#childrens media

[mutantrenegade]

Just putting out theories here but I feel like part of the "adults who only watch childrens cartoons that make dogshit hot takes online" problem is that American adult animation is almost exclusively comedy shows. Like if you are into animated shows as a kid you don't really have an avenue to continue that as an adult with American media that isn't primarily Seth McFarlane rip off shows. Yeah shows like Bojack Horseman exist that have a bit more drama in them but like, there's no romance cartoons, no action cartoons (outside of some random superhero shows I think, idk) no horror cartoons, etc. Meanwhile adventure time, avatar, owl house, Steven universe, regular show, all feel like different genres. So like unless you are into anime, you basically have one genre for adult animation. And this feels like it's at least somewhat the reason why we have 30-year-olds combing through Steven universe like a religious text. Cause if I'm an adult who's not super into anime and I like the idea of a show that deals with lgbt acceptance and trauma, what choices do we have as adults for animated shows? I can barely think of any adult animated shows that aren't overtly comedic but I can think of like three kids shows. And what the fuck is up with that?

[aveblr]

my kids are watching pocoyo, and yours should too.

note: i don't have kids; the headline is merely an expression.

so, as someone who is very passionate about art, i try to hold back from critiquing artworks solely based on personal preference...

that being said, i really like minimalism; the concept of achieving something grand with minimal resources captivates me, and pocoyo, in its ambitious yet lighthearted approach, successfully embraces this artistic philosophy in a way that is both interesting and groundbreaking.

in contrast to the prevalent corporate memphis seen in various enterprises' branding, pocoyo distinguishes itself by avoiding the trappings of a simplifying obsession meant to dumb down iconography.

this contemporary minimalist art style is not inherently bad—i personally find it relatively pleasant when used right— but its proliferation often acts as a visually unobtrusive background for corporate spaces. this is like the muzak of visual arts.

for those who don't know, is what we often call elevator music—fabricated to create a facade of a calm work environment for low-income workers, masking the exploitation they endure.

pocoyo utilizes minimalism with another purpose. it invites viewers to immerse themselves in the simplicity of its visuals, employing limited objects that encourage the mind to actively participate by "filling in the blanks."

the cartoon unfolds on an all-white canvas with only certain characters and key items strategically placed, creating ample negative space.

the intentional use of negative space allows the viewer to focus on the characters and the story without unnecessary distractions. the storytelling approach in pocoyo resonates with performative theatre, where negative space is abundant, engaging the audience by encouraging them to fill it with their interpretations; it keeps the viewer at the edge of their seat trying to fill that negative space, if not with items, with an ambientation and abstract elements.

in an era saturated with mindless maximalism and visual oversaturation in media targeted to children, pocoyo stands out by embracing responsible minimalism.

this approach contrasts sharply with the likes of youtube content-farms and cocomelon, a cartoon exemplifying this aggressive maximalism i'm talking about.

cocomelon's rapid scene cuts every 2 to 4 seconds contribute to overstimulation and potential addiction in young viewers.

they're putting our children on crack.

in contrast, pocoyo's deliberate pacing, occasionally featuring tracking shots and long takes, challenges and improves attention spans.

furthermore, pocoyo employs a narrating language akin to normal adult conversation, fostering a healthy communication style. this stands in stark contrast to cocomelon's patronizing approach and zombie ass nursery rhymes, which oversimplifies language and undermines the development of critical thinking and abstract appreciation in young minds.

so, in conclusion, pocoyo's nuanced approach to minimalism and storytelling not only sets it apart in the world of animated content nowadays, but also challenges the prevailing trends that prioritize overstimulation over depth. it stands as a testament to the potential of thoughtful, intentional design in captivating and educating audiences of all ages.

i love it so much.

[proceduralbob]

Big Dog

The Ferals

The Mulligrubs face

Mr Squiggle

EC

[abracazabka]

the sea beast was WOW...the message of the sins of imperialism, of deep seated corruption & our right & power to challenge it, to fully recognize it, to speak up & fight against it...against systemic hate & misrepresentation...against propaganda & hate-mongering...against generational hatred & war...the message for kids that they have their rights & their individual power to change the world for the better...that they are allowed the depth to acknowledge the strides their predecessors have made while also seeing that their actions were only made positive by the negative circumstances which they, the new generation, have the ability to change, & to make kind; better for all in their future.

[popculturebuffet]

Thomas and Friends Retrospective: The Magic Railroad: The Workprint Cut (Comissioned by Lachie V)

Previously on this blog:

Also I may or may not have reviewed a bunch of Thomas the Tank Entine, cumilating in a look at the disasterous theatrical cut which you can find my barely coherent thoughts on that barely coherent film here. We haven't gotten the results back from the lab yet.

The Theatrical cut is so legendarily wonky I just.. coudln't leave it at that and feel like I gave the film a good shake. So I took on the arduous task of watching an unfinished workprint that I erronously said last time was on the blu ray. While the blu ray has some scenes from this version, the full workprint was leaked seperately and god bless those who did as it gives us something of a look at what this film was supposed to be. So join me under the cut as I see what this film WAS and if what it was was any good.. or at least comprehensible. After the nightmare of that last review i'll settle for "Makes sense from point a to b" that's the state we're entering this review at people. You've been warned.

The workprint of the Magic Railroad is interesting. This is the first workprint i've ever seen and thus the first i've ever covered on this blog. For those unaware, as I was before I googled it, a work print is an unfinished version of a film, with effects, adr and the soundtrack largely missing. So it was fascinating to see just how many pieces of the film, even things as simple as a line that LOOKED on screen are put into place after the fact. Film Editors don't get enough credit.. plenty of blame when it's earned but not enough credit and this made me respect them all the more.

That said watching a prototype of a finished film i'd seen.. was a lot. It seems easy, the effects just aren't there right? Well it's not just visual effects: it's SOUND effects. The only sounds are either ADR from the various crew member and anything on camera. And said ADR is not from the actors yet but various voices i'd never heard before and also Britt Alcroft. It's fair and I don't blame the cut for it, this wasn't MEANT to be viewed by anyone but editors. It's just hard on my autisim: whlie i'm functional and can handle sensory changes normally in a film, having there be no sound where their clearly should be in a lot of places... was just weird. I KNOW why it's not there, and usually my mind fills in the gaps but for some reason here it just felt extra off when an explosion or heavy digging happened with no sound. It's just this freaky effect and it took some time to get through it as a result, not helped by me only realizing what was really throwing me off towards the end of the film.

I can't recommend this cut as a film.. because it's not finished nor was it intended to be a finished product. It's not really something for bad movie night like it's theatrical cousin. As an interesting artifact of this film and Thomas as a whole though, I am delighted it exists as it fills in a LOT of the gaps and is complete enough I can judge what aspects were cut by their own merits.

Let's start with the big one, the most infamous and curious of the bunch: PT Boomer, played by Doug Lennox who realizes exactly what kind of film he's in and hams it up accordingly. Boomer is one of the films big bads... and was almost entirely cut from the theatrical cut, with only one brief scene that was redubbed, a scene so plot important and load bearing I forgot it even happened.

PT Boomer is all about

Wanting to make profit off things. That's.. about what we get. Seriously we have two seperate scenes where one of the kids asks Billy then Stacey about boomer.. and they just say essentially "He's greedy and wants to buy everything" without ever clarifying who he is, what he does for his BUISNESS, or what his goals are beyond "profit off a magical lady train he broke in the past." I am so sad he got cut as while he woudln't of made the film much better, he is so bad it's good glorious: even in this his plans literally boil down to

KIDNAP MAGIC LADY TRAIN FOR REVENGE

?????

PROFIT

It's still not much above Disel's plan that just replaces kidnap with kill and profit with "become train king". It is funny though and gives this guy a leg up.

The most we get is his backstory with Burnett, Lily's grandpa who gets fleshed out considerably in this version. In the original his backstory was just "diesel nearly killed this train I found and my wife never got to ride her" which is prettty damn thin and even before the workprint cut I could tell something was missing.

The actual backstory is still as thin as a sheet of paper covered in bacon grease, but it's at least.. something: He swored to take her on a ride but before he could Boomer, who had also wanted to bang Lily's grandma but lost out to burnett because well evil I guess, found her and threatned burnett if he didn't let him drive the train. He ended up driving too fast, making this a dramatic version of that trampoline scene from community.

I've tried not to use youtube videos as the thumbnail takes up the link but it really is just this exact moment but with trains and a dead wife.

We also get a minutes long montage of Burnett dancing with his wife. it adds nothing to the plot and is one of the cuts i can absolutely see why it happened. We also get a scene of Stone and Lily having dinner where he says I don't like trains.

Another change as a result is that the big cave scene with Patch.. is towards the end. In the thetrical cut we get 80 gallons of train expoision while the workprint at least plays it as a mystery: a whistle is heard in the mountain and instead of finding out what it is seconds after we hear it, it's played up the whole film. IT's a much better fit and I question why this was changed at all.

That also goes for Boomer. I went back and checked and. .he's not really IN the movie that much. He shows up, meances a bit, hams it up and leaves. He spends most of the film either trying ot find stone, buy shining time for some reason, which makes mr conductor's visions of an apocalypse make far more sense, and the rest trying to dig his way to the hidden railway then blow everything the fuck up when that dosen't work out. Keeping him in.. really wasn't going to hurt the film and I don't really buy reports "he scared children". The evil brother of the attention all gamers guy isn't going to be in any child's nightmares.

Cutting boomer also makes the non lily or coked out conductor characters feel more suplerfous as it turns out the original cut had way mroe for them to do. Not a lot, but still more. Patch has a horse.. which WAS in the theatrical cut but I did not notice. Probably because he's also lacking his sweet cowboy hat... it's like taking away knuckles cowboy hat from the sonic ova: you take away the source of his powers. Billy likewise gets a scene with boomer and a scene getting a warning. He still dosen't DO much but I feel bad for clowning on his actor last time: Russel Means is actually a wonderful billy replacement. He's not as good as Tom Jackson is in the role, but he's still pretty neat but in the theatrical cut he's there for all of two seconds and seemed a lot stiffer. That was really the editing's fault not him as he has billy's laidback charm and wise nature down pat. Stacey also gets an extra scene, though she still got PLENTy in the theatrical. Cutting this plot was unfair to the actors involved and their screentime and especially douchey to Doug Lennox, who put in a great performance. .that got cut entirely.

To my shock though the mass cuts... really aren't responsible for the film being pretty hard to parse. The workprint cut IS legible at least as a few confusing bits are explained: instead of wanting to kill all trains disel wants to conquer them, and he's unaware Lady is connected to the magic, meaning he GENUINELY dosen't realize he dies if he destroys her. So instead of stupid his plan comes off as dangerous and just the right amount of sinister for a preschool film instead of

We also get clarifcation on the "My Universe" thing. The narration for the work print still referes to it as mr. conductor's universe.. but they actually explain what the hell they were saying with that: The various mr conductors built this universe. Granted

Unlike the theatrical though, I can at least accept that answer: the mr conductors do have godlike powers and it makes Mr Conductor speaking with authority on his power loss possibly killing him less ass pully: it makes sense they'd pass this shit down through generations and makes sense Mr C Junior wouldn't know it as he's a fuckwit.

It makes the film less maddening.. but it dosen't change the fact this new lore is just kinda jammed in there, a square train in a round station house. The lore still dosen't make a ton of since even for a film for small children, and again thei rparents and possibly older siblings still have to watch it with them so why punch down. All punching down did was get parents to cave and go take their kids to see X-Men or Pokemon 2000 instead, both much better movies. Especailly pokmeon 2000. Fuck I really need to cover both of those don't I.

It also dosen't explain simple shit like "Why does lady tie the two universes together" and "after being in a coma for so long why is magic just fading now". It's still at the end of the day an overcomplicated mess that creates it's own weird lore never to be used again that no one vibed with because even for the stupid train children show it was baffling instead of fairy tale style like they were going for.

The other scenes cut are far more understandable: that dance scene I mentiond went on to long and we get a brief prologue of Lily in the big city and the reason behind the fire escape line. It's.. nothing we honestly needed mostly Mara wilson wistfully starring outside a train.. which is adorable but dosen't really move the plot along.

So that leads us to the final cut and the final change worth talking about between versions: the voice actors. Like with boomer the executives tried overcorrecting to test audience complaints. They dont' like one of the villians? Cut him out entirely. They don't like the voices for some of the characters? replace the bitches! Yeah originally Thomas was voiced by John Bellis, Percy and James by Thomas UK narrator Micheal Angellis, Splatter and Dodge by Patrick Breen, and Disel 10 by Keith Scott.

Unlike with removing boomer I get most of these edits: Unlike boomer I completely buy that D10 scared children as Keith Scott's voice for him is terrifying.. though the terror is undrecut by the adr version of him sounding like Lumpy Space Princess. It's a great voice and I feel bad for Scott.. but it is a bit too scary> Granted they coudl've just.. worked with him to find another voice as they had before (He tried a russian voice before this that was apparently even creepier), so it's shitty they fired him and everyone here instead of simply recasting them or giving them something else.

LIkewise I love MIcheal Angellis and having him voice cameo was a good idea.. but they shoudl've had him do Henry instead. His voice works when he's narrating every character.. but I get why having an old gentleman voice for Percy and James, both younger engines dosen't quite work. Granted unlike with D10, where his replacement got the tone better, making Percy and James small children dosen't fix the problem. Their youthful not 8. Stupid Train Children is not that literal a term.

Thomas on the other hand.. was fine: he sounded youthful, had a nice plesant voice and I honestly prefer it over the final cut voice with Eddie Glenn. Glenn isn't bad.. but Bellis just got the character better. Splatter and Dodge are also way better and the film does a far better job conveying thier reluctant minon status and making them humorous foils to dissel.

So all in all the Work Print version is a better film.. but only by comparision. It has some good stuff that was cuts and the edits done were mostly moronic but it's still a film that alternates between boring and WHAT THE FUCK. it just explains more, which helps with the latter

The Magic Railroad in either film is a film that tried to cram way too much shit in. It tried so hard to escalate thomas to save the world level shit when that just .. dosen't scale with either Thomas and Friends or Shining Time Station. Both are about small scale problems in small slice of lifey places: a cozy british isle and a whimsical train station. Their biggest issues are dickheads like Disel and god emperor or schemer. You could've had thomas go on a treasure hunt to save the rail way or shining time or both. Maybe Schemer is trying to buy the failing railway. I mean if their going to go with the skeezy buisness douche cliche at least make it the guy you already have who would defintely do that if he could. Give him Boomer as a boss if you want. It keeps the tension, the two worlds element and mr c going back and forth as he could've taken Mara Wilson to shining time to go on the hunt to save the station. Give her an attachment to it. Make Burnett stone a conductor. You don't have to throw everything out, but simply lowering the stakes would've made this a more coherent film. I"m not sure how GOOD it woudl've been bu tit would've been a better Thomas Movie, a better shining time movie and something people would've actually wanted to see.

Instead it's a mess that changed Thomas as a whole, with Britt's failures here leading to her stepping down and eventually the company being purchased by HIT. But more on that another time for now we can put this train to bed. These reviews have been exausting as I don't want to be negative but these films, both cuts, are hot garbage. one just makes more sense. Hopefully if the proposed thomas film goes through they get it right... until then all we're left is a mess of what could've been and alec baldwin on cocaine.

Next Time: Turns out there is one as we have a new plan. I'll be covering season 6 sometime later this year, season 7, then teaking a break while Lachey figures out the rest of the schedule and I cover venture bros seasons 4b- the end. Thanks for reading

[thesebright-lights]

When I was little (and still identified as a girl) all the girls and women in the shows and movies I watched (which were mostly animated tbf) had such unrealistic looking female characters that I kid you not I looked up to Mai Valentine from Yugioh because she was like the only one without an impossibly small waist and nonexistent thighs. Looking at pictures of her now I’m seeing that she’s still skinny asf lol, I’m glad that kids shows now aren’t as bad as Winx Club and like every Disney princess movie I watched growing up (Moana for instance, while still skinny, at the very least has a proportionate waist). There still needs to be more diversity in body types though, kids don’t need that extra stress :/

[ohfugecannada]

I want people to to understand that animation is an art form, not a genre, with a theoretically limitless potential for creative and unique visual storytelling. It can be made in any style or technique, encompass any genre, and be for any demographic, including adults. The idea that animated media can or should only ever be made for one specific audience, I.e. children, is a very misguided stigma that is severely limiting the medium in the western world and while children don’t have very high standards when it comes to what media they’ll engage with and enjoy, they are actually much more clever, emotionally perceptive and resilient than we adults often give them credit for. Most children do have the capacity to handle and enjoy media with mature, nuanced themes, a darker tone, slower pace and/or emotionally investing stories, even if they may not be able to fully articulate how or why they are drawn into any of it. The idea that some adults who engage with the medium have that an animated piece of children’s media having engaging storylines, deep themes, or a more mature tone must actually secretly for adults because apparently kids just don’t understand or can’t appreciate that kind of stuff on any level is an extremely bizarre and frankly shitty way of viewing children’s media and to an extent children in general. Are two ideas that can, and really should, coexist.

[urwatchingdisneychannel]

A discussion on adults (autistic and not) enjoying children’s media

[tetsunabouquet]

EVERYONE I HAVE GOOD NEWS!

Remember how I said my writing studies are pretty flexible classes? I follow regular writing classes with children's literature being the extra class I follow because I specifically want to go become someone in children's entertainment. Remember how I said I already finished my children's literature textbook and went for my exam earlier this week? I passed it with near perfection, getting 23 of the 25 points. All the points I could achieve with my tests were a 115 in total, and I scored a 85 score! I PASSED CHILDREN'S LITERATURE! WOOHOO! Now, I'm officially qualified to be the pretentious bitch roasting bad children's media with the badge of 'I studied for this'.

[frootybop]

I genuinely, GENUINELY, hate the whole "you aren't the target audience" excuse. I'm not the same demographics as my siblings (much younger than I am) and we don't always enjoy the same things. Does that mean I shouldn't care about anything geared towards them, care about what it's teaching them or it's messaging and themes, or the quality of the thing they're watching?

For one: I'm the one who has to deal with it if they don't enjoy it or if it encourages them to think/act a certain way. Same thing when your kids get all rowdy, because you took them to a live action Disney remake or a movie where the plot is barely there because 'quality doesn't matter when it comes to children'.

For two: Does they understand why I get him high quality things? Probably not. Would they notice if I gave them something low quality? Guaranteed. Eventually your kid is going to realize you don't care about the quality of the things you provide them, be it media or otherwise, and I doubt they'll appreciate the lack of concern.

Thirdly: Yeah, you and I aren't the target demographic, and neither are the people making the movies. So they don't really know what your kids want either so why not make something good for everyone? Why not make something artistically and narratively satisfying? Why not put your all into the thing you're making or taking an active concern in the things they are watching. You can't rely on some faceless corporation to do that for you because they don't even know you exist, and unless you have fat cash, they never will.

Kids aren't as stupid as you like to think, and you should still take an interest into the things they consume. Mostly because, as they've proven time and time again, they (corporations, companies, etc.) don't care about artistic integrity or what values they're instilling into your children. They'll do the bare minimum, and as long as you keep throwing money at them and defending them from criticism because of "target demographics" and all that, they're going to keep doing the barest minimum possible. In short, they don't give a single shit about what they're showing your kids because you don't care what you're showing your kids.

[theflikchic]

this week on obscure childhood trauma(?)

[caterpillarinacave]

You know, it might be a kids show, but Peppa Pig is pretty much slaps

[barbie-grrrlz]

When I was a kid, adults were soooo offended over Spongebob SquarePants. Like many of them legit though it brainwashed kids into stupidity or turning to the devil. I live in a very conservative Christian town and I lost count of how many of my peers were banned from watching the show, their parents fearing turn them towards sin. Over twenty years later, it’s safe to say that was all just Jesus Freak induced paranoia.

Anyway this is why I roll my eyes at millennials and Gen z adults throwing groaning over kid shows that are on today.

[littlemyinvadeshighbury]

Why is making a picture book harder than a 20 page research paper?? MAJOR props to all of the children's media creators out there, y'all deserve better

[strawberrysmi]

WHY DOES EVERY KIDS MOVIE HAVE SUCH GREAT SONGS. REGULAR SONGS SHOULD BE THIS GOOD TOO

Every single song from my childhood movie list is just really good and it is so nice to hear it again after so so long

[viettna]

GUYS GUYS GUYS GUYS GUYS I fucking GOT IT I'm a GENIUS For my Philosophy final, I am going to write about how consumerism and ageism strips us as a society from the messages it once sold to us as children. Fucking, Rousseau, defintely Marx, maybe Nietsche?? I didnt do the nietsche reading at all idk I'll have to check. This will be my second essay on morality within children's media. In my first one last semester, I analyzed how ancient Chinese art is used to portray messages of duty and respect. I got a 90 because I did it the day before so my analysis of ATLA (which was my last paragraph) was awful, but she liked my analysis on how Mulan reflected Fan Kuan's Travelers among Mountains and Streams and how Turning Red reflected Journey to Shu.