02.06
Dig if you will the picture:
A small group of mythical bears, named the Gummi Bears, are the last survivors of a once-lively clan. They live together in secrecy in case they are found, as the Gummi Bears were forced out due to their technological advances. Most of their ancestors were exiled, while the few who survived live outside of the kingdom of Dunwyn, making sure they don’t become discovered.
One day Calvin, a young knight in training, discovers these mythical creatures, who in turn revel at his Gummi Medallion, an ancient artifact that means a lot to the existence of these bears. When he proves to understand the turmoil they’re going through, they allow him to keep in contact with him while he helps with the bear’s human needs.
Dunwyn isn’t necessarily going through a renaissance itself. Duke Igthorn, an official who plans to take over the throne himself, is close to maintaining his wish. When he discovers the existence of the Gummis, he doesn’t rest until he takes the kingdom for his.
This sounds rather dark for a kids show, and while Disney’s Adventures of the Gummi Bears does tread into it’s depressing moments, the fact that this series kept itself alive lightly enough for kids to keep themselves interested while also containing enough depth for older people to watch the show without feeling ashamed is a testament to Walt Disney Animation Television’s creative ability, even at it’s infant stages.
Gummi Bears was one of two projects Disney put out for television in 1985; it was planned for NBC‘s Saturday morning lineup, while their other project, The Wuzzles, a somewhat similar series that was scheduled for CBS. Why we’re talking about Gummi Bears rather than The Wuzzles is that the Gummi’s lead an incredible six season run that ignited the interest of many newcomers in the animation industry who put their hands on the show to make further series of quality, such as DuckTales, Chip N’ Dale Rescue Rangers, and Gargoyles.
Gummi Bears was also a part of the Disney Afternoon’s first lineup, airing repeats after it’s last batch of episodes aired on ABC, where the show moved for it’s last season. Despite Gummi Bears not making it to the block’s sophomore season, as it became the first example of the block’s tradition of kicking off it’s senior most show in favor of a newly developed program at the start of each season, the show was not instantly forgotten. The series remained in repeats on the Disney Channel and was also an initial stable of the Toon Disney channel, staying on for years.
What made Adventure of the Gummi Bears all the more distinctive was that in an age of cheaply animated toy commercials with poorly schemed plots and half-baked characters, the animation on Gummi was usually of higher quality than that of Transformers, fully realized plots and rich characteristics.
Most of the show’s work was sent into animation powerhouse TMS over in Japan, who understand the art of movement. Of course, detailed animation means little without a good, distinctive art style to make the series come to life, which Gummi Bears’ artists accomplished. The basic art style of the show reflects back to the Disney studio’s earlier water color days, with attention paid towards the varying colors of the Gummi Bears, while the humans in the show are given a wavy look. The medieval setting seems equally as respective, as castles, dungeons, and nature are given life in an age where ancient attempts at cars and aeroplanes are attempted.
The Gummis are typically animated with special care, so it seems like each one has their own varying, special style. For example, young Cubbi and preteen Sunni’s mannerisms are similar to that of a child‘s, lovably chubby Tummi moves his girth as if he were care free, and tough Gruffi has subtle hints of anger and fear in his motions.
The humans don’t tend to be as lucky with their animation, at least for poor Calvin’s sake, who tends to have varying off-model experiences. He suffers from this especially in close-ups, as it seems like Calvin’s expressions were determined at the last minute.
The writers took cues from Disney’s story men as much as their animators paid attention to the nine old men and their colleagues. The stories told in the show, in either two 11 minute or one full 22 minute episode, are usually jam-packed with a love of adventure, sorcery, chivalry, and, of course, mythology. The settings tend to involve locals where the Gummis have previously located or where their undiscovered relatives are located, as well as in the grand kingdom of Dunwyn, where Duke Igthorn will typically scheme to capture the Gummis or give Calvin and Princess Calla, who discovers the secrets of the bear‘s existence shortly after Calvin does.
The humor, a key point of shows like this, also tends to work well. Despite the childish atmosphere it may seem to appear in, the jokes used by the characters aren’t as corny as you’d expect. If you can still enjoy DuckTales and Darkwing Duck, Gummi Bears shouldn’t be too hard to sit through as well. It helps that most of the humor is character based, and each of the characters have a strong enough personality for these jokes to work.
But what really sells the show is the strength of the aforementioned characters. The Gummis especially make a difference on the show, as each one deal with the tragedy of endangerment separately, while each are still given their own unique interests. Gruffi is a Gummi who’s bitter about the loss of many of his people, as well as his height, but sticks his neck out for the bears without another thought. He appears to be the stereotypical jerk but has a technical know-how and leadership skills that make him a more than affective leader of the pack. Zummi is the group’s historian who keeps records of the history of the Gummis, as well as the recent experiences the Gummis go through. He also practices sorcery to make sure that the bears have some sort of defense against enemies, but he’s a bit too clumsy to maintain everything needed for his spells. He’s the group’s father figure however, so he feels the need to practice his work until he can successfully pull off the art. Then we have Grammi, the motherly figure of the group. She has the rare skills to make Gummi Berry Juice, which only a few select bears can accomplish. She tries to train Sunni, but the girl doesn’t have as much of an interest in keeping the tradition as she should, so Grammi feels like the last of a dying breed.
Then we have the younger members of the clan. Tummi tends to go for the food, but he’s more than just a fat person sterotype. He’s also the group’s hand’s on person, since he’s great with boats and craftsmanship. His uncontrollable appetite comes from his love of the world, as he’s one of the more optimistic of the clan. Sunni is between the stages of childhood and adolescence where she wants to be recognized as more than a kid, but still acts childishly. She’s rebellious but will proudly sit down to become a princess, which is her dream. She becomes good friends with Princess Calla shortly after learning about the bears. Then we have Cubbi, who is probably the most memorable character on the show. He’s the youngest of the group and still fully embraces his childhood. His goal is to become a great knight, which he practices becoming in his downtime, sometimes with Calvin, who shares his aspirations. He does this partly out of his boyhood love of adventure and romance, while partly to fulfill his requirement for the group. One day he will become a great warrior, and will be able to save the day more than he already does.
Cubbi also gets to practice this crazy notion a little later in the show’s run when he fights crime as the Crimson Avenger, not to be confused with DC’s own hero. He puts on a costumed design which conceals his identity while making him to look more frightening than the fluffy pink teddy bear he really is. The Crimson Avenger’s appearances are few, but memorable, and I’d go as far as to call the first appearance, aptly named “The Crimson Avenger”, one of the show’s best episodes.
Other Gummis prove to be alive as the show goes along, but one of them also joins the clan. In another contender for one of the series finest, “My Gummi Lies Over the Ocean”, Tummi and Gruffi pilot a ship only to land on a deserted island and discover Augustsus Gummi, otherwise known as Gusto. He’s a suffering artist, with an equal emphasis on suffering, as in his temper tends to get the best of him, and artist, as he’s gifted in making something out of emotion with his paws. While he doesn’t live with the Gummis, he becomes a solid later addition to the show, with a distinct enough personality to make stick out from the rest of the bears, yet fit in with them.
While the show doesn’t have much in the wake of villains, Duke Ightorn has a fun enough personality to make up for that. He is a bit like Captain Hook; loud, obnoxious, cocky, with an occasional bit of fright in his voice. Mostly he plots to take over the throne, but Calvin, Calla, and the Gummis thwart him before he can suceed. Although the show may have been better with more variety in villains, Ightorn is solid enough to make the lack of rogues gallery okay.
Through 65 jam-packed episodes, The Adventures of the Gummi Bears became a fan favorite for people of all ages. It treated it’s audience like more than kids, was animated nearly as well as a feature film, and had strong enough continuity to give audiences enough reason to catch up with it. While Disney would make more, higher rated, and stronger series, Gummi Bear’s impact and entertainment value is too big to ignore.
The first three seasons have been released in one volume back in 2007. While the rest of the show haven’t been released yet, perhaps if you can find an unbought copy around to pick up, Disney will get the notion to put the rest of the series out.
Here are the original Gummi’s that we’re introduced to; clockwise from top to bottom, Sunni, Grami, Tummi, Gruffi, Cubbi, Zummi
Originally posted on Sunday, May 30, 2010.