A Review of Captain Flamingo

I've stated before that I consider 2005-2009 to be one of the darkest times in television animation, next to the 1970s it was an age of cartoons that ranged from mediocre to poor. In fact, I don't think I like this era at all. Unlike most people, I believed that the quality of animated series in the 2000s decade dropped around this time. There were good cartoons during the era, but they were few and far between. Part of this comes from the fact that I did grow out of children's cartoons around this time (as well as children's entertainment in general); I think we all go through a rite of passage where we think the cartoons we watched in our childhood are way better than the ones children nowadays watch. No matter which decade you've grown up in, we all have this notion. Now I'm not going to put the blame on those specific 4 years for the quality of these cartoons, it just so happens that they came out during this time frame to justify the late 2000s as being a "dark period". Case and point Captain Flamingo.

I've also mentioned how they're cartoons that parody the superhero genre by taking it in a more
comedic direction. But there is also this sub-genre in which the heroes are children. Throughout the 2000s, there have been plenty of cartoons that have young characters that fight crime using special powers or gadgets. This trend was popular because of 'The Powerpuff Girls'; while not the first show to use this concept, the original series was such a hit that many animation companies wanted a piece of the super-powered pie of righteousness. Created by Suzanne Bolch and John May, Captain Flamingo is one of these young superhero cartoons that took the concept in a much different direction than you would think. The inception for this idea first appeared in an episode of May's first show 'Deke Wilson's Mini Mysteries', in which a character wanted to be a bird-themed superhero of the same name. I remember watching this show when I had nothing better to do. It was on towards what I consider to be the end of my childhood, and it made up my decision to give up on the super kid genre. Not many people seem to remember this show; until recently there was not much about it online. But unlike 'Stickin' Around', this was an obscure cartoon I don't have the fondest memories of. It's quite a pity considering Suzanne and John did work on 'Stickin' Around', but I digress. But was Captain Flamingo the unsung hero animation needed at the time, or was it the 'Teen Titans Go!' of its day. Let's all put our birdbrains together and find out how.

The show is about a young boy called Milo Powell, who one day is tired of how much more privileged older people are than children, decides to become a superhero much like his favourite hero Quantum Vigilante. Albeit a bird-themed one, so he takes on the alter ego Captain Flamingo. But what makes Captain Flamingo different from other kid heroes is that he doesn't fight crime or save the town from monsters, instead, he fights in the name of child justice. So with his trusty bag of novelty items and the help of his sidekick Lizbeth, they go on missions to help those children in need. Each episode would start with Milo facing a certain predicament or having to achieve a personal goal. But then he gets called upon to carry out a mission. You know how there are superheroes that have their call of action; Batman has the bat signal, Spiderman has his spidey senses, whenever a kid would be in trouble they would shout "Uh-Oh Flamingo!" He and Lizbeth try to fix the kid's problem the best they can, but the captain ends up making things worse. The Captain then counts on his "Bird Brain" to think of a solution, when really its Lizbeth giving a suggestion. He still assumes that it's his own instinct; but he often misinterprets Lizbeth's advice, it doesn't matter as the captain inadvertently fixes the issue. Milo's actions in aiding the person lead to an outcome for his personal goals. In other words 'Captain Flamingo' has a main protagonist who defends the rights for kids everywhere, it tries to depict the problems children go through as high stake adventures, and teens as the antagonists. Well, I think there's a cartoon that does that concept a lot better. As you can tell; the show is very formulaic, but it barely does anything to mix up the formula or make each episode interesting enough to come back to. In each episode; the captain would come across a kid from his neighbourhood with a problem (big or small). In this case, it's not so much children's predicaments that are exaggerated as large, grandiose adventures, it's that each kid's problem gets out of control and comedically out of proportion. It kind of reminds me of the cartoon 'Hong Kong Phooey', in that it's always the sidekick who comes up with a way to save the day, yet the main hero always takes the credit. Normally in these types of shows, they try to reduce something serious to be silly or add impact to even the most average and mundane of activities. The aim of this show is to solve a series of unfortunate mishaps; however, it makes the dilemmas too simplistic to where it can only thrill an audience that's the same age as Milo. It also tries to leave you in suspense, but once you become accustomed to the formula, the novelty can wear thin for some people. It's not that the stories/scenarios aren't or can't be interesting, it's just they're not as interesting as they could be.

The show also tries to mix action with comedy, again there's another cartoon that does that much better. You might notice that the show tries to throw in any joke it can at any given moment. I know 'Mucha Lucha' has a similar style and tone of humour, but the jokes in that show I can actually remember and they managed to make me laugh. Whether they're verbal or visual, the jokes aren't that funny and even as a teenager I heard them all before. I assume younger viewers may find the gags amusing; there might be a joke that might lead them to ask their parents to fully get it, but they are mostly low-hanging fruit on the writer's part. The jokes can also be very lowbrow, but not done in a way that's clever or worth a smirk. When it comes to the action, it's mostly slapstick based. Much of it comes from the captain trying to fix the problem, resulting in a lot of havoc to break out. These gags involve the Captain and the other characters having to go through these shenanigans, as well as the effect it has on the people around him. Even so, the physical humour doesn't have enough of an impact; it would have worked if the set-up was made more gripping to give the more humorous gag a stronger result. I've stated this before in my review of 'Teen Titans Go!' but an action-comedy still needs to capture the weight and feel of its genre, that way the punch lines have more of a punch. There are also moments in which the captain fantasizes the predicament or the antagonist as much more threatening. But the fantasy also finds its way into the real world, they're bizarre occurrences that appear as either a random gag or a plot point. If the show wanted to be internally consistent, the fantasies should either be a figment of the main character's imagination or be a part of its world; you can't have it both ways. I know in cartoons like this they like to blur the line between what is real and what is not, but this show jumps from one side to another. I can accept a show taking a plot in an 'out there' direction, so long as it runs with the potential. These surreal occurrences feel like a deus ex machina or they can be pulled out from nowhere. Once again there's another cartoon that does a better job of showing things through the imagination of a child. How is it that someone that isn't interested in superheroes, understands how to parody the genre?

The animation for this series was done at Atomic Cartoons, a Canadian company who were one of the earliest pioneers in Adobe Animate (or Flash as it was once called) during the 2000s. And like a lot of Canadian cartoons, the visuals here haven't aged very well. The whole look of the show contains very generic designs that have been seen in plenty of other cartoons. Nothing about the show looks or feels unique or inspired, neither the designs on the characters or the backgrounds leave much to the imagination. I guess it's trying to go for a retro style, but the muted colour scheme makes it plain looking. I could see where it's going with the pulp styled title cards though. It doesn't help the character's movements are pretty minimal and automated; it follows the typical criteria of any Flash cartoon from that era, which makes it look even cheaper. Contrary to what you may think, I'm not opposed to Flash animation. I'm well aware people have done impressive things with the animation software, and that it has heavily evolved since then. The show seems to have the humour as the main driving force rather than the visuals, but as a superhero show, the action should be an important tool. Even if the show is primarily a comedy, the action scenes need to feel dynamic enough (at least in this day and age). When it tries to display all the slapstick or mishaps, it doesn't do anything to make it stand out from its contemporaries. I mean the movements are passable the animators did a decent job, not that it's anything remarkable. Atomic Cartoons had the potential to make interesting looking shows, but they have been affiliated with mediocre flash animation, and even now they've yet to push their own boundaries. On that note, this was also a co-production in the Philippines, so it predates 'The NutShack' by a year.

Characters and heroes in comic books are universally recognised, to the point where many see them as the modern-day myths. So how do the characters in this show fare? Let's start with our hero, Milo. He tries his best to prove himself as a hero, while also having to go through his own hardships. He also has to balance his responsibilities at home and duty to help kids in need. There's a quixotism to how he sees life as a comic book adventure, with a utility bag of his father's novelty items, he takes these predicaments on with a wing and a prayer (so to speak). Even with these items at his disposal, he doesn't get it right the first time. I suppose he's meant to be a protagonist the younger viewers can relate and look up to. But he can get so clueless to what's going on, and that habit of him misinterpreting things with his own "strategies" can get old pretty quick. But you can't argue with results. I consider Tabitha St. Germain an underrated voice actress, but the spunky little boy voice she gives him becomes a little too much. He sounds like a prepubescent Ryan Reynolds. I can't help but to imagine what Milo will be like when he's older; will he grow out of the superhero persona, or will he continue to live in his own delusions. I mean we all used to imagine ourselves as heroes, so you cannot fault him for that. I know I used to have fantasies at that age, but I grew out of it just ask my imaginary sister Helena. Lizbeth is the captain's sidekick and neighbour from across the street; she also has a crush on him even if he's unaware of her flirting. She's actually the more levelheaded one, so she's one of the more tolerable characters to me. Even though she has to put up with the captain ignoring her. Like Spot from 'Hong Kong Phooey' Lizbeth is the one who comes up with the ideas, yet she rarely (if ever) gets the appreciation she deserves for helping to solve the conflict.

Many of the child citizens the captain has to help have certain traits that the writers like to exploit. There's Max who's the youngest with a speech impediment, Owen Only who has a really overprotective mother, Avi who is cursed to cause an accidental chain of mounting disasters, Rutger the boy who puts himself in bad situations he can't get himself out of. Tabitha is an overachieving honour student who gets really stressed whenever things don't turn out for her, Otto is the strange foreign child who has an interest in the science of machinery and rocks (as well as picking his nose). The rest are more or less similar to one another, like having vague nationalities. Considering this is a superhero comedy, you'd think it would have a vast rogue gallery. But there aren't a lot of recurring villains. There's Warrior Monkey, the captain's arch-nemesis who is a regular monkey who Milo imagines as an anthropomorphic one in samurai armour. I've kept making comparisons to other cartoons; but some of you might think he's a copy of 'Mojo Jojo', now just because the characters are the same species that doesn't mean they're alike. But when the show is about a young superhero and the main villain is a primate, it's hard not to see the parallels. He just comes off as a wild animal that harms kids and causes mischief. Wendall, Milo's cousin brags about being an eighth of an inch taller than him. Whenever he makes an appearance, he and Milo are shown competing with each other. There's also Megan, who's a bossy teenage babysitter; she doesn't come off as that intimidating, as she ends up joining the kid's side in the end. Milo's parents have significant roles; with the mother who's caught up with errands and Milo's toddler brother Thor, she can also be quite firm with Milo. The father owns the joke shop where Milo gets his items from, he has a monotone voice and average mannerisms in contrast to his son's innocent roleplaying. Though Milo might have inherited his heroism from one of his parents. This show also has a narrator, and he does that thing in which he addresses the characters. I had a super dramatic announcer once I wonder where he went? The missions revolve around these recurring characters, and all of them are not badly written, but they're only memorable by their traits and the predicaments they get into. I mean would you want to spend the day helping them?

Bottom line, Captain Flamingo isn't much of a super show. The stories use the same formula without doing anything unique to the kid hero concept, the animation leaves a lot to be desired, the humour is by the numbers and the characters are one-note. Whatever it tries to do has been done better in other shows, it's like it tries to take aspects from such similar shows and put them together in order to make the "ultimate kid show". But it wasn't put in the right hands. Much of it is not as compelling or as funny as it could be, the main joke is that it makes mishaps out of simple dilemmas. Do I think this show is as bad as 'Teen Titans Go!' No not by a long shot. I wouldn't even say this killed the 'kid hero' trend; I believe that 'Fanboy and ChumChum' has that distinction. My recommendation for it is to see how it compares to other 'kid hero' cartoons, even though this trend may have been overhyped. Don't expect it to play the action genre straight, or parody the conventions, that is if you're big. If you're little; you might like this for the slapstick humour and characters. If you were a fan of this as a child, then more power to you. But if you were one of those teens who looked down on children for liking it, it's not like you were any better at that age. I'm sure this little flamingo tried to join among the likes of other comedic superheroes, but the only merit I can give him is a 3/5.

For the record, I'm not blaming this show for the state of cartoons during this era, not at all. Maybe it's not that I was too old to be watching these shows, maybe it's because my tastes and understanding of topics were developing, so this show didn't appeal to me. And if you were a child during this era, you may have grown out of shows like this, or you may have not. I should keep in mind that not every show from my childhood is as good as I remember it to be, I mean when was the last time you've even watched The Powerpuff Girls? But this is one hero that I'm too big to call for his help. Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to......

*heavy breathing* I'm terribly sorry I'm late, *heavy breathing* I was stuck in traffic.
Well, the review is over now announcer guy, besides I haven't needed you for the past 6 years.
Then I guess you don't need my assistance anymore, good day.
Wait, Wait, don't take it the wrong way. It's just; when was the last time I did a review in this fashion?
You never even do one, all you ever touched upon was the more funny superhero shows, not the serious ones. I wasn't even used when you reviewed 'Teen Titans Go!
Those are really out of my comfort zone.
Don't you think it's your responsibility to review anything, regardless if you like it or not?
It's not like this blog is my lively hood.
Look mister; whether you review more superhero shows, or I'm out of here.
Fine go. Who needs you anyway? I don't, and I don't need this cartoon either! Goodbye.
*slams door* I knew I should have worked with that Mr Enter guy.

Man, I might have been too harsh on him.

Don't Be Horrid Henry!

So it has come to my attention that the animated series 'Horrid Henry', the show based on the British children's book series is getting another season.

People's reactions: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

I've never said this to anyone at all, but I have somewhat of a history with this particular cartoon. The reason why is because there was nothing about it I wanted to share, it was honestly a show I didn't want my peers to know I saw (for fear of what they'd think of me). But I had an itch that I've been meaning to scratch, so it's about time to give my thoughts on it.

I'll start this off by saying that I never read the Horrid Henry books as a child, I was aware of them as they were a hit where I'm from. But something about them didn't catch my attention. That was until the animated series came out, so I thought that it could get me into the book series. The Horrid Henry series has gained a bad reputation, (mostly among older watchers) but if I could give an unpopular opinion, I didn't really mind it that much. For what the series is; the plots stayed true to the source material, the animation had effort put into it (if wonky at times) and the characters can have their moments. Much like 'The Cramp Twins'; the show exaggerates childhood situations that centre around a young anti-hero with a brother he has nothing in common with. Each episode would have Henry; this naughty brat who is faced with a certain problem, he then retaliates using trouble-making antics to achieve his goal. But more often than not, it would end with Henry facing the consequences of his actions. When it comes to TV shows based on kid's books, I was pleasantly surprised to see the amount of mileage to come out of it. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I ever liked this series very much. The writing wasn't high calibre, there were times where the characters could go too far with their traits and that it would relay on sophomoric/gross-out humour. Needless to say, it got obnoxious at times. But I think it was trying to appeal to the adolescence, much of it comes from how it tries to embrace a child's inner rebellion. There was a certain edge to it with how far Henry's anti-social behaviour can go, that it can be seen as a cautionary tale. So the juvenile nature is warranted for a show with this character. As long as the show wasn't too shocking, and as long as young viewers didn't imitate Henry's antics, I didn't find the show offensive (for the most part). So I was very indifferent towards it, that was until the third season. 

After the 'Horrid Henry movie', something went off with the TV series. I noticed that each episode

would get increasingly worse as it went on. The writing became very lacklustre, the stories stopped being as coherent as before, they either went nowhere or fell completely flat on its face. Not that the show was any good to begin with, but by comparison, the writing in the last 2 seasons felt very lazy. Even if you didn't like the show before, or you just thought it was okay, the later episodes would make the early ones seem not so bad. The antics became watered down, the dialogue made very little sense, the situations were no longer engaging in any way, that it would even resort to anti-humour which is not the least bit funny. Everything would drag on other than focussing on anything of importance, that anyone watching would lose any investment. The show had lost any edge it might have had, you could say I was too old to watch the show at the time, but even a child would find it dull. It doesn't even feel finished like the writer just turned in the first draft and did not add any further development to it. Whereas 'The Cramp Twins' had more story potential and should have gotten closure, the HH cartoon just kept going much longer without making much of a point. Now Horrid Henry's seasonal rot is nowhere near as bad as other shows, whereas those were noteworthy in how they declined in quality, HH just left me bored and underwhelmed. Even in its worst seasons; Spongebob at the very least had interesting ideas and concepts, with HH I could barely remember a thing. 

With how much source material there was to work with, you'd think the makers would be a lot more inspired. It feels like the producer was trying to sabotage the series. Why do I think this? Well, it seems that showrunner Lucinda Whitely has been calling the shots with the writing department; almost like she's become judge, jury and executioner. It's like people are afraid to tell her what she should and shouldn't do, as the episodes she' wrote show a lack of restraint. I'm sure she did put time into these scripts, but that has become very questionable as the final project doesn't show this. I don't see why they couldn't give creative control to Francesca Simon, seeing how it's her baby. I don't even know how much involvement she has with the series, or even she's aware of what's going on. It's like nobody is even trying anymore. Again the later episodes ain't remarkably bad, but that doesn't change how boring it got. I think children and fans of Horrid Henry deserve better than this. 

With all that said, how much more can they milk from this bratty child. I thought the franchise ended

3 and a half years ago, but it occurred to me that the show goes on these long hiatuses because the episodes do take that long to animate. Not only has the book series been around as long as I have, but the TV series has been on for nearly 13 years, even 'Johnny Test' didn't go on for that long. But if there's going to be another Toy Story and Shrek film, I guess any franchise has the chance to continue for an eternity. Even though I don't want to have anything to do with this series, maybe it might redeem itself. Perhaps Lucinda Whitely has listened to the criticism and that the upcoming season might be an improvement. But if this is going to be the last season, then I think it's for the best. Hopefully, it'll end on a relatively brighter note; rather than its soiled reputation. It would be better off that way. Or maybe the show will stoop to a whole new low and be a zombie of what it used to be. I'm not going to act like I was a fan of this show, but you could tell the makers did put their all into its early seasons. Even for how juvenile it was, many HH fans would agree it got as lazy as Lazy Linda. While I personally think people should put their focus on making a Cramp Twins revival, and just stop it with Horrid Henry. No matter how Season 5 turns out, this show needs to be left in the past with whatever dignity it has left. But at the end of the day, the Horrid Henry series is not great, nor is it "horrid", it's just mediocre.

A Stephen Hillenburg Tribute

I didn't think that 2018 would be as bad the previous 4 years in terms of how many icons have died, but unfortunately, this streak continues. This year, we've lost many people who have changed history; whether it be Dolores O'Riordan, Stephen Hawking, Will Vinton, Avicii, Barry (Chuckle) Elliott, Michael Jackson's Father, Anthony Bourdain, Tom Wolfe, Verne Troyer, R. Lee Ermey, Charles Lazarus, Stan Lee, Ken Dodd, Bernardo Bertolucci even Koko the Gorilla. I could go on. But one person's passing that has hit me personally hard was the loss of Stephen Hillenburg. I'm afraid to say that the rumours are true, the man who created 'Spongebob Squarepants' has gone to the great beyond. This man used his knowledge of marine biology to form an animated character that would eventually become a worldwide phenomenon for nearly 20 years, and would be recognised by people young and old. 

As some of you may know, I'm a fan of the naive sea sponge; from the age of 9, it has been one of my favourite animated shows from Nickelodeon. This cartoon really needs no introduction; it took the concept of talking sea creatures and did it in its own way. For many people who grew up in the early 2000s, Spongebob was more than just a silly cartoon; it was a cult television series that shaped our sense of humour. We the fans still remember the character's personalities, how they worked off each other, the quotable lines of dialogue, the unexpected humour that was woven into its storytelling, the juxtaposition of mixed media, how it took normal situations and adapted them to its underwater setting. It was a show that we shared because of how special it was to us; we shared it so much that it would become more and more popular. Which is why it's been a staple for not just Nickelodeon, but pop culture in general. It was funny to children and adults, hence why we hold the first 3 seasons in high regard. But I still hold this cartoon close to my heart for how much it developed my sense in humour, and I can't help but to admire how Stephen and the talented crew put so much craft into the jokes from those early episodes. In many ways, it taught us to be spontaneous with our ideas and to continue to be youthful at heart.

Even after Stephen left as captain, the show kept going much longer than he hoped. I for one didn't want to turn my back on the sponge; I still stuck with it through thick and thin. We can all complain how Spongebob became a hollow shell of what it used to be, and that it should have ended after the first movie. But you can still sense the effort; it still had good ideas and moments that could be just as good as the first 3 seasons. We had to accept that there were episodes that weren't on par with others and that a show from our childhood was no longer the way we remember it to be. It wasn't long till Stephen returned to his creation (though you can argue that he never truly left). This ushered in a new era for the sponge, we only hoped that it would return to form. It took the crew a while to get their groove back, but Stephen and crew knew that if Spongebob was going to continue for years to come, he should make the best episodes they can. 

Many visionaries continually make art and tell stories; some have that one claim to fame. Stephen may have created one show in his career, but it has left such a huge legacy. He was never a 'one-trick horse', he did many other contributions to our culture, but we can agree that his story of a childlike sponge has left an impact that turned out bigger than anyone could have imagined. His one creation has gone through many evolutions, for better or for worse, Spongebob is still ingrained in people's memories. There have been imitators of the sponge, but it could never be duplicated (like a sea sponge). Even those early seasons were a perfect blend of comedy, surrealism and great performances that could never be captured again. Stephen left his creation in the hands of other visionaries and encouraged them to interoperate it in their own direction. Even if it was his one creation, he was able to share it with the rest of the world. 

I had the misfortune to be around the time great musicians leave this world far too soon, I never thought I'd see the same for an animator. I was aware that he was suffering from ALS, but I thought that it would pass. But I did not anticipate this at all. It always hurts that someone who created something from my childhood passes on. Even as I got older and had to face bigger responsibilities in my life, I could still remember many of the quotes of this Nicktoon, even through it's changes, it meant something to me. It meant something to a lot of people. Now you're probably wondering if this means the end of Spongebob? No, with how much of a conglomerate phenomenon it has been over the years, I doubt it has to come to an eventual end. I also doubt the show will enter a second dark age of mediocrity, even without Stephen I know the crew understand what made it such a hit in the first place. They'll be many interpretations of the tales of Bikini Bottom from the people it inspired. No matter what your feelings are towards that one creation of his, the fact that someone made a children's program about a sponge that turned out to be a hit is a wonder to hold.

To quote Spongebob and Patrick; 'Goodbye friend, happy trails'.

So....Someone took a Piece of work I Did

It’s been a while since I wrote any updates or logs here, but I need to address this. About 4 years ago; I did a piece of fan art that shows Wayne and Lucien Cramp from the 2000s cartoon ‘The Cramp Twins’ as the 2 main characters of 'Pulp Fiction’. The piece in question would have Lucien as Vincent Vega and Wayne as Jules Winnfield respectably, as a homage to the both of them. I even did a reworking of it a year later.

 Now, why have I brought up this piece; well I was browsing YouTube one day when I discovered this video that uses a recent song by 'Russ x Buni’, that is named after the aforementioned series. I find it funny how these current rappers have songs dedicated to cartoons I watched in my youth, first J.I.D did one about 'Ed, Edd n Eddy’ then this. But that’s not what I want to talk about here.

In this video of the reworking of the song, you may notice that the image featured as the cover has my fan art. I was not aware of this till then, I was not even asked by anyone if they could use it, nor did I get any royalties for it. Not that I’m demanding to be paid for this, nor am I in any position to sue the person who edited the cover (or should I). I also noticed that the video was not uploaded on the group’s official channel, so it made me speculate that the cover used was a fake. It seems likely to be the case, as a matter of fact, I found another cover that uses another piece of fan art by HeinousFlame.

I did not find any information on where both covers came from, but I came to the conclusion that they were not official covers. At the end of the day, someone used my artwork without my permission. It’s ironic how a piece I did as an homage to both 'The Cramp Twins’ and 'Pulp Fiction’ would be associated with a song that’s named after that same cartoon. And for a reworked version no less. Now I’m no stranger when it comes to copyright, but whenever I do a project related to 'The Cramp Twins’; or any other existing property, I do acknowledge the original creators. After all, they do fall under the 'fair use’ doctrine. To the very least, am I being noticed for this? I really don't like being noticed for the wrong reasons.