Channel Frederator Blog

While in Canada I was able to check out some prime Canadian animation. It’s funny - it’s almost like they have a whole world up there! Hit shows, popular production companies… there’s a subtle vehement patriotism up there when it comes to mass media, as if U.S. shows will bleed over and overrun the Canadian culture if they’re not careful.

The first of three shows I watched was “Jacob Two-Two,” about a plucky, well-behaved kid who loves to read and is swept up into adventures around him. His older siblings are punks, his dad is a cool, hipped-out freelance novelist, and everyone around him is a little crazier than he is. For instance, the episode I saw was about Jacob unwittingly joining a secret club of ninja librarians.

I give it Four and a half Freds out of Five. The show was fun, had me interested all the way through, and had me taken aback not only by the visual designs and plot twists, but the character relationships. The flash animation was a little clunky, and they didn’t really do a great job hiding the digital wonkiness predominent in Flash. Maybe a higher budget would provide better Flash animation, like “Little Einsteins,” for instance.

til next time
-Jake