Bluff's Castle Corner

  This last May, a lot of Netflix cartoons were scrapped because they don’t give two shits about animation (except for The Boss Baby, that is). Having been looking forward to Spirit Rangers since its announcement, I was worried that it was also canned, but luckily it survived and is finally here.  The series centers on three Native American siblings named Kodi, Summer, and Eddy, who are the rangers of Spirit Park and can also transform into animals. It is a preschool show, but is enjoyable for all ages.  The animation is stylized and beautiful. There are a lot of vibrant colors and gorgeous character designs, especially on the animals.  Our three heroes are likable and realistic kids who overcome their flaws to save the day. They’re not perfect, but they work hard to be heroes. Their animal friends are also enjoyable and memorable, especially Coyote with his hilarious egotism. Lizard, by the way is voiced by legendary voice actress Cree Summer, who is part of the Pla...

  Cartoon Network has a preschool block called Cartoonito that's been on the air here in America for almost a year now. I was skeptical of this block since we all knew how great Tickle U was. But WB is also making original content for the block, and among the first of these are Bugs Bunny Builders , which is the first preschool-aimed project about Looney Tunes  since Baby Looney Tunes . Baby Looney Tunes , while not a terrible show, does lay on the sweet layer too thick and doesn't really feel like a Looney Tunes  show at all. Bugs Bunny Builders, on the other hand, is an example of a good children's series. There's no violence, because this show is aimed at a very young audience and we don't want to scare them, but there is still a decent amount of wacky antics and slapstick. Thus, the series is kid-friendly while also being tolerable for parents and older viewers. The animation on this show is bouncy and expressive, just as a Looney Tunes show should be, while th...

  Baymax!  is a miniseries based on the movie Big Hero 6 . Unlike the previous show Big Hero 6: The Series , Baymax!  is more of a slice-of-life show. Don't expect any dangerous robot battles here. Every episode is about Baymax helping people around San Fransokyo. It's also worth mentioning that this is the first TV show made by Walt Disney Animation Studios. Animation - 2/2. I am pleasantly surprised at how well the show is animated, as it looks just like the original movie. They probably had a bigger budget for this show than for, say, Monsters At Work . Characters - 2/2. There are only six episodes, and each of them are only eleven minutes, so there's no serious deep character arcs or anything. But all of the characters that Baymax helps in each episode are likable and fleshed out in their own right, as they each have a backstory of sorts. Writing - 2/2. The series manages to talk about family, taking risks, food allergies, puberty, periods, time management, and owning...

  Dead End: Paranormal Park is based on the DeadEndia graphic novel series. It follows a group of kids and their horrific misadventures in Dollywood  a haunted theme park called Phoenix Park. I feel like there aren't enough horror-themed shows for kids these days. Not to mention that autistic people are underrepresented in animation, and if they are, they are just stereotypes and are bullied by the other characters. And that's not even getting into the lack of trans characters. Luckily, Dead End  delivers on all these fronts. Animation: 2/2. I quite like the animation, it is reminiscent of The Amazing World of Gumball  and Elliott From Earth. However, the best animation in the show is displayed in Episode 3, which features a unique art shift. When Norma faces her fears, the animation is rendered in a beautiful watercolor-like style. Characters: INFINITY/2. I'm serious. Practically every character on the show is lovable in their own right. As someone who is both autis...

  Diabolical  is the latest animated Amazon Prime series and a spinoff of their hit superhero show, The Boys. I don't watch The Boys, but because of the unique animation alone, I decided to give this a watch. I firmly believe that anyone can enjoy the show, even if they don't watch The Boys/know nothing about it. For starters, the whole show is a love letter to animation. Each and every episode has a different animation style, from Chuck Jones-era Looney Tunes to Rick and Morty to 80s anime. Each and every single one of these episodes are faithful to their specific style. For the aforementioned Looney Tunes parody episode, it is very obvious that the directors and animators did their research. For a second there, I thought Jones himself rose from his grave to animate this episode. I just love this recent trend of pseudo-classic cartoons, such as Cuphead , Looney Tunes Cartoons, Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse, Cat Burglar etc. Unlike other adult cartoons, this show's gore, ...

  I love indie video games, and Cuphead is no exception. Its' retro, rubberhose inkblot art style is quite appealing. Thus, it is the perfect video game to make into a cartoon. Let's take a sip of The Cuphead Show . Unfortunately, there are a lot of snobby elitists in the cartoon community who think every single show has to be dark and story-driven. Because of this, they all left bad reviews on the series because it is silly and self-contained. Prior to the series release, there were also ignoramuses who criticized the show's animation and directly insulted the animators. I hope you jerks step on a LEGO brick. Not everything has to be dramatic and deep. Why can't things be fun? And wouldn't you know it, the show IS fun! The show is not only retro in its bouncy animation (provided by the goated Mercury Filmworks), but the jazz music, general tropes used, and New York-accented voice acting genuinely feel like they are out of a classic cartoon, particularly the works o...

  Series - Arcane I'm not fond of games with lots of microtransactions like PUBG or League of Legends. In fact, many players who started LoL regret it and actively advise against playing it. That's why I wasn't interested in this show at first. But then my Twitter mutuals began hyping it up, so I decided to give it a shot. After all, it was released weekly. I'm glad Netflix is dipping their toes into weekly releases, such as with Komi Can't Communicate . By far the best aspect of the show is the animation. Like Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, it's a unique blend of 2D and 3D, animated by a prestigious French animation studio - Fortiche. It also just so happens to share a lead voice actress with Spider-Verse -- Hailee Steinfeld, who once again proves to a compelling, emotional voice, like she was in Spider-Verse  and When Marnie Was There . It's a prequel to LoL, re-telling the characters' stories, but it can easily appeal to both people who don't...

  Welcome to my very first review on this blog. Series - Harriet the Spy. Apple TV+ isn't a very popular streaming service, and so cartoons on there sadly go under the radar. By sheer luck, my dad got a free year of Apple TV+ when he purchased a MacBook Air in late 2020. So I have been able to tune into some of Apple's finest offerings, including: The Snoopy Show, Stillwater, Wolfboy and the Everything Factory, and now Harriet the Spy . I know that this series is based on a book, but I never read it.   I do know it was a bit controversial for subverting gender norms, but it managed to gain a lesbian fanbase because of that. In fact, Louise Fitzhugh, the author of the book, was lesbian herself. I'm mainly familiar with the Nickelodeon movie from 1996. I saw it when I was little and thought it was  great, if a bit mean-spirited. There's also that one Disney Channel movie with gossip and texting...we don't talk about that. Anyways, 'Harriet the Spy' is a perfe...