When I was a kid, I always got excited to see that the grocery store was
starting up a new series of Disney books. Usually there would be around
20 books in the series, and they would be rolled out gradually, one a
week or so, usually with some sort of special deal attached. Only once
did I manage to collect an entire set - a Winnie the Pooh series - but I
really enjoyed the ones I got. I'm not entirely sure if Disney's
Storytime Treasures Library, published in 1998, is one of those grocery
store sets or if it was a mail-order thing, but happening upon these at
the library took me back to those childhood grocery store trips.
The
neat thing about this particular set is that each of the 18 volumes
focuses on characters from a different Disney movie. Hence, there's a
lot of variety in terms of setting, and kids are almost certain to find a
book featuring characters they enjoy. One of the sweetest in the series
is number 15, A Trusty Old Pal.
In this book written by
Ronald Kidd and illustrated by Kevin Kidney and Jody Daily, Trusty, the
forgetful old hound dog who is a beloved neighbor to the cocker spaniel
at the heart of Lady and the Tramp, is a guest in the home of
Lady's owners. His best friend, a Scottish terrier named Jock, has gone
on vacation for the week, and it's up to Lady, Tramp and their four pups
to keep the good-natured bloodhound entertained.
This is a
gentle tale that focuses on the challenges of adjusting to a houseguest,
especially one who is elderly. While the pups love their "uncle," his
slow, rambly ways try their patience, and frisky young Scamp, who takes
after his father, has a particularly hard time showing tact. The story
encourages children to respect their elders and to understand that they
were young and vigorous once and probably have fascinating stories
they'd be happy to tell.
The writing is typical for books in a
series like this. It's not particularly artistic, but it gets the story
across well, and I think Kidd does an especially nice job with the
dialogue for Jock and Trusty. The print is fairly large, and most pages
only have one or two paragraphs on them, with the illustrations taking
up most of the space.
Those pictures really are a delight. Lady,
Tramp, Jock, Trusty and the pups are lovingly rendered, and there's
also a cameo by Tramp's former flame, Peg, and another by robust Italian
restauranteur Tony. I love the picture of the three ladylike puppies
sharing a big plate of spaghetti in a tip of the hat to the iconic scene
from the movie. The trek through the woods late in the book is very
visually appealing, with majestic trees, vibrant tufts of grass and
creatures peeking out at the visitors. Fans of the movie should find the
book quite satisfying.
Some of the end-of-the-book poems that
summarize the theme are better than others, and I like this one a lot,
especially the notion that "older folks have tales to tell." I'm all for
encouraging intergenerational friendship, and A Trusty Old Pal shows just how fruitful such relationships can be.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Saturday, November 12, 2011
A Mule Props Up a Foundering Football Team in Gus
I don't much like the cartoon Family Guy, which is usually far
too crude and irreverent for my tastes. But now and then I'll watch a
bit of it, and years ago, I happened to catch a random segment that has
stuck with me ever since. The television is tuned in to the news, and
after sharing the headlines, the announcers cut to a preview of the
upcoming movie, a Disney flick starring Don Knotts entitled Too Many Ostriches.
In it, he appears to be at some sort of preserve, and he stands,
abjectly traumatized, amidst dozens of placidly roaming ostriches.
"There's way too many ostriches. Why are there so many ostriches?" he moans. "The brochure said there'd only be a few ostriches! This is a terrible vacation!"
I think of this every time I see Don Knotts in a Disney movie, particularly one involving animals. Gus is about a mule, not an ostrich, but it is every bit as ridiculous as that mock movie looks. Knotts plays the coach of the California Atoms, a pathetic football team that is in the bottom of the NFL. Even their halftime entertainment isn't up to snuff, so when team owner Hank Cooper (Ed Asner) hears about Gus, a Yugoslavian mule who can kick a soccer ball a remarkable distance, he has him flown over to California, along with Andy Petrovic (Gary Grimes), the teen who discovered his talent. After Hank's financial backer Charles Gwynn (Harold Gould) coerces Cooper into wagering ownership of the team on its ability to win the Superbowl this season, he becomes desperate to up their chances. His strategy? Let the mule kick field goals.
I absolutely cannot imagine a real-life circumstance under which it would be considered acceptable for a mule to stand in for a player even once, let alone week after week. Then again, most Disney sports movies in the screwball comedy genre play very fast and loose with established rules. Before you decide to watch this movie, you need to accept that it's going to come with a hefty helping of absurdity. Given that Knotts was the one who drew me into this one, I was hoping a lot of it would come from him, but he actually has a pretty minor role that doesn't really take advantage of his comedic genius.
Yes, we get to see a couple of incredulous expressions from Knotts, but Asner is much more prominent here. I would certainly call his the most engaging performance of the movie; he's at his lovably ornery best, launching into tirades at some times, slyly plotting at others. He and Gould have a great dynamic as the two men try to undermine each other's efforts - and Charles' tactics are just as unorthodox as Hank's and considerably more unethical. That Hank would not involve the police when it's perfectly obvious that Charles is sabotaging him is a head-scratcher, though I suppose it might come down to pride. He wants to beat Charles at his own game.
Not being a football fan, I found the football scenes, of which there were many, only moderately entertaining. You can only see a mule kick a ball so many times before the novelty wears off, plus we see a fair amount of regular game play as well. The pacing of the movie seems off to me, right from the choppy beginning, which alternates between stationary credits and regular scenes, with the result that the opening feels interminable. Several of the scenes in the movie seem to go on far longer than necessary, particularly one in which Gus leads a pair of bumbling crooks played by Tim Conway and Tom Bosley on a wild mule chase through a grocery store. It's funny, but it just seems to stretch on too long.
While most of the movie is pure comedy, there's a slightly more serious storyline at play with Andy, a sweet, sheltered young man whose accomplishments have never been acknowledged by the parents who fawn over his soccer star brother. His sense of inadequacy plagues him throughout the movie, particularly after his father suggests that his job of holding the football for Gus to kick could be done by anyone. It's easy to latch onto Andy and wish him a sense of fulfillment as well as a real shot with his dream girl, who is happy to serve as his tour guide but is in a relationship with a macho member of the Atoms.
Gus has a great cast, though many of the actors seem underused. The rivalry between Hank and Charles kept me occupied, as did Andy's struggle to gain self-confidence. I mostly appreciate Gus for the subtle ways he encouraged Andy without the young man's knowledge. Still, the more over-the-top humor is more prevalent. While I found my attention wandering, several of the purely silly scenes made me giggle, so while I don't think this is the best of the zany Disney comedies by a long shot, it's certainly good for a laugh or two.
I think of this every time I see Don Knotts in a Disney movie, particularly one involving animals. Gus is about a mule, not an ostrich, but it is every bit as ridiculous as that mock movie looks. Knotts plays the coach of the California Atoms, a pathetic football team that is in the bottom of the NFL. Even their halftime entertainment isn't up to snuff, so when team owner Hank Cooper (Ed Asner) hears about Gus, a Yugoslavian mule who can kick a soccer ball a remarkable distance, he has him flown over to California, along with Andy Petrovic (Gary Grimes), the teen who discovered his talent. After Hank's financial backer Charles Gwynn (Harold Gould) coerces Cooper into wagering ownership of the team on its ability to win the Superbowl this season, he becomes desperate to up their chances. His strategy? Let the mule kick field goals.
I absolutely cannot imagine a real-life circumstance under which it would be considered acceptable for a mule to stand in for a player even once, let alone week after week. Then again, most Disney sports movies in the screwball comedy genre play very fast and loose with established rules. Before you decide to watch this movie, you need to accept that it's going to come with a hefty helping of absurdity. Given that Knotts was the one who drew me into this one, I was hoping a lot of it would come from him, but he actually has a pretty minor role that doesn't really take advantage of his comedic genius.
Yes, we get to see a couple of incredulous expressions from Knotts, but Asner is much more prominent here. I would certainly call his the most engaging performance of the movie; he's at his lovably ornery best, launching into tirades at some times, slyly plotting at others. He and Gould have a great dynamic as the two men try to undermine each other's efforts - and Charles' tactics are just as unorthodox as Hank's and considerably more unethical. That Hank would not involve the police when it's perfectly obvious that Charles is sabotaging him is a head-scratcher, though I suppose it might come down to pride. He wants to beat Charles at his own game.
Not being a football fan, I found the football scenes, of which there were many, only moderately entertaining. You can only see a mule kick a ball so many times before the novelty wears off, plus we see a fair amount of regular game play as well. The pacing of the movie seems off to me, right from the choppy beginning, which alternates between stationary credits and regular scenes, with the result that the opening feels interminable. Several of the scenes in the movie seem to go on far longer than necessary, particularly one in which Gus leads a pair of bumbling crooks played by Tim Conway and Tom Bosley on a wild mule chase through a grocery store. It's funny, but it just seems to stretch on too long.
While most of the movie is pure comedy, there's a slightly more serious storyline at play with Andy, a sweet, sheltered young man whose accomplishments have never been acknowledged by the parents who fawn over his soccer star brother. His sense of inadequacy plagues him throughout the movie, particularly after his father suggests that his job of holding the football for Gus to kick could be done by anyone. It's easy to latch onto Andy and wish him a sense of fulfillment as well as a real shot with his dream girl, who is happy to serve as his tour guide but is in a relationship with a macho member of the Atoms.
Gus has a great cast, though many of the actors seem underused. The rivalry between Hank and Charles kept me occupied, as did Andy's struggle to gain self-confidence. I mostly appreciate Gus for the subtle ways he encouraged Andy without the young man's knowledge. Still, the more over-the-top humor is more prevalent. While I found my attention wandering, several of the purely silly scenes made me giggle, so while I don't think this is the best of the zany Disney comedies by a long shot, it's certainly good for a laugh or two.
Friday, November 11, 2011
A Raging Bull Means Big Trouble for Donald Duck in The Fair Fiasco
Donald Duck certainly has a way of making a mess of things. Sometimes
it's his own fault, but sometimes, as in the 1955 Carl Barks
picture book Donald Duck: The Fair Fiasco, disaster finds him, and there's not a lot that he can do about it.
The story begins with Donald's nephews informing him that his horoscope indicates that whatever he dreamed the night before will come true. Donald can't remember his dream but hopes it was pleasant, and when he sees an ad for a county fair with an old-fashioned rig contest, he figures that fortune is on the horizon for him.
Sweet but feisty farmer Grandma Duck, a character I only recall encountering in one other Disney book many years ago, has a role to play here, as she is the one who owns the ox cart that Donald takes to the fair, as well as the bull that will pull it. Although Grandma assures Donald that he is docile and has never charged at the color red, the bull begins to display erratic behavior almost as soon as Grandma's house is out of sight. Was this a terrible mistake?
The nice thing about this book is that neither Donald nor his nephews are being obnoxious, which all four have been known to do. Donald is just a guy who'd like a lucky break, and his nephews seem to want him to have one too. Johnny, the bull, is a gentle creature - except when he isn't. Given Grandma's recommendation, Donald is not so much to blame for his wild behavior as he is for the car that he can't control in Donald Duck, TV Star! Still, there's a lesson here about properly preparing for something before diving into it. Then again, this was a last-minute decision, so further preparation would not have been possible.
The book almost has a comic book feel to it, as most pages include boxes set inside the primary pages. Barks also uses dialogue bubbles occasionally with Donald, as well as jumbo-sized onomatopoeia. The varying background colors on each page help add variety and interest in this visually appealing book. Johnny is particularly vivid, especially when he sees something that makes him angry. It becomes a race against time to discover what is triggering Johnny's rages. Can Donald or his nephews figure it out in time, or will the bull be left to cut a path of destruction across the county? The clues are evident, so kids can have fun trying to work out the solution before the characters do.
Donald Duck: The Fair Fiasco is a funny book that paints Donald in an almost entirely sympathetic light. More than half a century old, this classic story still provides laughs.
The story begins with Donald's nephews informing him that his horoscope indicates that whatever he dreamed the night before will come true. Donald can't remember his dream but hopes it was pleasant, and when he sees an ad for a county fair with an old-fashioned rig contest, he figures that fortune is on the horizon for him.
Sweet but feisty farmer Grandma Duck, a character I only recall encountering in one other Disney book many years ago, has a role to play here, as she is the one who owns the ox cart that Donald takes to the fair, as well as the bull that will pull it. Although Grandma assures Donald that he is docile and has never charged at the color red, the bull begins to display erratic behavior almost as soon as Grandma's house is out of sight. Was this a terrible mistake?
The nice thing about this book is that neither Donald nor his nephews are being obnoxious, which all four have been known to do. Donald is just a guy who'd like a lucky break, and his nephews seem to want him to have one too. Johnny, the bull, is a gentle creature - except when he isn't. Given Grandma's recommendation, Donald is not so much to blame for his wild behavior as he is for the car that he can't control in Donald Duck, TV Star! Still, there's a lesson here about properly preparing for something before diving into it. Then again, this was a last-minute decision, so further preparation would not have been possible.
The book almost has a comic book feel to it, as most pages include boxes set inside the primary pages. Barks also uses dialogue bubbles occasionally with Donald, as well as jumbo-sized onomatopoeia. The varying background colors on each page help add variety and interest in this visually appealing book. Johnny is particularly vivid, especially when he sees something that makes him angry. It becomes a race against time to discover what is triggering Johnny's rages. Can Donald or his nephews figure it out in time, or will the bull be left to cut a path of destruction across the county? The clues are evident, so kids can have fun trying to work out the solution before the characters do.
Donald Duck: The Fair Fiasco is a funny book that paints Donald in an almost entirely sympathetic light. More than half a century old, this classic story still provides laughs.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
A Christmas Band Tackles Disney in Mannheim Steamroller Meets the Mouse
When I hear the name Mannheim Steamroller, I immediately think
Christmas. After all, this is the group whose distinctive electronica
arrangements of Christmas classics are inescapable come December,
particularly at retailers. However, seasonal music is not all they do. I
was surprised to find that one of their more unusual projects is Mannheim Steamroller Meets the Mouse, a collection of Disney songs.
If I were to listen to these songs out of context, I would most likely be able to guess that they were the work of Mannheim Steamroller, since they have such a unique sound. Several of the selections, most notably the peppy Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, actually seem like they would fit well in the Main Street Electrical Parade. They're fun, funky takes on Disney classics. The drawback is that the compositions sometimes have extended openings veering so far from the original that it takes quite a while to recognize the song. I especially found that to be the case with the rather gothic opener, Chim Chim Cher-ee, and the adventurous-sounding The Ballad of Davy Crockett.
Of course, if you're going to have an album of covers like this, it's generally better to do something unique with them. It seems like the group had a lot of fun with these arrangements, particularly in terms of ambient noise. Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, for instance, has warbling birds in the background, while Heigh-Ho includes several interesting percussive instruments meant to evoke digging in a mine. I think the coolest track may be Under the Sea, which incorporates seagulls, surf and bubbling noises, to say nothing of the reggae-ish instruments that tackle the melody, though Reflection, the longest track, gives it a serious run for its money with its Asian instrumentation and gently running water.
One of the most experimental tracks is When You Wish Upon a Star, which weaves itself around the melody of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. I'd never really noticed the similarities between the tunes, but they complement each other quite well. The other is Hakuna Matata, which bears only a passing resemblance to the actual song and basically just turns the title phrase into a sort of ceremonial chant accompanied by tribal rhythms.
More straightforward are You've Got a Friend in Me, which has a rather bluesy feel to it, and Go the Distance, which feels appropriately epic without including any really unusual instruments. The saxophone surprised me a bit, but it works well for the fairly brief segment in which it appears. Mickey Mouse March, which closes the album and is only the second to include vocals, is probably my least favorite track; I like the song, but this rendition sounds so mournful that it ends the album on a bit of a sour note.
Still, the album on the whole is lots of fun. I know there are some who find the musical stylings of Mannheim Steamroller annoying; if you don't like their Christmas music, I doubt you'll like this. However, if offbeat renditions of familiar classics appeal to you, meet Mannheim Steamroller Meets the Mouse. You'll be glad you did.
If I were to listen to these songs out of context, I would most likely be able to guess that they were the work of Mannheim Steamroller, since they have such a unique sound. Several of the selections, most notably the peppy Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, actually seem like they would fit well in the Main Street Electrical Parade. They're fun, funky takes on Disney classics. The drawback is that the compositions sometimes have extended openings veering so far from the original that it takes quite a while to recognize the song. I especially found that to be the case with the rather gothic opener, Chim Chim Cher-ee, and the adventurous-sounding The Ballad of Davy Crockett.
Of course, if you're going to have an album of covers like this, it's generally better to do something unique with them. It seems like the group had a lot of fun with these arrangements, particularly in terms of ambient noise. Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, for instance, has warbling birds in the background, while Heigh-Ho includes several interesting percussive instruments meant to evoke digging in a mine. I think the coolest track may be Under the Sea, which incorporates seagulls, surf and bubbling noises, to say nothing of the reggae-ish instruments that tackle the melody, though Reflection, the longest track, gives it a serious run for its money with its Asian instrumentation and gently running water.
One of the most experimental tracks is When You Wish Upon a Star, which weaves itself around the melody of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. I'd never really noticed the similarities between the tunes, but they complement each other quite well. The other is Hakuna Matata, which bears only a passing resemblance to the actual song and basically just turns the title phrase into a sort of ceremonial chant accompanied by tribal rhythms.
More straightforward are You've Got a Friend in Me, which has a rather bluesy feel to it, and Go the Distance, which feels appropriately epic without including any really unusual instruments. The saxophone surprised me a bit, but it works well for the fairly brief segment in which it appears. Mickey Mouse March, which closes the album and is only the second to include vocals, is probably my least favorite track; I like the song, but this rendition sounds so mournful that it ends the album on a bit of a sour note.
Still, the album on the whole is lots of fun. I know there are some who find the musical stylings of Mannheim Steamroller annoying; if you don't like their Christmas music, I doubt you'll like this. However, if offbeat renditions of familiar classics appeal to you, meet Mannheim Steamroller Meets the Mouse. You'll be glad you did.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
The Poky Little Puppy's First Christmas Brings Friendship and Generosity
When I was little, one of my favorite books was the Little Golden Book The Poky Little Puppy.
As I’ve always been on the poky side myself, I related to this pup that
has such a hard time keeping up with his siblings, in part because he
takes more time to stop and notice everything around him. I’m not sure
how it took me this long to discover it, but this year I found out that
another book featuring this peripatetic pooch was published, this one
with a Christmas theme. With so much to see and do at this time of year,
it’s little wonder that the Poky Little Puppy would be distracted.
Which of the sights of the season would occupy his attention?
The Poky Little Puppy’s First Christmas has a different tone to it than the original book, which emphasizes Poky’s curiosity and unintentional disobedience. Late in the book, he’s chastised for being naughty, but ultimately the book concludes with him home safe and happy. Here, it seems that Poky’s mother is more understanding of his meandering ways, and while she implores him to be home on time, her response to his inevitable tardiness is not as harsh as in the first book. In any case, Poky’s vagabond ways merely set the stage for the most significant part of the story, which comes later.
In this book, a skunk named Herman helps Poky get out of a jam. Later, when Herman is in trouble himself, Poky finds a way to help him. The message is one of friendship and of being willing to give to others even if it’s at your own expense sometimes. Since Poky’s slow and inquisitive ways are what lead him to make the friendship and to hit upon the solution to his friend’s problem, this book celebrates Poky’s natural disposition instead of scolding it. That unquenchable curiosity about the world gets him into trouble, but it also gets him – and others – out of it.
As this was written about 50 years after the original, we don’t have the same author and illustrator on board this time around. The writer in this case is Justine Korman, while the illustrator is Jean Chandler. Looking at the book, even if I didn’t know how much later this was published, I would have guessed that the illustrator was different, but the look is similar enough that this is clearly the same character. The writing is solid, but the style is clearly not quite that of the original author. Also, the prominence of the family with whom the dogs live distinguishes it from the first book.
While The Poky Little Puppy is one of America’s most enduringly popular picture books, having sold about 15 million copies, I don’t see The Poky Little Puppy’s First Christmas becoming that iconic. It’s merely an afterthought of a sequel. Nonetheless, the poky little puppy continues to appeal to inquisitive children, and the emphasis on the joy of giving to a friend in need makes this an enjoyable Christmas tale.
The Poky Little Puppy’s First Christmas has a different tone to it than the original book, which emphasizes Poky’s curiosity and unintentional disobedience. Late in the book, he’s chastised for being naughty, but ultimately the book concludes with him home safe and happy. Here, it seems that Poky’s mother is more understanding of his meandering ways, and while she implores him to be home on time, her response to his inevitable tardiness is not as harsh as in the first book. In any case, Poky’s vagabond ways merely set the stage for the most significant part of the story, which comes later.
In this book, a skunk named Herman helps Poky get out of a jam. Later, when Herman is in trouble himself, Poky finds a way to help him. The message is one of friendship and of being willing to give to others even if it’s at your own expense sometimes. Since Poky’s slow and inquisitive ways are what lead him to make the friendship and to hit upon the solution to his friend’s problem, this book celebrates Poky’s natural disposition instead of scolding it. That unquenchable curiosity about the world gets him into trouble, but it also gets him – and others – out of it.
As this was written about 50 years after the original, we don’t have the same author and illustrator on board this time around. The writer in this case is Justine Korman, while the illustrator is Jean Chandler. Looking at the book, even if I didn’t know how much later this was published, I would have guessed that the illustrator was different, but the look is similar enough that this is clearly the same character. The writing is solid, but the style is clearly not quite that of the original author. Also, the prominence of the family with whom the dogs live distinguishes it from the first book.
While The Poky Little Puppy is one of America’s most enduringly popular picture books, having sold about 15 million copies, I don’t see The Poky Little Puppy’s First Christmas becoming that iconic. It’s merely an afterthought of a sequel. Nonetheless, the poky little puppy continues to appeal to inquisitive children, and the emphasis on the joy of giving to a friend in need makes this an enjoyable Christmas tale.
Jamie's Journal Goes Viral in Disney Channel's Read It and Weep
I have never had much luck keeping a private journal. I can’t seem to
motivate myself much when I’m writing only for myself, and it’s a little
nerve-wracking to be writing down things you specifically don’t want
anyone else to read, because what would happen if they did? In Disney
Channel original movie Read It and Weep, teen scribe Jamie Bartlett is about to find out.
Jamie (Kay Panabaker) is a quiet, geeky girl who totes her tablet computer with her everywhere and spends all her free time scribbling down her frustrations about the unfair world of high school. Except in her journal, which features fictionalized versions of everyone in the school, the geeks triumph and the jerks are humiliated. It’s a great release for her, but she is appalled when she accidentally e-mails it to her friend instead of the essay she intended to enter in the school’s contest. After it wins, she is praised as a biting satirist and given a book deal that catapults her to writing fame. But will her sudden stardom turn her into the kind of monster she derided? And how will her classmates react when they realize the characters were modeled after them?
This is pretty much your typical teen flick about an awkward kid who becomes popular, loses sight of what’s important and eventually remembers. Jamie is likable, albeit overdramatic, but then most of the characters here come across as a bit cheesy and over-the-top. Panabaker’s older sister Danielle plays Is, Jamie’s fictional alter-ego who begins to take over her life. Their confrontations are fun to watch, especially when they occur in front of other people, who, of course, can only see and hear Jamie. Is basically becomes the devil on Jamie’s shoulder, continually urging her to ignore her good impulses and stick with self-involvement and false friends like catty queen bee Sawyer (Allison Scagliotti) and guileless but lunkheaded dreamboat Marco (Chad Broskey).
Other key characters include Jamie’s best buddies, a trio of outsiders who have stuck together for years. Offbeat artist Harmony (Alexandra Krosney), animal rights activist Lindsay (Marquise Brown) and shy Connor (Jason Dolley), who is secretly in love with Jamie, eat lunch together and work at the struggling pizza parlor owned by Jamie’s parents. Both of them are kind and supportive, with her mom (Connie Young) a bundle of bubbly energy and her dad (Tom Virtue) a goofy dreamer with a bad habit of tainting his pizzas with disgusting experimental toppings like prunes and liver and onions. By contrast, Jamie’s brother Lenny (Nick Whitaker) is surly and argumentative, but that’s largely because he has a dream of his own that is not being nurtured.
I don’t know the current Disney channel line-up well enough to be familiar with the actors here, several of whom I gather are veterans of other tween Disney projects. I recognized only Krosney, and it wasn’t until I consulted with IMDb that I realized it was because she played aggressive young Other Ellie in the season five LOST episode Jughead. The acting all around is acceptable but corny, with most characters constantly displaying exaggerated expressions. The most understated performance probably comes from the instantly sympathetic Dolley.
The movie has a faux-hip vibe to it that makes it rather grating at times. Nowhere is that more apparent than in the constant shots of the journal itself, in which no two words are the same size and different colors and fonts, along with snarky doodles, scream out that this alleged work of genius is more style than substance. The speed with which it all happens is absurd, too; she seems to go from having excerpts of her journal in the school paper to full-blown published book in a matter of days. Additionally, most of the dialogue has the unmistakable whiff of writers who think they are being trendy and clever but aren’t.
Still, while the characters never felt fully real to me, the main quartet is likable enough to root for, and Jamie’s parents are quite endearing for all their quirkiness. Like most contemporary Disney channel original movies, Read It and Weep does not transcend the narrow confines of its genre, but it’s reasonably entertaining for an hour and a half.
Jamie (Kay Panabaker) is a quiet, geeky girl who totes her tablet computer with her everywhere and spends all her free time scribbling down her frustrations about the unfair world of high school. Except in her journal, which features fictionalized versions of everyone in the school, the geeks triumph and the jerks are humiliated. It’s a great release for her, but she is appalled when she accidentally e-mails it to her friend instead of the essay she intended to enter in the school’s contest. After it wins, she is praised as a biting satirist and given a book deal that catapults her to writing fame. But will her sudden stardom turn her into the kind of monster she derided? And how will her classmates react when they realize the characters were modeled after them?
This is pretty much your typical teen flick about an awkward kid who becomes popular, loses sight of what’s important and eventually remembers. Jamie is likable, albeit overdramatic, but then most of the characters here come across as a bit cheesy and over-the-top. Panabaker’s older sister Danielle plays Is, Jamie’s fictional alter-ego who begins to take over her life. Their confrontations are fun to watch, especially when they occur in front of other people, who, of course, can only see and hear Jamie. Is basically becomes the devil on Jamie’s shoulder, continually urging her to ignore her good impulses and stick with self-involvement and false friends like catty queen bee Sawyer (Allison Scagliotti) and guileless but lunkheaded dreamboat Marco (Chad Broskey).
Other key characters include Jamie’s best buddies, a trio of outsiders who have stuck together for years. Offbeat artist Harmony (Alexandra Krosney), animal rights activist Lindsay (Marquise Brown) and shy Connor (Jason Dolley), who is secretly in love with Jamie, eat lunch together and work at the struggling pizza parlor owned by Jamie’s parents. Both of them are kind and supportive, with her mom (Connie Young) a bundle of bubbly energy and her dad (Tom Virtue) a goofy dreamer with a bad habit of tainting his pizzas with disgusting experimental toppings like prunes and liver and onions. By contrast, Jamie’s brother Lenny (Nick Whitaker) is surly and argumentative, but that’s largely because he has a dream of his own that is not being nurtured.
I don’t know the current Disney channel line-up well enough to be familiar with the actors here, several of whom I gather are veterans of other tween Disney projects. I recognized only Krosney, and it wasn’t until I consulted with IMDb that I realized it was because she played aggressive young Other Ellie in the season five LOST episode Jughead. The acting all around is acceptable but corny, with most characters constantly displaying exaggerated expressions. The most understated performance probably comes from the instantly sympathetic Dolley.
The movie has a faux-hip vibe to it that makes it rather grating at times. Nowhere is that more apparent than in the constant shots of the journal itself, in which no two words are the same size and different colors and fonts, along with snarky doodles, scream out that this alleged work of genius is more style than substance. The speed with which it all happens is absurd, too; she seems to go from having excerpts of her journal in the school paper to full-blown published book in a matter of days. Additionally, most of the dialogue has the unmistakable whiff of writers who think they are being trendy and clever but aren’t.
Still, while the characters never felt fully real to me, the main quartet is likable enough to root for, and Jamie’s parents are quite endearing for all their quirkiness. Like most contemporary Disney channel original movies, Read It and Weep does not transcend the narrow confines of its genre, but it’s reasonably entertaining for an hour and a half.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Winged Children Celebrate the Season in Little Angels' Book of Christmas
Artist Joan Walsh Anglund has books dating back several decades, and
many of the illustrations in her early books feature drab color schemes
or no color at all. Little Angels’ Book of Christmas, published
in 1997, is strikingly different because the colors are so vibrant.
Every picture is in full color, and while red and green are the most
prominent colors, she uses a whole range of hues, incorporating yellow
to especially good effect.
This book is slightly taller and almost twice as wide as the typical skinny Anglund book, so it has a very different look to it. Curiously, with more room to work with, her illustrations become less detailed. They’re still lovely to look at, but the landscapes in particular feel a bit more generic than in her earlier books. I find the color technique interesting, with the children generally having very thick color around the outsides of their clothing and very little on the middle portions. It’s a type of shading that is very pronounced.
The writing style is rather curious here because she alternates between prose and rhymed verse. Because she doesn’t stick to one or the other, it creates a feeling of incongruity lasting throughout the book. That’s probably my major complaint here. The book feels unnecessarily uneven. What’s more, some of the rhythm feels a bit clunky.
I’m also not entirely sure what purpose is served by giving all the children wings. In most of the illustrations, they just look like ordinary kids who happen to be able to take to the skies at a moment’s notice. In only one picture do we see an angel interacting with a normal child, and that scarcely-clothed angel looks like Cupid, while the rest are fully dressed and, aside from the tiny angels resting inside of stockings, the size of normal children.
While this book has a specific Christian focus and is more concerned with the nativity, it mentions Santa Claus, though only in the text. As a proud Swede, I get a kick out of the Santa Lucia wreath adorning the head of one golden-haired girl, though I wish that she was dressed in white instead of pink. However, aside from the nearly naked angel, all of them wear robes of green, gold or pink. While only one angel wears a wreath with candles on it, several have garlands on their heads, and they look especially nice on the children in green.
This is one of several Little Angels books, and while it is not my favorite of her Christmas reflections, the angels do seem well suited for this occasion. For a slightly celestial take on the Christmas season, have a look at Little Angels’ Book of Christmas.
This book is slightly taller and almost twice as wide as the typical skinny Anglund book, so it has a very different look to it. Curiously, with more room to work with, her illustrations become less detailed. They’re still lovely to look at, but the landscapes in particular feel a bit more generic than in her earlier books. I find the color technique interesting, with the children generally having very thick color around the outsides of their clothing and very little on the middle portions. It’s a type of shading that is very pronounced.
The writing style is rather curious here because she alternates between prose and rhymed verse. Because she doesn’t stick to one or the other, it creates a feeling of incongruity lasting throughout the book. That’s probably my major complaint here. The book feels unnecessarily uneven. What’s more, some of the rhythm feels a bit clunky.
I’m also not entirely sure what purpose is served by giving all the children wings. In most of the illustrations, they just look like ordinary kids who happen to be able to take to the skies at a moment’s notice. In only one picture do we see an angel interacting with a normal child, and that scarcely-clothed angel looks like Cupid, while the rest are fully dressed and, aside from the tiny angels resting inside of stockings, the size of normal children.
While this book has a specific Christian focus and is more concerned with the nativity, it mentions Santa Claus, though only in the text. As a proud Swede, I get a kick out of the Santa Lucia wreath adorning the head of one golden-haired girl, though I wish that she was dressed in white instead of pink. However, aside from the nearly naked angel, all of them wear robes of green, gold or pink. While only one angel wears a wreath with candles on it, several have garlands on their heads, and they look especially nice on the children in green.
This is one of several Little Angels books, and while it is not my favorite of her Christmas reflections, the angels do seem well suited for this occasion. For a slightly celestial take on the Christmas season, have a look at Little Angels’ Book of Christmas.
The Forest Is a Perfect Place for Bambi's Hide and Seek
Hide-and-seek is a beloved childhood game that tends to lose its luster
after a while, at least if you only have a typical house and yard in
which to hide. Under those circumstances, the hiding places run out
pretty fast. But out in the forest, I would think it would be a game
that would remain fun far longer since there are so many spots where one
can crouch or sneak inside a crack or crevice. Bambi and Thumper are
certainly having a good time of it in the Step Into Reading book Bambi’s Hide and Seek.
This Super Early book is designed for children who are just taking the first steps in getting used to the written word. Illustrator Isidre Mones is responsible for the bulk of the story, while Andrea Posner-Sanchez provides the simple words to which children can respond. In some cases, it’s only one or two words per page, while some pages include up to two sentences of several words each.
Many of these are repetitive; the bulk of the story involves Bambi looking for Thumper, and each time he finds another creature instead, we see the words “That is not Thumper!” or “You are not Thumper!” There’s a definite rhythm to the story as Bambi discovers a new potential hiding spot, unearths another animal and realizes that Thumper is someplace else. The format is very similar to the Eric Hill book Where’s Spot?, but that is a lift-the-flap book and this isn’t. In fact, flaps would have been a fun way to make this book more interactive, but then it wouldn’t have fit in with the Step Into Reading Series.
I’ve never seen a Bambi book with hokey illustrations; it seems this natural setting inspires greater artistry. While Bambi, Thumper and the other forest creatures are not quite as detailed as they are in the movie or the Disney Bunnies line of books about Thumper, they are adorable, and the backgrounds are lush and quite lovely, especially the purplish sky in the two-page spread in which Bambi counts while Thumper runs off to hide. All told, the book features 14 pictures spread across two pages as well as one final illustration on a single page.
I’m not sure if this is an oddity of the copy I got or if it’s across the board, but while for the most part, the colors are very bright, the second spread is washed out, with Bambi particularly looking pale and almost ghostly compared to the robust browns on the rest of the pages. That small complaint aside, however, Bambi’s Hide and Seek is a vibrant book with a simple narrative that can draw young children in and perhaps inspire them to play a game of their own.
This Super Early book is designed for children who are just taking the first steps in getting used to the written word. Illustrator Isidre Mones is responsible for the bulk of the story, while Andrea Posner-Sanchez provides the simple words to which children can respond. In some cases, it’s only one or two words per page, while some pages include up to two sentences of several words each.
Many of these are repetitive; the bulk of the story involves Bambi looking for Thumper, and each time he finds another creature instead, we see the words “That is not Thumper!” or “You are not Thumper!” There’s a definite rhythm to the story as Bambi discovers a new potential hiding spot, unearths another animal and realizes that Thumper is someplace else. The format is very similar to the Eric Hill book Where’s Spot?, but that is a lift-the-flap book and this isn’t. In fact, flaps would have been a fun way to make this book more interactive, but then it wouldn’t have fit in with the Step Into Reading Series.
I’ve never seen a Bambi book with hokey illustrations; it seems this natural setting inspires greater artistry. While Bambi, Thumper and the other forest creatures are not quite as detailed as they are in the movie or the Disney Bunnies line of books about Thumper, they are adorable, and the backgrounds are lush and quite lovely, especially the purplish sky in the two-page spread in which Bambi counts while Thumper runs off to hide. All told, the book features 14 pictures spread across two pages as well as one final illustration on a single page.
I’m not sure if this is an oddity of the copy I got or if it’s across the board, but while for the most part, the colors are very bright, the second spread is washed out, with Bambi particularly looking pale and almost ghostly compared to the robust browns on the rest of the pages. That small complaint aside, however, Bambi’s Hide and Seek is a vibrant book with a simple narrative that can draw young children in and perhaps inspire them to play a game of their own.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Michael Buble Creates a Classic Christmas Album
I’ve been vaguely aware of Canadian crooner Michael Bublé for several years, but it wasn’t until I discovered his exuberant Haven’t Met You Yet
last year that I really became a fan. When I heard he was releasing a
solo album, I was quite excited to hear what he would come up with, and
the David Foster-produced Christmas is just as fun as I hoped it would be.
The album includes plenty of classic standards, starting off with It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas, which isn’t recognizable as such until half a minute in because of the lush instrumental introduction. From there on, it’s a smooth, straightforward rendition that sounds like it could have been recorded in the 1950s. The most interesting variation here is the slight uplift on the second syllable in “Christmas” toward the end of the song. Holly Jolly Christmas is similarly traditional and upbeat with a fun guitar solo in the middle making me feel like getting up and dancing like the kids in A Charlie Brown Christmas.
The Puppini Sisters join Michael for a rather annoying version of Jingle Bells. It’s similar to the Bing Crosby / Andrews Sisters rendition that always makes me cringe a little when it comes on the radio. I’m not sure why it bugs me so much; I just find some of the women’s harmonic contributions grating, and that’s the same here. Lots of scatting that just starts to sound cacophonous. It’s a very energetic track, and some will probably find it very entertaining, but I’m not a big fan. Michael has another guest on Mis Deseos/Feliz Navidad, with Thalía joining him for a mostly-Spanish song. This guitar-heavy track is a lot of fun, even when I have no idea what they are saying. The chorus of joyful voices that joining toward the end adds to an already harmonious merger.
Santa Claus Is Coming to Town is nice and jazzy with a brassy, big band-style instrumental break partway through. The steady percussion and bass gives the remainder of the song a lounge quality that is enjoyable and distinct. His spoken line toward the end about “the big fat man with the long white beard” is especially fun. Speaking of the big guy with the beard, he’s the addressee in Santa Baby, one of my least favorite songs this time of year because of the unbridled avarice that is Christmas materialism at its most galling. That said, Michael’s version is a lot less irritating than, say, Madonna’s, which always makes me roll my eyes. This one is so slow and quiet, with few of the obnoxious inflections typical to this song. I also like some of the lyrical changes, such as calling Santa “buddy” and “dude” and requesting Canucks tickets.
Michael’s rendition of White Christmas seems to have been modeled after the Drifters version, which was featured in Home Alone. Shania Twain joins him for this peppy, doo-woppy track. This is a song that usually comes across as sentimental and rather woebegone, but there’s none of that sense here until perhaps the very end. The brass and pounding drums make it sound like this is a parade coming through town to announce that snow is on the way just because the majority demands it. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, on the other hand, sounds just as wistful as when Judy Garland sang it. Violins are particularly prominent here, while guitar is just as effective at conveying heartache in I'll Be Home for Christmas, which starts off drenched in despairing homesickness but sounds much more optimistic on the second repetition.
It’s no surprise that Michael would tap into the subgenre of romantic Christmas songs here, and I really like his mostly low-key take on All I Want for Christmas Is You. Backed by piano, he sounds quiet and sincere, and the outburst late in the song feels genuinely emotional. In most versions of this song, I’m a bit worn out by the exuberance by this point, especially since the lyrics are so plaintive. He really does sound mildly melancholy – lonely without the one he loves but optimistic that she will appear soon. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) has the typical mix of anguish and pep. The jingle bells, electric guitar and backing vocals add to the energy of the track, which he sings the heck out of. I also find it fun that the backers echo the Beatles’ “love, love, love” chorus that Michael used in Haven’t Met You Yet. Blue Christmas sounds a bit odd with the clanging tambourine and the ostentatious brass section, and with him whooping and hollering in the background during the instrumental portions, he sure doesn’t sound blue to me. Maybe he’s trying to sound sarcastic? An interesting track, but it doesn’t quite do it for me.
My favorite Christmas albums tend to be those with a hearty mix of sacred and secular songs. This album features only two spiritual songs, and as the first one doesn’t show up until the tenth track, by the time I got to it the first time around, I figured that Michael must have decided to stick with the Santa side of Christmas, along with the cozy domestic end of it. Perhaps the album would feel a bit more balanced if Silent Night had been a few tracks earlier. It’s a lovely, reverent version, mostly because of the children’s choir, but it seems very strange to encounter it after nine tracks that don’t mention Jesus at all. The other track is Ave Maria, which is mostly about Mary and is in Latin. This song seems to be best tackled by those with operatic voices, but Michael does a nice job with it, and the austere chorus in the background is especially nice. While the fact that there are only two makes them seem a tad perfunctory, he does pull out all the stops with the production here.
Cold December Night is the only original track on the album, and it’s along the lines of All I Want for Christmas and all those other songs about romantic Yuletide proposals. It’s an upbeat song, so the implication I get is that he thinks he has a pretty decent shot of being accepted, though “fall in love with me” suggests that at this point, he is probably more invested in the possibility of romance than she is. In any case, it’s a chipper way to put his personal stamp on the album, which he also does at the very end with a five-second-long spoken “Merry Christmas” message.
While there are a couple tracks that haven’t entirely won me over yet, this is a nice album and precisely the sort of thing I would expect to hear from Michael Bublé. In the acknowledgments, he talks about how Christmas is his favorite time of year and how he wanted this album to be a throwback to the days of the crooners, particularly Bing Crosby, whose Christmas music so inspired him as a kid. Although this album includes a few fairly contemporary songs, it has a very old-school feel, so it should be warmly welcomed by those who fill their Christmas turntables with the likes of Bing, Frank Sinatra, Andy Williams and Johnny Mathis. With Michael Bublé’s Christmas, it feels like we’ve stepped back in time, and it’s a very pleasant trip.
The album includes plenty of classic standards, starting off with It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas, which isn’t recognizable as such until half a minute in because of the lush instrumental introduction. From there on, it’s a smooth, straightforward rendition that sounds like it could have been recorded in the 1950s. The most interesting variation here is the slight uplift on the second syllable in “Christmas” toward the end of the song. Holly Jolly Christmas is similarly traditional and upbeat with a fun guitar solo in the middle making me feel like getting up and dancing like the kids in A Charlie Brown Christmas.
The Puppini Sisters join Michael for a rather annoying version of Jingle Bells. It’s similar to the Bing Crosby / Andrews Sisters rendition that always makes me cringe a little when it comes on the radio. I’m not sure why it bugs me so much; I just find some of the women’s harmonic contributions grating, and that’s the same here. Lots of scatting that just starts to sound cacophonous. It’s a very energetic track, and some will probably find it very entertaining, but I’m not a big fan. Michael has another guest on Mis Deseos/Feliz Navidad, with Thalía joining him for a mostly-Spanish song. This guitar-heavy track is a lot of fun, even when I have no idea what they are saying. The chorus of joyful voices that joining toward the end adds to an already harmonious merger.
Santa Claus Is Coming to Town is nice and jazzy with a brassy, big band-style instrumental break partway through. The steady percussion and bass gives the remainder of the song a lounge quality that is enjoyable and distinct. His spoken line toward the end about “the big fat man with the long white beard” is especially fun. Speaking of the big guy with the beard, he’s the addressee in Santa Baby, one of my least favorite songs this time of year because of the unbridled avarice that is Christmas materialism at its most galling. That said, Michael’s version is a lot less irritating than, say, Madonna’s, which always makes me roll my eyes. This one is so slow and quiet, with few of the obnoxious inflections typical to this song. I also like some of the lyrical changes, such as calling Santa “buddy” and “dude” and requesting Canucks tickets.
Michael’s rendition of White Christmas seems to have been modeled after the Drifters version, which was featured in Home Alone. Shania Twain joins him for this peppy, doo-woppy track. This is a song that usually comes across as sentimental and rather woebegone, but there’s none of that sense here until perhaps the very end. The brass and pounding drums make it sound like this is a parade coming through town to announce that snow is on the way just because the majority demands it. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, on the other hand, sounds just as wistful as when Judy Garland sang it. Violins are particularly prominent here, while guitar is just as effective at conveying heartache in I'll Be Home for Christmas, which starts off drenched in despairing homesickness but sounds much more optimistic on the second repetition.
It’s no surprise that Michael would tap into the subgenre of romantic Christmas songs here, and I really like his mostly low-key take on All I Want for Christmas Is You. Backed by piano, he sounds quiet and sincere, and the outburst late in the song feels genuinely emotional. In most versions of this song, I’m a bit worn out by the exuberance by this point, especially since the lyrics are so plaintive. He really does sound mildly melancholy – lonely without the one he loves but optimistic that she will appear soon. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) has the typical mix of anguish and pep. The jingle bells, electric guitar and backing vocals add to the energy of the track, which he sings the heck out of. I also find it fun that the backers echo the Beatles’ “love, love, love” chorus that Michael used in Haven’t Met You Yet. Blue Christmas sounds a bit odd with the clanging tambourine and the ostentatious brass section, and with him whooping and hollering in the background during the instrumental portions, he sure doesn’t sound blue to me. Maybe he’s trying to sound sarcastic? An interesting track, but it doesn’t quite do it for me.
My favorite Christmas albums tend to be those with a hearty mix of sacred and secular songs. This album features only two spiritual songs, and as the first one doesn’t show up until the tenth track, by the time I got to it the first time around, I figured that Michael must have decided to stick with the Santa side of Christmas, along with the cozy domestic end of it. Perhaps the album would feel a bit more balanced if Silent Night had been a few tracks earlier. It’s a lovely, reverent version, mostly because of the children’s choir, but it seems very strange to encounter it after nine tracks that don’t mention Jesus at all. The other track is Ave Maria, which is mostly about Mary and is in Latin. This song seems to be best tackled by those with operatic voices, but Michael does a nice job with it, and the austere chorus in the background is especially nice. While the fact that there are only two makes them seem a tad perfunctory, he does pull out all the stops with the production here.
Cold December Night is the only original track on the album, and it’s along the lines of All I Want for Christmas and all those other songs about romantic Yuletide proposals. It’s an upbeat song, so the implication I get is that he thinks he has a pretty decent shot of being accepted, though “fall in love with me” suggests that at this point, he is probably more invested in the possibility of romance than she is. In any case, it’s a chipper way to put his personal stamp on the album, which he also does at the very end with a five-second-long spoken “Merry Christmas” message.
While there are a couple tracks that haven’t entirely won me over yet, this is a nice album and precisely the sort of thing I would expect to hear from Michael Bublé. In the acknowledgments, he talks about how Christmas is his favorite time of year and how he wanted this album to be a throwback to the days of the crooners, particularly Bing Crosby, whose Christmas music so inspired him as a kid. Although this album includes a few fairly contemporary songs, it has a very old-school feel, so it should be warmly welcomed by those who fill their Christmas turntables with the likes of Bing, Frank Sinatra, Andy Williams and Johnny Mathis. With Michael Bublé’s Christmas, it feels like we’ve stepped back in time, and it’s a very pleasant trip.
Contemporary Artists Take on the Muppets in The Green Album
This Thanksgiving, the Muppets will burst into theaters for the first
time in years. It’s a joyous occasion for folks like me who are so fond
of Kermit and his chums. In the past couple of years, we’ve seen
concentrated efforts to put the Muppets, now a Disney property, more
firmly back into the collective consciousness. Expertly executed viral
videos have been the primary means of restoring the Muppets to their
former glory and demonstrating that they have as much to offer adults as
they do kids.
One of the last great pre-movie efforts is The Green Album, a collection of Muppet covers by modern musicians. As I’ve never been much for contemporary music, my familiarity level is pretty low, but this album has the capacity to reach thousands of fans of each of these singers or groups, and even those who don’t know any of the specific artists involved might be curious enough to investigate. It’s a hip experiment that transcends genres, which is kinda what the Muppets themselves are, so it’s quite fitting.
Muppet Show Theme Song - This song, instantly recognizable to anyone who ever saw the Muppets’ variety show, is performed by OK GO, and it’s trippy. Starting with the series of melodious beeps that seem to be designed primarily for dogs’ ears, this band gives us a version of the song that is inventive but not particularly pleasant to listen to. Still, it’s obvious they’re having a lot of fun, and that’s doubly true when you watch the video.
Rainbow Connection - I prefer this track, which starts off with gentle harp accompaniment and birdsong as Weezer’s lead singer slowly sings Kermit’s iconic meditation. Hayley Williams takes over in the second verse, and her rendition is equally heartfelt as the banjo moves into prominence. The two harmonize on the bridge and for the rest of the song, and the result is very pleasing, though I prefer the soft accompaniment of the beginning to the electrified rock sound of the almost-end. The very end winds down with an echoey piano rendition of the chorus that hearkens back to the opening.
Mahna Mahna - This nonsensical song performed by The Fray is pure fun and silliness, as it always has been. The “doo doo doo doo doo”s sound virtually identical, as does the steady percussion. The piano and clapping add a bit of a different flavor, as does the slightly reworked scatting of the beatnik main character.
Movin’ Right Along - Alkaline Trio, a band I’d never heard of before, takes on this Muppet Movie road trip anthem. It’s very heavy on the electric guitar with a bit of piano here and there; there’s definitely a hard rock sound to it. It captures a sense of exuberance and adventure, and the banter makes it extra fun, though it’s a bit too electric for my tastes.
Our World - I’m pretty sure I never heard this song before, but I like it. With the banjo, synthesizer and lovely harmonies, My Morning Jacket presents a song of optimism, singing about all that is good in the world and expressing hope that it is changing for the better. I especially like the heartening “Some say our world is getting too small; I say, with kindness there’s room for us all.” A very nice track that exemplifies Jim Henson’s ideals.
Halfway Down the Stairs - Amy Lee, another artist unfamiliar to me, gives this simple song, performed by Robin and based on an A. A. Milne poem, a rather eerie flavor. I could do with a little less of a techno-ish sound, but her voice is quite lovely, and it still seems like a sweet assertion of finding one’s own place in the world.
Mr. Bassman - This Electric Mayhem song featuring Scooter as an eager fan gets a fun rendition here thanks to Sondre Lerche. I love the plucky bass strumming throughout, particularly at the beginning and end; I’m not wild about the electrified middle portion, but I still like the singer’s enthusiastic tone, which is well suited to Scooter’s excitement. Very peppy.
Wishing Song - In this case, I’m pretty sure I have never heard the song or the performer before. The Airborne Toxic Event sings the song with an angsty edge, and there’s so much distortion at play that it’s hard to understand what they’re singing half the time, but when the words are clear they are nice, and the song comes across as sincere, first bemoaning what is missing from the speaker’s life, then celebrating what is present.
Night Life - This Great Muppet Caper song is performed by Billy Martin and Brandon Saller of the band Atreyu; I’ve never heard of either, but if Saller is in a band named after a character in The Never-Ending Story, his presence here seems to make sense. Honestly, this is probably my least favorite track because it’s just so loud. At one point, one of the guys says, “Hey, you don’t have to play so loud,” and I was really hoping it might quiet down a bit after that, but no dice. I do, however, enjoy the extended drum solo toward the end.
Bein’ Green - Andrew Green, yet another artist unfamiliar to me, takes on Kermit’s other most iconic song, and like Rainbow Connection, it’s mellow and melodious. The mild percussion and banjo are well suited to his reflective vocals that ramble easily over the lyrics. I think my favorite part of the song is when he whistles to the accompaniment of fiddle and banjo. Tied with Rainbow Connection for my favorite track.
I Hope That Somethin’ Better Comes Along - This piano-heavy Kermit and Rowlf song about romantic aspirations gets a nice legato treatment by Matt Nathanson. I’ve never heard of him either, but I really like this rendition. His voice has a pleasant tone to It and, backed by that piano and softly ooh-ing voices, sounds very nice indeed.
I’m Going to Go Back There Someday - Rachael Yamagata get the final track on the album, which is a meditative song from Gonzo as he wonders about his origins. There’s some beautiful back-up harmony here, and the instruments have an appropriately celestial sound to them. I especially like the flute solo toward the end. Again, I’m not familiar with Yamagata, but she has a husky, haunting voice that is well suited to the soul-searching theme of this song.
In most cases, I would much prefer to just listen to the original versions of these songs, but it’s fun to see what modern musicians have chosen to do with these songs. Hopefully, those who are more inclined to enjoy contemporary music will be drawn in by the list of artists but impressed enough to check out the original versions and fall in love with the Muppets all over again – or even for the very first time.
One of the last great pre-movie efforts is The Green Album, a collection of Muppet covers by modern musicians. As I’ve never been much for contemporary music, my familiarity level is pretty low, but this album has the capacity to reach thousands of fans of each of these singers or groups, and even those who don’t know any of the specific artists involved might be curious enough to investigate. It’s a hip experiment that transcends genres, which is kinda what the Muppets themselves are, so it’s quite fitting.
Muppet Show Theme Song - This song, instantly recognizable to anyone who ever saw the Muppets’ variety show, is performed by OK GO, and it’s trippy. Starting with the series of melodious beeps that seem to be designed primarily for dogs’ ears, this band gives us a version of the song that is inventive but not particularly pleasant to listen to. Still, it’s obvious they’re having a lot of fun, and that’s doubly true when you watch the video.
Rainbow Connection - I prefer this track, which starts off with gentle harp accompaniment and birdsong as Weezer’s lead singer slowly sings Kermit’s iconic meditation. Hayley Williams takes over in the second verse, and her rendition is equally heartfelt as the banjo moves into prominence. The two harmonize on the bridge and for the rest of the song, and the result is very pleasing, though I prefer the soft accompaniment of the beginning to the electrified rock sound of the almost-end. The very end winds down with an echoey piano rendition of the chorus that hearkens back to the opening.
Mahna Mahna - This nonsensical song performed by The Fray is pure fun and silliness, as it always has been. The “doo doo doo doo doo”s sound virtually identical, as does the steady percussion. The piano and clapping add a bit of a different flavor, as does the slightly reworked scatting of the beatnik main character.
Movin’ Right Along - Alkaline Trio, a band I’d never heard of before, takes on this Muppet Movie road trip anthem. It’s very heavy on the electric guitar with a bit of piano here and there; there’s definitely a hard rock sound to it. It captures a sense of exuberance and adventure, and the banter makes it extra fun, though it’s a bit too electric for my tastes.
Our World - I’m pretty sure I never heard this song before, but I like it. With the banjo, synthesizer and lovely harmonies, My Morning Jacket presents a song of optimism, singing about all that is good in the world and expressing hope that it is changing for the better. I especially like the heartening “Some say our world is getting too small; I say, with kindness there’s room for us all.” A very nice track that exemplifies Jim Henson’s ideals.
Halfway Down the Stairs - Amy Lee, another artist unfamiliar to me, gives this simple song, performed by Robin and based on an A. A. Milne poem, a rather eerie flavor. I could do with a little less of a techno-ish sound, but her voice is quite lovely, and it still seems like a sweet assertion of finding one’s own place in the world.
Mr. Bassman - This Electric Mayhem song featuring Scooter as an eager fan gets a fun rendition here thanks to Sondre Lerche. I love the plucky bass strumming throughout, particularly at the beginning and end; I’m not wild about the electrified middle portion, but I still like the singer’s enthusiastic tone, which is well suited to Scooter’s excitement. Very peppy.
Wishing Song - In this case, I’m pretty sure I have never heard the song or the performer before. The Airborne Toxic Event sings the song with an angsty edge, and there’s so much distortion at play that it’s hard to understand what they’re singing half the time, but when the words are clear they are nice, and the song comes across as sincere, first bemoaning what is missing from the speaker’s life, then celebrating what is present.
Night Life - This Great Muppet Caper song is performed by Billy Martin and Brandon Saller of the band Atreyu; I’ve never heard of either, but if Saller is in a band named after a character in The Never-Ending Story, his presence here seems to make sense. Honestly, this is probably my least favorite track because it’s just so loud. At one point, one of the guys says, “Hey, you don’t have to play so loud,” and I was really hoping it might quiet down a bit after that, but no dice. I do, however, enjoy the extended drum solo toward the end.
Bein’ Green - Andrew Green, yet another artist unfamiliar to me, takes on Kermit’s other most iconic song, and like Rainbow Connection, it’s mellow and melodious. The mild percussion and banjo are well suited to his reflective vocals that ramble easily over the lyrics. I think my favorite part of the song is when he whistles to the accompaniment of fiddle and banjo. Tied with Rainbow Connection for my favorite track.
I Hope That Somethin’ Better Comes Along - This piano-heavy Kermit and Rowlf song about romantic aspirations gets a nice legato treatment by Matt Nathanson. I’ve never heard of him either, but I really like this rendition. His voice has a pleasant tone to It and, backed by that piano and softly ooh-ing voices, sounds very nice indeed.
I’m Going to Go Back There Someday - Rachael Yamagata get the final track on the album, which is a meditative song from Gonzo as he wonders about his origins. There’s some beautiful back-up harmony here, and the instruments have an appropriately celestial sound to them. I especially like the flute solo toward the end. Again, I’m not familiar with Yamagata, but she has a husky, haunting voice that is well suited to the soul-searching theme of this song.
In most cases, I would much prefer to just listen to the original versions of these songs, but it’s fun to see what modern musicians have chosen to do with these songs. Hopefully, those who are more inclined to enjoy contemporary music will be drawn in by the list of artists but impressed enough to check out the original versions and fall in love with the Muppets all over again – or even for the very first time.
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