Hey gang, Valkor here. Now I've sat through my share of weird - mostly in the Media View section. But in the AniView section? I can't say that I have… until now. When I saw the box art attached to the press release for this next piece, I thought I was getting some unknown classic cartoon show. But after sitting through Captain Cornelius's Cartoon "Cartoon Lagoon" DVD, I have a restored fondness for classic cartoons, and a renewed interest in classic hit 90's TV series.
Cartoon Lagoon centers on puppets Captain Cornelius and his shipmates Wet Willy Jones and Axel Rod McGee as they explore the depths of the ocean in their submarine the Manta-Ray to find and poke fun at lost cartoons. The actual disc breaks down into two parts (three if you include the extras) – a Captain Cornelius Cartoon's Cartoon All-Star Revue and episode one of the Cartoon Lagoon show.
All-Star Revue – a 90 minute throwback to 70's and 80's Saturday morning cartoon blocks – complete with original toy and cereal commercials, this All-Star Revue showcases a mix of classic toons such as Popeye, Woody Woodpecker, Gumby, Max Fleischer's Superman, and Little Lulu among others, along with new and original toons such as "Life in the Analog Age" and "The President of the Universe". Rounding out the Revue you'll also get a slew of corny knock-knock jokes, music videos, music appearances by The Gregory Brothers, and an "interview" with Butch Hartman - creator of the hit cartoon series the Fairly Odd Parents.
Cartoon Lagoon (episode one) – Take the premise of MST3K (Mystery Science Theater 3000) and center it on a bunch of puppets making fun of old cartoons and that's what you get when you watch Cartoon Lagoon. The first episode deals with Axel's birthday and his dealing with his own morality. The crew tries to cheer him up, but only the hilarious hijinks of one spinach eating sailor can snap him out of his funk.
This single disc set also includes extras such as trailers, blooper footage, behind the scenes, image gallery and much more. But in the end I have only question: when and what station will the show air, because I really need to see more.
The Good:
Going into Cartoon Lagoon, I seriously didn't know what to expect; I didn't exactly research the show as I wanted to go in totally fresh. And what I didn't expect was an MST3K send up, with a Saturday morning cartoon variety show. And I didn't expect to laugh as much as I did. In short, Cartoon Lagoon is a laugh riot – both the revue and the episode, but especially the episode. The mix of puppetry with animation is genius. And the jokes on top of the classic cartoons - spot on funny! There's lots of pop culture humor as well as some "naughty bits" that only adults with perverted minds such as mine will catch. The Revue is an extended "Carton Lagoon" show, minus the MST3K mockery, but it was still quite entertaining. I loved the faux commercials, and learning that Dookie-Poo is a real toy? Yea… I want one… or two or three. The music by the Gregory Brothers was unexpected (aren't they the Auto-Tune dudes?), and my favorite cartoon "Woody Woodpecker" closes the show. In the end, I really enjoyed my time with Cartoon Lagoon and I can't wait to see more!
The Bad:
There's only one episode of Cartoon Lagoon and I was really hoping for more. Oh and there's no MST3K in the Revue (sadzors).
The Ugly:
A hungry Woody Woodpecker and a starving cat polish off a Moose, with his head nailed to a tree. It's hilarious, but so unexpected!
The Naughty:
Spoken during the Captain Nemo bit: "hee, hee, hee, he touched my clam". I completely lost it!
Captain Cornelius Cartoon's Cartoon Lagoon DVD is available now. This disc is a awesome mix of old meets new that's packed full of fun that both young and old can enjoy. I highly recommend it. And out of TOV 5 stars, I give Cartoon Lagoon a 4 and it's been Valkor Viewed, TOV Approved!