| abstract | - NC: Hello, I'm the Nostalgia Critic. I remember it, so you don't have to. Perhaps a lot of you saw a trailer for the movie.... NC (vo): Sausage Party. No, of course you didn't. You just saw the title, the catchphrases, and started reading the YouTube comments like everyone else. I remember people sending me links, declaring it the new Foodfight!. But, much to the surprise of, every single person whoever lived, it was actually getting good reviews. No, not just good, great. Word of mouth spread as well, and soon the movie became a hit. NC: Why? Because apparently.... NC (vo): The movie has clever satire, thought-provoking commentary, and a scenario that helps make it's point. This movie! NC: This got me thinking recently-- Audience: Why start now! NC: I've taught you well... That this isn't the first time this has happened. NC (vo): There's been several movies and shows, that have been popping up over the last few years that seem like mindless nonsense. But, either slowly or quickly, reveal themselves to be smarter than they look. With many of them doing well, more and more have been popping up out of the woodwork. NC: So this begs the question: Is weird the new brilliant? NC (vo): With so much media that seems like junk food for the brain, is there some junk food that are secretly slipping in some heathy stuff? NC: I started thinking about movies and shows that were doing this, and, quite frankly, a lot of them seemed to be animated. NC (vo): Popular shows like Adventure Time or Steven Universe has been leaked for years at their in depth look at identity, and how it relates to social norms, whether it be family, friendship, or how viewing oneself can affect others as well as you. But, if you were to put THAT on the summary of the show, very few kids would probably watch it. Hell, probably not even any of the adults. Therefore, Adventure Time is about a teenage boy, who wears fluffy white ears, and his zany dog who can change into anything, and there are whacky shenanigans in the magical Land of Ooo. NC: But, since it's a magical land, you can do whatever you want. NC (vo): So, maybe someone magically makes smaller versions of everyone that can be out under your control. Thus, we can explore how much a seemingly loving person can give or take when in complete power. Or, maybe a magical crown that takes away your memory can be a heartbreaking allegory for Alzheimer's, and the empathetic tragedy that people suffer from it. NC: These are things that spiralled out of a show that started out like this... Jake: (using a sandwich to mimic his mouth) Listen to Jake, Finn. He only wants what's best for- (Jake gobbles down the sandwich, while pretending the sandwich is screaming "Help me") NC (vo): Steven Universe is the same way. It starts off with a little boy, with a gem in his belly, trying to show these three alien women how life on Earth works. And, the first episode focus on an ice cream treat called "Cookie Cat", while once in a while trying to stop an alien invasion, and singing a song. NC: Doesn't sound that mentally complex. NC (vo): But, again, as the show continues, we discover the gems can transform you both physically and mentally, and combine with other people. The themes they explore here are an existentialists' wet dream. Themes about intimacy, gender identification, puberty, sex, childhood becoming adulthood, the list goes on. Again, all beginning with an episode that focused on him [Steven] wanting a cookie cat ice cream, all seems kind of insane. NC: It doesn't always have to be symbolic though; sometimes, it could just be very straight forward. NC (vo): Shows like Avatar and My Little Pony are very direct with what they are trying to teach: Avatar takes place in a fantasy world, where people have Captain Planet like powers, and want to stop an evil bad guy from taking over the world. Yeah, sounds kind of standard, in fact almost boring. But, on top of having a great sense of humour and creative visuals, the show teaches kids, and arguably adults, about eastern philosophies, religion, medicines, and even martial arts moves. All the poses shown are based on real styles of martial arts. They even hired martial arts masters for models. In the case of My Little Pony, a show that started off as a remake of what many considered a forced excuse to sell toys. NC: And, that's from the people who liked it! NC (vo): Have transformed it into practically a show about emotions and social interactions. The story takes place in a land of ponies, and one is sent to study the benefits of friendship. NC: Yeah, sounds like Care Bears greeting card fodder doesn't it? NC (vo): Well, in this show, they actually do analyze it. Seriously looking at the benefits of kindness, the various levels of it, and when to use each variation. It's easy just to say "be nice", and that's it, but this show actually looks at the different challenges that comes with it. It isn't just a blanket term; it's explored and analyzed. So much so that the majority of the fanbase are grown men, not young girls. This is a show that was doing its job so well that it hit on a fanbase that they weren't even aiming for originally, and now it turns out of be most of them. And, all from a show that just wanted to sell some toys in the 80s. Who the hell could have seen this coming? NC: Kids films are nowadays are the same way. NC (vo): Kung-Fu Panda is a Jack Black animated comedy, teaching kids about suffering and how to turn it into something progressive. The LEGO Movie is really a connection to a son's relationship with his father, and good lord, we could talk about the Pixar movies forever, giving us cute and funny ideas that sneak in emotional and psychological issues without kids even realizing it. NC: This idea of working commentary into nonsense isn't just for kids. NC (vo): On top of examples like Sausage Party, BoJack Horseman might be the greatest TV show in years. And, on the surface, you'd swear I was making that up. It's about a horse, who has a cheesy sitcom in the eighties. Yeah, that's right: a horse; half the people are animals on this show. There's no reason for it. The whole series focuses on the impact the show had on him, particular depression and dozens addictions, and how it also impacted the people around him. The show starts off, almost mockingly silly. Relying on shock value jokes, and little problems that get blown out of proportion. But, as we get more comfortable with the characters, there more troubled sides are shown. And, often times, instead of punchlines, we are given harsh realities. Yeah, harsh realities in a show about a flaming horse. NC: It's like finding out Mr. Ed was bipolar. NC (vo): What's so shocking about this show is that, not only does it do the dramatic side well, but it does it better than any show I've seen in television. The comedy is drawn surreal and clever, allowing us to enjoy these people. So, when it really comes time to talk about the inhumane side all of them are capable of, it's really tough to get through in a good way. It is disturbing, it does take you out of your comfort zone, and it does in a totally bizarre and intriguing way. Maybe the constant reminder that it's set in the world of false Hollywood is what helps us see past the gimmick of talking animals. Maybe because we are aware that Hollywood is an illusion, but forget the people behind it are real feeling creatures, helps identify with such a strange and surreal environment. It takes you to places you didn't think you would go to, are afraid to go to, and then come out confronting someone you never thought you would have confronted. All from BoJack "100% Rotten Tomatoes" Horseman. NC: Where did all of this come from? That these childish and dub ideas can lead to deep and complex issues. NC (vo): It's hard to say for sure. I guess shows like South Park kind of paved the way. Looking for the cheapest and lowest brow humour that, over time, surprisingly turned into one of the great commentators. Because there were so low expectations; there was a freedom to do whatever they wanted. And, not only did the creators know how to get people's attention, but they knew how to say something funny and interesting while they had your attention. NC: But, hell you could back farther and point to The Simpsons. NC (vo): When they first came out, it was dismissed as crude shock humour. Yeah, The Simpsons were seen as shock humour. Years later though, we still quote their ingenious comedy, and yet we still have no idea why they're yellow, or how their hair somehow becomes sort of their skin; we just kind of accept something that's silly. NC (vo): TV wise, you could even point to the Twilight Zone. A spooky show with twists that often has a dark satire on the human condition. NC: I guess even comics could be thrown into that. NC (vo): Batman, Superman, and a ton of the marvel stories, are all being hailed now as the New Greek mythologies, with a lot of challenging ideas both psychologically and culturally. NC: It's even kind of become a big thing in literature. Lord of the Rings and Narnia both have religious connections for being storied about magic. Animal Farm is obviously telling the rise of Stalin and Communism, even though it's just a bunch of barnyard animals. Even Wizard of Oz is technically an allegory on the populist movement. Yeah, no joke, there's actually a whole other layer that many of us miss. NC: So, I guess the real question is: if it can be done so well, when is it done poorly? NC (vo): I've gotten a lot of hate for saying this, but for me, its films like Signs, District 9 and The Matrix films. The reason being, if you took the every obvious allegory out, the stories don't make any sense. There's a ton of plot holes, focusing issues, and character choices that don't add up. They're trying so hard to focus on their symbolism, that there forgetting to give you characters you like, choices that make sense, and a narrative that makes sense. This is why the examples I listed before do work. They want you to like the characters first, they want you to feel like you could live in these worlds. They want to make you laugh, they want you have to fun. That way, when they slowly work their way to the more profound scenes, you're emotionally there with them. You give a crap; you're invested because they were given time to sink in. I don't care what happens to Neo; he's as dull as a plank of wood. If I don't get invested in the world or the characters first, I'm not going care what you're trying to say with them. NC: Maybe, that's why so many of these brilliant ideas are animated. NC (vo): Because, for many of us, that's the first thing we've seen. We grow up with cartoons; they hold a certain place in our heart, so we'll immediately get a certain reaction when something happens to them. Some people can get into animation, and only see it as kids’ stuff. And, that's a shame because a lot of kids stuff is more adult recently. (posters of Batman/Superman: World's Finest and Batman v Superman are shown) Even the Looney Tunes and Rocky and Bullwinkle snuck in a lot of adult jokes. And, they did it because they had a medium where they knew they could. And, with all the technology that available to us now, we are seeing worlds that can exist much faster and better looking than we ever imagined. NC: Maybe, that's why so many of these weird and brilliant stories are happening right now. NC (vo): We certainly had a few in the last; but now we are seeing them more than ever, and many of them are still going. They know now that they can do it, and that people will watch, and continue to watch. Their minds are being opened to being entertained, but also questioned. They want to see a horse act like an ass, but they also want him to wonder if there is any hope for himself. I don't know if it is just a trend, or if these kind of stories will keep going, but one's thing for sure: they got our attention now, and they're doing a good job keeping it. NC: I'm the Nostalgia Critic. I remember it, so you don't have to.
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