Sesame Street Week - Day 4

In case you haven't noticed, Sesame Street is still making new episodes. I honestly have really lost track of the show over the past 7 years or so. In 4th grade I became a bit bitter about how they dumbed-down the show with it's format change from "magazine" format to more consisting "programming blocks" of sort format and really only turned back for the season premieres. Season 40 was one I had to see. I'm going to go through my views on each part of the show one-by-one.

Street Story: I'm going to be honest, I hate having the street story thrown into one ten-minute clump at the very beginning of the show. For a show called Sesame Street, it seems like they are trying to distance the show away from the street too much. Thankfully, the street story of Big Bird contemplating leaving Sesame Street was good. It was the closest thing we got to labeling the show as 40. The guest star (whose name escapes me at the moment) was pretty entertaining to watch and Big Bird getting his name wrong constantly was a nice homage to Mr. Hooper. I also loved that Big Bird's suitcase had Hawaii, Puerto Rico, China and Montana stickers. Plus, we got the return of Barkley.

Murray Monster as our host: I'll admit it, I love Murray. He's such a great character. Joey Mazzarino has made the character his own. Though I find it surprising that Mazzarino doesn't like putting the character on the Street (which gets me wondering, if Sesame Street ever does a third theatrical movie would Murray be in it if he doesn't really exist on the street?), he does make a nice real world host for the rest of the show.

Abby's Flying Fairy School: Abby's cute. That's all I have to say about her. This segment is long, dull and isn't all that entertaining. The CG is nice but this eats up way too much of the show.

Traction Jackson: I don't get why the guys at Sesame Workshop love this character so much. Back in my day, Tarah was Sesame Street's resident wheelchair-bound child and she was a great character for two reasons: (1) she existed on the Street and interacted regularly with most of the main characters and (2) was just Tarah Schaeffer playing herself. With a CG character, it kind of loses a bit of that positive role model factor and there is just not much to his personality. Sorry, Traction. He's just not my cup of tea.

Bert and Ernie's Great Adventures: I'm a sucker for claymation, so I thought this segment was pretty cute. I honestly don't remember too much from it but the animation is nice and Bert and Ernie translate well to the claymation look. I would prefer the puppets but with Steve and Eric off working on Classic Muppet stuff at Disney, this is a great substitute.

Michelle Obama's insert: She plants a garden with Elmo and some kids. Not too much to it.

Elmo's World: Frogs! Normally, I fast-forward through Elmo's World but this time something too nearly everybody completely by surprise. For the first time since 2001, Kermit the Frog appeared in new material on Sesame Street on a piece on where frogs live. Very exciting stuff, but beyond that... nothing new to report. Elmo is still in his world.

Sesame Street has now been a mixed bag of various shows. The spark is still there but it's not used to it's full potential. It's here in bits and pieces throughout this episode. Barkley's back, Kermit's back, Big Bird's previous trips are aknowledged. But too many main Muppets are missing (Oscar, The Count, the puppet Bert and Ernie) or downplayed to ensemble roles (Cookie Monster and Grover). I'm sure this gets better as the season goes on but the show has become pretty unbalanced between the good and the bad.

One more thing, let me just say I love the subtle homages to the show's past in the street scenes. They are all great.

Tomorrow: I end the week with my own personal opinions on Sesame Street's 40 years as a whole.

Sesame Street Week - Day 3

As shocking as it might be, one thing I really lack is a lot of DVD's of Sesame Street's classic achievements such as specials. It's not that I don't want to have these guys in my DVD collection, I have a lot of Classic Muppets and Fraggle Rock DVD's, but as Sony Wonder was releasing most of the classic Sesame Street material fans of the early era would want, my mom began to develop a huge problem with me liking Sesame Street past the age I should. She tried to prevent me from watching the show, buying any merchandise that had any connection to the show, taking Sesame Street tapes and stuffed animals out of my room, she was relentless. Thankfully, she lightened up near the end of my middle school years, just in time for Old School, Vol. 1 to come out. But on the minus side, I missed out on the 80's specials Sony released on DVD and many of the direct-to-videos I remember from my childhood. 40 Years of Sunny Days is a compilation that fills that void very well.

It's at it's simpliest form nearly four hours of clips from every season of the show. Disc 1 is 1969 to 1989, disc 2 is 1990 to 2009. Everything from inserts to songs and street scenes are all seen throughout this set. Jerry Nelson has recorded new audio as The Count, setting him up to be the host of sorts for the program, but he isn't used very much. The clips range from the expected ("Rubber Duckie," "I Love Trash," "Bein' Green," a Super Grover skit, Sesame Street News skit, etc.), the unexpected ("If I Knew You Were Coming I'd've Baked a Cake," "Mad," Telly's first appearence as the Television Monster, many other treasures) to the head-scratching (does "Can't Say the Alphabet Enough" REALLY represent the very best of Sesame Street?).

One personal pet peeve that I have with this set is that they only show specific street scenes when they have to. I would have loved to see all the street scenes from the episodes represented, but it is nice that they are here.

Also of note is the fantastic behind-the-scenes footage they show on this set. Ranging from all eras of the show, this footage will blow you away. It's always great to see these guys at work doing what they do best. And more importantly, it looks like they were having a great time doing it. It doesn't get any better then that. Interviews are also present but the candid behind-the-scenes footage takes the cake.

This is one of the very best Sesame Street DVD's as it has something that'll appeal to everyone. So I say go buy it, just like all the other 40th anniverary troves coming out.

Tomorrow: The books and DVD's may be fine and dandy, but how is the actual show holding up?

Sesame Street Week - Day 2

Wow. That's the inital feeling after skimming through just several pages of Sesame Street: A Celebration - 40 Years of Life on the Street. Around January, I would have said that Street Gang was THE book on Sesame Street. Sorry, Michael Davis, this book tops Street Gang in every possible way. More like Of Muppets and Men, this is the Sesame Street book we've been waiting for. Compared to 1998's Sesame Street Unpaved, which suffered a strong amount of factual errors and head-scratching material despite some very comprehensive reading, A Celebration - 40 Years of Life on the Street is a better book.

One thing about it this that the book is HUGE. This is more than just a coffee table book, it's the size of a textbook with elements of a coffee table book. When I bought it at Barnes & Noble, walking around with it really tires you out. OK, it's not that bad, but it's still a really big book.

Once you really get into it, a lot of the information is repeated info with occasional insight into stuff we don't really know. But the mass amount of pictures we see in the book more than makes up for it. Lots of pictures ranging from 1969 to 2009, behind-the-scenes photos, merchandise, it's all here. I'd go into details but that would deter away from the main point I'm making: buy this book! There's something in here for everybody. There's even a bonus DVD with the first episode on it. If you own Old School, Vol. 1, it's sort of pointless, but makes a nice companion piece anyway. This book may be $40, but it's worth every penny. Go check it out.

Tomorrow: We didn't get Old School, Vol. 3, but a substitute like tomorrow's item repairs the damage.

Sesame Street Week - Day 1

Note: This review covers the original December 2008 hardcover edition of Street Gang, not the 2009 paperback or audio-CD version.

Released very late last year on those merriest of days December 26, Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street was the kick-off to the 40th anniversary marketing buzz. And what a way to begin. Street Gang is one of the best books I've ever read. While a bit on the long side, it reads like a work of fiction and provides a brutally honest look at Sesame Street's history.

Initially, I was fully immersed by Street Gang. The book offers an extensive look at what it's like to work on the show and how all these people came together. A lot of information is given that has never really been repeated elsewhere. A lot of people were interviewed and it all intertwines together perfectly. Being a child of the 1990s, I was happy to see how the development of the Around the Corner era of the show (1993-1998) came about and the creation of the character of Zoe. Also interesting is the info on Northern Calloway’s extensive illness. When you watch the footage of Calloway in the 1980’s, it’s amazing that you can barely tell Calloway was so ill. It’s pure tragedy his life ended up the way it did.

On the minus side, the book is not some much The Complete History of Sesame Street but more The Complete History of Children's Television. The first near-100 pages of the book are devoted to the likes of Kukla, Fran and Ollie and Captain Kangaroo. This section tends to drag and the book only picks up steam when the pilots of Sesame Street start filming, it goes off without a hitch into the eras of the show from the beginning to the new era as the show hits 40. Stories ranging from funny to depressing (much time is spend focusing on the deaths of Jim Henson, Richard Hunt, Jon Stone, Joe Raposo and Jeff Moss).

When you get right down to it, Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street is a great text companion to Jim Henson: The Works and Of Muppets and Men. More wordy than the two coffee table books, obviously, but it is still a book just as filled with loads of information as any Henson book is. Pick it up ASAP.

Tomorrow: An even better Sesame Street book!

Long time, no post.

Are you still here?! My apologies for having not posted on here in a long time. What with college apps, Seussical [and discovering that the actress who played Mayzie in this production really doesn't like Grover] and my own laziness on the side, this blog seems to have become abandoned. Not anymore. Here's a look at what's coming up...

Sesame Street week
Yes, Sesame Street hit 40 a few weeks ago with much fanfare. Everyday this week, I'll be posting something pertaining to this big anniversary. Here's what I have planned:
Monday: Street Gang book review
Tuesday: A Celebration of 40 Years of Life on the Street book review
Wednesday: 40 Years of Sunny Days DVD review
Thursday: Episode 4187 (season 40 premiere) review
Friday: What Does Sesame Street Mean to Me?

12 Days of Christmas Specials
Christmas is almost upon us. What better way for a 90's kid to ring in the holidays then to break out some classic holiday specials from his childhood? I've selected 12 specials and ranked them. Thus, everyday leading up to December 25 I'll make a post about a new Christmas special. More about that when we get more down the road.

Catch you on the flip side tomorrow with my review of Michael Davis' Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street.

Toy Story's still great in 3D

 

If you know me in real life, you know I love Pixar movies. I've been able to keep up a 14 year streak of seeing every Pixar film in theaters (though I did miss seeing Tokyo Mater before Bolt, too bad...). That said, for some reason in recent years, I've always seemed to slight the Toy Story movies. Don't get me wrong, they are both fantastic films. But I guess Pixar has taken themselves to new heights since 1995, the more recent films have been much more satisfying.

With Toy Story 3 coming out this June, Disney has decided to re-release both films in 3D. Originally supposed to come out in October and February as two separate releases, they were more recently merged into a double feature so a re-release of Beauty and the Beast could take Toy Story 2's release slot (only to be delayed to December 2011). It ended up being a pretty exciting experience.

Seeing these movies up on the big screen was quite amazing to see again. I won't talk too much about the movies themselves because everyone has seen them and there's not too much to talk about that hasn't already been said. But those three hours went by incredibly fast. I should also note that, well actually my friend noticed it first, how the majority of the theater was not filled with parents with pre-schoolers but rather middle and high school aged kids and younger adults. That's not to say they weren't any younger kids in the audience. I was particularly moved by a girl in the theater who couldn't have been older than 6 or 7 who clearly had never seen Toy Story before that night and she responded to it so well. She didn't make it through Toy Story 2 (it was pretty late after all), but I'm sure she'll have seen it soon enough.

I highly recommend seeing this double feature on the big screen before it closes on the 15th. You won't regret it, even you're paying $15 for two movies you've seen before.

Ten years already?

October 1, 2009 is kind of a bittersweet day in my eyes. A Surprise celebration and a realization that just doesn't seem to right. It was ten years ago that Jim Henson Pictures' third and final film The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland was released in theaters across this fine country of ours. I was seven years old; way too old for Sesame Street but it was still one of the movies I had to see in theaters. The neat thing is that whereas Muppets from Space had snuck up on my when it came out the summer before, I knew about The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland well in advance. I still remember the day I saw it so vividly. It was Columbus Day 1999 if I recall correctly, my mom took me to go see the first showing in the morning. My then 10-year old cousin who was visiting for the holiday weekend graciously came along as well. We were probably the only family in the theater who didn't have a child under age five but that didn't stop me from enjoying the movie.

But the big question is does the movie hold up in 2009? Well, for me: it's not perfect but it's addicting. The visual look of the film is perfect. This is coming from the same team that did the England sets for The Muppet Christmas Carol and Muppet Treasure Island. The sets are just as comparable to the two book adaptation Muppet movies. The puppets look great. Mandy Patakin is the highlight of the movie. The music is also a lot more Henson-like than Muppets from Space was. All in all, I would say it is better than Muppets from Space. None of the Jim Henson Pictures movies were really all that fantastic but it does have a lot of good stuff that outnumbers the bad stuff.

The more negative side of this is that as of today it has been 10 years since the Jim Henson Company released a film worth the fans' time and money. Good Boy! is a disgrace to Jim Henson's good name and is pitiful to see that movie get made while the Muppets stay in despair. MirrorMask, while that film does have an audience, has even more problems. I was infuriated more by the fact that the Hensons had completely ditched the Creature Shop puppets or bad VeggieTales level computer animation. I also found the characters not very likeable and bland and the film moved at an excessively slow pace. I hope with The Cheapest Muppet Movie Ever Made, Fraggle Rock: The Movie and The Power of the Dark Crystal we can get on our way with the long-awaited group of post-Jim classics we need.