Amphibia (Season 1): A Review

  Thanks to current streaming services, there is a never ending amount of content permeating throughout the internet.  Often, many people will use this as an opportunity to indulge in nostalgia by finding films or shows they loved when they were younger and rewatching them now.  However, these services also offer the opportunity to see recent content that is not garnering as big of a buzz.  So Disney+ has given interested viewers an opportunity to see recent content that may be coming out of the House of Mouse, such as the 2019 show Amphibia.

The show Amphibia follows the adventures of Anne, a girl who is transported to a world of anthropomorphic frogs.  During this time, she is taken in by the Plantar family, led by Hopadiah and his two grandchildren, Sprig and Polly, as she tries to get used to her new surroundings while trying to find a way home.  Season 1 mostly follows her misadventures in the town the Plantars live in, Wartwood, while they wait for a frozen mountain pass to thaw before they can traverse Amphibia to find a way to get home.

The goal of the first season is largely to set up the stakes, present the motivations of our protagonists, and introduce us to the world around it.  A lot of the first season is dedicated to living life in the town of Wartwood and the regions around it.  Season 1 effectively gives the audience a feeling of the differences of Amphibia while making us wonder what might be waiting outside of Wartwood.

Right off the bat, the show tends to feel similar to gravity falls.  A main protagonist is sent to a rural area they are not familiar with, there are boy and girl who serve as the main leads and are in the care of an older family member, the region is loaded with all sorts of rare and interesting new creatures and concepts that are foreign to both the main protagonist, and there is an undercurrent of more going on than meets the eye that will be explained later.  However, it never fully repeats the formula as the characters, setting, and goals are different from the show.  So it is clear that show creator Matt Braly did take inspiration from Gravity Falls (he did direct episodes on season 2 of that show after all and it is made by the same company), but it would be thoroughly incorrect to call it a rip-off.  It is more that if you like Gravity Falls, you will like Amphibia.

Moving on to characters, the Plantar family is thoroughly delightful.  Grandpa Hopediah "Hop Pop" Plantar is an overly traditional and conservative man who is a firm believer in the old ways, young Sprig is a boy who is dedicated to adventure and going his own way, and Polly is the young tomboy that tends to overestimate her capabilities.  Each one comes with their own strengths and weaknesses that tend to get them into trouble or the others out of trouble as they try to maintain their farm and be involved in the community.

The main protagonist, though, is Anne who brings her own flaws and strengths to the frog family as well.  After all, she is an average girl with the expected insecurities and goals of a 13 year-old who has been stranded in a world that she knows little about, but she also can be incredibly selfish.  It is often in a way though that people can relate to such as faking being sick to get out of work or demanding people follow her even when she has no idea what she is doing.  Inevitably, this is what gets her into trouble and tends to have consequences for those around her.

Unsurprisingly, this leads to her having the strongest character arc out of all the protagonists and makes her journey that more impressive.  While selfish, she is still at heart a good person and always goes above and beyond to make up for any mistake she makes.  She also has to work overtime to win the affection of the town as she is a freaky creature to the world of frogs who are naturally hesitant.  This makes her an extremely compelling character as she goes about developing until she ends in a significantly  different place than where she started.

The characters interact with each other extremely well, each having a natural chemistry that brings them together, but can also cause friction.  Anne and Sprig are the best of friends who are always ready to go out on a new adventure even if it gets them into trouble or puts them at odds with each other, Polly can be the fun younger sister though at times naive about the impact her actions will, and Hop Pop keeps them all together and out of danger as best he can even when he loses sight of what he is trying to accomplish.  Each brings out the best in the others and always manages to overcome their differences.

Some of the more interesting interactions are often between Hop Pop and Anne as the two come with very different philosophies.  Hop Pop is always a believer in the old ways and Anne always has new from her world that she is always trying to introduce.  In a way, this is similar to the battle of conservatives and liberals as the former tries to maintain their livelihoods and the joys they know while the latter tries to implement different approaches to improve the world around them.  What is great about the show then is that though there is a lean towards the new ideas, often the two benefit from each other as Hop Pop’s wisdom and commitment keeps the family from terrible decisions while Anne’s newer ideas offer a glimpse of ways to life they would not have experienced otherwise.  In a way, the two represent the best of different philosophies and bring those ideas together.

In addition, the voice acting in this show is quite enjoyable.  Anne is voiced by Brenda Song, returning from Suite Life of Zack and Cody so it is nice to hear her again.  In addition, Hop Pop is voiced by Bill Farmer, the voice of Goofy, and he turns in a great performance as a somewhat insane old guy.  Though not as well known, the voices of Sprig and Polly are also pretty enjoyable as well and bring a lot out of the characters.  Everyone turns in a good performance here.

Beyond that, there are a number of side characters that are likable, fun, and interesting to watch during the show.  The world itself meanwhile is always fun to explore as the audience sees the differences and similarities between amphibia and our own world which creates great opportunities for conflict.  The show is quite creative in its approach and animation use which makes every episode a good time.

One more wonderful thing though is the constant progression of the show’s arcs and its use of continuity.  From long term arcs like Anne emotionally maturing to constant use of Chekhov’s Gun (if it was mentioned early on, it will be important later), the show thoroughly uses what it sets up and always makes the audience feel like it is going places.  This is an excellent method of storytelling that is always good to see in children’s animation.

So in conclusion, the show is a lot of fun and gets a definite recommendation.  If you have Disney+, give it a watch, especially since quarantine guarantees you have that time on your hands.  After all, there is so much more to see that was not included here so you could find even more to like.

Profiles in Heroism: St. Kateri Tekakwitha

  The United States has produced a number of prominent saints that went on to do the will of God.  However, there was one that was born on American soil before the concept of becoming an independent nation was even a possibility.  That would be Catholicism’s first native American saint from the US region, St. Kateri Tekakwitha, Lily of the Mohawks, patron saint of environment and ecology.

At a young age, Tekakwitha’s village was ravaged with smallpox which took her parents and her brother.  She was also afflicted with it and though she survived, she was given terrible facial scars that left her partially blind which resulted in her having to touch around to understand surroundings.  That is why she was given a name which means “She Moves Things.”

After losing everything, she was raised by her uncle who was a chief in the tribe.  She was horribly embarrassed by her facial scar and took to covering her face with a blanket.  In spite of that though, she still stayed involved in her village, diligently working where she “helped with the meals, collected berries from the woods, made baskets, did beadwork and strung the wampums.”

Since her uncle was a chief, this put her in contact with three Jesuit missionaries who stayed with him when she was 11.  Listening to them, she found comfort in the words of Christ and became interested in Christianity.  It was not until she was around twenty though that she was baptized and then at 21 she took her first communion.  She then took on the name Kateri, which was the Mohawk version of the name Catherine as she took inspiration from St. Catherine of Siena.

From a young age, she had taken a disinterest in marriage and at the age of 19 had pledged herself to Christ and taken a vow of chastity.  This put her at odds with her family which put her decision at odds with her community.  As a result, she traveled to a different village with a larger Christian population.

Kateri was known for being particularly pious, dedicating herself to penance, fasting, and prayer.  As her life continued though, she became particularly ill and eventually died at the age of 24.  However, upon her death, witnesses say her scars disappeared and her face showed radiant beauty.

After her death, various visions of her appeared to different people.  Often these included healing after prayers dedicated to her.  As a result, she was eventually declared a saint by the Catholic church.

Kateri is a hero because she persevered despite the massive pain she faced.  Despite losing her family, she remained dedicated to doing good for those around her and helping those in need.  Her conversion is a reminder that in great pain, we often find comfort in the love of Christ.  So it is important that we remember her as a role model for overcoming our own pain and what truly doing good looks like.

Profiles in Heroism: St. Damien of Molokai

In the US Capitol Building, every state is allowed to send two statues to depict people of significant relevance to the state.  One of Hawaii’s statues is King Kamehameha, who united the Hawaiian Islands and became the first King of Hawaii.  The other is St. Damien, patron saint of people with leprosy.

St. Damien, born Jozef De Veuster, was born in rural Belgium to a farmer.  He had been sent to college, but during his time there believed God was calling him to be a priest.  So entered the priesthood, taking on the name Damien after a martyr, despite fear that he lacked the education for it.

During Damien’s time in the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, his brother had been selected to go to Hawaii, but was unable to make the journey.  As a result, Damien went instead and arrived there where he was ordained as a priest in 1864.  This would set him on a course that would change his life forever.

In 1873, he was chosen to serve as priest to the leper colony of Molokai by the Bishop of Honolulu.  The bishop had approved four priests to do missionary work there and three returned.  However, St. Damien volunteered to stay behind and provide services to those on the island.

Upon arrival, he started providing religious services toward the island.  As time progressed though, the services he offered increased to include direct acts of charity as he began treating the works of the ulcers of the afflicted, building homes for those living on the island, and providing education that would greatly improve the livelihood of those living there.  He became greatly respected by the people of Molokai as conditions and morale improved, resulting in him becoming greatly received by the people of the colony.

For his work, Fr. Damien received recognition from the Kingdom of Hawaii.  King Kalākaua presented him with the “Knight Commander of the Royal Order of Kalākaua,” which was given to him by Princess Liliʻuokalani.  He also received international support from supporters around the world which spread the importance of the work he was doing to non-Hawaiians.

Unfortunately, this could not last.  Despite care to avoid contracting the disease, Fr. Damien eventually caught leprosy after almost 12 years of service on the island.  He did not allow this to stop him though as he continued working on other projects.  He would eventually pass from the disease, but died happy that he did so with the people whom he was serving.  In a letter to his brother, he said “I am gently going to my grave. It is the will of God, and I thank Him very much for letting me die of the same disease and in the same way as my lepers. I am very satisfied and very happy."

St. Damien is a hero because of not only the work he was willing to do, but for what he gave up doing that.  In the process of providing well being to the people of Hawaii, he gave his life and brought greater attention to lepers and the needs of the region.  So to this day, he deserves to be honored and remembered for the work he has done and the importance one person can have on the lives of others.  So when one walks by the awesome statue of his in the capital building, let us never forget his work.

Profiles in Heroism: An Introduction

Recently there has been a rather strong negative push towards destroying figures whose values are at odds with the alleged values of modern society.  From historical figures that can no longer defend themselves to trying to ruin the lives of people based on lackluster evidence or mistakes that they have not done in years, there is a complete desire to bury anything that fails to appeal to modern sensibilities in a manner comparable to the Salem Witch trials.  Though there are MANY problems with this approach and mindset, one problem is that this mindset leaves behind a massive amount of destruction in its wake and creates nothing to replace it.

As is important to remember, evil is the absence of good while good itself is something to be actively pursued.  In order to do good, the focus must be on creating and doing things that are good, not merely destroying things that are bad.  The mindset of cancel culture is designed merely to destroy and not be something it hates, but it never actually creates anything.

For an example of this, look no further than the removal of Native American iconography from sports teams, marketing, etc.  Regardless of the appropriateness of these images and symbols, there have been no major plans to replace them with better representations of Native Americans.  As a result, there is even less presentation of Natives American in the public sphere than before people complained about the Washington Redskins or Leinenkugel's.  It has ironically whitewashed our culture more than that iconography ever did.

So in this case, I am going to try to remedy that.  I’m starting a new, irregular series on my blog where I will be discussing people I consider to be of prominence that our society should look up to and respect.  This will include historical figures, saints, and at times fictional characters that contain positive traits worth emulating.

It is my hope that by doing so, I can remind people the importance of history and what came before.  There are many great things in the past that deserve to be remembered and it can light the way towards how we should continue tomorrow.  In addition, this will actually create heroes as opposed to destroying them.  After all, what we create and leave behind can be enjoyed, but what we destroy merely ceases to exist.

Stranded in an Illinois Cornfield

Yesterday I was going to visit my girlfriend in Illinois.  On the way back, I took some wrong turns and ended up in Charleston where my tread blew off my tire.  So I had to spend about 3 hours in a cornfield next to a church with only one lamppost providing light.

In short, it was a thoroughly unpleasant experience that kept getting worse.  I have never had to change a tire so I had no idea what to do and I was far from civilization so I was rather terrified of what else could be out there.  My insurance was able to set up roadside assistance, only for the assistance to cancel and my insurance to fail to find a replacement.  I called a tow company that ended up unable to send someone out to pick me up so that was another dead end.

I really was not taking it well last night all things considered.  I have been through a lot in the last couple years with bad relationships, struggling to find a decent job that fit my interests, and all of the unpleasantness with quarantine so all of the weight of that was bearing down on me hard with my already present sense of panic since I was out in the middle of nowhere.  It didn’t help that three of my four closest friends were asleep by now which made me feel even more alone.  It made me feel like everything just kept going wrong and everything that did go right, like a good day with my girlfriend, got taken away.

Fortunately, my dad helped me get in touch with the police who came out to help, and, when there was worry that there was more wrong with the car, they sent out a tow truck to address the issue.  The tow man was able to help deal with the problem so I was able to drive home that night on the spare.  It was 100 miles home at 45 mph, but it was worth it to finally get out of all that.

After getting some sleep and finally calming down the following day, I finally got a chance to think about the positives that came out of that.  One important thing was my parents who were able to talk me through everything and get me home.  My dad was able to get me in contact with the local police, without whom I would not have gotten out of that situation.  My mom also stayed up all night to help me make sure I was awake and safe during the long drive home as we talked on the phone.  That would not have been a possibility 20 years ago so I consider myself lucky in that regard.

Even though my insurance and two tow companies blew it last night, the people who did show up were extremely helpful.  The officer came out to check to make sure I was alright and he was very respectful while helping me get set up with the tow company.  The tow truck driver was also very nice and was able to convince me my wheel would be fine to drive back to Bloomington.  There was also a couple who had stopped by to see if I was okay and needed assistance (before I knew what was something wrong with the tire) so I appreciated their kindness.  There were still very good people involved in dealing with my problem and I appreciated their effort.

Beyond that, I got to enjoy the earlier parts of the day.  My girlfriend took me to see Allerton Park which was beautiful with both the flowers and the statues (especially the Sun Singer).  In addition, I got to have dinner with her parents and we got along pretty well.  I also got to talk to my sister on the way home which I really enjoyed.  So there was still a lot of good that day, even if I wish my tire had not gotten busted.

As I thought about that, I realized there is still a lot going well and that my problems will pass.  I had one friend who was able to stay in contact with me that night since he worked the late shift and my other friends checked in on me once they were up.  I have started a new job so that provides new opportunity and optimism for where my career is going.  Also, I know COVID will pass and things will go back to normal eventually.  So I know things are better than I felt at the time and it is important not to lose hope.

Life is a constant and unending series of tests that throw us off our game regularly.  How we react to it and the ability to get through it is important to maintain getting through it.  Eventually, the rain stops and the sun will come out.  It is important though to never lose faith and deal with problems as they come.

Shrek Revisited

*Spoilers*

Last night, I went to see Shrek at the Starlite Drive-In.  It had been a while since I had last seen the film and I wanted to see if it held up.  Surprisingly, there were parts I quite appreciated, but it was not as enjoyable for me as it was when I was younger.

Back when it was first coming out, the film was advertised as though it was going to be the next big fairytale.  There was this feeling that the film was going to be the next major animation staple, especially since past fairytale characters were included in commercials, which made me feel like I needed to see it.  Unsurprisingly, I thought it was great when I first saw it and continued to watch it for years afterwards.

This was the first time seeing it again and I did not maintain the same level of enjoyment.  A huge part of that was probably the comedy as it was not as funny as I remembered.  Part of that is because I remembered the jokes extremely well, but they still did not feel like they would have worked if I did not remember them.  However, comedy is subjective so part of that may be that my tastes may have evolved so it could still work for others.

Also, the last third part was rather dull.  It follows a lot of tropes including the third act misunderstanding, the slow build up of their relationship right before that, and the last moment attempt to stop the wedding and get the girl.  The message of “things are not always what they appear” has been done a lot as well so it can feel heavy handed.  As a result, it does not stick the landing.

However, there were still elements of the film that worked quite well.  Shrek was quite enjoyable as the main character.  He has defined and respectable goals, a sympathetic backstory, and a grumpy personality that can be relatable if you want people to leave you alone.  In a way, he was strangely endearing and I did still find myself rooting for him to win.

Donkey was an extremely good counterbalance as well.  The comedy may not have worked, but Eddie Murphy still gave him an optimistic personality that could keep Shrek moving forward even when they were at odds and bring him back to see the light when he wandered off trail.  As a result, he was still extremely likable.

The animation also held up extremely well.  The characters were constantly moving around, the visuals were inspiring, and the designs of the characters were pretty good.  Despite being almost 20 years old, the film still looks impressive.

There is a lot of Disney satire as well that was quite enjoyable for interested audiences.  Lord Farquaad looks like then Disney CEO Michael Eisner, his kingdom looks like Disney World, there are obvious shots at it like it being empty, he is constantly abusing fairytale creatures which is a metaphor for Disney using its brands to exhaustion, the list goes on and on there.  For those aware of the legendary Eisner v. Katzenberg feud, this was a nice touch.

Finally, the story for at least the first hour is pretty interesting.  This is less Shrek’s story and more he is interrupting someone else’s fairytale.  Basically, Lord Farquaad wants to get a princess, and then Shrek enters with his own problems which he can only accomplish through a deal with Farquaad.  From that perspective, it is quite interesting to see Shrek handle the events thrown at him, especially since he knows how it goes due to his own knowledge of fairytales, which lead to a lot of meta references.  For that reason, the perspective makes it much more interesting

Despite my misgivings, it is hard to understate the impact Shrek has had on animation.  It was the first animated film to win the Best Animated Feature Oscar, it made Dreamworks a household name, it convinced companies that 3-D animation was popular for non-Pixar films, and it inspired a variety of ripoffs like Hoodwinked and Happily N’ever After.  So it is hard to say Shrek does not have a place of prominence in animated history, even despite not aging as well.

Nevertheless, parts of the story are weak, the comedy does not age with the viewer, and its place in viewer hearts is largely overshadowed by its sequel.  The basic story, characters, and satire are still pretty strong, but it is far from perfect.  Inevitably, the film could be better, but is probably still worth a watch for the young or nostalgic viewer.

My First Time at the Drive-In

A friend of mine at work told me about the Starlite Drive-In south of Bloomington so I thought I would go there.  I like to have things to look forward to to keep me focused and optimistic and, before quarantine, going to movies was always something to do.  Finding that there was any theater still open where I could social distance was an excellent opportunity.

I learned that they usually do a double feature on Friday and the Weekend and show one of the two films on the weekdays.  On Monday, they did Shrek, which I had not seen in a while and thought I would give a watch.  So I drove down, gave it a watch, and thought I would share my experiences here.

Right off the bat, the location was a bit disappointing.  It was kind of hidden away on the side of the road behind trees and further south of Bloomington than I expected.  Also, it was very dark since the clouds blocked out the moon and stars so navigating was rather unpleasant.

However, when I got there, I had a good time.  I drove up into my spot, turned my car off, and watched the film.  If I wanted to, I could also turn on my radio to listen to the film, but the speakers were loud enough where I was that I just listened to those.  The concession stand was particularly nice as it had a variety of options and the prices were low as well.

Overall, I had a good time.  It was nice to be out and about again and it was fun seeing a film at a theater again, especially since I could social distance.  So if you’re looking for something to do, I recommend Starlite Drive-In.  It is an experience I am glad I had.