What I’m watching: funny new specials for two animated TV series

Date: 8/21/2019

What I’m watching: two fun animation specials on Netflix.

On Netflix: Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus, Rocko’s Modern Life: Static Cling

Back in the 1990s, I was the editor and co-owner of a magazine about animation called “Animato!” It was a great time to cover animation, as there was a cycle of outstanding animated shows on thanks to, largely, The Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon and MTV.

During the decade, there was “Bevis and Butthead,” “Doug,” “Ren & Stimpy,” “Rugrats,” “Aaahh!!! Real Monsters,” “Kablam!” and “The Angry Beavers,” among others. Of course, the influence and popularity of “The Simpsons” cannot be over-estimated.

What Nickelodeon did was to actually allow cartoonists to come up with show concepts and run those shows themselves. The result was a series of productions that were as personal as network TV would allow. The effort produced some great animation.

Now, two of these shows have a second life with specials released on Netflix.

“Rocko’s Modern Life,” was also one of these shows and it was a favorite of mine. Creator Joe Murray combined a cute cartoony-style of character design – our hero was a wallaby who wore a Hawaiian shirt – with a subversive look at every day life.

This was a classic approach to animation: appealing to kids with silliness and sliding in some adult humor for the parents. This is exactly the same way the great theatrical cartoons from the 1930 and ‘40s operated.

The show was cancelled after four season in 1996 and the new special, released this past week on Netflix, takes up with our hero Rocko and his friends Heffer and Filbert circling the solar system for more than 20 years, thanks to a rocket that is stuck in the middle of Rocko’s house.

These things happen pretty naturally in Rocko’s universe.

When the control box is discovered, the button is pressed to return to Earth, much to everyone’s relief.  While Rocko is elated to be back home in O-Town, he quickly discovers that 2019 is far different than he expected.

Our hero just can’t handle cell phones, Internet shopping and others aspects of 21st Century life, including the fact that his favorite TV show, “The Big Heads” has long been cancelled.

He quickly finds out that to restore some sort of order to his life “The Big Heads” must return, only the creator of the show is missing.

If you watched “Rocko” as a kid, this special is going to be very satisfying. Murray, co-wrote, produced and co-directed the 45-minute special and he brings to is all of the elements that made the show popular way back when, but uses it to make some very solid points about changes in our lifestyle and society.

I was very pleased by the production. It’s funny, nostalgic and current all at the same time. I was also very pleased to see the return of the original voice cast, especially the very talented Carlos Alazraqui as Rocko.

“Invader Zim” was not part of the 1990s animation boom as the show was on the air over Nickelodeon in 2001- 2002, but it certainly belongs to that time.

Zim is an incompetent soldier in the Irkin empire, an alien race that enslaves and destroys other planets. Zim has proven to be such a problem, the leaders, The Almighty Tallest, give him a fake assignment to prepare Earth for an invasion. In reality they have no interest in earth but what to get Zim out of the way.

On Earth, Zim’s true identity and purpose is discovered by a neighbor boy, Dib, who has dedicated his life to stopping Zim and his evil schemes. Only his cynical sister Gaz understands what is really happening – the adults around Dib are fooled by Zim – but she barely cares.

Cartoonist Jhonen Vasquez’s vision for the series was astonishing. Designed for tweens, “Invader Zim” was dark and cynical, as well as very funny. It was truly unique.

The 71-minute special brings us into the future. Dib has confined himself to his room, staring at video monitors trying to figure out Zim’s next move. Filthy and overweight, Dib only comes back to life when Zim appears and a new effort to take over the Earth is suspected.

Zim’s plan is to teleport the Earth into the flight path of the Irkin armada so he can fulfill his goal of destroying the Earth and win favor with his leaders.

This is dark, strange and completely compelling viewing. It’s funny as well.

Fans of both shows will find spending time with these new productions will be well spent.