Big Hero 6: What if Kim Possible was just decent?

6:35 PM · Jun 20, 2021 "[aunt cass voice] hey it's big. from big hero 6."

Okay, I need to do better at not posting these once a month, especially since I'm almost done.

All things considered, Big Hero 6 was fine. I think the most notable thing about it was that it was basically an ensemble Kim Possible but not quite as fun. Again, fair, I think it's really hard to reach the level that Kim Possible did.

9:29 AM · Jun 20, 2021 "apparently the kim possible creators developped the bh6 cartoon..... like that gives me a good feeling about it, but at the same time, i was incredibly neutral about bh6 the movie when i saw it."
12:03 PM · Jun 20, 2021 "i think the most notable thing about bh6 is the music. it's very clear the crew working on this is a LOT of the kp crew, and that includes the composer."

Not helping the show's case is that I found it... not bad per se, but a little bit nothing. It's a bit of a predictable flick, and the first time I saw it I was pretty much running on fumes. I've learned recently that things kind of have to be really good, when it's that late for me to properly enjoy them, and Big Hero 6 was just. Fine.

8:09 PM · Jun 20, 2021 "in bh6 (movie) it's obvious hiro is the leader of the team but in bh6 (show), it seems more like fred is."
8:10 PM · Jun 20, 2021 "fred doesn't necessarily have leadership skills he's just the only one who wants to be there"

There were some minor changes, like Fred being more of the leader than Hiro as stated above, but overall, things stay about the same. I think the cartoon worked well with what they had though. I didn't really get into much of the lore-y meat of it, but it has a sort of TFA-styled rogues gallery. Some of them are gay even.

12:31 PM · Jun 20, 2021 "the villains in this show have kind of a tfa vibe.... there was a mother daughter dance team and now we have a shitty thief who is friends with a man named "felony carl""
12:42 PM · Jun 20, 2021 "slime monster gets misgendered"
4:10 PM · Jun 20, 2021 "GLOBBY AND FELONY CARL GO TO PRIDE???"
4:10 PM · Jun 20, 2021 "The g in lgbt stands for globby"

Speaking of gay people, I should probably talk about "Fan Friction," the last episode I watched of the bunch, and objectively the funniest.

8:57 PM · Jun 20, 2021 "skipping a few episodes to end on a karmi ep"

So, while BH6 introduces some fun villains, it also introduces a new rival/friend Hiro's age, Karmi. Karmi and Hiro do not get along at first, but I'm told they get closer as the story progresses.

12:09 PM · Jun 20, 2021 "hiro being the youngest student at his school at 14 feels like. not a big deal??? like a lot of the schools i went to accepted 15 year olds on the regular..."

But while Karmi's relationship with Hiro is fun to watch, it pales in comparison to the fact that she is canonically pro-fic, particularly, pro-real person fic. And she writes a ton of fanfic, especially selfship fanfic about Big Hero 6.

Disregarding any moral opinions I may have about fanfiction and if any lines should be drawn, this is kind of the funniest shit alive.

But regarding them, this episode is pretty fun. Since Hiro's superhero form is the one Karmi selfships with, Hiro's really uncomfortable with this. And the moral of the episode is pretty much just... "Get over it?"

9:03 PM · Jun 20, 2021 "hiro hamada questions the morality of real person fanfic"
9:04 PM · Jun 20, 2021 "given the track record of a lot of animators i can't help but wonder if hiro is gonna learn a lesson or if karmi is"
9:06 PM · Jun 20, 2021 "this is kind of insane they're kind of painting karmi in the right here......."
9:08 PM · Jun 20, 2021 "like IDK... it'd be so weird to pain hiro as like. actually uncomfortable and then make it his problem"
9:19 PM · Jun 20, 2021 "wow hiro way to get over your aversion to real person fanfic"

Like the rest of the team is perfectly fine with this, and Fred even starts discussing gay ships at one point.

9:17 PM · Jun 20, 2021 "fred came up with a shipping name for him and wasabi he's so progressive"

It does get me wondering about the writers and whatnot for the show. Like I'm not gonna judge heavily or anything, but it does track as like, a moral in a Disney show... It's really just so curious to me. Let me know what you think maybe? Especially if you've seen the episode.

8:15 AM · Jun 21, 2021 "I’m going crazy about bh6 still do people cite that in arguments for writing real person fanfic? I feel like it’s just. Such a school discussion episode."

The more I think about, the more I really like Karmi as a character. If I ever did watch more Big Hero 6, it'd probably be for her. And also for Wasabi. Wasabi was a lot of fun, and probably my favorite of the titular six.

11:30 AM · Jun 20, 2021 "i already rlly like wasabi"

But what about the characters I don't like? What about Fred and Honey Lemon?

11:37 AM · Jun 20, 2021 "are you ready for my fred takes"
12:38 PM · Jun 20, 2021 "i wish i had more to say about this show but every time fred opens xyr mouth.... he/xe character."
2:48 PM · Jun 20, 2021 "of course capitalism has to win here. also i cannot take the concept of a bro-tillion as seriously as this show does"

I made a lot of jokes about giving Fred neopronouns through my watch, but if I'm being honest, I wasn't keen on him in the leader role. It really made the show feel like it was Fred living out his comic book dream and being so so so annoying about it. Also I don't remember if Fred was rich or not in the movie, but it's a really big plot point in the show and while it explains some stuff, it also adds some plot points I'm not too happy with, like Fred's rich comic collecting child rival.

12:16 PM · Jun 20, 2021 "avenger duck"

Also this is the closest we're getting to a duck avenger reference in the Disney watch ever so I hope you enjoy it.

Honey Lemon... they kind of make her completely useless from the episodes I saw.

12:44 PM · Jun 20, 2021 "they're victim blaming honey lemon for getting her purse stolen"
3:12 PM · Jun 20, 2021 "why does honey lemon have all those balls if all she does is get caught in them"
6:33 PM · Jun 20, 2021 "honey lemon is like. absolute dogshit at being a superhero...."
8:36 PM · Jun 20, 2021 "HONEY LEMON IS THE MOST USELESS CHARACTER IN BIG HERO SIX. YOU HAVE YOUR CHEM BALLS. USE THEM AGAINST THE BAD GUY."

All she does in this show is screw up with her chem balls, and she definitely isn't treated right by the rest of the team. I hope this isn't the case for the full series, but the fact that this kept happening in the start was just. Wild.

I think aside from two of the main characters being kind of dislikable, the only other qualm I have is the animation, which, I'll be honest. When I got around to finishing Kim Possible, it was an issue for me there, particularly in the TV movies, so it's fair..

12:41 PM · Jun 20, 2021 "the animation in this show is sooooooooooooo..... well i don't like it."

Big Hero 6 is a fine show, but when you realize it's just a worse version of Kim Possible, it makes it a little less appetizing. But at the same time, you might still get a lot out of it, especially if you wish Kim Possible had an ensemble cast, or you really liked Big Hero 6, or were into shit like TFA and Teen Titans as a kid.

Overall Rating for Big Hero 6 The Animated Series: B Tier

Vampirina: A Show Where Only The Goofy Sidekicks Don't Have Names Labelling What They Are.

Ha, I've only been getting like, one of these things a month out, huh?

Well, I'm gonna be honest, I'm losing speed for this project. A lot of new shows have been coming out on Disney, and while I usually am pretty able to watch them all with a day or two each, I'm actually starting to see shows with premises that make me uncomfortable. Particularly, Hailey's On It! It really does seem as though they made a show that specifically triggers my obsessive compulsive disorder, and personally, I don't wanna watch it. So I think what I plan to do is watch everything that came out up to that point, and then nix the project.

Anyway, why don't we talk about Vampirina?

12:41 PM · Jun 15, 2021 "vampirina: do not be afraid. i am a friendly normal vampire."
12:46 PM · Jun 15, 2021 "remember how doc mcstuffins is like cheers jr? vampirina is very clearly addams family jr."
12:50 PM · Jun 15, 2021 "vampirina from transylvania but she moved to cisylvania"
9:20 AM · Jun 20, 2021 "vampirina feels like "what if the whole addams family had an anxiety disorder" and i think this anxiety comes thru in a lot of chris nee's work. i saw a LOT of it in doc mcstuffins, and even some of the henry hugglemonster eps she worked on that i saw"

Vampirina is about what you'd expect, it's about Vampirina Hauntley (also called Vee in the series) moving from Transylvania to Pennsylvania and getting adjusted to the human world. And of course, she hides the fact that she's a vampire from those she doesn't completely trust yet. It's worth noting this show was created by Chris Nee of Doc McStuffins fame, who is also a lesbian, so the gay metaphors here definitely come through. 

And if you it's stupid for the character named Vampirina to hide that she's a vampire, let me introduce you to the Hauntley's next door neighbors, the Peoplesons.

12:44 PM · Jun 15, 2021 "edna peopleson...."

Poppy Peopleson is Vee's best friend and one of the few people who knows that the Hauntleys are vampires. She is generally really cool about it, while hiding it from her mom, Edna, and her brother, Edgar. "Beach Night" is probably the best example of this, as vampires in the show turn into bats uncontrollably if in the sun too long and without sunblock.

7:47 AM · Jun 20, 2021 "vampirina: this is terrible beach weather
poppy: 75 degrees and not a cloud in the sky
im siding w vee on this one 75 is WAY too cold for beach"
7:48 AM · Jun 20, 2021 "so normal vampires burn up in the sun twilight vampires sparkle and vampirina's family... gets the batties......"
7:49 AM · Jun 20, 2021 "THEY FORGOT DEMI'S STUFF... also the vampire sunblock."

They also have to hide the other creatures who live next door often as well.

8:42 AM · Jun 20, 2021 "gregoria is doomed to be edna's garden gnome :-\"

You may wonder why they'd want to hide their vampire (and other monsters) status, and I would say to look no further than Edgar. Edgar is that guy who is definitely weird about it. He's something of a miniature paranormal investigator and is fascinated by vampires and other monsters. In the end, it turns out that he's cool with it too, but you can really see how willing the guy is to make a spectacle of monsters, when they just want to live a peaceful life.

8:14 AM · Jun 20, 2021 "FUCK EDGAR...."
9:13 AM · Jun 20, 2021 "do i HAVE to watch the edgar lore episode"
10:31 AM · Jun 20, 2021 "edgar is flipping out because his neighbor vampirina is a vampire"
10:32 AM · Jun 20, 2021 "you are a person and your last name is peopleson"

Then there's Bridget, Vee's other friend who's a homophobe. 

6:02 PM · Jun 16, 2021 "bridget is the kind of person who goes "i'm not racist/homophobic/etc BUT""
8:15 AM · Jun 20, 2021 "bridget is homophobic but she goes to pride"

Okay, Bridget isn't ACTUALLY homophobic. Bridget's whole thing is that she is very jumpy and anxious, which makes her afraid of monsters, including vampires. When you're an adult, it definitely feels aggravating to see someone like Bridget hanging out with Vee, but I think from a kid's point of view, it makes sense. There's probably a bunch of young kids out there like Bridget, who are taught by their parents, or society at large to hate others because they're different from that, and Vampirina helps those kids start to be social with people who are different and learn to accept them.

In addition to the show being about acceptance, there's also episodes about the Hauntleys dealing with new concepts from the human world, such as "Deliver-Eek," an episode about the Hauntleys discovering next-day shipping. Honestly I kind of forget how recent this show is... It only finished up about a week after I watched it.

8:47 AM · Jun 20, 2021 "vampirina touching upon the poor working conditions of deliverers but blaming it on the consumer... smh"

Other episodes are about finding other monsters and befriending them or introducing them to the main cast, like "Mummy Mayhem," where Vee runs into a family friend who's working as a museum exhibit and wants to be more popular.

5:44 PM · Jun 16, 2021 "man is just rlly sad that people like dinosaurs more than him"

Or "TNN" which introduces Vee's childhood friend Frankie, who comes to school only to experience a ton of anti-monster microaggressions.

4:11 PM · Jun 17, 2021 "this girl reported on microaggressions against her all day and everyone is telling HER she is in the wrong"

The third season has a lot more focus on the monsters, unfortunately, I didn't watch most of the third season, because Vampirina becomes incredibly context heavy after a while.

6:45 PM · Jun 20, 2021 "fun fact: i got to vampirina a week before the season 3 finale. if there was gonna be new lore added to the series i don't care anymore."

So why don't I talk about what I really like in this show, the monsters.

9:15 AM · Jun 20, 2021 "sitting thru vampirina finally has me understanding how creature likers feel, because the human/humanoid characters (except MAYBE poppy) do not hold up to the funny little creechurs like demi, gregoria, and chef remy bones"

This show has a lot of humanoid monsters, which I discussed, but it also has a lot of funny little creatures. There's Demi, a silly little ghost guy who usually helps Vee whenever she's in trouble. Usually in times when Vee's secret is at risk, he's there. Not too far behind Demi is Gregoria, a grumpy but well meaning gargoyle who bounces off Demi really well! Honestly, I remember "Gregoria Takes Flight" being one of my favorite episodes of the series that I watched, because the focus on her as she tried to see the stars was really sweet.

6:04 PM · Jun 16, 2021 "gregoria gay ally"
8:12 AM · Jun 20, 2021 "god gregoria rlly is the best girl"

Finally, there's Chef Remy Bones. I don't really have anything to see about him except he has one of the funniest names in the show (and this is the show with Poppy Peopleson) and he walks around the Hauntley house almost naked cooking them the nicest delicacies in the world.

8:09 AM · Jun 20, 2021 "this man only wears an apron and hat which is so fucked up of him"

Vampirina is one of those shows where I really enjoy what it's trying to do, but I can't help finding it incredibly boring. Which, fair, it wasn't meant for me. It was meant for the four year old who relates to Bridget, Poppy, Edgar, or maybe even Vee herself.  It's honestly one of those shows that does make me question my theory about baby shows being made for kids and adults, because I really do think a child's eye is required for this one.

Oh also the theme song owns.

7:46 AM · Jun 20, 2021 "vampirina theme goes hard and then immediately loses like. all its sauce...."

Overall Rating for Vampirina: C Tier

Billy Dilley's Super Duper Subterranean Summer: Simultaneously Different and The Same

11:06 AM · Jun 14, 2021 "Billy Dilley is what stanley warned us against"

Billy Dilley's Super Duper Subterranean Summer is a weird result of whatever had been going on on Disney for the past few years. Shows like Future Worm, Milo Murphy's Law, Amphibia, and Pickle and Peanut probably lead up to this point, but somehow, this show feels so different from any other Disney cartoon, even if it is delegated to Disney XD. It feels more like something you'd see on Cartoon Network in the 2010s. Honestly, it reminds me a lot of Clarence.

1:11 AM · Jun 14, 2021 "i understand the disney xd era was a bit more experimental but this feels so different from anything else on disney in terms of the specific style.... and that's a lot of the appeal"
1:23 AM · Jun 14, 2021 "It kind of reminds me of Clarence except the dynamic is different in that I already care a lot about zeke and Marsha and the trio dynamic is not as strong. Billy is also a weaker character than Clarence. Zeke however is stronger than Jeff. Marsha has big shoes to fill as Sumo is The best one by far. But I do like her as a character."

Which feels like kind of a weak and unfair sort of comparison, because past having trios lead by a neurodivergent kid (and the other members of the trio likely also being neurodivergent), the shows aren't really all that similar. Clarence is a laid back slice of life, while Billy Dilley is a wild sci-fi adventure story. Oh, and also Tom Kenny is in both and plays my favorite character in each trio.

1:06 AM · Jun 14, 2021 "tom kenny does a good job as the straight man in this"
11:01 AM · Jun 14, 2021 "The first ep was about the kids surviving with billy this ep is about how zeke likes to make calzones"
11:03 AM · Jun 14, 2021 "Zeke you could have been so much more"
4:08 PM · Jun 14, 2021 "zeke has spent this entire ep watching tv it's funny he's not even watching anything a normal teen would watch it's fucking how it's made"

Zeke is objectively the best character in Billy Dilley. He's a bit older than the other two, due to being a slacker who was held back. He usually acts as the voice of reason to the scientifically inclined Billy or the spacey Marsha, or is just too lazy to really do much of anything. Except of course, cook. The episode "Calzones" is one of my favorites of the series, and focuses on Billy and Marsha realizing how good Zeke is at making Calzones, which really raises his self-esteem, up until someone challenges him to be the king of calzones. It's a really fun episode that adds a layer of depth to Zeke and makes him the most fun of the cast.

Marsha's a lot of fun too though. She's got a fun silliness she adds to the trio, which is especially welcome when something Billy does is really fucked up. But she's usually down for anything fun, which I like! In addition, I really like her design. It's like something out of a comic book!

The style of the show is something I'm kind of mixed on actually. The character design is really fun, but the shading is so obnoxious. A lot of the characters have this weird shine to them. Billy especially does and it's... unfitting? Especially considering they're hanging out below the earth.

1:04 AM · Jun 14, 2021 "god i wish this show had better shading like it's so nice to look at but im not a fan of the weird shine of a lot of things...."
1:09 AM · Jun 14, 2021 "i like the style of these two which sucks bc i hate billy's design"

Overall the show started out decent, but was one of those ones I found a lot of things to dislike about it, kind of like how I felt with Fish Hooks and Pickle and Peanut. The designs are good, but they can get unpleasant at times. I feel like this show was one I had to look away from at times. Also Anaximander exists.

7:58 AM · Jun 14, 2021 "I hate the fucking rat so much"

But at the same time, everyone's pretty friendly with each other. It doesn't fall into tropes you usually see in these shows. The characters don't really mind their situation, and get along reasonably well.

1:27 AM · Jun 14, 2021 "Billy: lab friends I have trapped you on another plane of existence all summer
Zeke: sure beats summer school
Marsha: can we have a slumber party?"

Also despite not being British, there's an X-Factor reference in this one!

4:17 PM · Jun 14, 2021 "this is the second show to have reference to x factor in an ep i've watched"

Overall Rating for Billy Dilley's Super Duper Subterranean Summer: C Tier

Puppy Dog Pals: Does Not Hold Well After Two Years

5:53 PM · Jun 12, 2021 "it's another "i wish this show was done in 2d" ep"

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've been kind of dreading talking about Puppy Dog Pals. It's been two years since I finished the show, and honestly, it wasn't memorable at all. I could talk about my theories with kid shows, and how well this one appeals to adults, which it really doesn't outside the positivity and irony factors, and even then the show gets too stressful for my blood.

6:40 PM · Jun 12, 2021 "realizing puppy dog pals is just a stressful version of rugrats"
6:53 PM · Jun 12, 2021 "hating puppy dog pals for the same irrational reasons that i hate the middle"

I could talk about the lore development of the Puppy Dog Pals, going from two dogs (Bingo and Rolly) who travel the world, to a bunch of dogs hanging out at Puppy Play Care, but I feel like I've done that before.

6:06 PM · Jun 13, 2021 "the show seems to improve with seasons, but it is still privy to that disney baby show thing where they have to have lore. in this show it's adding new characters and settings. season 2 has keia, season 3 has the puppy play care. i'm told two new puppies join the cast in s4."

I could talk about the merchandising, and how there's so many toys and backpacks from this show, the last thing I saw at my Disney store before it closed being a ton of Bingo and Rolly toys.

I could talk about recurring character Keia, one of the first friends the puppies make, who I apparently adored, but retained absolutely nothing about.

11:29 PM · Jun 13, 2021 "keia's character development"
11:32 PM · Jun 13, 2021 "cupcake is a shitgirl but she has no likeable traits.... i dont feel positively about any of these characters except frank and keia"
12:28 AM · Jun 14, 2021 "keia is kind of the dewey duck of puppy dog pals but she's funny about it"

I could talk about Bulworth, a minor character played by Huey Lewis, known 2014 beefucker, and man who rode a train without a credit card. I could talk about how he helps the puppies on multiple occasions, like when Bingo gets lost in St. Louis.

12:08 AM · Jun 14, 2021 "why is it when bingo ends up lost and all alone it's in a beautiful place but when I end up lost and all alone it's always in a snowy industrial place?"
12:09 AM · Jun 14, 2021 "this ep takes place in st louis and is about huge lewis"

I could also talk about how much money Disney must be paying him for a gig like that, and recall the one time I saw Huey Lewis live. 18 years old. Blisters on my feet. A rich man praising me for ordering a cheap meal at a restaurant on his dime when his stepkids ordered expensive pizzas and didn't finish them beforehand. Sitting in front of a moshpit mostly full of children while my dad is off somewhere else. Watching a rich restauranteur's son, he's 30 or 40 years old, play guitar with Huey Lewis. For the son, it's a dream come true. Huey Lewis is miserable, but at least he's getting paid. Was he like that with this show? I know I'll never know, but I have to wonder...

But I think I'll start by talking about the one thing I actually remember from this show: The once-an-episode song. 

It's kind of annoying, but it does have its charm.

7:08 PM · Jun 12, 2021 "godzilla AND mothra"

6:03 PM · Jun 13, 2021 "it's funny bc i hate the theme and the mission song but these in betweens are cute"

Every episode has its own sort of couch gag in the middle of the song where Bingo and Rolly do something either related to their destination, the episode, or they just make a silly joke. And I think that, along with the song itself is gonna be what sticks in most people's minds when they think about this show.

Of course, this is true for me and this show, but when I think about the preschool cartoons I was raised with, did I remember the deep interpersonal dynamics and toilet seat obsessions of the cast of PB&J Otter? Fuck no, all I remembered was the Noodle Dance. Back when I worked with kids, a bunch of them only remembered the songs from Little Einsteins whenever the show was brought up.

On one hand, I kind of get it. They make the most annoying song to get you to come back, because when you're a little kid, the repetition is nice, but the cost is when you grow up, it's all you remember about the show. But on the other hand, I feel a little sad that all that's left of some of these shows, even ones that aren't that great like PB&J Otter or Puppy Dog Pals, is this knowledge of the songs and this understanding that the thing was "your childhood" without any further nuance is something that saddens me, and I can't help but feel a little disappointed that this is really all I remember from Puppy Dog Pals.

Well, except the humans.

4:39 PM · Jun 11, 2021 "which of you bastards kinassigned me this man"

 

 

 

 

 

 

5:52 PM · Jun 12, 2021 "bob would never be a scar character bc he runs out of bread whereas my bread simply goes bad"
5:42 PM · Jun 13, 2021 "BOB IS A VOLUNTEER?"
5:51 PM · Jun 13, 2021 "bob is so fucking cereal it hurts"
11:38 PM · Jun 13, 2021 "i feel like bob would be an nft guy..."

Bob, as he's referred to in the theme song is "a guy ... who makes up inventions." Which I presume is used for some of the more fantastical elements of the show. Though honestly, while his inventions sort of help explain the world the dogs live in, I really see him more as an excitable baseball nerd. One of his prized possessions is an autographed baseball by player Marcus Bestie, and yet the dude goes out of his way to get.... a second baseball autographed by Marcus Bestie. 

12:13 AM · Jun 14, 2021 "bob honey you already have an autographed baseball by this man."
12:14 AM · Jun 14, 2021 "MARCUS BESTIE....."
12:15 AM · Jun 14, 2021 "trading ep"
12:28 AM · Jun 14, 2021 "bob's favorite foods
-baseball
-ketchup
-his keys
-bouncy balls"

But as silly as Bob is, he holds no candle to the greatest this show has to offer, the Expositions.

These guys are great, especially the husband, Frank! They're some of the first human characters you meet in the show that aren't Bob, and you quickly notice that these guys travel all over the world with the pups, usually spouting facts about the location we've ended up in, and also very excited to see the sights and try the foods in that sort of way one does whenever they're in a show made for toddlers. Honestly, seeing Frank and Esther is my favorite part of any episode, and it's a bit sad, because as the pups stay home more often, they show up less and less.

Ultimately, very little with regards to Puppy Dog Pals kept, but I guess that isn't a huge deal, because I wasn't particularly keen on it to begin with. It's really just a forgettable preschool show.

Overall Rating for Puppy Dog Pals: D Tier

Eureka: Just in time for Pride Week!

 

Back at it again with Niamh Sharkey, and with my good friend Gwendolivia while I'm at it! And honestly? While I found Henry Hugglemonster to be a forgettable pain, Eureka is... pretty decent.

Now I don't know if I would use the word "good" just yet. It's entertaining, fun for kids, and at the very least, background noise for adults, but there's stuff about this show I really respect, notably the canonical LGBT representation and LGBT undertones.

Starting with the representation, there's Eureka's girl best friend Pepper, who has two mothers, Olive and Ivy. You don't really see too much of them, or rather, I didn't in the 13 or so episodes I've watched. Pretty standard fare by this point in terms of LGBT rep, but it always makes me pretty happy, as a bisexual adult. 

The other known LGBT representation at this point is Ember, who is canonically nonbinary, though if you are to watch their focus episode, "Ember Remembers," and many other episodes featuring them, it seems a damn good job is done of hiding this fact. (I don't think their gender is even mentioned once in the episode, and they are referred to with pronouns only in one episode I saw, "Barry On.") However, a little research (an interview with their voice actor, Sasha Knight) shows this is indeed true. Even though we've had characters like Yuck, and even characters who aren't jokes like Raine as nonbinary, I think Ember might be the first Disney Junior character to be nonbinary! I hope we get some focus on this soon!!!

And honestly, I think that's all to be heralded. I don't see really any praise about it other than in small corners of the internet, which is insane. Like, I understand I'm probably the only childless person over the age of 25 to be watching this cartoon, but come on now, there's guys like me watching Bluey, and I don't even think they have gay characters in that.

And as exciting as this news is, I think what interests me more in the subtext in this show... of which... there is a lot. Like a lot more than you'd expect from a show that already has canon lesbians and nonbinary people. Even from the second episode, "Absoflutely Fabulous," it seems like Eureka has a huge crush on the new girl in class, Julia. 

A little down the line, and we get introduced to KB, a creature that challenges the binary of being a bird or a kangadon (I understand that's a made up animal but just go with it). His introductory episode, "KBs of a Feather" has the kids try to get him to do various kangadon and bird activities only to realize he isn't either of those things, and come to accept him for what he is. Also he's voiced by Jack McBrayer.

And the other noteworthy subtextual episode is "Peppereka." Remember when I said Eureka and Pepper were girl best friends? I wasn't kidding. In a few words, I think the best way to describe this one is "The Shipping Episode." Essentially Barry and Eureka find a new shortcut to school that leaves Pepper feeling left out, so the two end up doing everything together, or as Peppereka. The whole thing reads very like a relationship and the scene where Eureka suggests they stop being Peppereka and go back to just being friends reads as a breakup. There's a B-Plot about Bog (Eureka's conservative foil, more on him later), trying to come up with a ship name for himself and his friend Clod as well, which Eureka points out is really silly.

Anyway, I bring all this up because fandom culture, particularly LGBT fandom culture posits this sort of DIY culture to finding LGBT characters in media, especially media for children which is severely lacking in these, and I was never really sure that was... the case. I always considered shipping, then coming out as bisexual to be a sort of coincidental thing. But here, I feel like both the overtones and subtextual LGBT stuff are sort of nods from some of the creative team. I think a particular thing worth noting is Johnny LaZebnik, who worked on the Simpsons episode "Portrait of a Lackey on Fire" (the episode where Smithers dates a fashion designer) is a regular writer on Eureka, and wrote one of the episodes I mentioned, "KBs of a Feather." So some of it might just be wild speculation, while others may be LGBT creatives putting some of themselves in their stories. Either way, I may still keep tabs on Eureka to see if anything else happens with the show! I admit, it has me curious!

I wasn't the biggest on the characters of Eureka though. They aren't horrible, but they do come off as a bit generic, especially at the beginning. I remember actually seeing Pepper and Barry and being instantly reminded of Hattie and Fergie from Alice's Wonderland Bakery. However, both started to grow on me, especially in focus episodes I mentioned earlier ("Peppereka" and "Barry On").

I think the main draw of the show is Eureka herself, and Bog, her main rival.

Eureka I think fits in well with the other Disney Junior protagonists. She's smart, creative, a leader, exciteable, and also a bit of a bundle of nerves... Like, I know baby show characters are usually pretty high energy, but Eureka takes that and makes it part of her character, leaving mid conversation when she gets inspiration from an invention, freaking out when she can't figure something out or when others make things difficult for her, and keeping a positive attitude so people can be welcoming of her new ideas and inventions.

Bog was Gwen's favorite. For some reason. He's kind of the guy you'd love to hate. Super traditionalist, afraid of trying new things, and a bit of a jerk. Bog and Eureka challenge each other pretty well, and I think this song really shows off their dynamic. He's also got a best friend in the form of his turtle loving sidekick, Clod, who I mentioned earlier. He's kind of got an archetype you see a bit, but it's still a fun one.

Overall, I think Eureka grew on me a bit. I was originally unimpressed, but as time went on, I felt more interested in the stories the show was telling. I'm not sure if it's one of those shows you need more than a few episodes to watch, or if it just genuinely gets better midway through season 1, but I'd recommend checking it out either way. It's pretty episodic so like, no stress.

Oh also Eureka invented DDR

Overall Rating for Eureka: B Tier

Future Worm: I Don't Like It, But Maybe You Will!

1:41 PM · Jun 4, 2021 "this rlly says a lot about society."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Haha hey! Sorry it's been about a month. Things have been super busy lately. Been working on some other projects, personal, professional, stuff I had to do because I lost a bet. (Can you believe the Disney watch wasn't the result of something like that?) But I've been watching stuff. Hamster and Gretel is still on my radar, and I'm almost done with Firebuds and Eureka. Chibiverse..... Well Chibiverse sure does exist! But let's get to the topic at hand: Future Worm!

Future Worm is Rick and Morty for 9 year olds down to Justin Roiland being there. 

 

7:48 PM · Jun 3, 2021 "i was gonna say i could see some of y'all liking future worm but it's literally rick and morty for kids and it sucks ass"
6:26 PM · Jun 6, 2021 "gwen says future worm is starting to get good and then justin roiland shows up again"
7:14 PM · Jun 6, 2021 "gwen rlly said that the show was starting to get good and JINXED it."

It's an F-tier show, but honestly, I really understand why people enjoy it. I watched it with Gwen once again and she got a lot more out of it than I did.

Honestly, Most of why I hate Future Worm is because of Doug. He's basically the "Jerry" of Future Worm. Fyootch is not keen on him, and while he isn't as shitty a person as Jerry could be... Jesus Christ he made me vastly uncomfortable. Doug Douglas probably has one of the most realistic takes on obsessive compulsive disorder in animation that there is, and yet, it's still mostly played for laughs and used for grossout.

6:38 PM · Jun 3, 2021 "this man is a hatecrime against me"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6:45 PM · Jun 3, 2021 "wow i wasn't expecting future worm to use the term "special interest""
6:48 PM · Jun 3, 2021 "ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING THE OCD JOKE DAD."
5:47 PM · Jun 4, 2021 "ok im gonna keep complaining about future worm.... it fucking sucks. [audience cheers me bc im right] ok but like genuinely. the dad from future worm being an ocd joke is bad enough but they made him so fucking intrusive thoughts in a very real way????"
5:48 PM · Jun 4, 2021 "like when a character in ocd but in a relatable way it's annoying but i'll accept it but i am watching this man spiral in a way that is like genuinely triggering meant as a joke????"
5:50 PM · Jun 9, 2021 "I AM SICK OF DOUG."

Honestly, thinking back on it, I'm starting to wonder if the people who made this show were alright. Not in a "you have to be crazy to make this" way, but damn they did not hold back when it came to mental illness. That shit gets really ugly.

7:00 PM · Jun 6, 2021 "future worm is a war veteran with ptsd...."

Even still, I think personal preferences fall into play here. Even someone with mental illness can make something so deeply personal, but a person with the same mental illness can find it horrible. Something something our experiences and how we respond to things are not the same, I guess.

 On the other hand, Danny's mom, Megan, was pretty popular amongst my friends

6:35 PM · Jun 3, 2021 "would any of u guys wife her"

 

 

 

8:03 PM · Jun 3, 2021 "future worm mom is causing SO MANY casualties today"

And honestly, I get it. She's got the whole women in STEM thing going on, and she honestly seems so much cooler than most of the main cast (save Bug and maybe Danny). 

Speaking of Bug, she's awesome.

1:38 PM · Jun 4, 2021 "i abhor future worm but man it does treat it's girl characters better than like. any of the e and f tier shows except like. buzz on maggie. but that's probably bc they are burgundy and [insert whoever is kinning the future worm mom today here]"

Bug's Danny's (human) best friend who lives in a junkyard and occasionally tags along on the gang's adventures. I really like her because she isn't particularly tied down by her gender or anything like a lot of girl characters in Disney shows tend to be. She's just a crazy kid who goes along for the ride, and often tends to make things crazier.

 

One other girl character I'd like to mention is... Well, you know how I said this show was Rick and Morty for kids? Well, they certainly do the multiple dimensions things just as much, with the major villain being an alternate universe form of our protagonist Danny. Particularly, she's Danny as an old woman, also known as "Future Granny Danny." And I have to wonder about her deal. Is she a transfem version of Danny so upset by the concept of other Dannys being cisgender and wanting to turn those timelines to dust, or is Danny himself transmasc and Future Granny Danny envious of him leading the life she couldn't. Honestly a lot of questions to answer and the answer is usually being transgender about it.

6:32 PM · Jun 9, 2021 "the trans danny potential"

Additionally, there's a lot of silly side characters, like Barl, one of Future Worm's "friends" who tags along on adventures.

6:44 PM · Jun 6, 2021 "what do y'all think of barl?"

In addition, there's also Mr. Clock Face, an unlucky guy who shows up often in the show.

As for my thoughts outside the characters and what it tries to be... Well...

5:44 PM · Jun 3, 2021 "BOGLEECH WAS WRONG."
6:41 PM · Jun 3, 2021 "future worm seems like a 5 minute skit but they made a whole show of it."
7:01 PM · Jun 3, 2021 "back in the early days a lot of people (notably ryan, noa, and gwen) were really excited for this one, and now we're here and it's gonna be near bottom of the list. if not actual bottom."

I won't lie and say that the grossout, and Danny's entire character kind of soured the entire show for me. There's a lot of things here that other people would really like. It's less offensive than Rick and Morty while being a lot more lighthearted than similar concepts like He is a Good Boy. Some of the jokes may land a lot better for younger viewers, even adult Gen Z folks.

6:57 PM · Jun 6, 2021 "three second divorce"

A lot of the characters are well written, especially the girl characters, and it really makes you think, which I typically enjoy in a show. At the same time though, this show was made in a very skitty era of Disney XD, where shows over-relied on their premise, and were pretty hit or miss about it. This was the era where Milo Murphy's Law and Billy Dilley came about. And honestly, I don't think any two people have the same opinion on any of those shows.

Overall Rating for Future Worm: F Tier

Goldie and Bear: Something Something Just Right

10:29 AM · May 28, 2021 "this ep is abt how goldie n bear are suffering bc they have 2 b 6 feet apart"

I feel like recently everything I've had to say about baby shows hasn't been that great, so it's nice to get to a show that I actually enjoyed, which I think is due to the character writing in the show. While Disney Junior is known for having more thought put into its character and stories than Playhouse Disney did, it did have a bit of a rocky start. While we've had good characters like Sofia and Doc, characters like Henry, Callie, and Miles felt like nothing to me compared to characters like Manny, Oso, and the Higgly kids. (Keep in mind of course this isn't really nostalgia based. I'm 28, so if I was watching Playhouse Disney, it was Rolie Polie Olie, PB&J Otter, and various reruns of 90s stuff).

But besides all that... I don't know if it was the shows before this being lousy, or being engulfed in children's cartoons at this point, but Goldie felt like a breath of fresh air because she actually felt like an exasperated and wacky child. It's something you notice even from episode 1!

4:34 PM · May 24, 2021 "i really like how tired of it goldie is..... so many baby show protags are like. written the same but goldie is just like "I GET IT, please shut up????""
4:37 PM · May 24, 2021 "i think we're finally getting into the era of good baby show protagonists. we had doc and sofia ofc but i think with goldie, elena, vampirina (from what i hear), etc"
5:36 PM · May 31, 2021 "now that i think about it. the reason i rlly enjoyed goldie and bear compared to a lot of recent stuff may be because goldie and bear are like. well liked characters who deserve to be well liked."

Granted, she does get a bit typically snarky at point, but I'm willing to let that slide because you don't really see that in protagonists of baby shows (perhaps villains, but not protagonists). Like sure, she and Bear, and really just about everyone in the show still comes off as plucky and excitable, but they're kids after all. And honestly, the show is about two kids going on adventures. 

10:34 AM · May 28, 2021 "goldie is just a little bit chaotic"

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's another one of those "after happily ever after" shows, kind of like Tangled, but instead of Goldielocks (Goldie) receiving any punishment, she sort of apologizes and she and Bear become best friends, which may be a bit too lenient for breaking into a house and breaking a chair, but also. She's 11, and likely meant no harm. Plus the latter was an accident.

4:11 PM · May 24, 2021 "goldie and bear opening sounds like the plot to ouran.wish i was lying"

The show had a lot of fun and memorable characters too. Other than the protagonists, I really liked Mama and Papa Bear, Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk, Humpty Dumpty, Jack and Jill, Brian the Mouse, Little Jack Horner...

You'll notice there's a lot of Jacks. Fun fact. Bear's name is also Jack, and "The Clubhouse that Jack Built" is an entire episode dedicated to the fact that there's so many characters named Jack in this show.

2:19 PM · May 27, 2021 "i know this is a fairytale show but there's a lot of jacks in this show."
2:45 PM · May 27, 2021 "update: the jacks unionized"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's a really fun episode concept, making me think of the Ashleys from Recess, but unlike them, these guys each have their own sort of stories. For example, "Mr. Pail" focuses on Jack and Jill anthropomorphizing a bucket. Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk is seen as a more common character. And Bear is one of the protagonists.

There was also the gnome. I wasn't keen on the gnome.

9:29 PM · May 28, 2021 "why does season 2 have so many gnome episodes"

I'll be honest, I didn't remember a LOT of this show story-wise, but I do remember it being pleasant and having a smile on my face while I watched it, which I think accounts for something, especially considering all of these baby shows. 

2:59 PM · May 27, 2021 "goldie and bear is such an interesting show because it's just.... a lot of these shows tended to lose their steam but this is genuinely the first show where i've thought this is nice. not something i'd go outta my way to watch but i would watch it if i was bored."

I don't necessarily think Goldie and Bear goes above and beyond in terms of quality, but it's charming enough for a kid and "yeah okay, I'll watch it" enough for an adult, and that means it's still doing what I believe is its job as a baby show.

Oh, and also

 

Overall Rating for Goldie and Bear: B Tier