(Credit: Amazon.com)
Created by
Robert Taylor
Cast:
Ed Gilbert …. Baloo
R.J. Williams …. Kit Cloudkicker
Sally Struthers …. Rebecca Cunningham
Janna Michaels …. Molly Cunningham
Jim Cummings …. Don Karnage, Louie
Pat Fraley …. Wildcat
Tony Jay …. Shere Khan
Charles Adler …. Mad Dog
Rob Paulsen …. Ratchet, Dr. Debolt
Chuck McCann …. Dumptruck, Gibber
It’s easy to be wary of a watching a lot of TV animation from when you were a kid. Often times the show never lives up to the memory of watching it as a child, which leaves you with cold disappointment. On the other hand, when the show actually does live up to the experiences you had as a child, there’s a sense of vindication that comes from sticking with a show after a long period. That’s what’s makes it such a joy to announce that TailSpin is just as good as it was when you sat in front of the TV, eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, after getting off the bus from school in the afternoon.
Created on the heels of successful Animated series such as DuckTales and Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers, the concept for the series is a particularly good one. Many of the supporting characters from Disney’s beloved animated film, The Jungle book, including Baloo, King Louie, and Shere Khan, star in a series where the laid back type of mood from the original film is combined with Indiana Jones style adventures. Add in some nice supporting players for Baloo, such as a sidekick named Kit, a boss and love interest named Rebecca Cunningham, and a funny villain in Don Karnage and you’ve got great formula for family Television.
For a great example of the show’s success, look no further than its four-part pilot episode, Plunder and Lightning. Right off the bat we’re introduced to Don Karnage (Jim Cummings) and his ragtag group of “air pirates”. These guys make awesome villains, as their planes are all decked out with “Jolly Rogers”, and many have these really funny and unique voices that make them more than your average throwaway heavies for a kid’s series like this. Karnage himself is a great character, constantly given funny lines as his broken English messes up common euphemisms and simple phrases.
No character though, even comes close to Baloo (Ed Gilbert). Everyone’s favorite character from The Jungle Book is here in all his glory, giving everyone nicknames and making himself maybe the most likeable character in all of Disney animation. Ed Gilbert does a wonderful job taking the character over from Phil Harris, who portrayed the “Papa Bear” in the original classic. Here Baloo is the best pilot in Cape Suzette, flying his cargo plane, the Sea-Duck, in his own shipping business. He’s usually slacking off or sleeping behind the wheel, but that just adds to his likeability.
The pilot episode has several threads running through it as a mysterious gem is stolen by Karnage’s pirates, only to be stolen again by Kit (R.J. Williams), a kid who ends up tagging along with Baloo and becoming his navigator. The first two episodes have quite a few air battles and charming gags, such as Baloo using mangos as ammunition, and sending stampeding ostriches to fend off the swarming Karnage minions.
Unfortunately for “Papa Bear”, while he’s been around adventuring, he’s neglected to pay his mortgage and loses his company to Rebecca Cunningham (Sally Struthers). Becky takes Baloo on as her pilot, and the two constantly bicker, but in a funny way. Along with Cunningham’s daughter, Molly (Janna Michaels), this foursome becomes the shows family unit and gives the series some real heart.
Other Jungle Book characters have also been cleverly adapted. Louie (another voice by Jim Cummings), the partying orangutan, now runs the local watering hole where Baloo hangs out. Also wonderful to see is Shere Khan (the amazing Tony Jay) who goes from being king of the jungle to king of the concrete jungle. He’s portrayed as a Lex Luthor type character, and is able to bring an amazing amount of menace for a kid’s show. All in all, both are done justice while throwing in clever twists to their characters.
The four-parter builds up to a huge confrontation involving Karnage’s pirates rolling into Cape Suzette to attack the town with a device constructed out of the stone stolen in the installment’s opening minutes. With neat rescues and high adventure, the episodes are probably better than any features that Disney put out in the same period. Other episodes are just as well written, especially From Here to Machinery which is a clever riff on tall tales such as “John Henry” or “Paul Bunyan” as a robot pilot tries to take over the piloting jobs from the local air jockeys.
Now make no mistake, this show is for kids, but unlike much of the animation on network TV, it’s highly watchable by parents as well. The characters and situations are delightful, even if the animation quality isn’t nearly the same level as the studio’s feature films. With wonderful characters, interesting writing and fun songs, TailSpin will make you miss Disney’s golden years when they put out work such as Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland and of course, The Jungle Book.
Score:8/10
The Video
Well, the show hasn’t held up in the visual department very well, but there are still flashes of great animation in amongst the muck. This print is passable, but the show doesn’t look like it’s been really cleaned up very much honestly.
The Audio
The sound is in Dolby Digital 2.0 and sounds nice enough, but not terribly great. This is about as good as the video.
SPECIAL FEATURES: Sneak Peeks
Sneak Peeks – This is pretty much it as far as extras go. You get a preview for the new Little Mermaid DVD and a few more. That’s about it.
Score: 1/10
| InsidePulse’s Ratings for TaleSpin, Vol. 1 | |
