02.06
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_cMaGt52QE
Many a cartoon have had a weird premise in our time, but still became successful. Seriously, imagine some of the pitches that have occurred before.
“So imagine this. A lonely professor tries to create three girls, so he combines sugar, spice, and everything nice. Then he adds in chemical X, and he has these crazy super hero girls who kick butt! It’ll be an action-comedy, with more of an emphasis on comedy. Oh, and their rogues gallery can include an evil monkey, an effeminate devil, and a pink fuzz ball hick.”
Sounds like it will have cross appeal. Sold!
“Okay, so I read this comic. It’s about a group of mutated turtles who learned the art of ninjitsu. They were taught by a mutated rat who used to be a human, and his old rival is a Darth Vader rip-off with a shredder as his helmet. It’s really cool, but also really bloody, so let’s tone down the action and focus more on wacky alien subplots.”
Sounds so good, it could work twice. Sold!
“Okay, we all love The Jungle Book, right? So take Baloo out of the jungle and put him into the 30’s, so he can be an aeroplane pilot. We can keep Louie in as a bartender, and maybe have Shere Khan be like Hans Gruber.”
Just what we need. Sold!
Just thinking about the basic plotline for TaleSpin makes me wonder how something like it made it to the air, and proved to be so successful, at that. With TaleSpin we have the final component to the original Disney Afternoon block, and a damn worthy addition. In certain ways, TaleSpin stands out as a more unique and more adult program than the other series that have aired in the Disney Afternoon block, and stands out as it‘s own show entirely.
Despite similarities to short-lived ABC series Tales of the Gold Monkey, there wasn’t anything like TaleSpin on children’s TV before it aired, and nothing like it would be made after it’s arrival. How many other kids shows can you think of that represent a lost era of 30’s lore, lovingly crafted like a screwball comedy at air from the time frame, with enough modern sensibilities to make the show feel as fresh as anything?
TaleSpin had more going for it than just a one-of-a-kind premise. In terms of strong characteristics, Tale is hard top.
Look at Baloo. In The Jungle Book, he’s a lovable swinger, a sly daddy-o. He initially starts out as a loner, but when he finds Mowgli, his character starts to change a bit. He becomes more open as a bear, a more caring person. He still keeps his street smart mentality but uses his brains for good more than anything. Baloo in TaleSpin is mostly like this himself, as in the show’s grand pilot four-parter, “Plunder and Lightning”, Baloo starts off as a rogue pilot, but after he finds fell rogue Kit Cloudkicker and when his pilot agency gets bought out by the determined Rebecca Cunningham, Baloo begins to open up and prove to the characters that he has hopes and fears like everyone else. It’s fair to call Baloo childish when we first meet him in “Plunder and Lightning”, but later in the episodes he shows that he has feelings for Kit and tries to do the best for him that he can. He still remains the desirable badass throughout, a wise cracking goof who’s a dream in the skies, but he’s as caring as anyone.
His relationship with Kit is a key part of the show. Kit is basically the show’s Mowgli, in terms of how the two act with each other, but Kit probably is a more interesting character overall. He starts off as a runaway, escaping Don Karnage’s air pirate gang, when he finds Baloo and hides in his safety. Throughout the movie, their relationship grows through spurts, to when Baloo basically adopts Kit as one of his own. Baloo becomes a father figure to Kit while Kit attempts to make the best of his current situation. He’s still a free spirit, but he’s given more of a chance to play like the kid he is, like when he rides alongside Baloo‘s Sea Duck
Then we have Rebecca, the no-nonsense owner of Higher for Hire. She constantly tries to keep the place on top and her employees the best they can be, not to mention trying to give her daughter Molly the attention she deserves. In an age when women were still mainly second fiddle to men, Rebecca comes to work every day to prove her worth to the big boys, while still trying to be the best mother she can be. Rebecca takes a bit of guff among Baloo and her clients, but she has enough wit and compassion to let her stand up from whatever she’s given any day.
Molly also is interesting. While she acts like many other girls her age, it’s seeing how she copes with her potential growth as a character. Rebecca tends to overlook her during the show for her work, which Molly resents. She wants not just her mother’s attention, but to have the full attention of anyone who can keep up with her, and thankfully she gets enough development among the Higher for Hire staff to get the attention she needs.
The aforementioned four characters learn to become a family throughout the course of the show. Obviously this is nothing new for Rebecca and Molly, and I mentioned Baloo and Kit’s growing relationship, but it’s fun to see the others grow with each other. Kit is a good older brother for Molly; both know how to have fun, which Kit lets Molly do, but he’s had a lot of experiences in his life, so he looks out for Molly to make sure that she won’t have to go through any of that. Meanwhile, Rebecca realizes the connection Baloo and Kit has, but knows that he needs a women’s touch to him, so she keeps an extra eye on him. Baloo then tries to give Molly a male influence in her life by giving her someone else to comply to her while also making sure that he can fend for her.
Then we have Baloo and Becky, I mean Rebecca. She hates the name Becky. The series best reflects a 1930’s screwball comedy when they’re on screen together. In fact, I think comparing their own working relationship to Peter Warne and Ellie Andrews from the original screwball rom-com, It Happened One Night, isn’t too far off. At first it seems like they hate each other, Baloo because Rebecca bought his sea deck, Rebecca because Baloo’s an independent slob, but even at the beginning they have a peculiar chemistry towards each other that delves from playful ignorance to serious pondering as they go along. It seems as if they one day might finally hook up, but we’ll never know if they do, as the show tactfully ended before they could. The mystery of this decision finally come through or not makes their relationship with each other even more interesting. Personally, I prefer that they don’t necessarily hook but still remain close to each other, and work together as a pair of parental units towards Kit and Molly.
The main four get off fine, but what about the rest of the show? While Louie and Wildcat stay more concrete as characters, they’re still key components to the show. Louie isn’t necessarily as active in the show as he is The Jungle Book as “the jungle VIP”, as he’s toned down to a bartender for oncoming pilots. Despite this, he’s still an interesting, fun part of the show, as he’s pretty much Rick Blaine in orangutan form. Like Rick, Louie has a lot of good stories and dialogue to share, while Wildcat is equally as useful. Baloo hired Wildcat before Rebecca’s takeover as his mechanic. While Wildcat is a bit dull, he’s a gifted handyman who gets his job done in the lick of a second. His slow-witted charm makes him more of an endearing character that he would be.
The best character on the show, by far is the one that doesn’t necessarily match with the show; that great air pirate himself, Don Karnage. Karny has been a pain on Baloo and the gang’s side as far as “Plunder and Lightning”, and continues to bug them throughout, usually to steal whatever Higher for Hire is delivering this week. Karnage is a strange creature. He has an undetectable accent, an strange mix between Italian and Spanish, which sounds one of a kind. Karny uses this to his advantage with some of the best dialogue out there, balanced with an equally memorable walking style, given to him from the animators who tend to love Karnage more than anyone. Practically everything Don Karnage says and does is priceless, which makes him the best villain on the show without a doubt, and one of the most memorable aspects of the show period.
With each of these characters, TaleSpin has one of the strongest casts out there, and are given some great stories to indicate their richness. In one episode, “Stormy Weather”, Kit is persuaded to perform some of the daring aerobatic cloud surfing moves he has become recognized by from fans of the show, hoping to earn some pay. This hurts Baloo, since Kit’s stunts are becoming increasingly dangerous, and he knows that Kit will get ripped off by the man. He defies Baloo anyway and joins the man’s group and quits Higher for Hire. After realizing that Baloo was right on both regards, Kit returns to HFH. This episode helps to confirm some of the uncertainties that Baloo and Kit were going through in their relationship, allowing Kit to accept Baloo’s job as the “papa bear”.
Then we have an overwhelmingly popular episode of the show, “The Old Man and the Sea Duck”. Baloo and Kit fly through a dangerous route to make it home on time. While they make it when they wanted to, Baloo ends up banging himself on the head on the Sea Duck’s deck. Baloo ends up losing his memory, including how to fly, the thought of which scares him. While Kit and Wildcat try to help Baloo regain his ability to fly, Baloo is still horrified by the notion. An old man named Joe McGee understands Baloo’s plight and tries to help him. Without spoiling the episode’s gripping ending, I want to say that this is overall one of the most moving experiences I’ve seen in a Disney TV series.
There are plenty of good TaleSpin episodes to share, but these two are among the best.
Before I finish this retrospective, I should mention the differences between TaleSpin and The Jungle Book. Well, I’d be here all day if I had to, but I do want to say that I love little references to Jungle Book in the show, like when Baloo occasionally states “I’m gone, man, solid gone”, as well as call Kit “little britches”, while Kit calls Baloo his “papa bear” back.
If you’re a big fan of one, will you like the other? As much as I love Disney’s animated feature films, The Jungle Book isn’t necessarily a favorite, but it is one that I still like a bit. I think TaleSpin has entertained me more overall, and is an experience worth checking out all the same. If you were a fan of TaleSpin as a kid, I can tell you that the chances are very good that it will hold up for you There’s a lot to enjoy about it no matter what age you are.
This, however, is one of the best sequences of any Disney movie.
Disney has released two volumes of the show on DVD. While only 11 episodes have yet to be released, Disney currently hasn’t expressed an interest in releasing the rest of the series on DVD. Perhaps if you buy these two volumes if you already haven’t, Disney will get the idea that there is an interest in having all of these series on DVD.
Originally posted on Sunday, June 6, 2010.