Ed, Edd n Eddy vs. Aaahh!!! Real Monsters

Hello my fellow Cartoon Lovers, today I will be critiquing Ed, Edd n' Eddy (1999) and Aaahh!!! Real Monsters (1994). Ok, I know you are probably thinking, what similarities do these two shows have in common? Well, just bear with me and I'll show you. Ed, Edd n' Eddy is a cartoon series about three young boys, who are always pranking the other kids in the neighborhood and getting into some kind of trouble. Even though they have completely different personalities, they compliment each other very well and have this weird harmonious effect. They are best friends who depend on one another to obtain their main objective, scamming the kids of their money to buy jawbreakers. Ed is "as dumb as a doornail"—quote from Eddy in the show—but he is the muscle of the group. He has this unimaginable amount of strength and the most horrifying oder, but has an innocent, naive disposition. Edd—A.K.A. Double Dee—is the brainiac who makes Eddy's ideas happen. He is the smartest kid in the cul-de-sac, but he can be a overly dramatic. Eddy is the "wise guy." He comes up with the scams and is the self-proclaimed leader of the group. He is the macho trickster that thinks everyone should look up to him and show respect, but he really just wants to be noticed and accepted by all the other kids. The only way the kids will show respect towards him is if his older brother is around—who is never seen in any of the shows, until Ed, Edd n' Eddy's Big Picture Show. [1]

Aaahh!!! Real Monsters is a cartoon show about three young monsters, who attend a monster's academy to become...well, monsters. The cartoon centers around them completing their assignments by scaring the humans on the surface and doing their best to stay out of trouble. Ickis is the red-colored monster who is sometimes mistaken for a bunny, because of his long ears. He is respected and considered to be the leader of the group, because his father was the top student at the monster's academy. Oblina is a black and white, striped monster that has a body in the shape of a candy-cane. She is the most talented monster in the academy, because of her scaring abilities and also the smartest one in the group. Krumm is one of the more gruesome looking characters. He has the body of a small man, no neck, no head and carries his eyeballs in his hands. His ultimate scare tactic is his armpit stench...Starting to see the correlation? 

Ed, Edd n' Eddy

What I absolutely love about this show is the visual design and animation style. It has the classic cartoon feel and the environment has a retro layout. The design looks simple, but if you bay close attention to the line quality, you can see the lines move. I love this element of the design; it adds so much more life to the cartoon. The unusual proportion sizing of the different props is a visual gag that brings another different aspect of the cartoon. For example, in the episode "Stuck in the Ed", Eddy runs out of ideas for a scam, so he decides to buy on from Jimmy. Jimmy comes up with the idea to make fruit-pops for the kids in the neighborhood. Instead of using a popsicle mold or ice-tray, he uses refrigerators and sticks a wooden plank in the middle as the popsicle stick...How awesome is that! And to think that the kids can actually carry those things around in there pockets, is beyond me.There are times when Double Dee creates a new device that requires a remote control and the remote control is huge. The style really goes beyond the boundaries of reality and it becomes fun, imaginative cartoon.

The animation style is similar to the style. It stretches the boundaries of animated cartoons. I noticed that as the cartoon progressed, the squash and stretch, character movements and facial expressions become more exaggerated and "pushed." I love when a cartoon goes all out on the animation and movements. At the beginning, the colors were a little pale and washed-out, but as it progressed the, the colors became more saturated and vibrant. In the last few seasons, when the kids start going to school, the characters' outline doesn't move anymore, but the animation was stronger, livelier and the colors are richer. Ed, Edd n' Eddy's Big Picture Show is a perfect example of the amazing transformation and a great finale to end the show. 

As this show progressed, it became so much more enjoyable to watch. I loved watching every minute and the humor was clever and stupid—stupid in a good way. I definitely would have to say that this is one of my favorite shows and I am sad to see the series end. Rest in Peace to those lovable "Ed boys."

Aaahh!!! Real Monsters

This cartoon really shows it's creative side through the character design. The different varieties of monsters is imaginative, but I feel that it's a little lacking. Of course I have to keep in mind that this is a children's cartoon so the monsters can't be too scary looking. I do think that the characters have great texture. You can really see the lumps, bumps and ridges of each character. This adds a subtle lifelike quality to the cartoon. The colors are very dark and grungy, which fits the show because the monsters live underneath the dump. 

The animation style is ok. It's not eye-catching, but the movements and fluidity of the characters is well done and communicates well to the audience. The humor is very subtle, with some mild adult humor and visual gags. 

Overall, I really don't have a lot to say about this cartoon. There are a few elements that are unique, but it just feels like another 90s cartoon.

My Opinion

I think that Ed, Edd n' Eddy is definitely the winner out of the two. The animation, creative aspect, visual design and the humor is definite win. I am sad to see the series go. Aaahh!!! Real Monsters isn't a bad cartoon. It's very enjoyable and safe for kids to watch, but coming from an older audience it, it's just one of those good-old classic 90s cartoons they grew-up with.

[1] YouTube.com. Ed, Edd n' Eddy Big Picture Show Full. (n.d.) Retrieved from  

          http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuA6nWka7Rg