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"Fur-One-One" for March, 2018
7 years ago
TELEVISION: Not all TV shows with animal characters in them are 'family entertainment'. Two such programs will be returning later this year with all new episodes...
First, there's the bizarre graphic-novel-turned-miniseries "Happy" (which ran in December, 2017 through January, 2018 on SYFY), the story of a raunchy former cop (Christopher Meloni) who suddenly ends up trying to solve the case of a missing child - who turns out to be his daughter - assisted by (of all things) her 'imaginary friend', a wacky-looking horse/unicorn hybrid named 'Happy' (voiced by Patton Oswalt). The show was rated TV-MA for foul language, extreme violence, acts of sexual perversion, lots of nudity; Like I'd said, not 'family entertainment'! And yet, there was something captivating about seeing the ex-cop and the CGI make-believe critter interacting with one another on the streets of New York - even when nobody else in town can see or hear the latter character. Well, SYFY announced that a second season of "Happy" is already in production, with the first new episode to air before the end of 2018...
Another TV-MA series with talking vermin is "Animals", the unusual hit cartoon show from Duplass Brothers Productions (Season Three of which will begin airing this Spring on HBO). Once again, various fauna from NYC (rats, cats, dogs, pigeons, horses, etc.) are the focus of this series, with humans as its secondary cast. (The original subplot involved a mysterious corporation, where some of these animals were experimented on, only to eventually escape the lab, spreading a disease that decimates the city's population.) It will be interesting to see what the new season of this limited animated show will bring, and who will be providing guest voices. (Past guests included Whoopi Goldberg, Wanda Sykes, and Bryan Cranston.) Check your Cable TV listings for dates and times of "Animals" airing...
LITERATURE: Last year, there were some incredible fictional novels with animals in them, such as Sara Pennypacker's "Pax" (the story of a boy and a rescued fox kit - told through the P.O.V. of each character - from Balzer + Bray), and the James Patterson/Chris Grabenstein collaboration "Word of Mouse (the tale of an escaped lab mouse who befriends a young girl who can understand him - from Little, Brown and Company). Well, this year one of the first literary works worth picking up is Mira Bartok's "The Wonderling" (Candlewick Press). Originating at Mrs. Carbunkle's Home for Wayward and Misbegotten Creatures, we meet a one-eared, nameless part-fox/part-human, who befriends an avian 'groundling'. Together, the duo escapes the confines of this home (and its evil owner), and go on a quest to seek out the former character's destiny. Given a subtitle "Songcatcher", I have the feeling that sequels to "The Wonderling" are in the offing. But check out the first volume. You might enjoy it enough to buy subsequent volumes...
I'll be adding more material to this specific journal, so you can keep up with the latest 'funny animal' news from various media.
First, there's the bizarre graphic-novel-turned-miniseries "Happy" (which ran in December, 2017 through January, 2018 on SYFY), the story of a raunchy former cop (Christopher Meloni) who suddenly ends up trying to solve the case of a missing child - who turns out to be his daughter - assisted by (of all things) her 'imaginary friend', a wacky-looking horse/unicorn hybrid named 'Happy' (voiced by Patton Oswalt). The show was rated TV-MA for foul language, extreme violence, acts of sexual perversion, lots of nudity; Like I'd said, not 'family entertainment'! And yet, there was something captivating about seeing the ex-cop and the CGI make-believe critter interacting with one another on the streets of New York - even when nobody else in town can see or hear the latter character. Well, SYFY announced that a second season of "Happy" is already in production, with the first new episode to air before the end of 2018...
Another TV-MA series with talking vermin is "Animals", the unusual hit cartoon show from Duplass Brothers Productions (Season Three of which will begin airing this Spring on HBO). Once again, various fauna from NYC (rats, cats, dogs, pigeons, horses, etc.) are the focus of this series, with humans as its secondary cast. (The original subplot involved a mysterious corporation, where some of these animals were experimented on, only to eventually escape the lab, spreading a disease that decimates the city's population.) It will be interesting to see what the new season of this limited animated show will bring, and who will be providing guest voices. (Past guests included Whoopi Goldberg, Wanda Sykes, and Bryan Cranston.) Check your Cable TV listings for dates and times of "Animals" airing...
- - - - - - - - - - LITERATURE: Last year, there were some incredible fictional novels with animals in them, such as Sara Pennypacker's "Pax" (the story of a boy and a rescued fox kit - told through the P.O.V. of each character - from Balzer + Bray), and the James Patterson/Chris Grabenstein collaboration "Word of Mouse (the tale of an escaped lab mouse who befriends a young girl who can understand him - from Little, Brown and Company). Well, this year one of the first literary works worth picking up is Mira Bartok's "The Wonderling" (Candlewick Press). Originating at Mrs. Carbunkle's Home for Wayward and Misbegotten Creatures, we meet a one-eared, nameless part-fox/part-human, who befriends an avian 'groundling'. Together, the duo escapes the confines of this home (and its evil owner), and go on a quest to seek out the former character's destiny. Given a subtitle "Songcatcher", I have the feeling that sequels to "The Wonderling" are in the offing. But check out the first volume. You might enjoy it enough to buy subsequent volumes...
- - - - - - - - - - I'll be adding more material to this specific journal, so you can keep up with the latest 'funny animal' news from various media.
