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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 Jon Lovitz.) Check your Cable TV listings for dates and times of "Animals" airing...
A more popular show on Animal Planet is "The Zoo", where the animals at the Bronx Zoo (in NYC) are treated for all sorts of medical emergencies. In the Season Two premiere (Saturday at 9 PM, E.S.T.), a young kudu (who resides amongst Thompson gazelles) can hardly stand up, while an elderly kangaroo named 'Dave' gets a holistic treatment, instead of service from the usual veterinary staff. If any of you had missed Season One of "The Zoo", you can see all of the episodes on Animal Planet GO...
The Disney CGI feature film "Zootopia" will be leaving Netflix on Tuesday, March 20th, and will officially make its American Disney Channel debut on Sunday, March 25th (exactly two years and three weeks after its theatrical premiere in the USA). Consult your local Cable TV listings for the time in your area when it airs...
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...
MOVIES: Coming in November, 2018 is the sequel to "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" (Warner Bros.) - written for the screen by "Harry Potter" creator J.K. Rowling - with all-new CGI creatures, bound to captivate audiences worldwide! Returning are cast members Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, and Ezra Miller, with such newbies as Jude Law and Johnny Depp joining in. You can check out the trailer to "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwand" (Depp's character) on YouTube... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPBIr79rx4A
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 Jon Lovitz.) Check your Cable TV listings for dates and times of "Animals" airing...
A more popular show on Animal Planet is "The Zoo", where the animals at the Bronx Zoo (in NYC) are treated for all sorts of medical emergencies. In the Season Two premiere (Saturday at 9 PM, E.S.T.), a young kudu (who resides amongst Thompson gazelles) can hardly stand up, while an elderly kangaroo named 'Dave' gets a holistic treatment, instead of service from the usual veterinary staff. If any of you had missed Season One of "The Zoo", you can see all of the episodes on Animal Planet GO...
The Disney CGI feature film "Zootopia" will be leaving Netflix on Tuesday, March 20th, and will officially make its American Disney Channel debut on Sunday, March 25th (exactly two years and three weeks after its theatrical premiere in the USA). Consult your local Cable TV listings for the time in your area when it airs...
- - - - - - - - - - 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...
- - - - - - - - - - MOVIES: Coming in November, 2018 is the sequel to "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" (Warner Bros.) - written for the screen by "Harry Potter" creator J.K. Rowling - with all-new CGI creatures, bound to captivate audiences worldwide! Returning are cast members Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, and Ezra Miller, with such newbies as Jude Law and Johnny Depp joining in. You can check out the trailer to "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwand" (Depp's character) on YouTube... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPBIr79rx4A
