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Harold and the Purple Crayon (2001)
A miniseries filled with the charm and whimsy of childhood
Many people have seen the classic "Harold and the Purple Crayon" short from 1959, distributed by Weston Woods and narrated by Norman Rose. It's nothing particularly outstanding for its time, but being based off the timeless book by Crockett Johnson, it does have its merits. Most notably is the film's minimalist style of outlining Harold's purple drawings on a plain white background with Harold being the only moving element of the film. However, there is one adaptation of Harold that I believe took Crockett Johnson's book to the next level, and far surpasses the simplistic charm of Weston Woods' short.
In the "Harold" miniseries created by HBO Family, Harold's world isn't limited to a single white plane with purple as its only color source (save Harold's blue pajamas). His crayon dimension practically dances across the screen, with vibrant colors, highly imaginative scenery, and musical numbers by Van Dyke Parks that allow for semi-surrealist sequences that are truly a treat to the senses without ever becoming overwhelming or cluttered. Admittedly, allowing every purple-lined object to be in full-color and have freedom of movement is a big departure from the books, but it all works beautifully, and helps to engage even the youngest viewers into the story.
What should be emphasized is that this series is meant for the youngest viewers. Each bedtime adventure alternates between long stretches of exploration, calming but engaging narration by Sharon Stone, and the aforementioned songs by Van Dyke Parks, each with plenty for children to see and interact with in their minds. Yet, it should also be emphasized that this show never panders to its parent audience. What impresses me about what HBO did with this miniseries, more than anything, is that they created an innocent and gentle atmosphere that appeals to the child in everyone. There is a soft touch within "Harold", a tender, caring embrace that permeates the very being of each episode like a mother's kiss goodnight. There was obviously a lot of care into making Harold's adventures fun and endearing.
At this point in the review, it has become clear that there are multiple adventures, not just the classic journey, that Harold takes the viewer on. The first episode is an adaptation of the original Harold book, while the twelve episodes after that are entirely new stories created for the miniseries. These twelve adventures have a slightly different feel than the first, but still manage to create dynamic stories worthy of the iconic character. Each features some sort of moral lesson or answers a question that Harold has before bed, with the conflict resolved by problem-solving and always in a gentle manner. An art museum, a giant fish bowl with a mermaid, and a bug-sized garden are just a few of the places that Harold visits, each designed with numerous elements for Harold to interact with. Add a purple crayon that can bring literally anything into existence, and the possibilities become endless. The writers and animators took this mechanic to their advantage, allowing the protagonist to draw anything he might want or need, while allowing the "natural" crayon world to take center focus.
To sum it up, "Harold and the Purple Crayon" is a brilliant miniseries with loads of charm, a soothing atmosphere, and a beautiful visual world. For all of you conspiracy buffs who say that Harold never really made it home, the end of every episode proves that to be very wrong. In reality, Harold always comes back to his real-life bedroom, closes his eyes, and drifts off into a peaceful, happy sleep.
Rapsittie Street Kids: Believe in Santa (2002)
A bafflingly bad Christmas special
Rapsittie Street Kids: Believe in Santa is nothing short of the quintessential train wreck of American animation. Crudely-rendered and poorly-executed 3D, lackluster scenery, and an ear-bleeding score and songs do nothing to mesh with the cliched, predictable, and bare-bones plot that makes the entire experience extremely dull. Humor is practically non-existent, instead replaced with long strings of dialogue that usually accomplish nothing to advance the plot. The characters only have a single trait, and are mostly unlikable. There are some tender moments in the special, despite its very existence in this universe dooming it to failure, but these moments are few, far-between, and anguishingly brief. Admittedly, the actors' performances are well-delivered, owing to the baffling inclusion of an all-star cast including Jodi Benson, Paige O'Hara, Mark Hamill, Nancy Cartwright, Grey Griffin (then Grey DeLisle), and others, but even their best line reads cannot save the travesty they were involved in. The musical numbers come across as stilted, as if the actors don't want to be there, and even some of their spoken reads are tainted by this nervous energy.
If I can credit this film with bringing one solid element to the table, which by definition is an insurmountable task for the movie to pull off, it would have to be the inclusion of the protagonist's great-grandmother. Her stuttering and garbled sentences are near-impossible to understand and delivered with high energy by Debra Wilson, making every scene she is involved in absolutely hilarious to watch. Contrasted with the rest of the special, which is unbearable to witness, her scenes are the only pure and untainted source of charm in the entire program. Regrettably, if you were to compile all the scenes Great Grandma is in, it would total to an abysmal two minutes and thirty seconds. She deserved so much more as a character, and we deserve so much more as viewers.
The production of Rapsittie Street Kids can only be described as a gigantic scam, and it shows. Since its first and only broadcast season in 2002, this film has been the target of critical panning and has earned its rightful place as-- and this is not an exaggeration-- the worst Christmas special of all time. I cannot thank Colin Slater, the producer and so-called director of this film, enough for securing the Internet a copy of his work so that people all around the world can view his magnum opus and see its numerous and unavoidable flaws for themselves. Look it up on YouTube... if you dare.
The Star of Christmas (2002)
Right up there with Buzz-Saw Louie, and twice as funny!
"The Star of Christmas" is the first episode in a two-part mini series (the sequel being "An Easter Carol") which takes place in 19th century London, this episode explaining Christ's birth and the sequel explaining His death and resurrection. It stars the jingle-writers-for-dental-wax turned playwrights Cavis Appythart (Bob the Tomato) and Millward Phelps (Larry the Cucumber), along with their inventor friend Seymour Schwenk (Pa Grape).
Cavis is disillusioned by he and his business partner's career of writing jingles, and aspires to achieve something grander with his life-- teaching London how to love. He and Millward write a play called "The Princess and the Plumber", intending to invite the Crown Prince to see the show, but they have competition. St. Bart's Church is holding their Christmas pageant the same night as their play, and they're using one of the most valuable treasures of London in their show. You guessed it, the Star of Christmas. That only leaves one option for Cavis-- stealing, er, borrowing the star from the church!
This episode is an absolute riot from start to finish, and is pure VeggieTales humor at its prime. To give you an idea of how much you'll be laughing, here are some of the funniest lines from the special (out-of-context):
"It looks like a turtle."
"I'm praying to be delivered from the mighty and fearsome hand of Moyer the Destroyer."
"Short of kidnapping, which I hear is ILLEGAL now..."
"Your toilet exploded, you're flushing in vain!!!"
"You're trapped like a dog hanging on to a big juicy steak that has somehow... become trapped... in some way..."
"Tra-la-la-la-lossum!"
For how hilarious this show is, however, it also has a ton of heart. It explains the Christmas story and the true meaning of love in such a poignant way, which is rarely seen in most Christmas specials. I won't spoil the ending for you, but it may be one of the sweetest moments ever to be placed in a VeggieTales episode, and as one reviewer pointed out, Lisa Vischer's rendition of "Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel" is absolutely gorgeous.
This episode is available legally to watch on YouTube, so give it a try. Whether it's Christmas or not, you'll be laughing, crying, and learning about the true meaning of Christmas in such an effective and thought-out way.
VeggieTales: Esther, the Girl Who Became Queen (2000)
Different than most VeggieTales, but not in a bad way
If someone asked me for recommendations on which VeggieTales episode to watch first, I would suggest Dave and the Giant Pickle, Madame Blueberry, and the Jonah movie. That being said, Esther definitely wouldn't be on my list for first-timers to the franchise. It is drastically different than most VeggieTales in that it is more dramatic than humorous (though still featuring some hilarious dialogue), does not feature the countertops, lacks a Silly Song, and barely uses Bob and Larry at all. However, these differences don't taint the entertainment this episode offers at all, and on the contrary, it is filled to the brim with VeggieTales charm. The story of this episode is based on the book of Esther from the Bible, and Mike Narwocki does an incredible job fleshing out these characters' personalities while mostly managing to stay true to the Biblical text. Esther and Mordecai, though not particularly funny characters, are easy to sympathize with, and Esther's growth and maturity throughout this episode is a great example to girls (and boys). Unfortunately, though, there are a few inaccuracies present between this episode and the Biblical account. Some of them were taken to censor the story for young children, which I understand entirely, but others, like Esther's initial tenacity to be queen and Haman's lashing out at Mordecai after the banquet, are either not quite provable or entirely inaccurate, which made my rating slightly lower. Overall, though, this is an underrated but excellent episode of VeggieTales which longtime fans of the series should check out.
(And by the way, Haman, the youngest Jackson wasn't Tito. It was Janet.)