Sure, it's gross and idiotic, and has a rather annoying theme song, but "Fanboy and Chum Chum" has two things that sadly seem to have been abandoned in cartoons these days: a well-paced plotline, and heart. In the age when cartoon/TV series rely too much on "randomness" and memes to be humorous and entertaining, as well as making too many characters apathetic to each other (even the heroes of the story); this corny but adorable show reminds us of the good ol' days when the heroes of a kids' show could acknowlege the importance of friendship in an un-preachy way, and weren't unconcerned Karma Houdinis. And I gratefully welcome a cartoon where the events of an episode don't fly by in a frustrating blur and leave the viewer longing for the story to be smoother-paced.
What's more, the plot situation appeals to the child's fantasy world of unsupervised fun and adventure, without realistic limits and responsibilities. Adding to that, the show manages to work in nostalgic pop-culture references, from Harry Potter to The Terminator to Star Wars, and yet they don't seem out of place in this deceptively normal yet actually wacky 'verse. A good idea that may bring in an older Periphery Demographic.
Overall, "Fanboy and Chum Chum" captures the whimsical innocence of the carefree days of childhood, and then delightfully presents the world as the kid views it: First we see an average everyday reality; the titular duo just goofing off with their crazy fantasies of superheroes and enchanted adventures, but it is soon made clear that this seemingly normal world actually is every bit as magical as they believed it to be.
A Diamond in the Rough
Sure, it's gross and idiotic, and has a rather annoying theme song, but "Fanboy and Chum Chum" has two things that sadly seem to have been abandoned in cartoons these days: a well-paced plotline, and heart. In the age when cartoon/TV series rely too much on "randomness" and memes to be humorous and entertaining, as well as making too many characters apathetic to each other (even the heroes of the story); this corny but adorable show reminds us of the good ol' days when the heroes of a kids' show could acknowlege the importance of friendship in an un-preachy way, and weren't unconcerned Karma Houdinis. And I gratefully welcome a cartoon where the events of an episode don't fly by in a frustrating blur and leave the viewer longing for the story to be smoother-paced.
What's more, the plot situation appeals to the child's fantasy world of unsupervised fun and adventure, without realistic limits and responsibilities. Adding to that, the show manages to work in nostalgic pop-culture references, from Harry Potter to The Terminator to Star Wars, and yet they don't seem out of place in this deceptively normal yet actually wacky 'verse. A good idea that may bring in an older Periphery Demographic.
Overall, "Fanboy and Chum Chum" captures the whimsical innocence of the carefree days of childhood, and then delightfully presents the world as the kid views it: First we see an average everyday reality; the titular duo just goofing off with their crazy fantasies of superheroes and enchanted adventures, but it is soon made clear that this seemingly normal world actually is every bit as magical as they believed it to be.