Hello everyone, today I will be critiquing The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy (2003) and Beetlejuice (1988). The Grimm Adventures of Billy and Mandy is a cartoon show about a dim-whited, idiotic and friendly boy named Billy; an evil, cold-hearted dominating girl named Mandy and a dark, gloomy reaper named Grim. After Grim loses against the two children in a game of limbo, he is forced to spend eternity as their slave. They use Grim's powers to obtain things that they want or to gain special powers. Mandy's main objectives in the show is to control Grim and world domination. On several occasions, opportunity knocks and gives her what she wants, but she turns it down saying it's not the right time. Billy, on the other hand, is too stupid to even tie his own shoe, so he's stuck as Mandy's henchman. Although the children torment and boss Grim around, he feels a sense a friendship and love towards them.
Beetlejuice is an animated cartoon series based on Tim Burton's original movie, Beetlejuice—how ironic. Though the story and chemistry between Lydia and Beetlejuice are different, there are are some aspects of the cartoon that still remain true to the movie. The cartoon is centered on Lydia and Beetlejuice's adventures in the real world and the Neitherworld (the world of the dead and supernatural). The differences and similarities between the cartoon and the movie are as follows:
- In the cartoon, Lydia and Beetlejuice are best friends and care for each other. In the movie, Lydia is disgusted by him and is threatened to marry him.
- The cartoon uses the same catchphrases Beetlejuice uses in the movie, like "It's showtime" and "Save that guy for later."
- The Beetlejuice call still remains the same, but in the cartoon, Lydia says a chant before the call and summons Beetlejuice to her room.
- Lydia's parents are unaware of Beetlejuice's existence in the cartoon and they live in a town called Peaceful Pines instead of Winter River.
There are other differences between the two, but the comedic and Burtonesque theme remains true.
The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy
I honestly think the general audience for this cartoon is for a teenagers and adults. The style may appeal to a younger audience, but the dark humor and themes are meant for a mature audience. The humor consists of dark themes, visual jokes and parodies. At times, the humor can be a little flat, but Billy keeps the entertainment going. His stupidity and how Grim and Mandy play off of it, is the major factor that really makes this cartoon funny. The characters and the actors behind the characters work so well together. As odd as the trio may be, they blesh well together and they complement each over. The visual style is simple and clean, yet some of the characters are willing to break their character model to convey an emotion or a state of mind. Episode "Wishbones" is a perfect example of the break of the character model, in the scene where Pud'n wishes for a bunny that will love him. The magical skull grants his wish, but the wish is faulty. We see the bunny and Pud'n talking to each other. The bunny then tells Pud'n about "tough love" and breaks model when his sweet innocent loving face turns into a demonic, sharped toothed monster. The awkward blank stare that Pud'n gives is hilarious! Another example is the "Attack of the Clowns" where Billy sees a clown and goes into and extreme facial expression when he screams. Those little moments is what brings the cartoon to life.
The cinematic editing is surprisingly amazing for a cartoon. The canted angles, zoom in/out, long, medium and close up shots provoke emotions and drama to the cartoon, as these methods do in any other movie. I 'll refer back to the same scene with Pud'n in the "Wishbone" episode. The over the shoulder shots give a clear idea as to who is speaking and the conversation that Pud'n is having with the skull. Then the Slow zoom-in's add a dark and dramatic affect as the skull grants Pud'n's wish. In the episode, "El Dia de Los Muertos Stupidos", the scene where Billy's dad (Herald) is making a tent, is full of cinematic elements. There is a follow-through cut, starting with a close-up shot of Herald putting his undies on the cactus and then cuts to him stretching them out to make the tent shape. There is then a zoom out shot of Grim and Billy in the tent, then zooms out to show Herald an Mandy talking to each other; then it cuts to just Herald and Mandy talking. These elements add continuity throughout the show and draws the audiences eyes to where the action is taking place.
The animation is also well done. The animation style is clean and extreme. The timing is perfect and each character's personality is clearly expressed through the animation. The animation done for Jack in the "Jacked Up Halloween" episode, clearly shows his lively and goofy personality before his head decapitation and his sinister, dark personality after. The color palette is specific to the two worlds within the cartoon. The real world combines soft and bright, cheerful colors to give an eerie sense of perfection. The colors used for the underworld are dark, rich colors which make the underworld seem more lively and exciting. The rich colors are in conjunction to the dark theme of the cartoon and the characters are colored to match their particular style and personality.
Overall, the cartoon is amazingly entertaining and pleasing to watch. The dark humor and animation compliment each other very well. The two combined is what really makes the show. It is a cartoon that and older generation can enjoy and appreciate. [1]
Beetlejuice
The general audience for this cartoon show is children, aging between 6-10 years old. The style and format of the cartoon may appeal to an older audience, but it is not as entertaining. The humor consists of slap-stick comedy, parodies and lots of visual puns. The visual puns are a little weak, but they convey the joke clearly. Again, this cartoon caters more to a younger audience so the jokes and gags need to be read easily and clearly, which it successfully does. The humor may be lacking a bit, but the animation style is amazing. The squash and stretch is overly exaggerated, but works for this particular cartoon. It has the Roger Rabbit, Richard Williams kind of feel and brings much more depth to the characters' personalities. For instance, Beetlejuice is a ghoulish con-artist who has a fun, lively personality and we can clearly pick this up from his movements. His movements are very flamboyant, fluid and exaggerated. Lydia is a more of an introvert. Her movements aren't as big and exaggerated as his, but when they are together you can see the difference. The first and second season intro, is beautifully done and well timed. The cartoon in general, is not as well animated as the intro, but it still has great extremes .
The colors in the cartoon seem a little dull, but communicate clearly. The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy follows this show's coloring method in separating the two worlds. Cinematic methods aren't as well done as it's Junior competitor, but it does have continuity and is easy to follow. The visual architecture is the classic 80s style, due to the fact that is was made in the 80s. The ghosts and ghouls are more creatively drawn than the human beings in the real world and the environment clearly sheds a light on the genius that is Tim Burton.
This cartoon is a classic, but doesn't really stand out from the crowd—sorry Mr. Burton. The story and theme is different from a lot of the cartoons that were showing at the time, but the basic animatic and cinematic elements are lacking. [2]
My Opinion
I honestly enjoy the Junior way more that it's Senior. The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy has that cinematic artistry that really calls my attention and the dark humor is extremely funny. Beetlejuice is an enjoyable cartoon, but I doesn't compare. I enjoy collecting cartoon series DVDs and my choice would be The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy—again, sorry Mr. Burton.
[1] Tv.com. (n.d.). The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy: Wishbones. Retrieved
November 26, 2012, from http://www.tv.com/shows/the-grim-adventures-of-
billy-and-mandy/wishbones-438816/
[2] Bcbd.com. (2012). Beetlejuice TV Episode Guide. Retrieved November 26, 2012, from
http://www.tv.com/shows/the-grim-adventures-of-billy-and-mandy/wishbones-
438816/
