Classic Cartoon Showcase: Bon Bon Parade

In this humorous and very, very surreal classic, a hungry little boy browsing a candy shop is granted a wish to visit Candyland, by which he takes part in the overly-madcap Bon Bon Parade! Some of this episode's highlights include a fly licking every candy in the shop(Ewwww, NASTY! Does the store owner know about this?!), and a trio of Three Stooges-esque Cupids in a Valentine's Day display. Please enjoy!

Pass The Popcorn: Raggedy Ann and Andy:A Musical Adventure

In which sanity takes a vacation.

 

 

WOOHOO! 300 POST ALL COUNTED! YAAAAY! DA-DAAAA-DA, DA-DA-DA-DAAAA-DA, DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DAAAAAAH! YEAH! (Ahem,) Well, moving right along...(Incidentally, is this joke getting overdone? Little bit? Ookay...:-D)

 

 

 

In this highly-surreal movie/musical starring Johnny Gruelle's famous pair of ragdoll siblings, when Babette the French doll is kidnapped by the lovestruck pirate doll Captain Contagious(Who might possibly be Sneezy's long-lost uncle), Annie and her brother Andy set out to rescue her, along the way meeting such memorable characters as the sad, lonely Camel with the Wrinkled Knees(Whom they quickly befriend), the Greedy, a giant, ever-morphing taffy monster who eats everything in sight, and the crazy-mad denizens of Loony Land.

 

My thoughts: There have been two things that everyone(Including me!) has been able to agree on about this movie:

 

1. It's a very good movie.

 

2. It's also a very STRANGE movie! 

Basically, this is a very good, high-quality movie, directed by Richard Williams who was best known for his magnum opus The Thief and the Cobbler.(Which, itself was pretty surreal.) The characters are likeable and relatable, the songs are Broadway-musical quality, and the artwork is nothing short of a masterpiece. A few people incidentally have noticed several similarities between this movie and the famous Pixar movie Toy Story, to the point where one wonders if one inspired the other. If you like Raggedy Ann, you like weird and wacky movies, and especially if you like weird and wacky movies about Raggedy Ann, this is the movie for you!

While the movie regrettably hasn't been released on DVD yet, there is a video of it available on Amazon:

You can buy it here!

 

 

A soundtrack of the movie was also made, which is available at the link below:

 

 

You can buy it here!

 

 

A book of the movie was also made, which shows up on ebay from time to time.

 

BTW, here are a few of my favorite songs from the movie, for your listening pleasure:

A very sweet, touching song.

 

Poor camel. Sniff. :*C He needs a hug.

 

o.O

This is all I have to say for this sequence. To this day,

no one is quite sure what this sequence was supposed to mean,

especially it didn't seem to have any bearing on the plot to

speak of.(BTW, notice the Greedy quoting Shakespeare

at one point; perhaps he's trying to inject some culture

into this?)

 

 

 

"I'm just a rag dolly."

 

 

 

 

 Fun fact: Richard Williams' daughter plays Marcella in the live-action segments of the movie.



Book Review: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

How sweet it is.

 

 

WOOHOO! YEAH! 250 POSTS!!! WHOOPEE! ALL RIGHT! YAAAAY! Ahh...uhmm...(Ahem), now on to the review...

 

 

 

This book, which is most likely Roald Dahl's most popular, concerns Charlie Bucket, a poor paperboy who's family never has anything decent to eat. In fact, more than anything, they'd really like some nice candy! One day, Charlie finds a Golden Ticket, which will earn him a tour of famous candymaker Willy Wonka's factory, as well as a year's supply of candy! Charlie is joined on the tour by four obnoxious bratty kids: gluttonous Augustus Gloop, greedy little rich girl Veruca Salt, gum-chewing champion Violet Beaureguarde, and television addict Mike Teavee, who are all vying for the prize, too. Can Charlie beat out the(highly unpleasant) competition and claim his sweet reward?

 

 

 

 

My thoughts: Although it's probably up for debate as to which of Roald Dahl's books is the best, this one's certainly a pretty good candidate! The storyline is well-written, the characters are very interesting(particularly the Oompa Loompas), and the illustrations* are absolutely lovely. This book was so popular, in fact, that it inspired not one, but two movies and a real-life brand of candy. A definite must-read for any Roald Dahl fan.

 

Buy the book on Amazon!

 

Buy the 1971 Movie on Amazon!

 

Buy the 2005 Movie on Amazon! 





 

 

 

*The illustrations here are from an older and more rare copy of the book, illustrated by Joseph Schindelman. There's a more common version of this book, illustrated by Quentin Blake, which is also very nifty!

Classic Cartoon Showcase: Funny Little Bunnies

This adorable little classic follows several(super cute!) little Easter bunnies as they prepare for Easter. Please enjoy!

Classic Cartoon Showcase:Garfield's Halloween Adventure

In this classic Halloween special, the famous fat cat and his puppy pal go out(dressed as pirates) in search of all the candy they can eat...and come across a spooky old house!(GLEEP! :-O) Please enjoy!

Music Showcase:In Your Arms by Kina Grannis

Get ready for the weirdest music video you may ever see! In this video, singer Kina Grannis sings in front of an ever-changing surreal background made entirely of Jelly Belly jelly beans. If you like music and you like jelly beans, this is the video for you! Please enjoy!

Book Review:Chocolate Fever by Robert Kimmel Smith

Here's a review of another classic!

Some people say that Henry Green wasn't actually born, but hatched, like a chick, from a cocoa bean. Can you believe that? Henry absolutely LOVES chocolate more than most people do(he even gives John Midas a run for his money!), and even adds some to everything he eats(Chocolate syrup on pancakes, chocolate sprinkles sprinkled on top of pasta, chocolate bar sandwiches, chocolate syrup mixed into mashed potatoes, etc.). As Henry soon discovers, however, too much of a good thing may not necessarily be a good thing! One day, he discovers several little brown spots on his arm, which soon start popping out all over his body(with an audible popping sound, even)!

When Henry's condition is checked out by the school nurse, and eventually the doctor, it's revealed that the spots are made out of pure chocolate. The doctor thus dubs the condition "Chocolate Fever", which he assumes is sure to make medical history. Henry, not caring for this kind of fame, quickly runs away from the hospital, with the doctors in hot pursuit. Things look bleak for Henry, until he meets a kindly trucker named Mac.




My Thoughts:A very interesting, funny, well-written, and very nicely illustrated book. The characters are very likeable and have lots of personality(Mac's my fav character!); Henry himself is a very likeable and sympathetic character. The implicit moral of the story is that all things are best in moderation, which is, in fact, a pretty good idea.

An animated version of this book was made for the CBS Storybreak TV series in the '80s(hosted by Bob Keeshan, who was best known for playing Captain Kangaroo). This version was very book-faithful, save for a few minor differences, e.g. Henry's brother Mark doesn't appear in the film, and Henry sneaks into Mac's truck and hides, rather than Mac simply offering him a lift, as in the book. The film, IMHO, was very well made; the artwork was absolutely great, and the voices were very well-cast. Both the book and the film are good companion pieces to The Chocolate Touch.

Buy the book on Amazon!

Buy the film on Amazon!

Book Review:The Chocolate Touch by Patrick Skene Catling

Here's a review of another classic.

This modernized version of the tale of King Midas concerns a little boy named John Midas who likes to eat chocolate-and only chocolate. These eating habits are ruining his appetite, but his parents are unable to convince him otherwise. One day, John comes across a mysterious candy store and buys a piece of their best chocolate. Upon eating it, he gains the ability to turn whatever he puts in his mouth into chocolate. John really enjoys this at first, but his sweet dreams soon turn sour. (Apparently, the song was wrong...too much of a good thing isn't a good thing!)

My thoughts:This is a good and very interesting, albeit slightly dated book. The story is well-written and the characters' goofy names(Dr. Cranium, Ms. Plimsole, Susan Buttercup et al.) add to the overall appeal. The story does, of course, also have the same implicit moral of the original story:people shouldn't be greedy, and being greedy will get them in trouble. Overall, an enjoyable book that's worth a re-read or two.

Buy it on Amazon!