Change Your Image
josephneuheardt
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Reviews
Star vs. the Forces of Evil (2012)
Star Butterfly Knows What's Up
If there is one thing you don't see a lot of on Nick and CN, it's cartoons with a female being the main role. Now while this was fairly common in the 2000s, there have not been many shows that have done this recently, which is a shame. To me, Star seems to be one of those shows that a lot of people will like because it takes elements from other very popular shows. The background art and background music is similar to Steven Universe. The animation style and monsters are similar to Wander over Yonder. The structure and main plot is similar to My Life as a Teenage Robot.
Basically, the main plot is Star trying to learn to fit in to earth and how to use her wand. You also have Marco who is her roommate and best friend that helps her fit in to high school. Then you have the Villain Ludo who is trying to steal the wand to take over her home planet or something like that. Overall, you can see the resemblance to My Life as a Teenage Robot if you have watched that show. Star is like Jenny who is trying to fit in and learn how to use her powers. Marco is like Brad who is her best friend and helps her fit in. But one of the minor problems I have with the show is the villain Ludo because he seems unnecessary.
Star is more of a hyperactive bubbly girl which has actually not been used as a main female character that much before. At first, she seems like a copy of Mabel from Gravity Falls, but they are actually pretty different with Star being more energized. She is a fun character that many male and female viewers will find strangely enjoyable. Marco is more laid back but is still very goofy. He is supposed to be the safe kid but he does take chances and it never gets in the way of his character. He is a nice companion to Star and it makes it so that there is not any awkward romantic tension between the two. Ludo is more of a short weak villain that just wants to steal Star's wand. At first, he is not very enjoyable and seems very unnecessary to the show, but once you get used to him he can be a funny character. I am perfectly fine with Ludo only if He is not shoehorned into every episode.
The humor in the show is very hilarious. This show's humor is also similar to Wander over Yonder with the jokes and dialogue being very character driven. There is just the right amount of gross-out and well used randomness to make the show very appealing. So far, there has been some character development and I can see several complications occurring between Star and Marco to keep things interesting.
One of the coolest things about this show is the animation and design. The backgrounds are very colorful, detailed, and have a similarity with Steven Universe. The character designs of the humans are very adorable and look way more appealing then the overused adventure time/regular show style that is used in many fantasy cartoons of this generation. The monsters also look great and could totally fit in with the designs from Wander over Yonder. The character movements are some of the best you can get from flash or toonboom. This show really would not look as smooth or energetic if it was animated traditionally. Mercury Film-Works is one of the main powerhouses for Disney Animated programs and they really outdid themselves with this show.
Overall, the show may seem unoriginal with its overall plot or characters, but I can see many people, such as myself, falling in love with the characters, humor, animation and overall tone of the show. It is one of those cartoons that takes great elements from other cartoons and mixes it into something new and beautiful.
Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero (2014)
Disney XD Gets it Right
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.