The Christmas Adventure

On Whiskers, On Lola, On Cheryl and Meryl is arguably the most popular and seen episode of the series, along with perhaps Mr. Whiskers First Friend and Pedigree, Shmedigree that have found echoes Brandy Harrington at a very sexual canine character for some fans. Due to its inclusion on any Christmas time by the time reruns of the show were still there, it's also the only half-hour cartoon of the whole series. It took me a while to thinking about, by have not seen these in years, but I already have mixed feelings about this unique one-off cartoon episode.

In this cartoon, Brandy was desperate on her bed that she couldn't spending Christmas in Florida by stays stuck in the Jungle. All the Jungle animals friends didn't know what the Holiday name was, so Brandy plan to carry some Christmas trimmings in order to make it like, you know, Christmas!

While Brandy was excited about, Mr. Whiskers clearly shows his rage to Santa Claus by even wrote a naughty letter to him in order to get out. While the twos in bed, they hearing a strange eerie sound that looks Santa's sled that comes on the Treehouse. Whiskers have already made traps only for hurt him, but the biggest surprise is that by the Santa's sled (And reindeers!) crash, Brandy was forced to heal him and took the job to delivers presents to kids at his place. It was also for her a perfect opportunity to get back in Florida until... she soon discovering that she was part of the Naughty list and that she has to jeopardize the damages from not only Mr. Whiskers traps, but to her "mean" actions, especially to the rabbit and the jungle residents.

I have says at a joke years before that the character of Brandy Harrington was designed for make it at a unlikable, stuck-up spoiled-brat in order to make "kids" related to her coolness. But in the end, she's a much likable lead-character (One that we cheerish that it exists) than... most of the Reality TV contestants and Influencers we have in the real life.

Sadly, it's a special episode with many flaws though. The jokes could be sometimes bland and sadistic even for a Disney's Christmas episode (Remember! It's on the studio's commitement/tradition to make producing at least, one Christmas-themed material of says shows), but a considerable effort was done to the backgrounds which it's pretty lovely and Christmas-y, even for a production that have none chance to be renewed for another season again.

There's also some fun one-liners like Whiskers loud "FY-FI-FO-FUM!!" instead of "HO-HO-HO!" which it's part of reason why I always falls in love with these characters. They are not wrapped to the same Girl Power propaganda like most other Disney Channel shows doing at this point. Even a very popular creation like Kim Possible is now calls at something from the past. The heroic girl is now on at the mercy of any AI-generated arts frauds and if one have to seen the actual ordeal from the show itself, you know they need better writers, or people who understand how make heroic girls likable without to be a one-dimensional and listless talkier.

Unfortunately, when I tried to take a look of this adventure this week, it was only the eight last minutes of this episode that was showed. The reason why the biggest part of the episode is not available is unknown. Since 2010, Brandy & Mr. Whiskers, like most productions that have ended their own shelf of life in the wee hours were removed of the Disney Channel grid altogether. It's a shame though. This one-off half-hour episode could be a great opportunity to make it like a decent finale while we finally gets a view of the Brandy's fancy home (Even the bathroom!) but after that, it will be business as usual.

That would be only great if we could get the entire episode available, but it's for the best why the critique of this Christmas cartoon will be more shorter. I promise to add this blog more often in the future by have another working day on my shift by this week.

On Whiskers, On Lola, On Cheryl and Meryl (1-31)

Written by: ???

Storyboard by: ???

Directed by: Timothy Björkland

Date of release: December 2004

Synopis: Brandy expect Santa Claus to come to the Jungle in order to go back home to Florida for the Holidays, but she have soon to jeopardize her plans by make a squad for delivers presents to kids after Santa's sled was crashed on the Jungle. The only half-hour episode of the Brandy & Mr. Whiskers series.

Critique:

Perhaps the most well-known and seen episode of the entire series due to its inclusion at Christmas-time and by be the one most people remembered with probably Mr. Whiskers First Friend and Pedigree, Shmedigree, this unique half-hour cartoon adventure is high on visual designs but still inept in substance. The main conceit to make discovering Christmas to the Amazon Rainforest animals is fun at its own right, but is sadly marred to the fact this is a very stunningly average effort. There are a couple of punches that works right: The Christmas music in background are pretty effective. Whiskers says "FY-FI-FO-FUM!" is one of the most hystericals one-liners as of late. The Santa Claus and human kid designs are a nice fit to it, thought someone came close to says that they share the same kind of universe than the cult classic series Teacher's Pet in which Timothy Björkland was also involved at producer. But all these good moments are burried by the fact Brandy just don't care of Christmas at all and that she only wanna get home while Mr. Whiskers shows his own hate to Santa by wrote a letter to him. The fact that Whiskers was in the part of Santa's good list and Brandy the bad one makes one merely suspect, as if Santa have a sixth sense to detected the kids that are part of his annual good/naughty list. Brandy's long message to Santa of what she learning through her experience to take the big man's job with her own squad of reindeers (That are just Ed, Lola, Cheryl and Meryl at reindeers) for delivering gifts to kids is too forced and listless by exists only for ran more times before this ordeal is done. This was the one and only half-hour episode that is not separated by two 11-minutes shorts in the series, and one would wish the crew doing it more. There was lots of potential to make the jungle adventures more interesting than 11 minutes of gross and sadistic slapstick, but for that, that was it. On Whiskers, On Lola, On Cheryl and Meryl is clearly a modern classic for anyone who goes crazy with Christmas productions where they may ran it every year in Holidays time, but for an one-off half-hour, it's doubtful that it could own the same kind of timeless prestige and yuletide than A Charlie Brown Christmas, Chuck Jones' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! or anything from Rankin-Bass. It's only typical of what the series had to offers. After it, it will be business as usual until we hit the very abysmal series finale Rip Van Whiskers almost 18 months after this episode will be originally airing.