THIS IS SEE-WEEIOUS! The New Yorker's Emily Nussbaum surveys current children's television, and finds much to like in The Wonder Pets; Ni-Hao, Kai-Lan; and Phineas and Ferb, comparing each to grownup procedurals in format.
Which reminds me of something I'm mystified by Disney about; for a company that has no problem with making a buck off of old properties, they seem to have tossed shows like Kim Possible, Fillmore and Recess down a well. (KP is at least available on DVD.)
Kim Possible has been repurposed for a cell-phone based game in EPCOT's World Showcase where kids have to go from country to country and find clues and whatnot. But since many kids have no idea who the underlying characters are, it doesn't get them excited. At least, not for my kid.
I know I am late to the party on this front, but my three year old has recently gotten into Phineas and Ferb, and I am hooked. I can't decide who I love better, Ferb or Doofenshmirtz.
There are reports that that attraction is in the process of being rethemed to Phineas and Ferb. World Showcase is a very tricky beast, because it's not particularly kid-friendly. Lots of movies and shows, but all quasi-educational, and the two rides are both not particularly interesting (I haven't been on the rethemed Mexico ride).
This is why the Mission: Possible thing was such a treat for us. We spent a full day in Epcot (with a few hours off in the afternoon), and only went on ONE ride (Soarin'). We spent a few hours in the World Showcase doing missions. And she begged me to promise that we could come back another time to do the other missions. And THEN, to make it even better, when I subsequently traveled to China and sent her photos and postcards, she was able to relate them back to the China mission and the things we had seen there.
1. They want to cycle the property, as Nick has done to big ratings with the "90s are All That" block targetted toward college kids. 2. Christy Carlson Romano is no longer under Disney contract, and has done some rather non-Disney work (apparently, there's a nude scene in one of the direct to video things she did) and they may want to stay away from that.
This article is amazing. And I'm so glad she mentioned the Wonder Pets episode where Ming-Ming gets trapped ("in one of the funniest episodes, the melodramatic MingMing sings a melancholy aria that ends with 'The animal in trouble is . . . me!'") - even before reading, I was going to say that in terms of the "one of our own is in trouble" procedural trope, that episode is pretty memorable and effective. I'm a little sad my niece and nephew outgrew the show.
Adventure Time was completely snubbed. I'm not just saying that because I enjoy its daffy absurdism and good-hearted anarchic sensibilities, but because almost every young boy (and lots of little girls) I bring to the show loves it.
My daughter loves Wonder Pets, and I do too -- so much that I spent a lot of time on the Internet trying to figure out if it had been cancelled or not. Turns out the Internet does not give me a good answer. It looks like it's not in production anymore, but they ran new episodes as recently as November.
Ha! They may *say* they have outgrown it, but I wouldn't necessarily believe them. I have a classroom or two full of 7th graders who can't resist singing the theme song.
"<span>Although not implemented in the short and not directly mentioned within the series, the setting of the "Land of Ooo" is a post-apocalyptic continent</span><sup></sup>[11]<span>, after the </span>Great Mushroom War<span>. "</span>
The Backyardigans and Phineas and Ferb (to a lesser extent the Wonder Pets) have been the glue keeping our household running for many years. All four of us love both shows. "Whatcha doin'?" and [NAME], I know what we're gonna do today!" are standard, non-ironic statements. Good article.
Which reminds me of something I'm mystified by Disney about; for a company that has no problem with making a buck off of old properties, they seem to have tossed shows like Kim Possible, Fillmore and Recess down a well. (KP is at least available on DVD.)
ReplyDeleteKim Possible has been repurposed for a cell-phone based game in EPCOT's World Showcase where kids have to go from country to country and find clues and whatnot. But since many kids have no idea who the underlying characters are, it doesn't get them excited. At least, not for my kid.
ReplyDeleteI know I am late to the party on this front, but my three year old has recently gotten into Phineas and Ferb, and I am hooked. I can't decide who I love better, Ferb or Doofenshmirtz.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter had never seen Kim Possible but LOVED the Epcot game.
ReplyDeleteThere are reports that that attraction is in the process of being rethemed to Phineas and Ferb. World Showcase is a very tricky beast, because it's not particularly kid-friendly. Lots of movies and shows, but all quasi-educational, and the two rides are both not particularly interesting (I haven't been on the rethemed Mexico ride).
ReplyDeleteThis is why the Mission: Possible thing was such a treat for us. We spent a full day in Epcot (with a few hours off in the afternoon), and only went on ONE ride (Soarin'). We spent a few hours in the World Showcase doing missions. And she begged me to promise that we could come back another time to do the other missions. And THEN, to make it even better, when I subsequently traveled to China and sent her photos and postcards, she was able to relate them back to the China mission and the things we had seen there.
ReplyDeleteThey absolutely should be syndicating Kim Possible. Why aren't they?
ReplyDeleteOf course, if your kid isn't into that stuff, you can always include him or her in the "drinking around the world" game.
ReplyDeleteMy guess is two-fold:
ReplyDelete1. They want to cycle the property, as Nick has done to big ratings with the "90s are All That" block targetted toward college kids.
2. Christy Carlson Romano is no longer under Disney contract, and has done some rather non-Disney work (apparently, there's a nude scene in one of the direct to video things she did) and they may want to stay away from that.
This article is amazing. And I'm so glad she mentioned the Wonder Pets episode where Ming-Ming gets trapped ("in one of the funniest episodes, the melodramatic MingMing sings a melancholy aria that ends with 'The animal in trouble is . . . me!'") - even before reading, I was going to say that in terms of the "one of our own is in trouble" procedural trope, that episode is pretty memorable and effective. I'm a little sad my niece and nephew outgrew the show.
ReplyDeleteAdventure Time was completely snubbed. I'm not just saying that because I enjoy its daffy absurdism and good-hearted anarchic sensibilities, but because almost every young boy (and lots of little girls) I bring to the show loves it.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/v/A7Jvk6__23I" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="170" height="140
My kiddo agrees, as do several of his friends. Though Phineas and Ferb is his favorite by far.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter loves Wonder Pets, and I do too -- so much that I spent a lot of time on the Internet trying to figure out if it had been cancelled or not. Turns out the Internet does not give me a good answer. It looks like it's not in production anymore, but they ran new episodes as recently as November.
ReplyDeleteHa! They may *say* they have outgrown it, but I wouldn't necessarily believe them. I have a classroom or two full of 7th graders who can't resist singing the theme song.
ReplyDelete"<span>Although not implemented in the short and not directly mentioned within the series, the setting of the "Land of Ooo" is a post-apocalyptic continent</span><sup></sup>[11]<span>, after the </span>Great Mushroom War<span>. "</span>
ReplyDeleteThe hell?
The Backyardigans and Phineas and Ferb (to a lesser extent the Wonder Pets) have been the glue keeping our household running for many years. All four of us love both shows. "Whatcha doin'?" and [NAME], I know what we're gonna do today!" are standard, non-ironic statements. Good article.
ReplyDelete