The kids are all right.
Friday night Cartoon Network aired the series premiere of Class of 3000, the trippy new childrens cartoon from Andre “3000″ Benjamin (of Outkast fame). The hour-long broadcast was cut together with a premiere party held at a theater in Atlanta. In front of an audience packed with tweens and pre-tweens, the show starts with a marching band making its way down the center aisle playing the show’s theme. Eventually Mr. Benjamin walks onstage to thunderous applause and introduces his new project to the kids. Lights dim and the film rolls. Throughout the hour, we bump in and out on the festivities in Atlanta showing break-dancers, rappers, and general fun being had by all. Fitting enough for a series like this; one of the wilder childrens programs this side of H. R. Pufnstuf.
The show itself is good. It would clearly be better if I were eight or nine years old, but its good nonetheless. Each episode will have a new song recorded by Mr. Benjamin, reason enough for any adult to check in once a week. Though equally interesting is the mish mash animation style. The show looks like the characters were drawn on top of a collidescope. Its actually kind of mind-skewing, as the endless changes of color create a really odd effect on a scene’s natural perspective. The characters look like they’re walking through air, or that walls are bending. It’s fun to look at, especially during the musical numbers when all rules of physics and color-theory go right out the window. Like a tornado-slide, its built for kids, but more than willing to entertain an adult as well.
November 6th, 2006 at 1:47 am
When I was 5, a kid at day-care referenced a “cinderella slide.” He was quickly corrected by me that they are called “tornado slides.”
I wasn’t allowed to play He-Man in Skelator Castle for a couple of days.
It was worth it.