#jake long disney

[picturejasper20]

American Dragon: Jake Long retro-review

American Dragon: Jake Long is a series that was created by Jeff Goode. The series aired on Disney Channel from January 21, 2005 to September 1, 2007. It has 52 episodes (22 minutes each, a few divided by two 11 minutes segments). The first season consists of 21 episodes. The second season has 31 episodes. The series also had a crossover episode with Lilo and Stitch The Series called  "Morpholomew".

Show premise

American Dragon:Jake Long is about a 13 year old Chinese-American boy named Jake Long who plays the role of protector for all magical creatures in United States. He is able transform into a dragon when he pleases, a power he inherited from his maternal side of the family. Guided by grandfather, Luong Lao Shi, Jakes tries to balance his life between being a regular teenager and dragon magical protector, something that it isn’t always as easy as it sounds.

Plot and structure

One thing that made this series stand out from other shows of its era was that there was a bigger storyline that developed through the seasons. Every 4-5 episodes there were events that changed the status quo or continued the story. Characters developed and were explored in different ways throughout the series too.

Season 1 is more episodic with the episodes often acting as standalone stories rather than adding to the bigger narrative. Every 4 episodes or so the main arc is explored or new lore is revealed. Despite of this, the stories still remained to fun. There is still character development and things that are set up for Season 2 arcs.  There are a few episodes that are divided in two 11 minutes segments for some reason. My only guess is that they were still experimenting with the format and seeing which one worked better for the show.

In Season 2 the writing and direction overall changes notably. There is a lot more emphasis in the main story arcs and there are some subplots in between as well, keeping the show more enganging. The series’ tone becomes more darker while maintaining the humor from the first season in character development episodes. In my opinion, this season has a good balance between ¨plot episodes¨ and ¨character episodes¨. For every 2-3 ¨character episodes¨ there is one ¨plot episode¨. That way it doesn’t feel it is going too slow or too rushed. Season 1 had less continuity when compared to Season 2. In addition to this, there is more emotional depth in the stories. As i was rewatching the series, i felt like the characters were given a lot more dimension to them. Their issues became more personal. Some episodes were dedicated to explore how they felt about certain important event and how they dealt with it.

If there is one complain i have of this season is that after the episode ¨Homecoming¨ the main story looses it focus and there isn’t more proper set up for the other main arc. This could be traced back to the fact that these two main stories were supposed to be in two different seasons and the team felt forced to writer them all in one long season in case the show got cancelled.

Another issue is that some important plot episodes like  "Homecoming" and  "The Hong Kong Longs" should have been 44 minute episodes to cover all the things that happen in them. Because they only last 22 minutes, this makes the events feel very rushed, specially in "The Hong Kong Longs" it ruins important character beats.

Characters and arcs

While i talked about how American Dragon has a big plot, the core of the series is its characters and their relationships. The main focus of the show is Jake trying to balance his teenager daily life with his guardian dragon duties. This means most episode conflicts center around him learning things or developing in some way.

The main cast consist in:

Jake Long: The main protagonist and star of the show

Luong Lao Shi: Jake’s grandfather and teacher. He used to be the Chinese Dragon when he was younger and is able to transform in a dragon just like Jake.

Fu Dog: A 600 year old magical talking dog that helps Lao and Jake in their missions.

Trixie Carter: One of Jake’s best friends. She earlier learns about his dragon identity and helps him in many missions.

Arthur P. "Spud" Spudinski: The other Jake’s best friend. He learns about Jake’s dragon identity at same time as Trixie and helps him in many missions.

Haley Kay Long: Jake’s little sister. She is a child prodigy and she is able to use her dragon powers yet not as powerful as Jake’s.

Susan Luong-Long: Jake and Haley’s mother and Lao Shi’s dauther. The dragon powers skipped her generation.

Jonathan Long: Jake and Haley’s father. He is a normal human and he doesn’t know anything about the existence of magical creatures, including Jake and Haley’s dragon powers.

Rose/Huntsgirl: A popular girl that Jake has a crush on. Very early in the series it is revealed that she works for the main antagonists, the Huntsclan. Over time she develops feelings for Jake and eventually learns about his dragon identity. This leads her to change her ways and help Jake with stopping the Huntsclan.

Main antagonists:

The Huntsclan: A fanatic cult like human group who is always hunting magical creatures and becomes a bigger treat as the plot advances. In plenty of episodes, Jake and other dragons’s role is to protect the magical creatures from the Huntsclan  They are lead by the the Huntsman, who serves as master figure for Rose. The Dark Dragon: Not much is known about him except that he is a dragon that once turned evil centuries ago. He is a powerful dragon and his human identity is never revealed in the series. He appears less often than the Huntsclan but he is still a very dangerous adversary.

As you can see, the series has a big cast. This doesn’t mention all the secondary characters there are in the show, which often new get introduced every 2-3 episodes.

Most of the episodes focus in exploring or developing Jake in someway. Jake is a very flawed protagonist who usually can be selfish and act without thinking. In the first episodes he has the habit of abusing his dragon powers to ¨cheat¨ through life and this ends up getting him in trouble. His huge ego is a facade he uses to hide his insecurities, which he learns to overcome over time. Despite his attitude problems, he always tries helping magical creatures in need and really cares about his family and friends. He takes pride in being a magical protector, a role that is important to him.

He also has a very complicated relationship with Rose. At the start of the series he falls in love with her without knowing that she works for the Huntsclan. The same applies to Rose, with her not knowing that Jake is also his mortal enemy. Over time they learn each other’s secret identity and Rose decides to help Jake with stopping the Huntsclan. Their relationship is one of the things that is constanly changing in almost every episode when the plot is about them and its one of the best written parts of the show. Usually there is a problem with how animated shows potray teenage romance but with Jake and Rose’s case is executed very well. What’s more, it a good example of how to do enemies to lovers right and the complications that cause to the characters involved.

If there is one problem i have about their dynamic is that i wish Rose could have had episodes or more scenes exploring her character without Jake having to be in it. I think the series does a decent job at establishing that Rose has a life outside Jake. However, more scenes developing how she feels or her story would have helped her character overall. For example: An episode about how she was raised in the Huntsclan.

Moving on to the rest of the cast, i think the series does a good job a developing most of them. They get their own episodes and side plots showing different sides of their personality and lives. One thing i appreciate about the show is that it has episodes in which the main focus isn’t on Jake but other characters. This helps giving the show more variety and developing these characters. For instance: One of my favourite episodes from Season 1 "Keeping Shop" involves Trixie and Spud taking charge of Jake’s dragon duties while he and his grandfather are busy elsewhere. Fu takes the role of master here and teaches Trixie and Spud how to use dragon powers with a enchanted dragon disguise.

There are episodes that develop Jake’s relationship with his family too. Most of them are great and have sweet moments. Jake has a good chemistry with every member of his family and, because of this, an episode can have a different ¨feel¨ to it depending on the relationship that is being developed.

American Dragon has tons of secondary characters. Some are more memorable than others depending on their story and their evolution. Some are funny while others are more interesting. It’s quite impressive how the writers were able to introduce new every 2-3 episodes and still managed to make it work.

However, in spite of having all these positive things, there are some problems. For starters, not all characters get the same level of development. Trixie is one character i believe that it should have had more than one episode about her perspective. Maybe having to choose between a career she likes and her parents career. Or her romantic relationship with Kyle.

Jake has a few episodes of him learning lessons that he already learned more than one time. Part of this can be excused because it this is a show from the earlier 2000′s and continuity was harder to execute back in those days. The biggest offender of this is  "Game On", an episode that would fit well in Season 1 or early Season 2. Not near the end of the series when Jake has grown past this lesson.

On last point, some secondary characters feel that they have potential was never given proper time to be explored. For instance, Nigel Thrall is set up to be a foil and friendly rival to Jake in his debut episode...to barely do anything with him. I think this comes from the writers trying to put to major plot threads that were supposed to be in two seasons and not in one. This likely lead to some concepts to not be given proper continuation. 

These flaws can be a bit frustrating but they didn’t take my enjoyment out of the show. I think that as long as one keeps in mind that this is an old show and the problems it had during its production, it is fun to watch.

On lore and worldbuilding

I think one of the aspects that kept me enganged during my rewatch was how each episode would introduce some new element about the magical world and how it works. It’s actually intriguing. Every magical creature has its own powers, culture and society. This helped the series with not making it feel repetitive and always have something new to be interested in. I really like how the show team didn’t limit themselves to have two or three types of magical creatures and instead did a little bit of everything. It gives off the impression that the magical world is as big, if not bigger, than the human world. The series often uses dragon lore to represent certain themes such as the changes Jake goes through with his powers as a metaphor for puberty.

Gerenal animation and sound aspect.

For most part the animation looks solid. It’s nothing amazing but it works well for an action adventure show. Some action sequences are entertaining to watch. The characters have fun expressions.

(Jake and Lao’s dragon form designs in Season 2 art style) If there is one aspect American Dragon is controversial for is the the huge change in art direction in Season 2. Most of the characters got a new design, the art style changed to a angular simplified one. Some magical creatures looked like different species from the ones of Season 1. I personally prefer the art style of Season 1. It has a cartoonish vibes to it. It’s more pleasant to see and it fits better the tone of the show. I don’t dislike Season 2 style, in fact, i got used to it rather quickly. My main issue is that it feels more ¨stiff¨ and less expressive the Season 1 artstyle.

As for the voice cast, it’s pretty good. There are some well known voice actors here such as: Dante Basco ( Jake Long), John DiMaggio (Fu Dog), Mae Whitman (Rose). Although there are maybe some secondary characters that didn’t have the best choice and aren’t that good, the main cast does have solid voice actors to make up for that.

On the soundtrack, it is okay from what i heard. It improves in Season 2, probably because there is better direction in that season. They music has a bigger emotional impact to it than it had in the first season.

Representation stuff

I don’t feel like i’m the best to fully judge this aspect of the series. There are some things that haven’t aged well, being a series of 2000′s. There are some innapropiate jokes that wouldn’t be get a pass nowadays and a few writing choices in a few episodes that are rather... questionable.

Something i appreciate about the series is how Jake is mixed race ( chinese-european). His mother and grandfather are chinese and his sister is mixed race. His father is white/european. They all get their own episodes to get developed. There some episodes that explore Jake’s chinese part of the family such as when he visits them in  "Feeding Frenzy" or when Lao teaches Jake about their culture.

One of my favourite episodes.  "Year of the Jake", is about Jake learning to be more involved with his chinese heritage and see to the value in it when he makes the mistake of cleaning the ¨good luck¨ out of his granfather’s shop. The episode takes place during Chinese New Year inuniverse. There are some scenes of the rest of Jake’s family participating in the parade, which is pretty cool.

The female characters in this show are able to stand on their own ground and are treated as their own person. I like the writing choice of not making Trixie Jake’s girlfriend and instead Jake having a crush in other characters. (Mainly Rose). I do wish that Rose had a few episodes about her without Jake having to be in it. Maybe some interactions with Trixie or Hayley, for example. I like her character but i feel like she could have had more screen time for her own.

About the episode order

In a minor note, American Dragon had its episodes airing out of order for some reason. This lead to errors in continuity if they are not watched in the proper order. Things that should have happened took place later, episodes that were supposed to take place before an specific plot point aired later.

Luckily some fans have found the correct watching order, which was very useful for me during my rewatch. This changes quite a lot the pacing of the series too. If any of you ever considers watching this series, i highly suggest using the episode guide to avoid continuity errors and confusion.

In conclusion

American Dragon: Jake Long is a fun series that has aged quite well despite all the years that have passed since it finished airing. It has good charcater arcs, interesting worldbuilding and solid story arcs. It’s capable of having emotional and dark moments without fully loosing the tone that was previously established.

While Season 1 is more episodic, i recommend watching all the episodes for the characters dynamics and development that becomes important in Season 2. Season 2 improves a lot in writing and direction. Most of the episodes are worth of watching since they add things to the characters or the overall story. 

After finishing my rewatch, i think it has become one of my favourites Disney shows from that era. It’s not perfect, but it still manages to be an entertaining show.

[foolilazuli]

[rirudrawsthings]

What could they be talking about?👀

[coolchevistianofficialsite]

Kiff Takes Over The Disney Channel (2024) Directed by Gino Guzzardo and Benjamin Siemon

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

The upcoming Stitch event feels like those trailers of Lilo and Stitch where Stitch intrudes disney films. Stitch has intruded in Disney movies, now he has intruded in Twisted Wonderland too

[Referencing this post!]

NOW THAT YOU MENTION IT

Yes!! There were commercials and teasers for the Lilo and Stitch movie where Stitch is shown invading other worlds, such as Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, etc.

I also remember that the Lilo and Stitch animated series had a ton of crossover episodes with other Disney Channel original cartoons. There was American Dragon Jake Long, Recess, The Proud Family, and Kim Possible!

So Twisted Wonderland is just another universe/time period/part of the world Stitch is invading… Honestly, such a natural evolution 🤡 I, for one, happily welcome our new fluffy blue alien overlord—

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DTVA Past and Present in Chibiverse s2 finale

[awesome-normal-heroes]

Disney Channel created the best Friends-to-Lovers and Enemies-To-Lovers Relationships:

[dragonhalffreelance]

Finished piece!

[bifairywife]

[theflowerandtheflame]

American Dragon: Jake Long | Season 2, Episode 6: Breakout

Jake, I don't care what you look like. I like you for who you are. What's under your skin is all that matters.

[und3r00s]

The boy that’s cool and hot like a frozen sun 🔥❄️

[senorspider]

Dragon 🆙

[cartoonfan21]

[quinsixtridrupled-k]

Disney TVA Platform Fighter

Last December, I thought it'd be neat to have a Disney-focused platform fighter especially since Nick had some success with Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2. So I figured... why not a Disney one? For those who don't know, platform fighters are a sub-genre of fighting/party games - the most famous and primarily example being Super Smash Bros.

And so, with that idea, I asked a friend to assist me in aiding with creating a graphic for this hypothetical game's roster, lo and behold:

Pretty neat, eh? Now you might be asking... why Disney TVA specifically? For one, focusing on the animated tv production side might be more feasible compared to the whole Disney library, that, and it allows some spotlight on very interesting and varied roster choices.

And for another... I just like the animated series side of Disney better. Now, the most important thing to remember is that this encompasses strictly the Disney TV Animation production label only, so any animated series not created under that studio will not be included (more so to keep consistency). I've also elected to choose some more unconventional picks (Yzma, Genie, Bonkers, for example) just to give some variety.

And what's a fighting game without DLC characters, eh? So here are the three waves of it:

(Wave 1, featuring Stitch, Wasabi, Kick Buttowski and Shego)

I'll admit that Shego's placement as DLC over base roster in favor of Drakken is purely thinking from a marketing standpoint, but it does make sense on the long run. In Stitch's case... I mostly forgot Lilo & Stitch had an animated series while making the base roster lmao.

Wasabi was left out of base roster because of limitations, and I felt Hiro, Go Go, and Fred offer a more balanced variety of size and playstyles but I still didn't want to leave him out, so I figured DLC is his best bet.

(Wave 2, featuring Mike Wazowski, Marcy Wu, Spinelli and Zurg)

Color me surprised that Monsters At Work is a Disney TVA production - Mike was chosen over Sulley or Tyler as the main rep for that series because he feels like he'd have a lot more interesting potential and material to work off of with his general slapstick and comedy routines.

Figured I'd complete the Calamity Trio with Marcy as DLC - just like Wasabi, she was left out of base roster because of limitations.

I figured people would want a Recess fighter, so I chose Spinelli since she's one of the more popular character and she'd serve as an analog to Helga in the first Nick All-Star Brawl.

Zurg was originally meant to be a boss character only, but I opted to put him as DLC because well... it is Zurg. I feel like you could incorporate a lot of Dr. Doom's MvC moveset on to him and they wouldn't feel out of place lmao.

And finally, they're here for you - they're the third wave of the DLC crew!

(Wave 3, featuring Oscar Proud, Simba, Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur and Oswald)

This is... definitely the most experimental of the DLC waves. I think I've exhausted a lot of the picks I wanted at the time so I figured we could do with a more different direction.

Oscar is definitely there to ride on the coattails of Hugh Neutron in Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 1 as a funny joke pick. I haven't actually watched The Proud Family so I don't think I would know if there are better picks, but still... I enjoy the wacky picks, they make a fighting game a fighting game.

Simba was gonna be in as far back as Wave 1, but I held off because... I'm not really sure why, but I forgot about him until I was making the third wave, so there he is now!

Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur are definitely there for being the main Marvel series under the Disney TVA label (alongside Big Hero 6, by technicality), and would definitely make an interesting choice considering Devil's size - you'd probably have to shrink him down to a point where he still manages to be big, but not... gargantuan big, which may seem like a disservice to a character who is a large T-Rex but I think you can still make it work (it worked for Ridley in Smash, and Iron Giant in MultiVersus).

Oswald is included by a mere technicality, due to having a small cameo or two in the Paul Rudish Mickey Mouse shorts, and I figured he has a big enough fanbase to warrant an inclusion, so yeah there he is.

And just for fun, we also have a bonus character:

Powerline! From A Goofy Movie!

Powerline seems like a very out there choice, but I figured you could make a moveset for him entirely out of his theming of electricity! And if you think he'd overlap with Megavolt... then, yeah I guess you are right on that part. But I figure you can differentiate them with how they play (Megavolt being a zoner, Powerline being a rushdown). Note, this doesn't mean he's only available through pre-order, but you'd get him free with it - otherwise you'd have to pay, but he's separate from the DLC characters.

So yeah that covers the playable roster. I understand that there are still a lot of series I didn't rep mostly because of limitations, or I forgot to put them in (Fish Hooks, for one) but I'm only human in how I make these, mistakes do happen so please understand...

I do hope that Disney takes a dabble on this someday, although I'm not sure how keen they are on their characters fighting each other in a silly fighting game. Still, it'd be an interesting thoight, what do you think?

[trashy-panda09]

Anyone else remember American dragon or am I the only one getting throwback vibes after seeing stitch in the new event? It was like one of my favorite shows because Asian main character and dragons?? As an asian yeah it was my favorite show

Imagine malleus wanting to meet a long and there’s one living just across the island in rsa. Hornton will probably be more curious than anything cause this was not what he read about longs??? Like what’s with the slang? And the hair? And he’s so small???

Probably get sorted into the sleeping beauty dorm cause he’s a dragon?

The new stitch event is just hilarious btw

Anyone have any Disney characters they want me to make into twst?

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Did u say 3 new characters?