'The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder' - Final Thoughts on Season 1

 


The Proud Family was probably one of the best Disney shows of its time. It managed to tackle heavy topics while being funny and memorable. Now we have a revival/continuation of it. I decided to release this review once season 1 had concluded.

This is apparently supposed to pick up from the original series, but the show acts as if Penny had just turned 14, even though she was 14 in the original show and was 16 in the movie. The continuity can get a little weird.

The whole show is updated for the 2020s, pop-culture wise and socially. For example, the theme song is updated to have a trap beat instead of being R&B. As for the social part, there are more openly LGBTQ+ characters. Michael is now openly gay and gender non-conforming, and there's a new character, Maya, who has two fathers.

Animation - 2/2. On the whole, the animation and art is much better than the original's. Although I liked the original show, I was never too keen on the minimalist backgrounds, I felt that they clashed with the character designs. But here, we have fully detailed background and great lighting.

Characters - 2/2. I was surprised that Dijonay is slightly more tolerable here than she was in the old show. Of course, she still has her backstabber moments, but still. I also like Michael's revamped personality, particularly when he trash talks. In the original show, I felt that Oscar being a punching bag was unwarranted, but in this show, Oscar actually does bad stuff for his punching bag moments to feel necessary, like being overprotective towards Penny and homophobic towards Maya's fathers. Speaking of Maya, I want to take a moment to talk about her. She is supposed to be a deconstruction of the typical self-absorbed activists on TikTok, Twitter, and the like. While she is right to bring attention to important issues, she seems like she only cares about these issues just to make herself look good, and she doesn't even listen to those she's trying to help (like in episode 1, she didn't even consider the fact that the panda LIKED being in the zoo). Unfortunately I have met many performative so-called "activists" on Twitter similar to Maya, who pretend to care about serious issues just to stroke their own egos, and speak on behalf of those they're trying to help. However, after Episode 4, I started to like Maya more, and over the course of the season, she becomes less aloof towards Penny and the others.

Writing - 1/2 The episodes as a whole were quite great and got better with each installment, but Episode 4 really annoyed me. It's one thing to tackle homophobia, but it's another to make established kind characters into complete assholes for the sake of the plot. For example, Zoey, who is usually the nicest of Penny's gang, decides to stay "neutral" on the bullying Maya and KG have received for their fathers, because she is running for student council.

Voice Acting - 2/2. Every single one of the original cast returns, and they're as stellar here as they were in 2001. Although, I wish that Phil LaMarr was still on the show. EJ Johnson does a great job voicing Michael, but still.

Music - 2/2. If you're used to the old theme song, the new theme song can be jarring at first. But over time, it grew on me.

Overall, 9/10


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