. During the episode, she learns that it's OK to be goofy sometimes and that she can does not always have to be so serious. The trio also do have complications with each other sometimes but they actually learn their mistakes and it's never anything generic either. It definitely makes the characters very likable when they look out for each other and it makes the show look a lot more well thought out by making the characters imperfect in many ways.
One of the most unique things about the show is the animation. The style is definitely it's own thing and isn't trying to look like the overused adventure time style. The only show that i can say looks the most familiar of this show is Samurai Jack, but that is only because both shows don't have outlines on their characters. The character movement is very crisp and this is one of those shows that uses flash or toonboom to it's advantage. Because the textures and colors of the show are so detailed, it would be extremely hard to animate this show traditionally. This show's animation is done by Mercury Film-works which also animates Wander over Yonder and Star Vs. the Forces of Evil so you expect it to look great.
Once again, Disney has managed to produce another great show for this generation. While this show might be overlooked by older viewers, I really recommend checking it out because at least we are getting a show that has a different style of humor and animation then some shows on CN or especially Nick.
Let's start with the plot and structure. Basically, it is one of those cartoons where you have an ordinary team of kids saving the day. The show might seem generic at first, but it is actually very good at what it wants to be. With such a broad and easy premise that the show has, you would expect the writers of the show to just throw the characters into very generic scenarios such as space world or pirate world. Instead, the characters actually travel to pretty unique dimensions that have plenty of thought put into them. One episode has the gang travel to a world of stuffed animals and the villains are giant babies. It might sound strange, but the show knows how to handle the settings well and how the characters will adapt and fit in to the world.
Then, there are the characters. At first, the main trio looks like the most generic cast of all time. you would expect Penn to be the jerk who wants everything done his way, Boone to be the fat sensitive type that always does whatever the jerk tells him, and Sashi to be the moody nobody girl that always complains about how dumb the other two are. Surprisingly, this is not the case. Penn is much more enthusiastic and definitely makes good decisions while also being pretty goofy. Boone is more of a laid back character who also looks out for his team. Sashi is the more serious one, but she seems to actually enjoy Penn and Boone's company. Then there are the villains, Rippen and Larry. These two are actually pretty hilarious with Rippen being the focused villain and Larry being the unfocused chatterbox. These two might feel generic but they have their own little quirks that really make them enjoyable.
The humor and character development is very strong here. One thing you will notice with this show is that there is not much toilet humor, gross out, or unfunny puns. Usually, most of the humor comes from the dialogue and how the characters say it. Some jokes in the show would probably be not as funny if the voice actors did not put so much heart into their voices. The show also does contain a small dose of toilet humor, but it is not just shoehorned in like Sanjay and Craig. Usually, the toilet humor comes from Penn and Boone mispronouncing words or just because the characters are in a dimension that relates to toilets literally. It might seem a little meh but they barely use it and it's nowhere near as cringe worthy as Breadwinners or anything Nick. As for the character development, they actually do this very well. Usually when the trio goes to a dimension that challenges their abilities they learn weaknesses they have and they try to improve them. One episode involves Sashi not being able to complete the mission because she is too serious and cannot be seen clowning around in a clown dimension. During the episode, she learns that it's OK to be goofy sometimes and that she can does not always have to be so serious. The trio also do have complications with each other sometimes but they actually learn their mistakes and it's never anything generic either. It definitely makes the characters very likable when they look out for each other and it makes the show look a lot more well thought out by making the characters imperfect in many ways.
One of the most unique things about the show is the animation. The style is definitely it's own thing and isn't trying to look like the overused adventure time style. The only show that i can say looks the most familiar of this show is Samurai Jack, but that is only because both shows don't have outlines on their characters. The character movement is very crisp and this is one of those shows that uses flash or toonboom to it's advantage. Because the textures and colors of the show are so detailed, it would be extremely hard to animate this show traditionally. This show's animation is done by Mercury Film-works which also animates Wander over Yonder and Star Vs. the Forces of Evil so you expect it to look great.
Once again, Disney has managed to produce another great show for this generation. While this show might be overlooked by older viewers, I really recommend checking it out because at least we are getting a show that has a different style of humor and animation then some shows on CN or especially Nick.