Post by Alice on Aug 11, 2009 0:09:37 GMT -8
An overlooked classic, and one of my personal favorites. Not bad for a direct-to-video movie!
Summer is still going on, but for some of us our days are starting to get numbered. Heck, for some of us summer vacation is simply out of the question. But remember when summer break really did mean a summer break, way back? If so, did you have any traditions? You know, something you did every summer? Camping, maybe, or science slumber parties?
Well, one of my personal summer traditions is watching a childhood favorite: Steven Spielberg Presents Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation (1992). It's a very long-winded title, but it's also very, very funny.
I'm pretty sure all of us know about the animated series Steven Spielberg Presents Tiny Toon Adventures, or at least are aware of the name. If not, I'll just give a brief premise: the Tiny Toons are basically younger versions (or rip-offs, if you look at it that way) of classic Warner Bros. cartoon stars. Bugs Bunny's counterpart are a pair of young bunnies named Buster Bunny and Babs Bunny (no relation). Instead of Daffy Duck we have Plucky Duck; Hamton J. Pig rather than Porky Pig; the antagonistic Elmer Fudd and Yosemite Sam are replaced with Elmyra Duff and Montana Max, etc. All of these Tiny Toons reside in Acme Acres, and they attend Acme Looniversity, a school taught by some of the aforementioned Looney Tunes. Acme Looniversity prepares the Tiny Toons to become successful cartoon stars. A lot of talent surrounded Tiny Toon Adventures, including Steven Spielberg, Sherri Stoner, Paul Dini, Charlie Adler, Tress MacNeille, Joe Alaskey and the late Don Messick.
This might not sound like a golden premise, but the show was actually very successful. It is true that many people consider the later-produced Animaniacs to be a superior animated series, but Tiny Toons was the first to really help get Warner Bros. Television Animation's foot back into the door, after over a decade of dormancy.
Is Animaniacs a better animated series than Tiny Toons? Probably. But there is one thing Tiny Toons has over Animaniacs, and that is the feature-length animated film. True, there is a feature-length Animaniacs film titled Wakko's Wish, and it is a good film, but I honestly believe that How I Spent My Vacation is the superior film. This will probably spoil the review already, but I'm stating up front that this movie is, in my opinion, the single best direct-to-video feature ever produced, as well as the funniest.
Not everyone here has watched this film, so my review will actually be fairly light and short, especially compared to, say, the Felix the Cat: The Movie review. I've decided to be vaguer simply because I don't wish to spoil some great surprises in store for first-time viewers, but I will risk this with a brief film synopsis and a few favorite jokes.
This movie could be described as a package film; there actually isn't a single storyline, but rather a series of subplots covering different Tiny Toon characters. All of these subplots are strung together because they all have a relation with summer. Well, kinda. All right, very few human summer vacations are quite like this, but I'm getting ahead of myself! After the film's opening song and titles, we jump into the meat of the film.
Major Storylines:
The Road Trip from Hell. One of the two major subplots. Plucky Duck is infuriated that Hamton is leaving town for the summer; his family is heading to Happy World Land for vacation, which is a sidesplittingly hilarious parody of Disney theme parks. Plucky is none too happy about being left alone, but he succeeds in convincing the Pig family to allow the duck to tag along.
Unfortunately, it probably would have been best if Plucky hadn't invited himself, because it turns out to be the Road Trip from Hell. The Pig family is obnoxious, disgusting, irritating and completely oblivious. One of the running gags is that Hamton's father, Wade (voiced by Jonathan Winters!), constantly hums "Pop Goes the Weasel." At one point, Plucky gets so annoyed with this that he insists on Wade humming a different song. What follows is actually probably my favorite joke in this film.
"Say, 'Dad,' do you know anything else? Like, I dunno, 'Spark Inside Us?'"
Things get really funny when a psychotic killer is picked up. The Pigs believe that the psychotic killer (a light parody of Jason Voorhees) to be a hitchhiker, but Plucky is the only one fully aware of the twisted man's true colors. Sheer brilliance. Ultimately, the family does reach Happy World Land, and this demonic theme park (which has six thrill rides and four-hundred gift shops!) is a series of increasingly funny and violent attractions. Too bad that even Happy World Land is probably not worth the road trip...
The Happy World Land anthem is a delicious parody of Disney theme parks, just like the actual park itself.
A Tom & Huck-esque River Adventure. The other major plot. Buster Bunny engages a particularly soaking squirtgun fight with Babs Bunny. This feud exacerbates to the point where Babs crazily lowers a dam, causing Acme Acres to be flooded. Buster and Babs end up on a floating table, and they begin an out-of-their-control adventure down an ever-flowing river. They are accompanied by Elmyra's dog, Byron. The dog spends most of the film sleeping, but even proves himself useful in an unexpected (and hysterical) moment at the film's climax.
Superman's cameo in this film is, without question, the single best DC Comics cameo ever.
After departing from Acme Acres, their first stop is in a Deliverance parody. Buster is oblivious to the hungry opossums they meet. Fortunately, Babs outwits the evil opossums and the two bunnies plus sleeping dog continue their journey. One of the opossums, who rarely if ever speaks and plays a banjo, stalks them.
Their next stop is a southern estate. Buster believes that in this fine house live "refined gentlemen and delicate ladies." His expectation is immediately debunked when a carnivorous trio of sister alligators bring him inside ("Strike my last stereotype," Buster helplessly says just before being abducted). Soon the father alligator arrives in the house, and they all plan on "marrying" Buster... which obviously means they just wish to devour him. Fortunately, Babs rescues Buster for this round... again. Man, Babs really is cooler than Buster, ain't she?
Buster, Babs and Byron then end up on a showboat, where their table is finally destroyed. They initially believe that they are billed as the stars of the ship's dinner theater, but they quickly realize that they were only half correct. This sets in motion the film's climax, and it's a good balance of gripping action and the trademark absurd humor Tiny Toons is known for.
Some parents complained about this character. I wonder why?
Minor Storylines:
A Dream Date?. Fifi La Fume (basically a female and much cuter Pepé Le Pew) obsesses over a "movie star skunk hunk" named Johnny Pew. Johnny Pew turns out to be an arrogant jerk, and ultimately Fifi realizes that sometimes having crushes on celebrities is unfounded.
It is with this subplot that most of this film's (mostly unflattering) caricatures of celebrities are seen. Rosanne Barr's caricature is probably my favorite.
Elmyra: Cruel and Unusual Punishment. Elmyra Duff (voiced by Cree Summer!) visits a zoo, where she harasses practically every living creature there. Elmyra has always been the most disturbing Tiny Toon (in my opinion), and here she really goes wild... literally.
This isn't referencing any Matt Groening character. Nope!
The Multiplex. Shirley the Loon is forced to endure a humiliating movie date with Fowlmouth (based on Foghorn Leghorn). They go to watch Skunknophobia (obviously a parody of Spielberg's Arachnophobia), and by coincidence Fifi and Johnny Pew also attend this showing. This movie theater sequence is among the least important subplots, but it contains some really great material, including what is perhaps this film's most famous joke: Lucasfilm's THX parody. This THX joke is as funny now as it's always been.
The film concludes with a final song number, and then the credits roll. Even this movie's end credits are funny; they are faster than grease lightning, and the gags are plentiful. Blink and you'll miss some. Just like the animated series, a character gets the last word. This film's choice for a "last character" was someone I didn't expect when I first watched.
Looks like Steven Spielberg isn't afraid to poke fun at himself!
In conclusion, this movie doesn't have the qualities one would associate with a terrific animated film.
But it's so damn funny.
There is not a single storyline; there's just several subplots loosely tied together with a Summer Vacation theme.
But it's so damn funny.
The animation, although well done, is not high quality in the sense of a theatrically-released Disney animated feature.
But it's so damn funny.
The songs aren't exactly special. The Happy World Land anthem is humorous, but the opening and closing songs feel a bit easy yet forced.
But it's so damn funny.
It's fairly obvious, but I really do find this movie funny. Just like Airplane!, The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! and Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, not every single joke in How I Spent My Vacation soars, but the direct hits far outweigh the duds. For every dud, there's five direct hits. This film is probably funnier when you watch with a group of friends, if only to share the madcap, bizarre summer holidays this movie offers.
As already mentioned, the animation isn't exactly of theatrical animation quality, but for a 90's direct-to-video animated feature, it's very agreeable. In fact, it's pretty good in a lot of ways. The facial expressions are spot-on and amusing, there are little details in cartoony visuals, and the backgrounds are colorful and sometimes inspiring (I adore the blue nighttime visuals just before Buster and Babs meet the alligators).
Bruce Broughton's score isn't exactly memorable, but it is nevertheless a very efficient one. This film doesn't require majestic, sweeping music; it requires a score that perfectly compliments what is going on onscreen, while having a certain feeling to match the general mood. In this regard, the score is perfect.
What also makes this film work so well is that it doesn't pretend to be The Biggest, Best Animated Film Ever. This movie is a feature-length home video version of Tiny Toon Adventures, and it is fully aware of it. The fourth wall is practically demolished by the end, but the wall-breaking moments often work effectively.
Actually, there's some really good writing in this film. This is obviously the case, considering the sheer number of gags both visually and verbally, but after this film's climax there is an unusual resolution. I won't spoil it for those who have not seen this movie yet wish to, but I will say that it is very silly, yet self-aware and tremendously clever at the same time. One of my favorite gags in the movie, in fact.
So, this movie is a summer tradition of mine. This is certainly quoted very often by my siblings and me. "Carnitas!" "Slideshow?!" "I hate duck, too!" "THE AUDIENCE IS NOW DEAF." These quotes pop up often whenever I hang out with my brother and sister. It's very rare that I enjoy a feature-length film more than the related series that came before the film, but this is definitely an exception. I do like the Tiny Toon Adventures animated series, but to me this film will always be the definitive Tiny Toon Adventure.
For some, the conclusion of summer can be saddening and discouraging, but this film ends on a bittersweet note: "When September rolls around, you hear that school bell sound. Never mind! Punch rewind! It's summer time again!" See? My favorite direct-to-video feature of all time knows just how to cheer people up!
By the way, is it just me or does that psychotic killer kinda look like Sweetums?
***½ out of ****
BONUS MP3S! The opening and closing songs, as well as the end credits score by Bruce Broughton.
CLICK HERE!
