Alice in Paris

One of the great things about being a collector of stuff that is supposed to appeal to children is when your child discovers something you didn't know you had. My daughter wanted to look at all of our movies the other day and so I opened the cabinet where we keep the DVDs that we never watch and she found this one and said, "That's Alice! Can we watch that?"

The movie in question is a little known 1966 Czech/American production called Alice of Wonderland in Paris. Being a huge Alice enthusiast, I acquired this DVD years ago. Upon my daughter's discover, it was still unopened and unwatched. 

Now I had an excuse to watch it, and I took it. We made a Daddy & Me afternoon and watched Alice in Paris. This isn't really an Alice story, she's used more as a frame tale to show three illustrated stories, one by Crockett Johnson, another one about the moon, and Madeline and the Bad Hat. I was thrilled with the Madeline and Alice connection, two of my favorite storybook characters. 

The animation was very 60's cartoon style, as was the voice work, which isn't surprising seeing that William Snyder of Tom & Jerry and Popeye fame, produced it. All in all, it was interesting, entertaining, but certainly for Alice completionists only.

Animation Domination

Over the past several years Community has been a bit of a puzzling show in that it displays moments of television brilliance with the occasional well-crafted high concept episode, while often trudging through the rest of the season with clever, if not overly memorable entertainment. But it's hard not to root for and support a show that has given us the Paintball episode, the Blanket Fort episode, Inspector Space Time in all it's glory, and also exists of several alternate timelines. 

A few episodes back, Community brought another classic to the small screen. This time it ventured into the animated world of 1980's G.I. Joe, as well as the more narrowed sphere of G.I. Joe toy commercials. This dead-on parody brought the characters into the Joe universe, with spot-on code names and outfits. It took on the some of the more puzzling aspects of the cartoon, like why no character ever dies in their endless explosive battles, or why Cobra is always targeting tourist destinations with no military value. It was hilarious, especially if like me, you were a fan of the cartoon in your childhood.

 

As with most of the episodes, it used this alternate world to deal with one of the character's personal issues. The show always does a good job by making those connections in ways that don't feel forced, yet always seem play into sitcom troupes with a tongue in cheek attitude. It's sort of amazing that this show has lasted so long, and even more surprising is that it's better than it's been in years. It takes chances usually not reserved for prime time, major network shows, and that's what has always kept me coming back for more.

Yo Jobra!

Powerpuff Girls Back in Action!

In case you missed it on Monday, the Powerpuff Girls returned to television with a brand-new half hour special to celebrate the 15th Anniversary of their debut. Needless to say, I was super excited despite the fact that I suddenly felt very old realizing how quickly fifteen years goes by once you're an adult. 

From the opening sequence, I confess to being thrown off by the new art style. I hadn't read anything about an updated look being used and having been a huge fan of the original, I found it jolting. By the end, I did enjoy the new look. Part of me thinks it was a strange choice in direction for a anniversary special, but I suppose the original art might look outdated now given that there have been so many imitators since the show aired. Also, it's not the first time the characters have been revamped as die-hard fans will know from Powerpuff Girls Z, the anime based series from Japan. 

Admittedly, my expectations were very high. And while the episode was well done, it certainly won't rank among the funniest or most innovative in the show's history. A lot of the character jokes that make the show great were missing. Bubbles, always my favorite, was wisely made the star, but for some reason her personality went through a lot of changes during the course of the episode. The fight scenes weren't terribly creative either, having the girls rely on one tactic that was pretty basic. And then the girls were basically removed from the plot toward the end, putting the focus on the Professor's past dance fiasco. However, the ending was very sweet and rewarding. It was nice having the Pokey Oaks kindergartners back on the air, even if it was only for one episode.

Legend of Korra (Episodes 11-12)

(Catch up on previous episodes here)

The final two episodes of Legend of Korra are among the best in the season, and bring the story to a beautifully written conclusion. After the invasion, the eleventh episode opens with Amon in charge of Republic City. Team Avatar has been living in an underground shanty town with the homeless, and other refugees from the city above. However, Korra and Mako have been disguising themselves as equalist soldiers in order to keep track of what's happening in the city, which mainly consists of Amon "cleansing" benders of their ability. These are remarkably powerful scenes that capture an authentic feel to living under siege, and the injustice of ethnic conflict.

When the United Forces finally arrive to liberate the city, it turns out to be a trap. The equalists have placed ship mines in the harbor. As the fleet is grounded, they come under attack from another of Mr. Sato's deadly inventions, a squad of World War I style bi-wing air planes. Korra leaps into the battle, and she's on top of her game, giving her best showing so far as the avatar. Eventually the enemy is simply too overwhelming, and she is forced to retreat back to the shanty town, this time with General Iroh. They raido the 2nd Fleet, under the command of Tenzin's brother (another of Aang's sons), warning him of the danger. 

Iroh leads Bolin and Asami to the equalist airfield in order to take out the runways and give the 2nd Fleet an advantage. Meanwhile, Korra and Mako go to Air Temple Island to face Amon. There they discover Tarrlok and learn that he's really Amon's brother. In a lengthy flashback, we see how their father Yokone raised them to get revenge on the Avatar for removing his bending. He trains his young sons to become ruthless bloodbenders, but the two brothers end up on very different paths. Armed with this information, Korra plans to expose Amon as a bender at his upcoming rally and cripple the revolution.

Once she gets to the rally, things don't go as planned. The people don't believe her, and then Amon tells them a different tale about a firebender killing his family. When he removes his mask, his face is scarred, suggesting his story is true. Then unveils a terrible surprise, having Tenzin and his children brought on stage, promising to rid the world of airbending once and for all. The sight of the children in distress is enough to cause Mako and Korra to risk everything and attack. Together, they manage to free Tenzin and chase Amon through the back halls of the arena.

On the other side of Republic City, Iroh and the others have found the airfield, only to fall prey to an electric fence that surrounds it. Mr. Sato visits his daughter in the base's jail, explaining that he overheard their radio message and that the planes are going to destroy the 2nd Fleet. When things look hopeless, they are saved by Naga, the polar dog. Together, Bolin, Asami, and Iroh manage to destroy the planes and rip up the airfield. Then we get the final fight between Asami and her father, ending with Mr. Sato being brought to justice.

Back at the arena, Amon has been able to take both Mako and Korra under his bloodbending power. In a shocking scene, he removes Korra's bending. The unthinkable has happend, Amon has defeated the Avatar. But then, just as he's about take Mako's bending, Korra is able to airbend. She goes after him, and though he escapes, he is forced to expose himself as a waterbender, thus destroying his support among the people. In the end, it is Tarrlok who brings an end to Amon, sacrificing himself in the process.

Though the war has been won, there is still the devastating defeat to deal with. Returning to the Southern Water Tribe, they do everything to try and restore Korra's bending without success. Korra is crushed and completely distraught. When she is at her absolute lowest, the spiritual realm opens to her. She meets all the previous Avatars, and it is Aang who returns her powers. In the final scene, we get to see Korra in the Avatar state for the first time, and she's totally bad-ass. I feel sorry for her enemies in season two.

Legend of Korra (Episodes 9-10)

(Catch up on previous episodes here)

Episode 9 opens with Korra still in the clutches of the now-revealed bloodbender Tarrlok. Taken from Republic City, Korra is being held prisoner inside a metal box somewhere in the mountains. Meanwhile, Tarrlok stages the scene where he fought Korra in order to frame the equalists for her disappearance. Fearing this to be true, Beifong breaks Korra's friends out of prison and decides they'd better find her before Amon gets a hold of her. Along with Tenzin, they discover an underground equalist base and soon learn that the equalists had nothing to do with Korra's disappearance. When they confront Tarrlok, his secret is uncovered. He uses his powerful bloodbending to fight them off and flees before being captured.

With nowhere to go and nothing to do inside her metal box, Korra has decided to concentrate on her mediating and hope she can lean something from the visions that creep in from time-to-time. In her visions, we see characters from The Last Airbender as adults. Aang and Toph have successfully captured a criminal boss named Yakone, who terrorized the city with his bloodbending. Shortly after Councilman Sokka sentences him, Yakone breaks free. It is only in the Avatar state that Aang is able to stop him, and then permanently takes away his bending, in the same manner as Amon. As it turns out, Tarrlok is Yakone's son, trying to get back at the council for what they did to his father, and complete his father's dream of running Republic City. This dream dies with the arrival of Amon to the country cabin. Impervious to Tarrlock's bloodbending, Amon walks right up to him and takes away his bending. When Amon's henchman go to retrieve Korra, she barely manages to fight her way out, but does eventually escape.

During Korra's recovery back on Air Temple Island, the previously established love triangle gets a little more tangled. Asami knows that Mako has feelings for Korra, even before he realizes he does, no doubt setting up more complicated feelings in the future. But any time to dwell on relationships is quickly cut short as the equalists attack Republic City, bombing it from above with Sato's airships. 

Soon all of the council members are taken and only Tenzin remains. Heading for police headquarters, he manages to get a communication through to the General of the United Forces before the station is attacked. Team Avatar is back together, and comes to his rescue as they fight off a fleet of megatanks and manage to save Tenzin, just in time to see several ships headed straight for Air Temple Island.

Beifong does her best to hold off the equalist attack on the island as she protects Tenzin's family while Pema is having her baby. In one of the best scenes of the episode, Beifong is aided in battle by the Airbending children, who fight wonderfully, if not a tad unconventionally. The peace doesn't last long however. More airships are headed for the island. Tenzin makes the decision to abandon the island, taking his family to safety. In their flight, they are pursued by Amon's airships and Beifong sacrifices herself in order to save the family. She bravely leaps from one ship to the next, taking it down much the way Aang did in the final episode of The Last Airbender. 

Korra and her friends retreat to Republic City's underground tunnels, unsure of what lies ahead. But help is on the way. In the final shot, we meet General Iroh of the United Forces, a firebender that bears a striking resemblance to Zuko.

Legend of Korra (Episodes 7-8)

(Catch up on previous episodes here)

In the wake of Amon's surprise attack at the pro bending championships, the arena has been shut down, forcing Mako and Bolin to find a new home. They take Asami up on her invitation to move into her father's mansion. Meanwhile, Chief Beifong raids one of Republic City's largest corporations and discovers they have been manufacturing the electrified gloves for the equalists. 

While spending the day at the Sato mansion with her friends, Korra grows to like Asami during a great Speed Racer inspired scene where they are racing cars on her father's test track. Things seem to be going well, until Korra overhears Mr. Sato on the phone and suspects of him working with the equalists. It seems he may have framed his rival, and that he is the real manufacturer of the weapons.

Korra goes to Tenzin and Beifong with this information, and as it turns out, Mr. Sato has motivation for supporting the equalist cause. It is revealed that firebending triads were responsible for his wife's death. Still, Mr. Sato denies the allegations, and even allows the police to search all his warehouses. When no evidence turns up, the investigation seems to be a dead end, until an informant reveals that there is a secret factory under the Sato estate.

Despite the riff it causes between her and her friends, Korra pursues the lead, and along with Tenzin and Beifong discover that there is indeed a factory where Sato has been producing robotic suits for Amon, made of platinum and impervious to metal bending. The whole thing turns out to be a trap.  Korra and the others are only able to escape thanks to Asami, who chooses her friends over the wickedness of her father.

The fallout is swift in episode eight. Beifong resigns in order to pursue Amon on her own terms, and Tarrlok uses the entire situation to gain more power in the city. The political intrigue is extremely well done. Tarrlok institutes measures to curb the rights of non-benders with restrictive laws that mirror ones that have been enacted in our own society to fight terrorists; holding them indefinitely and without proof. His actions put him even further at odds with Korra.

Korra is slowly beginning to understand her role as the Avatar, learning to listen to her visions and realizing her job is to stick up for those who can't stick up for themselves. This leads to a showdown with Tarrlok after he arrests her friends. Fueled by her new confidence, she nearly defeats him. Cornered, Tarrlok is forced to reveal himself as a devious blood bender. In flashbacks, we learn Aang had to face similar struggle, but it isn't yet clear what the connection is. What is clear by the end of the episode is that the new Avatar is in a lot of danger as she is now Tarrlok's prisoner.

(Sidenote: Episode 7 included two of the funniest Airbender Kids moments)

Legend of Korra (Episodes 5-6)

(catch up on previous episodes here)

After her showdown with Amon at the end of episode four, a shaken Korra has decided to take a leave of absence from Tarrlok's task force. Instead, she decides to distract herself by focusing on training for the pro bending championships with her Fire Ferret teammates, Mako and Bolin. 

The fifth episode centers around two love triangles that have been developing over the course of the season. The first concerns the three teammates. Korra obviously has feelings for Mako, while Bolin is head-over-heels for Korra. Meanwhile, Mako is conflicted between his feelings for Korra, and Asami, the daughter of the wealthy entrepreneur who is sponsoring the team. 

After their first tournament match, which the Ferrets win easily, Korra confesses her feelings to Mako. He tells her that he doesn't feel the same way, and then when she sees him kiss Asami, she realizes she's wasting her time. So when Bolin comes into the picture to ask her out, she agrees. And though they have a great time together, she clearly views him as a friend. Things become more strained when Mako accuses her of going out with Bolin only to get back at him. These strained emotions carry over into their second match. The two of them are obviously distracted, and it's only because of Bolin that they are able to win the match.

Afterwards, the situation becomes more messy when Mako eventually confesses that he does have feelings for Korra and they kiss. Naturally, this is observed by Bolin and he's heartbroken. In the third match, the two brothers are at odds, and Korra single handedly wins it for them, advancing them into the finals. The victory is enough to bring the three friends together again, setting up the dramatic turn of events in the sixth episode.

As the team is training, a radio broadcast is interrupted by Amon. He demands that the pro bending championship be cancelled, calling for an end to the worship of benders. If it is allowed to go on, he promises retaliation. Spooked by fears of escalating violence between benders and equalists, Republic City's council initially votes to cancel the tournament. That is until Lin Beifong, the metal bending chief of police and Toph's daughter, tells them it would be a danger to give in to Amon's threats and assures them that her team can provide security. I loved the way this storyline was handled, and how it directly relates to terrorism and security concerns in our own world. 

The match between the Fire Ferrets and the Wolf Bats is allowed to go on as scheduled. As it turns out, the Wolf Bats, three time champions, have bribed the refs and cheat their way to victory. Just as they are crowned, the equalists strike. Using electricity weapons, they are able to quickly neutralize the metal benders and Korra. Then Amon takes to the platform to make an example of the Wolf Bats, claiming that, like all benders, they are bullies who cheat and steal their way to glory. Then he takes away their bending, and declares that the equalist revolution has now begun. 

Korra and Beifong recover and try their best to stop Amon from escaping. They put up a valiant fight, but there are just too many of the armed soldiers and eventually Amon escapes into a waiting blimp. As the episode ends, it is clear that Republic City is now at war!

Legend of Korra (Episodes 3-4)

(Catch up on previous episodes here)

When I last left off the saga of the new Avatar, Korra had experienced her first boost of confidence stemming from her success with the professional bending team The Fire Ferrets. But in the world of Avatars, adversity is never far away. For Korra, the third episode of the show reveals just how sinister a threat she faces, and hints at how trying her journey will become.

The episode opens with some bad news for The Fire Ferrets. Having made the championships, the organizer of the league informs them that they must come up with a share of the prize money. Mako and Bolin have no way of coming up with it, and neither does Korra, who has never had need for money. In order to help the team, Bolin ends up taking a job with The Triple Threats, one of the many triad gang of benders that roam Republic City, using their bending gifts to extort others. These gangs, and the pro-bending promoter, are great examples of how Republic City is based on New York during the 1930's and 1940's. These are the kind of nuanced touches that the show, and its predecessor, have always done so well, and which transcend it far beyond being just a children's cartoon.

After a day of work, Mako grows concerned that Bolin has not returned and seeks out Korra's help to find him. They discover Bolin has been taken by Amon's equalist soldiers. As they engage them, we discover the true terror behind Amon. His soldiers have been trained in a technique known as "chi blocking" which can temporarily nuetralize bending. However, this is nothing compared to the real threat that is to be revealed when Korra and Mako infiltrate an equalist rally being billed as The Revelation. It is there that viewers first learn Amon's terrifying secret--his ability to take away a bender's power permenantly.

Though Korra succeeds in rescuing Bolin before it's too late, she is obviously traumatized by what she's seen. As episode four opens, she is haunted by the fear of losing her bending. This fear is strong enough to prevent her from joining Councilmen Tarrlok's task force established to put an end to Amon's reign of terror. Tarrlok eventually bullies her into joining, using the press to ambush her into making a decision. After a successful raid on a chi blocker training camp, Korra publically challenges Amon to a duel. Foolishly trusting his honor, she is ambushed by a squad of his henchman. Once her bending is disabled, Amon threatens to take away her bending, but lets her ago, claiming to have a more devious fate in store for her. 

Straight from the Sewers

I spent much of last weekend catching up on animated television by watching all the episodes of Nickelodeon's new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series. I had no plans to care about this series until I caught a few minutes of the premiere a few weeks back and was captivated by the look of the show. Still, I put off watching it...until now.

This is one of those shows, like the new Thundercats, that has gotten everything right. They could have easily gone in the wrong direction, but wisely, the show decided to create a comic book feel for our heroes in a half-shell. I love the way the backgrounds look like comic book panels and the occasional still frame pauses that look like print. 

The four turtles have been given more depth than they had in the original series. Michelangelo, my least favorite from the original, is now my favorite character. The lovable misfit of the bunch is such a great character and gives the group a real dynamic. Leo as the leader-in-training is also a nice touch. The bad guys have also been stepped up, made much more sinister and cunning than The Foot ever was. 

This now makes four '80s cartoons from my childhood that have been given amazing second chances, along with Transformers Prime, the previously mentioned Thundercats, and the short-lived, but quality G.I. Joe Renegades. Now if only Hollywood had the same good sense as the networks then maybe we'd have entertaining movie version as well instead of the schlock they throw out there in an attempt to ruin the name of great properties.

The Legend of Korra

In case you haven't heard, The Last Airbender story has not come to an end. Not even the epic terribleness of M. Night Shyamalan can kill an amazing story like the one begun on Nickelodeon's Avatar...the original Avatar, born before the 3D alien fest. 

The three season saga of Aang and his friends ranks up there with my all time favorite television shows, animated or otherwise. It's really one of the only shows I can think of that took the elements of a Middle Grade novel and created a show that felt as intelligent and original as a written trilogy. So when I learned that the creators were going to make a new Avatar series, I was pretty excited to say the least.

The new show, The Legend of Korra, takes place some 60-80 years later and follows the training of Aang's replacement Avatar, a girl from the Southern Water Tribe. One thing these writers have always done well is introducing characters and Korra's entrance is unforgettable and instantly endearing. Even though she ages ten years by the next scene, as a viewer you're already attached to her. 

Another thing the original show excelled at was the invention of an entirely new world. Upon returning, we see that this world has changed quite dramatically from when we last saw it. We don't have to wonder what happened between the last show and this one, we instantly see it in the streets of the semi-modern Republic City. And no time is wasted before we learn that this new Avatar in training will have an entirely new set of problems to face and challenges to overcome. So far, the journey seems well worth taking.

More Than Meets the Eye

Recently I've been watching a lot of the Transformers animated series. The HUB, a new animated channel that sprung up on my cable about a year ago, had been airing the original series for a long time. I watched that, but found myself longing for the series that ran after the movie. My wish was been granted a few weeks ago and luckily I started recording it just at the beginning.

Though I was a fan of the original episodes when they first aired, watching them again last year, I found the concept to be a bit stale. The second series however is much more entertaining. I remember watching those too, every day right after school. The key to these episodes is the expansion of the story. Set decades in the future from the original, this is more of traditional science fiction series. It hardly ever takes place on Earth and introduces all sorts of alien races with endless consequences.

The second generation of characters are also better. Galvatron, the reincarnation of Megatron, is cunning and more evil. Cybertron in once again in the hands of the Autobots, led by Hot Rod after Optimus Prime's death, though he is resurrected a dozen or so episodes in. Both sides have a shared enemy, the Quintessons. These are devious creatures, much like the Daleks in Doctor Who. In addition there is plenty of alien mythology thrown in with each new civilization they meet. Of course, there is still element of the show where each episode is used to introduce a new toy, especially the endless string of merging super-Transformers. But that's okay, the more the merrier.

It's a shame those horrible movies have sullied the franchise. In it's heyday, it was a revolutionary American cartoon, taking elements of Japanese style and bringing them here. It certainly was one of the prime stories that captured and shaped my young imagination. It's nice to know that it still has the power to do so.

Finally, A Good Cartoon to Watch

Cartoons.

I love cartoons.

So my recent trouble in finding any good new cartoons on the air has represented an extreme cultural crisis in my world.

No good cartoons!?! Will the end of the world not be far behind?

Honesty break here: There are a handful of cartoons to come out over the past few years that I do actually like. Kid vs. Cat is a brilliant cat-and-mouse update that is sure to leave any cat owner in stitches. I thought Skunk Fu was also brilliant, but sadly, it doesn't seem to be on anymore. Star Wars: Clone Wars is very entertaining too, but different than a real cartoon cartoon. And of course, Avatar: The Last Airbender is one of the best epics of our time. But surely there had to be more...

The other day, I was flipping around and discovered the wonderful Charlie & Lola show on Disney Channel. It's been on for a few years I believe, but for whatever reason, I never watched it. I'd always been curious. I'm a huge fan of the Lauren Child picture books the show is based on. I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato and I Am Not Sleepy... are both hilarious stories. I love the characters and the art style is very appealing to me. Back in my bookseller days, I tried very hard to sell these with mixed results despite the series being quite popular in the UK.

I admit to being nervous watching children's shows based on books. Typically the art is ruined and the characters "hipped" up for advertisers. I was shocked (and very impressed) at the integrity Charlie & Lola has for the books it's based on. The show actually plays out very much like a written story. The jokes are subtle and come about do to outstanding writing and not cheap gags. And each episode unfolds slow and careful, but always to a rewarding end. If writing children's books is something you're planning on doing, this would be a great show to watch. It has a great ear for authentic dialogue and interaction. (Oh, also...no commercials!)

Most cartoons these days assume crude equals funny and noisy equals action. Even more upsetting is that many books are moving in that direction. It was quite refreshing to find this show on the air. You don't have to be loud and obnoxious to offer something that is funny and entertaining. It's also educational without beating you over the head with it like those nauseating children's shows like Dora. Of course, the funny British-isms help. There's just something about kids with accents that cracks me up. But maybe that's just me.

Magically Delicious

The power of advertising is a strange thing. While watching Friday night's episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and fast-forwarding through commercials this Saturday morning, one image caught my eye. Wait, what? A new Pebbles cereal? I have to see this.

Besides being one of the coolest cartoon babies ever, Pebbles can make a mean cereal. Nothing, and I mean nothing, tops Cocoa Pebbles, either for breakfast or desert. Fruity Pebbles, though not my cup of tea, is still pretty darn good. So when I saw a new flavor, Cupcake Pebbles, I couldn't stop the wonder from eating away at me. Probably because of the sheer oddness that a new flavor would be introduced now, instead of say 30 years ago. Sure, there's was Bam-Bam's Berry Pebbles, but weren't they just Fruity in disguise.

Luckily, my daily activities brought me to the grocery store by chance that day. As I walked through the cereal aisle, there was this flickering image in my head. "Oh yeah," I thought. "I want to look for those Cupcake Pebbles." Apparently I wasn't the only one, there were only two boxes left.

I admit to staring at the box entranced. Perhaps it is the irresistible type font, or the subliminal hypnotic swirl, or the eye-catching NEW!, or the rather odd fact that it suggests Pebbles has swiped at icing before us and pre-tasted the ingredients...

Regardless, after I got home, I simply had to sample.

First...that wonderful scent. It's like an entire birthday cake in a box. Then, there's the taste. Whew Doggie! That's some delicious cereal. Fine going down and no bad aftertaste. Pure magic.

Pebbles, you done it again!

Honestly, I couldn't stop talking about all day. It's that good. And yes, despite evidence to the contrary exposed in this post, I assure you, I am an adult...almost.

Ode to Eternia

For the previous seven days, up until yesterday, I'd been without cable and therefore without live television. During that week, fabulous secret powers were revealed to me as I put He-Man Season One DVD on and uttered the magic words...By the Power of Greyskull.

Unfortunately, my cat did not transform like Cringer does into Battle Cat. If anything, he simply curled up into a tighter fur ball and slept more deeply. I was a little more excited. Like any other male member of the species in my peer group, I watched hours upon hours of this early-80s cartoon during elementary school. I loved it back then, though it fell somewhere just below Star Wars, Transformers, Smurfs, and G.I. Joe. But it's hard to deny the sheer bad-assery of Skeletor, even after all of these years, he's mesmerizing.

I bring this up not to relive childhood glory...believe it or not, my viewing experience this time around actually has some merit to what I wrote about yesterday as far a writing rules are concerned. 

What struck me about He-Man this time around was how packed the world of Eternia is. There are mythical elements, middle-earthy elements, yet there are also lasers, space travel, and time portals. I found myself pretty amazed by what a mash-up of genres were packed into this world. It was as if the creators thought up all the things that would appeal to boys ages 5-10 and decided to add them all. 

The result is understandably a bit messy...but a damned entertaining mess. Even my cats seemed to perk up and watch as the course of the show went on. Remarkably however, all of these various elements (spells, dragons, spaceships, lasers, and Merman) fit together quite well. 

One thing that fascinated me as I watched was thinking about the kind of reaction I'd get if I pitched an idea like this to one of my publishers. I'm pretty certain the reaction would be something along the lines of "What is this supposed to be?" and the request would be to go back and focus on a few key aspects. 

Don't get me wrong, focus isn't a bad thing. Frankly, He-Man could use some of it. But every now and then, it's important to throw out all of those restrictions and see what comes out. Be ambitious. It's like what I've been saying about second drafts...it's better to have a mess to clean up than it is to have sterile room with nothing to look at.