Month: December 2018

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Looking Back On 2018…

In just a few short hours we will be in 2019! It’s kinda hard to believe. This year feels like it’s lasted at least a decade, so let’s take a second to look back…

Here’s a short list: Avengers: Infinity War, Black Panther, Doctor Who Series 11, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Miraculous Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir season 2, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Deadpool 2, Disney bought Fox, Guardians of the Galaxy 3 lost its director, Red Sox won the World Series, Game of Thrones dropped the trailer for its last season, we got a sequel to Mary Poppins over 50 years later, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Incredibles 2, American Horror Story crossover, Life-Size 2 almost 20 years later… the list goes on.

Once again it was a big year for revivals and nostalgia. In addition to She-Ra, Sabrina, Mary Poppins, and Life-Size, we saw the revival of Roseanne/The Conners, Murphy Brown, Magnum P.I., American Idol, Tomb Raider, Oceans 8, Charmed, Titans, and Halloween. Now, I may have been a little lax with my viewing. When I was in college, I once had a couple months where I was seeing a new movie each week. Right now, my life is not in a place where I can do that, so that will not be my New Years Resolution. No, instead, I will attempt to put out a blog entry each week and on time! (And I can promise that I will be seeing Captain Marvel and Avengers: Endgame the weekends they open!)

We’re also currently riding on the wave that is the aftermath of #metoo and its effecting the industry. People are speaking out and its becoming a wise marketing choice to use female and minority filmmakers. Wonder Woman did amazing things for female directors in 2017 and this year Black Panther opened the door for minority filmmakers and superheroes.

TV also got very political this year, with liberal Hollywood speaking out against President Trump and his policies (a trend I expect to continue). This was true even for shows like Doctor Who, which is a British program. His racist and sexist remarks have inspired plot points, such as Who‘s “Rosa” and the political and racial backgrounds of characters on primetime TV shows such as Charmed and Rosanne/The Conners.

So, what does this mean for the entertainment industry? Well, Disney is slowly but surely monopolizing the film industry and cornering the market on mega franchises. It’s no longer just Princesses, there’s Star Wars and the MCU– now with the addition of Fox’s character library (and making us all nervous about Deadpool 3). Meanwhile, Netflix went and canceled a bunch of programs, including all of its Marvel programs (save for Jessica Jones and Punisher), but also released 3 seasons/20 episodes of Nailed It!. NBC is making a comedy comeback with lineups that include The Good Place, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Will & Grace, while ABC stands by The Conners and snatches up American Idol, with no end in sight for Grey’s Anatomy. America’s Next Top Model is on VH1 now and Black Mirror just released a “Choose Your Own Adventure” episode…

2018 has been a year for reinvention and creativity. It’s been about branching out as production companies try to nail down what audiences are after. While many of us are reading news headlines with dismay, the entertainment industry is actually starting to step up with female and minority representation. Shows like Steven Universe, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, and Doctor Who (as played by Jodie Whittaker) are upping the ante on gender and sexuality representation. It’s an exciting time for TV and Film, with even more to come in 2019!



…Okay, so this is another late post, and once again a bit ramble-y, but as I stated above, New Year’s Resolution! For those of you who have taken the time to read my idle thoughts, thank you! This has been a labor of both passion and discipline and I’m really excited I’ve kept it going this long– and plan on more to come!

I’m expecting 2019 to be a big and happy year and wish you and those closest to you the same! Happy New Year!

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Holiday 2018

I’m a little late to this party, but wanted to talk about some of this year’s holiday specials. Two of the three I’m going to talk about were released this year, while the third (I only just discovered) was released in 2016. Typically, I make a point of spending all of December watching Holiday Specials, but this year, I just didn’t have the motivation. So, it was these three and a couple of others, but no Rudolph or Frosty.

Item 1: A Cinderella Christmas

I watched this Christmas fairytale on Hulu. It’s a cute take on the classic fairytale and does not hesitate to be heavy handed on the Christmas theme. The plot was fairly predictable but made its characters surprisingly relatable and sympathetic.

Here, Cinderella is Angie (Emma Rigby, Once Upon A Time in Wonderland), a girl who was orphaned as a toddler and brought up with her uncle and cousin. Her uncle runs a catering business, which, thanks to Angie’s hard work, has become THE event planning business. Her cousin, Candace (Sarah Stouffer, Switched at Birth) takes credit for these achievements while scoping out these high-class functions for a rich husband. It looks like her ship has come in when wealthy Nikolaus invites her to his Christmas party, which the girls are working on. However, due to an unlikely turn of events, Angie goes instead and a Cinderella story ensues.

It’s a cute story, a little cliché, of course, a little predictable, but cute and enjoyable. In hindsight, it’s not entirely surprising that the film was released in 2016. In the last two years, attitudes towards women and minorities have changed, as have casting choices. In our next film, this is much better reflected.

Item 2: Life-Size 2

This long-awaited sequel premiered on Freeform and was then available on Hulu, Amazon, and in the Apple store. In the 2000 original, Lindsay Lohan stars as Casey, a girl who’s mother has recently died. In trying to resurrect her, she accidently brings her Eve doll (a Barbie-esque fashion doll) to life. This now life-sized doll, played by Tyra Banks, helps Casey and her father move on from her mother’s death and grow close once more.

The sequel connects back to the original and picks up on similar themes and problems. During the first film, the Eve doll was on its way to being discontinued for being out of date. Eighteen years later, it’s a similar problem. This time, the doll who comes to life belongs to the grown-up daughter of the doll’s creator. Grace, played by Francia Raisa (Bring It On: All or Nothing, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Grown-ish) is encouraged by her neighbor, Lex (Alison Fernandez, Once Upon A Time, Logan, Orange is the New Black), to use Casey’s spell-book, in hopes of changing her luck.

What follows is very much an ode to the millennial fanbase. Grace is the same age as the viewers who made the first Life-Size such a success. She is navigating adulting and running a company in her mother’s absence. She is easy to connect with, even if her vast wealth is not the most relatable. It’s mostly a rehashing of the original with the key difference being that the key adults are in on Eve’s secret. The film follows a fairly predictable arc, which was no great surprise to me, so I wasn’t bothered. What did bother me was the gratuitous rap music.

The original TV movie featured Eve’s theme song, “Be A Star”, a catchy, jazzy tune you can dance to. The 2018 update seemed to double down on trying to be cool or less white— I wasn’t entirely sure which. I openly admit to being a white woman, one who does not listen to rap music, so I don’t know if fans of rap music or minorities would agree with me, but it felt a lot like those early 2000s attempts at being cool and trying to relate to ‘today’s youth’. I could see how the Eve doll in many ways reflects a white woman’s sensibilities, but I just don’t feel qualified enough to determine if this movie simply dropped that or failed in its attempts to appeal to a wider/different audience.

Item 3: Nailed It! Holiday!

This is a Netflix original program in which amateurs try to recreate baked masterpieces and this holiday set is the show’s third season. Let me begin by saying that this was the first season I watched and from episode 1, I was hooked and now I just want to be on it! Seriously, this show makes me so excited! I love baking and crafting and I love watching people try their best, even if they don’t… quite… get… it…

This Holiday Special is the third season of Nailed It! and the third to be released this year. It’s seven episodes, just like the previous season, and covers Christmas, Chanukah, and New Year’s Eve, plus finishes with a DIY special in which contestants craft ornaments and ugly Christmas sweaters.

I honestly, don’t have enough good things to say. The show is light-hearted and cheery, and doesn’t take itself all that seriously. The judges consist of comedian Nicole Byer and master chocolatier Jacques Torres plus a guest judge. The rapport between the judges and contestants (which change from episode to episode) is always entertaining and fun. It’s an encouraging environment in which contestants try their best with the knowledge that it is unlikely that they will get close.

Contestants bake a variety of goodies, from cakes and cookies to cake pops and donuts. Torres always details how best to go about creating these gorgeous delicacies. It makes you feel inspired, like you could do it to. (And if I hadn’t spent Christmas break so sick, I would have!)

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The One Named Sailor Moon!

Sailor Moon was/is a cultural phenomenon. The original manga ran from 1991 to 1997 and was written by Naoko Takeuchi. It’s noted in the United States for its spot in Cartoon Network’s Toonami block, which originally aired weekday afternoons in the late 90s/early 00s. The story, based on one of Takeuchi’s other mangas, tells the story of Usagi Tsukino, a middle school student in Tokyo. One day, after rescuing a strange cat, she receives magical powers and must fight the forces of evil. Over time, she gains allies and additional powers, eventually uncovering a number of secrets. 

Although Sailor Moon stopped airing on Cartoon Network ages ago, it still retains popularity. In 2012, Kodansha and Toei Animation revived the anime, this time sticking much more closely to the plot of the manga (read: no filler). Its continued popularity has it, and the remake, Sailor Moon Crystal, as a staple on Hulu, and there are additional plans for movies to continue where Crystal leaves off.

So, the popularity is undeniable. Sailor Moon in many ways helped to bring and popularize anime in America. It also helped define the Magical Girl genre. Now, with its resurgence, new dubs have been commissioned that stick closer to the original Japanese and include the content American broadcasters chose to leave out (i.e. Death and Lesbians). It’s become a worldwide phenomenon once again, thanks to the internet, nostalgia culture, and its 20th Anniversary back in 2012.  Just this year, Japan’s Miss Universe contestant wore a Sailor Moon costume for her country’s national attire, and most US-raised millennials have at least heard of the show. 

Recently, I finally sat down and finished watching Sailor Moon Crystal‘s season 3, which I had been meaning to do for some time. I watched it dubbed, and watched the same arc (and additional episodes) of the new dub of the original show. (Both use the same voice actors, which is the best!) They both do great things, promoting girl power, love, and friendship but which is better? Let’s look at the pros and cons.

The Original: 

+Emphasizes friendship over all: many of the battles are solved thanks to Usagi’s faith in her friends and vice versa. This promotes friendship as being a more important relationship than whether or not you have a man. There’s already so much pressure from popular culture to find a significant other, that this was rather progressive, especially in the 90s.

-Male romantic lead Mamoru Chiba is depicted as being in college, whereas in the original he was a high school student. Usagi is fourteen. Culturally, there are some aspects to relationships in Japan that are different from the US, but… ick. Also, considering how little Usagi matures during the course of the series, I’m confused about what they could have in common.

+/- Filler. Filler is the term used to describe episodes that do not serve to move the plot forward. This could be episodes that feature an adventure that has nothing to do with the current conflict (Inuyasha), drag out an action (Dragon Ball Z), or create more villains and more space between events (Sailor Moon). It’s often done so that the manga can catch up to the anime (which was the case for all three examples above).

Now, whether or not filler is a good thing is really very subjective. In Sailor Moon the filler allows us to see Usagi work independently for longer before gaining teammates and has the fun of the ‘villain of the week’. Without this filler, as is the case with Crystal, the story moves much more quickly. While this felt a little rushed to me, it is consistent with the manga and I feel like American TV is only just starting to move away from villain of the week, to something more concise and (often) of higher quality. So, that’s simply what I’m used to. There are other examples of filler where we get glimpses into the character’s life outside of the conflict, which I find fun and interesting, but there’s also filler that has you hitting your head against the wall.

Crystal:

+/- As I said above, the remake sticks much more closely to the original, with only 13 episodes per season. It moves the story much more closely and is able to go into great depth on the more significant plot lines and character relationships that might fall by the wayside when the hero continues to have incredibly repetitious battles. It also forces creators to use the time more wisely so choices are more significant. 

– Greater emphasis on romance. While love and friendship solve many of the problems in the original anime, in this adaptation it’s often the eternal love between Usagi and Mamoru that saves the day. While this is closer to the manga, I feel like it perpetuates the idea the romantic relationships are the most important thing and that you cannot be happy/complete without one. In the manga, this is counterbalanced by some Usagi’s teammates, who make it clear that a romantic relationship is not what they want or need. In Crystal, however, even her teammates experience the pain of love lost in a way that parallels some of what Usagi goes through. 

+ Mamoru Chiba begins the series in high school. Although he moves on to college eventually, it’s around the same time Usagi starts high school. Again, I know there are cultural difficulties and age of consent, but beyond the ick factor, this just seems more believable. It’s difficult to imagine a middle schooler (especially how Usagi is portrayed in the original) as having the kind of maturity that would entice a college student. Here, they relate to each other better.

+/- Usagi changes more. I called this a pro and a con because while it was nice to see her mature and witness her journey, with fewer episodes, the emotional growth of the character felt more rushed and less believable. Again, it forced creators to make other choices for both comedic and dramatic moments.

+ Better addresses queer audiences. In the original anime, the relationship between Michiru Kaioh and Haruka Tenoh is much more subtle. In the original dub, they tried to explain it as them being cousins, but now, having watched something closer to the original, I can safely say that this lesbian relationship is something they don’t talk about explicitly. In Crystal, the relationship is made clear. Now, this is 20 or so years later, so the culture has changed, but it was nice to see them not dancing around it. 

Also, in the original there is a key aspect of Haruka that is not explicitly expressed. In the manga, she is described as being trans or non-binary. This is not mentioned at all in the original anime, while in Crystal it is stated outright, explained to Usagi and co. It’s a really lovely moment that examines the duality of her nature more closely and a realization that is met with acceptance above all else.

Okay, so which is better? Am I blinded by nostalgia goggles… No. I will argue that it really depends on what you are looking to watch!

Crystal is the truest adaptation of Naoko Takeuchi’s vision. If you want to get the story quickly, you should watch Crystal. If you want something more serious with greater character growth, Crystal. If you want to see a romance that makes more sense, then Crystal is the way to go. It is important to note, however, that the current season ends on a cliffhanger to the next arc. While the next arc has been announced as movies, a release date is not available at this time. But, all three seasons are available both subbed and dubbed. 

The original Sailor Moon anime has the nostalgia factor, yes, but there’s more than that. Animators created story aspects that simply don’t exist outside the anime. It moves much more slowly than the remake, with its monster-of-the-week format, but has a lot more episodes as a result. So if you’re looking for something to last you a while and not require a lot of focus, this is the adaptation for you. If you are curious about why this show appealed to so many, then absolutely watch it, but be prepared for some repetitiveness. But you’ll also see friendships and the power of friendship at the forefront. The last arc, Stars has never been dubbed into English, and also deviates more from the manga as they were being released at the same time. All of the original Sailor Moon anime is available subbed, and seasons 1-4 are available dubbed dubbed. (If you look around, you can find the original American-ized version, too!)

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Summarizing Series 11

The holiday season is a busy one! So I’m a little late on my blog post(s). Before I do anything else I want to address something truly important…

Doctor Who.

On December 9th, we were treated to the Series 11 finale of Doctor Who, the Thirteenth Doctor’s first, but certainly not last, series in the role. This series is critical not only as the first with a female Doctor, but because it is the first with a new showrunner (and with the first new composer since the show was revived in 2015). Months ago, I reviewed the first episode and speculated on what we could see next from Chris Chibnall and crew. Today, I’m following up on that.

In my earlier review, I noted the gritty, industrial quality to the set and lighting in “The Woman Who Fell To Earth”, which is set in Sheffield and features characters native to that region. I mentioned in my earlier that this is significant for two reasons: 1. because it also reflects Chibnall’s background, 2. because it eliminated any questions about Jodie Whittaker’s natural accent, which she uses in the role. I speculated that Chibnall’s Who would reflect the episodes he wrote under Russel T. Davies and Steven Moffat, which included working class characters, often in an industrial setting, and also referenced familial ties. I also wondered if we would continue to see the kind of lighting and colors that reflected Chibnall’s experience with crime dramas. Doctor Who is a show that allows for many different genres and tones, so it would be easy for Chibnall to take the episodes in whichever direction he wanted.

However, he didn’t. While it could always be argued that Doctor Who is its own sort of crime show, I would say that this series was just as procedural (or not) as those prior. The episodes did continue focusing on the working class and familiar relationships, though:

    • In “The Ghost Monument” we open with the same gritty, industrial setting that we saw in Sheffield, but it quickly shifts into something a little more foreign. Two of the characters we meet are clearly struggling members of the working class and both make references to their families and what that means to each of them.
    • “Rosa” features working class seamstress Rosa Parks and the start of the American Civil Rights Movement. We also get scenes in Rosa Park’s home while Ryan considers what this would mean to his Nan. The Doctor also confronts this week’s villain multiple times in a very Stand By Me-esque junkyard (with a couple small shout-outs to previous series).
    • In “Arachnids in the UK”, we meet Yaz’s family, including her mother, who works at a hotel. Yaz’s mother is a member of the service industry while we are treated to Chris Noth’s (Sex & the City, Law & Order: Criminal Intent) portrayal of a Donald Trump-like figure (with a similar eye on the Presidency).
    • In “The Tsuranga Conundrum”, two key characters are essentially interstellar EMTs, another working class job. While Ryan struggles with feelings about his father, the other patients include someone pregnant, but unsure if they want to keep the child, and a brother and sister at odds. Familial relationships come into play for not only the patients, but for Ryan as well (something that happens throughout this series).
    • “Demons of the Punjab” takes place during the partition of India. One of the central characters is Yaz’s grandmother, who is about to get married. In the past we’ve had Who episodes that focus on the start of big historic events, or from the point of view of those who do the decision making. In many ways this reminded me of New Earth in “Gridlock” (series 3, episode 3). In “New Earth” (series 2, episode 1) we are taken to New Earth and interact with the upper class, while in “Gridlock” we see New Earth from a more working class perspective. Here, we see the effect of partition at the most basic level. “Demons” also features a misunderstood villain (possibly with connections to the finale– something I only realized as I was writing this) and conflict between family members throughout.
    • “Kerblam” was one of my favorites this season. In it, the Doctor and her companions investigate Kerblam, Who‘s version of Amazon. It requires them to go work in the warehouse with the rest of the working class, where we meet characters that are estranged from their families in some way. The main reason why these characters are estranged relates directly to the fact that they are working class/working at an Amazon-like warehouse.
    • “The Witchfinders” depicts a small village in 1612 that is currently experiencing a literal witch hunt. These small, not even working class, but farmers, are visited by King James I. A key component of the conflict is family members turning on each other.
    • “It Takes You Away” is an episode that focuses solely on a family. We don’t know much about their background, but the family we meet live alone in rural Norway. The aesthetics toggle between a cottage in the woods and a spooky, dark cave with lighting not unlike what we saw in the first episode. Here, Graham’s loss takes the forefront among the Doctor’s companions.
    • “The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos” brings back that industrial feel from the first episode in full force. It draws a lot on the politics and societal structure introduced in “The Ghost Monument”. One could argue that this is the only episode that does not feature family in someway, or that it’s about the family you make.

I think it’s fair to expect that future episodes will continue to examine the working class, as well as explore family ties.

 

This series was also quieter than previous ones. From the music to the marketing to the overarching plot, Chibnall’s Who is just more understated than Moffat’s, or even Davies’. Although not as subtle as ‘Bad Wolf’, little hints are dropped throughout the series, with the destruction or movement of planets and continued references to the Stenza, the race of the villain, Tzim-Sha in episode 1. But, while the Doctor faced yet another possible universe-ending catastrophe, it did not feel as grandiose as previous series finales have.

The universe has almost been destroyed in a number of episodes, beyond just series finales. Even this series features an episode where the universe will be destroyed if the Doctor doesn’t do something. “The Battle of Ranskoor” feels a lot like that. It summarizes the series, and gives us a better idea of the aftermath of “The Woman Who Fell to Earth”, but does not feature the magical deus ex machina we’ve seen so many times before. Composer Segun Akinola, who took over for Murray Gold, does not give us big violin heavy choruses, but something that matches the rest of his work for the series, which is simply a lot more subtle.

Overall, I am still incredibly torn about this new Who. I love Jodie Whittaker– for someone who never watched the show, she manages to evoke many previous Doctors in her portrayal– and feel that she was the perfect fit for our first female Doctor. Chibnall’s work as showrunner, while evocative of Torchwood, is still very much Doctor Who. The ups and downs aren’t as dramatic, but it’s still a family show featuring a character who travels semi-randomly through time and space. I really enjoyed the new composer, and while the visuals take a little getting used to, I LOVE the new opening, which draws heavily on Classic Doctor Who, but with a modern spin.

That is I think what best summarizes this series: a little bit of the old and the new. (Not unlike his predecessors, but with different priorities.) The Doctor only spent a couple episodes trying to get her companions home, then interacted with their regular lives again, before they all decided to continue traveling with her. I am very much looking forward to what happens next…

On New Years Day! This episode’s preview strongly hints at the return of the Daleks and while I loved having a break from Daleks and Cybermen, I’m really hoping we get to see how Chibnall handles them. If he doesn’t use them, I do hope he uses another Classic Who villain/race. The original ran for so long and had so many interesting characters, I’d love to see some more of that brought in.

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Happy Birthday, Parent/Guardian!

Today is my father’s 60th birthday and tonight is a BIG party to celebrate. In honor of this auspicious birthday, I’ve decided to write about birthday parties for parents/guardians.

It was a STRUGGLE! I could’ve sworn there were more than I found. Here are the shows I found with parent/guardian birthdays: Bob’s Burgers (2011-present), DuckTales (2017-present),  Hannah Montana (2006-2011), Jonas (2009-2010), Malcom in the Middle (2000-2006), Married… with Children (1987-1997), Phineas and Ferb (2007-2015), Roseanne (1988-1997, 2018), That 70s Show (1998-2006), The Simpsons (1989-present), The Worst Witch (2017-present)… I’m sure there are more that I am not aware of/couldn’t find.

[Note: I reference episodes of shows where the main characters are not solely the adults/parents.]

So, why am I talking about parent/guardian birthdays specifically? Well, because they often take time to reflect and demonstrate appreciation for what can be thankless work. As a teacher, I get paid for my work, but it often feels like both students and parents underestimate the amount of work that goes into teaching. For parents, most have to balance parenting and a paying job, and children don’t really understand what that means.

I barely understand what that means…

I am a professed fan of Children’s Television, so I’ve chosen a few great examples below. I also like these episodes because they demonstrate or teach something to viewers. It also shows characters appreciating the adults in their lives.

 

Phineas and Ferb 1×19 “Mom’s Birthday” (Aired: Feb 29, 2008)

The concept behind Phineas and Ferb is that the brothers are determined to make the most of every day of vacation. In their quest to make every day the best day and live life to the fullest, they pursue outlandish projects. Some examples include: time travel, going to Mars, being one-hit wonders, turning their backyard into a beach, and turning their backyard into a ski resort in the middle of summer.

On this glorious day of summer vacation, it’s Mom’s birthday! And big sister Candice is desperate to come up with the perfect gift, but her brothers thwart her every attempt. Shenanigans ensue and the episode ends with a lovely tribute to Mom (one I think a lot of us can relate to).

 

DuckTales 1×13 “McMystery at McDuck Manor!” (Aired: May 25, 2018)

DuckTales is a revival of the beloved cartoon which originally ran for 100 episodes from 1987-1990 and a movie. The program depicts the adventures of Scrooge McDuck and his great nephews, Huey, Dewey, and Louie. The revival both harkens back to the original comic book and provides a twenty-first century update. It features the voice talents of Danny Pudi (Community), Ben Schwartz (Parks and Recreation), Bobby Moynihan (Saturday Night Live), and Kate Micucci (Steven Universe), with Scotland-native David Tennant (Doctor Who) playing the role of Scrooge himself in what can only be described as perfect casting. Like Tennant’s Tenth Doctor, this Scrooge is quick witted and physically agile, always searching for a new adventure.

In this episode we learn that Uncle Scrooge hasn’t wanted to celebrate his birthday since the death of his beloved butler– and the best party-planner– Duckworth (a dog…). Huey (red shirt), however, takes this as a challenge and is determined to top him, against Scrooge’s wishes. The disastrous party devolves into a whodunnit, with Huey now determined to prove himself the “best party planner slash detective”. In the end, a lesson is learned about being considerate of the wants of others… And that Duckworth is literally the best butler anyone could ever have ever– including Alfred.

 

The Worst Witch 2×08 “Miss Cackle’s Birthday” (Aired: Feb. 26, 2018)

I included this episode because she is the headmaster of a boarding school, and therefore serves as a pseudo-guardian during the school year. The Worst Witch is based on a book series by the same name and has previously spawned other adaptations, including a TV movie featuring Tim Curry. In the series, Mildred Hubble attends Cackle’s Academy, a magical boarding school for girls, where she is continuously demonstrates herself to be both the worst and best witch at the academy.

In this episode, Mildred’s best friend, Maud Spellbody, is directing a talent show in honor of Miss Cackle’s birthday, but isn’t happy with how it’s going. In an effort to help Maud, Mildred’s spell once again goes awry, with the help of her other best friend, Enid Nightshade. While Mildred and Ethel try to fix things, Mildred’s nemesis, Ethel Hallow, takes over the show, trying to make it more polished and less campy. What the students don’t know, is that Miss Cackle is facing a personal/professional crisis and is looking forward to the girls’ best, most campy efforts. Miss Cackle embodies the idea that it’s the thought that counts and in the end, her spirits are lifted.

 

Obviously if I’m talking about these shows that must mean I like them, but in case that wasn’t clear, I do highly recommend them. Currently, DuckTales is currently airing on Disney Channel while The Worst Witch can be found on Netflix. Phineas and Ferb is a little harder to track down, but worth the effort I assure you. All three programs have rich characters and demonstrate creative storytelling. (And who DOESN’T want to see a Platypus secret agent??)

 

Side note: In my October 27th post, I mentioned my intention to participate in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and that I would share my final tally in today’s post… Welp, things did not go as expected. My final word count is not even close to 50k. Like, less than 20k. Yeah… I’m a little disappointed, but also remind myself of three important factors: 1. I’ve also been trying to stay on top of my blog entries. 2. This has been the busiest fall I’ve had in ages. 3. I’ve never actually written a novel before without a time limit. I’ve had something to do almost every weekend, which is incredibly rare for me. So, while I’m disappointed, I’m trying to look at this as a learning experience. Since I’ve never finished a novel before, that’s my new goal without the time pressure. And to write creatively more often.

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