With Christmas around the corner, shoppers will soon find themselves in the often-demanding task of finding the perfect gifts for their friends.
They can visit the sports memorabilia shop for their jock friends. They can load up on the latest trendy clothing for their fashion-conscious pals and gals. But what do you buy for that special friend no one likes to talk about?
You know, the one who delights in torturing small animals.
Luckily, Mondo Media has the answer for you and your weird friend: Happy Tree Friends: Overkill.
Originally released in 2005, the three-disc DVD collection has been discontinued by the manufacturer but can be easily obtained on the second-hand market.
The collection is any future serial killer’s one-stop destination for madcap animal mutilation. Each of the dozens of animated Internet shorts collected in this box set introduce the cutest, cuddliest baby animals this side of Milo and Otis before promptly killing them off in ever-increasingly over-the-top ways.
From a bunny rabbit with a heart-shaped nose to a loveably dull-witted moose, nobody is safe from decapitations, disembowelments and even a stir-crazy Vietnam veteran named “Flippy.”
The previous three Happy Tree Friends DVD releases are collected in chronological order in the recently released “Overkill” box set. Each disc is jam-packed with cartoons, creator commentary, “making of” features and bonus shorts. What is truly remarkable, though, is watching the overall style and quality of the cartoons grow throughout the course of the discs. From the first humble episode to the complex plots that came later in the series, creators Rhode Montijo and Aubrey Ankrum have perfected the art of killing.
The cartoons are never longer than 10 minutes, yet each packs in the government-sanctioned amount of carnage. Blood and guts flow as freely as water in each self-contained mini-cartoon.
Standout episodes include the misadventures of a papa bear that has to constantly be on the lookout for his curious cub. Unfortunately, even the most vigilant of watchful eyes won’t protect baby bears from broken bottles and other shrapnel tossed out as lawn bullets from the underside of a lawn mower.
Another gruesome gem involves a super powered flying squirrel that finds himself torn away from his afternoon of baking bread to save children, stop an oil leak and halt the descent of a plummeting comet. To the squirrel’s disappointment, upon returning from his heroic adventures, he finds his bread has burnt. Taking a page from Superman, he flies around the world backward until time reverses itself.
This time, though, he ignores his duty in order to keep an eye on his bread — not before turning up his radio to drown out the blood-curdling screams of the public, though.
While not for everybody, Happy Tree Friends should be fun for a night of laughter among this generation’s desensitized youth. Just make sure you don’t overdose on the series’ offbeat brand of humor. One can only take so many graphic tales of critter carnage before they begin to question their sanity.
Speaking of questioning sanity and cute talking animals, those looking for a quirky television show that would make a quality Christmas present for any member of their family can’t go wrong with Wonderfalls — The Complete Series.
Caroline Dhavernas headed the cast of the 2004 hour-long comedy that, when it could not find its audience, was cancelled by Fox after four episodes.
Over it’s 13 produced episodes, Wonderfalls combined a cynical wit that oozed irreverence with a premise strange enough to work.
Jaye Tyler (Dhavernas) worked a dead-end job at a Niagra Falls gift shop when she began to hear voices. Instead of a burning bush, though, these voices come from inanimate animal figures. The animals could be anything from a wax lion to a stuffed bear. The one thing they all have in common is that they had advice for Jaye.
Each episode saw Jaye become an unwilling miracle worker, righting wrongs and doing good deeds while following the cryptic advice of her voices.
Dhavernas’s performance as Jaye Tyler is like an exotic fungus. You won’t notice it at first, but over time it will grow on you until the only thing that keeps you from sharing it with others is to wear shoes in the shower.
At first glance, Tyler is the stereotypical slacker, dishing out more sarcastic remarks and bored expressions than a sullen teenager. Fortunately, Dhavernas’s Canadian charm is more contagious than the SARS virus and audiences will begin to look past her bitter exterior.
Her unwillingness to follow, let alone believe in, the voices that drive her insane is as believable as the slow and unavoidable character growth that occurs during the series’ run.
Part of that character growth is spurred on by Jaye’s relationship with Eric Golts, Nevada Fall’s newest bartender. Eric (Tryon Leitso) and Jaye’s relationship slowly built to a crescendo over the thirteen episodes, allowing audiences the rare treat of seeing a complete character arc in a show that was abruptly cancelled.
In fact, by the time audiences watch the last episode, they will get more of a sense of closure and change than many of history’s longest running shows offered. The series’ run tells a complete story that combines an open-ended premise with very adaptable characters.
Besides the stars’ outstanding performances and the wonderful supporting cast, the other star of the show was the always-interesting camera tricks used to inject attitude and style into the plot. Led by co-creator Todd Holland (Malcolm in the Middle) the series’ directors used everything from unusual angles to eye-catching transitions to help the show feature genuine creativity with its camera tricks.
The series other creator Bryan Fuller would eventually go on to produce Pushing Daisies another highly entertaining quirky show staring Wonderfalls supporting actor Lee Pace that was also canceled before its time.
By far, the series’ stand out episode is the eighth offering, “Lovesick Ass.”
In the episode, Jaye meets Katya, a Russian mail-order bride brought to America to become the unwilling sex slave of Peter, a twelve-year-old who is in way over his head.
Spencer Breslin has made a living during his young life by playing overtly annoying children. From Disney’s The Kid to Cat in the Hat, Breslin has harnessed his inner snot-nosed brat to bring to life characters so irritating that Planned Parenthood could use him to promote safe sex.
Fortunately, Breslin found a role in Peter in which he could harness humanity’s inability to find him cute. Ordering a young girl for devious acts is just the iceberg of Peter’s mischief. No deed is too devious for this little boy. When he develops a crush on Jaye, he becomes an even bigger brat, going out of his way to ruin Eric’s life. “Lovesick Ass” is an excellent example of what makes Wonderfalls wonderful. Instead of focusing on the eccentric premise of talking animal toys, the show’s writers used them merely as means to move the story forward and have Jaye interact with some of the odder residents of Niagara Falls.
While the show never found success on the air, the complete series was released in a three-disc DVD collection that featured a wealth of special features including commentary, a music video and a short documentary.
Robert Saucedo chooses to ignore the animals that talk to him in his life. Visit him on the web at www.robsaucedo.com.
