Madeline as Phoebus and Pepito as Quasimodo, Hunchback

Madeline as Phoebus and Pepito as Quasimodo

What can I saw about the Madeline episode that features a meager attempt to reference the Hunchback of Notre Dame? It’s a lazy, confused mess that would rather talk about writing even though the people who wrote it don’t know the first thing about writing. It’s not charming, cute or insightful. It is weak and torture to watch and I didn’t care for it on any level.

Next Hunchback version after a short Winter Break. If you have a suggestions, let me know because I haven’t made up my mind yet.

I know I have mentioned the lesson before in other posts where I bashed, I mean reviewed, the Hunchback episode of Madeline  but I find that the way it was handle in this episode is so awful that it needs to be bashed more.

Madeline, Pepito and her friends read Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

Madeline, Pepito and her friends read Hunchback of Notre Dame

I do not claim to be expert on the show, I mean I could only watch two episodes other than the hunchback one, but the two episodes I saw had two good lessons; one was altruism and not judging dogs based on breed (allegorical to racism).

In those two episodes people had to actively learn something and a sense development was achieved. The episodes were torture but there was at least a depth.

Madeline as Phoebus and Pepito as Quasimodo, Hunchback

Madeline as Phoebus and Pepito as Quasimodo

Then we get the Hunchback episode. Anything that deals with Quasimodo should be more or less deal with getting over looks to see who a  person truly is, unless it’s done as parody or satire. But this is a kids show so is the standard lesson should be applied.

The problem is NO ONE learns it because the episode doesn’t care about the Hunchback. Writing-wise the episode is all over the place so there is no time to for a character to grow or learn the Quasimodo lesson.

Pepito and Gerald Dippetty Doo, Madeline and the Hunchback picture image

Pepito and Gerald Dippetty Doo

Since everyone but Pepito gets that Quasimodo is awesome, he is the one who is at odds with Quasimodo’s looks but he only comes around to liking Quasimodo because his idol tells him that he is great and should play Quasimodo in the play. Then Pepito plays Quasimodo and good is in a dumb play but he learns nothing.

But there is nothing to indicate in the episode that Pepito is like Quasimodo, he is just a jerk throughout the episode, he made a much better Phoebus. But since he is the one in opposition to Quasimodo he had to be the one to realize how great Quasimodo is but it’s pointless if he just told it out right.

Quasimodo captures Ms. Cavell, Madeline and the Hunchback picture image

Quasimodo captures Ms. Cavell

The episode should have been about the girls meeting a Quasimodo-like figure, Pepito or one of the little girls judging him and then the Quasimodo-figure helps them somehow and the jerk learns that judging people based on appearances is a jerky thing to do. Cliche? Yes but at least someone learns and grows from the core Quasimodo-lesson-for-kids.

Madeline and the Hunchback picture image

Madeline’s dreams

The title is also confused, as it’s Madeline and the Hunchback of Notre Dame. I know the scheme of the titles go Madeline and Whatever the focused is, but Madeline has no connection to the Hunchback. It should have been called Madeline and the Play or Madeline and Notre Dame.

Pepito as Phoebus, Madeline and the Hunchback image picture

Pepito as Phoebus, Madeline and the Hunchback

This episode is a mess for beginning to end and it’s no surprise that lesson is a mess and just tacked on to weak cash in episode.

Next Time; Conclusion, Thank God

Madeline as Phoebus, Madeline and the Hunchback picture image

Madeline as Phoebus

 

The Animation in Madeline is crap-poo. No, actually it’s worse. It’s not even bad enough to be delightful. No, it’s honest-to-god poo. But what makes it so bad besides every damn thing? Well, I will list three things because anymore analysis on this, is going to drive me to insanity.

 

#1 The Colors

Madeline, Pepito and her friends read Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image

Madeline, Pepito and her friends read Hunchback of Notre Dame

 

The Color design is dull. It tries to be bright and colorful but it meanders  in the dull. Honestly I could take the colors  as the tones aren’t awful and the gradient are ok but the  dumb character design ruin it,  which brings me to me second point;

 

 

#2 The Character Design

Ms. Cavell holding The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Madeline and the Hunchback picture image

Ms. Cavell holding The Hunchback of Notre Dame

 

The Character Designs are flat, uninteresting and dumb. Sure they look like the books but while the books were endearing the character look stupid. With their cold soul-less black dot eyes, their blocky bodies  and there unvaried faces. They just look stupid in motion. Then we come to the problem real issue;

 

#3 The Laziness

 

Madeline or Pepito as Quasimodo  picture image

Madeline or Pepito as Quasimodo

The animation in Madeline is abject, unfiltered, pure  laziness.  Anything that could be good and endearing is trashed by the immense awfulness of the animation. The character’s motion are stilted and awkward. The repeat animation is laughable. The use Pepito as Madeline in a long shot which make it a continuity error. I’m sure this show has a LOT of them. There are dozen upon dozen still frames to pad out the ghastly time. They also you a dissolve transition to get the girls to turn at the end while they are brushing their teeth. Also that is another continuity error since it has the girls in their “magnificent” day clothes but the shot before that they were in their nightgowns. So much laziness in this show.

 

Madeline and her dumb song hunchback of Notre dame

Madeline and her dumb song

The animation in Madeline is one of it’s biggest failures. it hard to really get passed the crappy animation. I mean one could if the story and characters were interesting but they are not so the bad animation is really inexcusable.  It really is just crap-poo.

 

Next time – The Moral of the Story

Pepito and Gerald Dippetty Doo, Madeline and the Hunchback picture image

Pepito and Gerald Dippetty Doo

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