“The
Fine Print”, by M.H. Schrader
Watch Out For That Tree!
My wife and I, like many other parents
nationwide, have discovered that when the Walt Disney Company says that a video
is available for a limited time, they mean just that--a limited time.
There were several videos that came out
last September that we decided we would get the girls for Christmas. Except, they were no longer available at
Christmas. Gone. No longer selling. They were only available for a limited time. A very limited time.
Of course, this means that when a Walt
Disney video comes out, we now buy it immediately. So, when The Hunchback of
Notre Dame went on sale, my wife snatched it up almost immediately. Better to be safe than sorry.
There is a song from that video that has
infected my brain. I can’t get it out
of my head. And the infection has
spread to daughter Jacqueline. She
keeps singing it, too.
The odd thing is the song is not from the
movie. That’s not to say the movie
itself is bad. Quite the contrary. In my opinion, it is probably the best
animated film ever to come from Disney.
The songs are terrific; the animation breathtaking. The song that I have been singing all
weekend, however, comes from one of the promos. Disney is working on a live action version of George of the Jungle. And I keep singing the theme song.
“George, George, George of the Jungle,
strong as he can be.”
“Ahahahahahahah”
“Watch out for that tree”
“Oohh”
Most of the Generation Xers that I know
have never heard of George of the Jungle. Which is a course, a shame. Their lives will always have a void. They will never be completely fulfilled. George
of the Jungle is nirvana.
They just don’t make cartoons like George of the Jungle anymore. Most don’t even come close. Today’s cartoons are very
intelligent--animated dramas. And I
can’t fault the animation. But, to me,
they lack something--fun. The old
cartoons were just plain fun to watch, for both children and adults.
Take George
of the Jungle, for instance. A cartoon about a Tarzan who keeps hitting
trees really appeals to a kid’s silliness factor. I used to love to watch George
of the Jungle cartoons when I was my daughter Jacqueline’s age. They were fun and made me laugh. I know, the animation was kind of
cheesy. But all Jay Ward cartoons had
cheesy animation.
A few months ago, one of the cable
networks showed a George of the Jungle
cartoon. (I think it was a once in a
lifetime event--I’ve never seen one again.)
My wife, who had never seen a George
of the Jungle cartoon, was dumbfounded to see me drop everything, rush to
the e-z-chair, and start singing about “watch out for that tree.” As an adult, I still got a chuckle out of George of the Jungle, but for an
entirely different reason--the satire.
The old cartoons, unlike the ones on
television today, were loaded with satire.
Thus, they were enjoyable to both parents and children alike. When I was a kid, I thought Rocky and Bullwinkle (another Jay Ward
creation) was funny; as an adult, it’s even funnier. I really didn’t understand nor could I appreciate the satire
until I became an adult. Of course, by
that time it was too late, as sightings of Rocky
and Bullwinkle were less frequent than the sighting of extraterrestrial
mother ships.
The same can be said of all of the other
great cartoons of the past: Woody Woodpecker, Mr. Magoo, Chilly Willy,
Tom Slick, Super Chicken. All only
playing in the memories of those over thirty.
Which is a shame, as a whole generation is missing out on some of the
best animated shows ever made.
I must concede that while most of today’s
cartoons are rather BORING, there are a (rare) few that do have a wicked
satirical edge. Of course, they are
only available if you have cable. It
just so happens that they are all produced by the same man: Steven Spielberg.
Tiny
Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, and Pinky
and the Brain are three Spielberg creations that are enjoyed by both
children and adults, although I suspect that adults enjoy them more. Tiny
Toon Adventures was the first, and although no new episodes have been made
the past several years, it is still shown daily on one of the cable networks.
Tiny
Toons beget Animaniacs, which
beget Pinky and the Brain. New episodes of both Animaniacs and Pinky and the
Brain are shown every Sunday morning on cable, and, as my wife will tell
you, I am usually watching them every Sunday.
It doesn’t matter whether the girls watch with me; I grab myself a cup a
coffee and sit for an hour and watch cartoons.
And I am proud of it.
How could I waste my time watching
cartoons? Easy. They are fun to watch. And, cartoons like Animaniacs and Pinky and the
Brain, which do not hesitate to satirize politicians (yes, including Mr.
Clinton), movie stars, and other pop icons, are much more clever and humorous
than most of the adult comedies now polluting the airwaves.
If I had to choose between Pinky and the Brain and Saturday Night Live, I’d choose Pinky and the Brain without a moment’s
hesitation. Both shows lampoon, but Pinky and the Brain lampoons with
class. It has to--after all, children
are watching. Who says humor has to be
tasteless?
According to the promo at the beginning
of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, the George of the Jungle movie is supposed
to hit theaters this summer. I want to
be the first in line. How soon can I
buy tickets?