My Blog List

People I Know

Eclectic Folks

Media Blogs

Politics, Policy Blogs

Page Rank

Check Page Rank of your Web site pages instantly:

This page rank checking tool is powered by Page Rank Checker service

Friday, August 03, 2007

There IS Need to Fear

Underdog is here. I've seen the commercials for the movie of the live-action character, opening today, voiced by Jason Lee (Earl of My Name Is...) and it seems lame. A Chicago Tribune piece by Louis R. Carlozo seems to agree: "...redux has all the hallmarks of a film that lives up to its title, minus the 'under' part."

Fortunately, the REAL Underdog is here. The cartoon version, voiced by Wally Cox, my favorite Hollywood Square, is also coming out today: three volumes of The Ultimate Underdog, six episodes each, $12.93 each from Classic Media. The product also features shorts of Tennessee Tuxedo, voiced by, would you believe, Don Adams, plus Commander McBragg and the annoying Go Go Gophers.

I was never a big fan of live action versions of cartoon characters. The Garfield movie seems a little creepy to me. But I didn't really care that much about Garfield, anyway.

The Underdog cartoon, though, I was invested in. Beginning with its faux Superman opening - "It's a bird." "It's a plane." "It's a frog." "A FROG?" - let even this 11-year-old in on the tongue-planted-firmly-in-cheek joke. But it was clever, not condescending, or dopey. "Not bird or plane or even frog. It's just little ol' me [CRASH ] Underdog."


What does it say about me that I know the theme songs for all four of those cartoon segments?
***

More Spider Pig on 'Simpsons' DVD and other pop culture stuff.

ROG

3 comments:

GayProf said...

I remember loving Underdog as a kid, but I am not sure it really holds up when one is an adult. I am just sayin'.

zapbeepboop said...

I think the new movie is a very adorable adaption for today's kids... I don't think it is necessarily supposed to be targeted towards older fans of the past but instead is a lite family-fun-entertaining movie to take the kiddies to. I think it will succeed with that goal

Nik said...

Watching Underdog toons as a kid is one of my fondest early memories. This movie looks like the apocalypse incarnate.