Duckfan said:
Going right ahead with
my review of episode #9:
In "I.Q. You, Too!" S&M battle themselves by pumping up their brains to overdimensional sizes. This short makes use of some typical cartoon stereotypes regarding overachievment: It is pictured via solving high-level math problems and reading. On the other hand the newly gained intelligence doesn't prohibit our heroes from dropping back into their natural habits. And herein lies the interesting point: Bigger brain power only gets them the ability to use more advanced weapons, but not more sanity. They end up by destroying the whole world. Quite a philosophical segment.
"The Light of Darkness" has a fresh idea in showing Pith Possum taking part in a superhero convention in his town. While not being recognised at first, he ends up being the star of day by (of course) accidentally rescueing the other guys from a villain we have seen some episodes before, this time armed with some horrific... thing (I loved that gag). I very much liked that segment because of its clever story and of course all the ridiculing of superheros, of whom I'm not a big fan, as you might have noticed. In fact this square convetion thing is a much more funnier way to put superheros together than building "supergroups" like "The Avengers". By putting them all together in one place, none seems to be that "special" anymore. They're just a bunch of freaks with ridiculous clothing.
"Slap-Happy Trails" shows how Tex, the headless dwarf and the Wrong Wriders (of whom I finally noticed, that the mexican-looking guy has a funny unfitting British accent) treat their animals at night. This was a fun break from all the confusing storylines in the past episodes and it had some nice gags in it.
I really liked all of this episode's segments, so this has been the best one so far.
Good evening, folks. I apologize for slacking off of last week's review, but here is mine right now.
Shnooku*ms & Meat: "I.Q. You Too!"
Hmmm, this is an interesting set-up. It starts with Shnooku*ms proving that Meat is too fixated on something simple as protecting the house. Determined to get back at him, Meat orders a brain-enhancing hat in the mail that works great for him. To start it off, he builds a giant booby trap that Shnooku*ms winds up in, but it doesn't stop there. Shnooku*ms decides to take advantage of the situation by building a similar hat of his own. This begins a violent prank war between the pets that ends with the whole world exploding. It's interesting how their brains instantly grow to become gigantic and shrink back to normal by the end of the short.
According to Bill himself in his interview with DAF Radio, he said that the Shnooku*ms & Meat shorts were built on pacing, timing, and gags, rather than the characterization found in "Eek!". Much of the humor and pacing found in those shorts were reminiscent to the Looney Tunes and Tex Avery shorts of the 40's and 50's. With that being said, this is the fact that sets Shnooku*ms and Meat, Marsupilami, Raw Toonage, and Timon and Pumbaa apart from a majority of the Disney Afternoon shows, even if Timon and Pumbaa had some of the characteristic traits.
Overall, a good short, if you're into cartoon violence.
Pith Possum: "The Light of Darkness"
Before I begin, I'm going to explain the origins behind the Pith Possum episodes. According to Bill, he hated superheroes, because they would take themselves seriously. So, on the day Bill moved into his office at Disney TV Animation, he stumbled upon a comic book titled "Night Becomes Woman!". This was one of the inspirations for Bill to come up with the Pith Possum episodes.
Nevertheless, the idea of going to a superhero convention sounds exciting, with Pith and Obediah participating in the event to represent their hometown. The names of the superheroes are also parodies: For example, Ultra-Guy Man Dude is a parody of Superman, while Power Weasel is a parody of Flash. However, the entirety of the short turned out to be a torture fest (well, the way Internet users say) for Pith. I can't blame him and Obediah for going to the convention, but in here, it's frustrating. He gets disrespected by the other superheroes and gets stung by killer bees while having his head stuck inside a jar.
But just like any Pith Possum segment, the villain steps in to ruin the event, and it's Dr. Paul Bunion preparing to destroy the heroes with his... thing, which I find amusing, and the character animation helps, too. The ending is somewhat predictable with Pith and Obediah saving the day, but by accident, with the heroes flowing out of the bathroom. Hmmm, good enough. So, Pith and Obediah somewhat get the respect they deserve by all the superheroes.
I'm sorry to say this, but this episode is a stinker.
Tex Tinstar: "Slap-Happy Trails"
This is genuinely a break from the standard routine. In this one, Krusty, Tex, Chafe, and the Wrong Riders all set up camp for the night. Interesting. I definitely liked the scene with the Wrong Riders. The way Percy Lacedaisy was shoved into an anthill was funny, and I found it more humorous when Wrongo tried to relight his horse after Clem doused the horse's literally-flaming mane, and all three of them got scorched in an explosion. Now, that's a bang! *bah-dum-tish*
I also liked the scene where Tex and Chafe settled their, er... horses for bed, and I can say the same thing for the ending. Unfortunately, the ending has been cut off from its last 10 seconds since I downloaded it.
Overall, a good episode, except "Light of Darkness".
Now, in conclusion, I am sorry to say this, but this is the last episode my partner and I have reviewed for the time being. With a show so rare as Shnooku*ms and Meat, the copyright policy found mostly everywhere on streaming websites (particularly YouTube), and a few episodes that have been found in Spanish, it is impossible to know who or where has Episodes #3 and #10-#13 available to watch. Believe me, I have asked a few Internet users if they have had the show on their tapes, and these are the only episodes I have so far.
But, I will say this: Even if The Shnooku*ms & Meat Funny Cartoon Show may not be Bill Kopp's best work or the best Disney Afternoon show, it's always my treasure to me. I always love it for its slapdash humor and visual jokes and how different it was during its short-lived time. I've said this several times, and I'll say it again. I'm going to suggest that Bill Kopp realized that he was close to ripping off John K's "Ren and Stimpy". I know they don't like the show, but it makes me sad. If viewers could look beyond the S&M segments, I'll bet they would have enjoyed the Pith Possum and Tex Tinstar shorts even more. Consequently, this is the subject that Bill and Jeff DeGrandis should have planned upon. That show featuring both heroes would have been an outstanding idea, among the likes of Darkwing Duck and Aladdin, and it still might be promising, because of the Ducktales reboot coming next year.
Unfortunately, this is the way the show was made (and disgraced upon), but it doesn't matter to me. As for our reviews, I am not sure when or how I will be able to watch the missing episodes, but until then, stay tooned.
