A Bunny On My Back

A Bunny On My Back (1-14)

Written by: Russel Marcus

Storyboard by: Celia Kendrick

Directed by: Timothy Björklund

Date of airdate: September 11th 2004

Synopsis: A jealous and conniving Mr. Whiskers tried to save Brandy out of the paws of a gentleman leopard who invite her for a date... until to be his next meal... and that Mr. Whiskers getting stuck to Brandy's back by glue pond.

P.S.: In the moment you tent to read this article, let me remind you a thing-- I haven't known anything about the "Brandy & Mr. Whiskers" 11-minutes segments before I tent to reviewing these. I haven't fully watched the show in years, but instead of the original english voice-cast, all I do remembered from the series was from the 2008s YouTube featuring the Spanish-dubbing cast version of the show. And albeit the series was finally remastered in HD and that did looked out better than before, the presentation was another victim of the rampant "Photoshopped" titles, those that are typical from most foreign newer prints of past shows like the way in 2020, a Post-production house has remastered the remaining of the Warner Bros. cartoons library with such dreaded results like this. For the need of this blog, we're fully compelling the show with the older, Standard version of the series, like the way it was originally created and made by what we have to do. Thank you!

This is one of these (very) rare episodes where my opinions towards this vary from time to time. This is one with a great premise, but everything been a jerk to Whiskers' jealousy and awareness of the leopard guy. (At least better designed than Lorenzo was in the just-seen Taking Paws) The whole thing is a "first" where Brandy gets a date on the jungle, but unlike in the masterpiece Cyranosaurus Rex, this is rather typical of what the show will offered later, by be more like a typical '90s Nicktoons cartoon or a badly-written 40s Screen Gems shorts than an actual TV Disney Channel episode.

It's shame that such potential is wasted by characters been cruel, laugh of the poor rabbit and that Brandy is not a better protagonist than most Furries fans keep to stand for. This is also why I can't longer read anything from the André Franquin's brilliant Gaston Lagaffe series. While a large part still goes crazy about the supposed Franquin's "genius", (See what most Clampett fans does by bashed the other Warner Bros. directors overtime?) all I just read are characters agressively yell each other, a lazy anti-hero who been more grating than funny and this is just another sadist example of the degree of violence and cynicism most French-Belgium comics had struggled over decades. Maybe it's better you'll read Greg's Walter Melon instead. At least, the characters speaks and move funny. Greg should be lucky enough to not seen longer his own characters like a mere legacy.

A fun scene in the waterfall begin this another adventure featuring-- you know. Brandy lay comfortably in her favorite spot of the beach by pull sun tan on all her fur, while the gang doing a jump to the waterfall. The presence of lemurs at judges are a very fun touch that make the whole background of the Amazon Rainforest more than just window-dressing. This is not until a nameless leopard guy come to do his jump while it was Mr. Whiskers' turn. He'll deflate the rabbit's lifebuoy by gets eyes to the canine girl laying herself comfortably. Brandy just spot his heroic jump.

Everyone gets amazed by him... except Mr. Whiskers, which he seems to be intimidated by this romantic leopard. (with a french mustache besides. Is it was a thing too?)

Whiskers gets crushed to the pool. The judges ferrets claims him a big 0 (with a forced poop sound. Is Disney's don't have a policy about this?). But he didn't giving up yet! He utilized Ed by rolling the otter with his feets like a wheel, but no one cares about the rabbit. It's all to the newcommer. So much that there is a very erratic sense/cents wordplay that come out twice in Whiskers' dialogues, at a point it start to become another wordy TV cartoon!

Furries will sure loving Brandy because of this!!

Then, he introducing himself to Brandy by even known her fullest name. That made Brandy in love and also for the first ever, very horny to have a man with him, unlike says Whiskers. He do invited her to date but the rabbit is sure that something went wrong and that she have to cancel the date. But everyone ignored his proceedings by be all jerks to him! This is there the whole thing gets sluggish with this TV series that is just started.

For some odd reason, Brandy put lips in her mouth, without known that she is a dog first and not another Hilary-Duff-animated clone. I'm sure some hysteric Furries will get obsessed to her the first time the show was made, but now, it's literally devious. The show gets fully hated nowadays by voice-actors yelling and screaming their lines and for their cruel and sadistic cartoon violence. This is been another reason why no one cares about Garfield since the mid-1990s. And by the shows' reruns that does end, no one longer cares about Brandy & Mr. Whiskers anymore. Still sad because it feels different to others animated productions made at this period, when Brandy and Whiskers are getting more personalities in every titles than be just a generic Furry cast of Our Gang.

What the show will be if it was typically Disney-esque!

When I says that they been jerks to Mr. Whiskers, I mean everyone, except Ed whom he is the only who understand his trust. The girls plays cards speaks volume of the absurdity of the whole plot. Where the jungle creatures have learned to play cards games? There is lots of connection with the animated shorts from the Golden Age, but everything feels so hackeneyed that it's even pointless to trying it.

While lay out on the glue pond, Whiskers hearing the voice of the romantic leopard guy and his family when he plotted the date for make sure Brandy will be on their plate. Now, we known the truth that Whiskers didn't were screwed out of nothing. He make something like the most likable character ever featuring in this episode, but it's not enough for save of this utmost mess.

Meanwhile, Brandy pull flowers on her both dog ears (Still a pretty great still-image) but Whiskers ran to prevent his friend to not go on this date. The girl pooch been annoyed of his screaming with things like "I Can't Hear You!" or "WHISKERS! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU!", and the rabbit gets stucked to her make it the perfect capper. It's only a shame that the title-card spoiled the surprise of the plot. So, why it's named A Bunny On My Back first seems unclear...

The two gets stuck together. Whiskers do anything for not tell her about, but Brandy been infuriating to him and his wacky shenanigans, and Whiskers gets annoyed of her been seen like a dirty. The duo are now obligated to co-team each other and against their own will.

There is some fun slapstick jokes, but they're muchly peripheral to not only from the cartoon, but to what we just seen from the earlier of the show. The gags are more physical, by being like a mere Wile E. Coyote-blackout-gag. The main jungle cast does their part for help them and even, oh surprise!-- Gaspard made finally another of his awaiting appearences in his own temple. The Gecko will make better ventures to the spoiled-brat pooch and the off-beat rabbit in the remaining of the series until the 2006s series' end.

Reason why the series' gets hated now! Much everything why 2004 was a very erratic time for creators all around.

After a very long sequence of Brandy and Whiskers yelling each other, the date scene is finally become. With the Harrington girl wearing a pretty beautiful vest, by waiting her mate. But Whiskers is still on her way, which him, have to chill down his bad habits. You'll see him pooping, burping or do any harsh noises, and this is there the episode's getting spoiled. Marcus have wrote a better adventure to the duo than To the Moon, Whiskers, but one start to suspected that Marcus is not the greatest writer for the show, as long he remains billed as the "creator" of the series. It would be only great if Björklund gets his own co-creator credit if it's because of him that most of the greatest shows' moments do appear in Season 1, of what he directed all the thing.

Ren & Stimpy! Get out of them! It's just stupid and gross!

But because the romantic leopard dude is not alone, his herd came along to tried to eat them. Brandy tent to neglect again Whiskers because of this but that would be only great if she wasn't the lovelorn jerk she was much earlier. But unlike in others episodes, it's up to Whiskers to save the day. And it's exactly the kind of scene I dreaming of to see for the show for a longtime! What a hero!

FINALLY! Whiskers shows his true colors (or paws) to the audience!

By kick-fighting his feets to the leopards, we'll get something that will make anything like The Matrix as very rampant and monotonous. (The first movie however, was labelled at a classic and masterpiece by the cinema's elite, but it's just snoring and intellectual crap in any means.) Brandy and Whiskers have to work together in order to save their lives, even by be stuck each other which it would be only great if they'll get apart before the episode's runtime was over.

Brandy & Mr. Whiskers: The Anime!!

The episode ended on a moodly-dark treehouse (when outside, it start to sunshine, which that makes it at a pretty artistic visual, something that is rarely done on the series) whom Brandy been sorry to the rabbit after been a sadistic idiot and not trusted him first. But then, there was a obligatory bathroom dialogue joke that ended the whole thing. That tell me the hilarious question: How and when they have make done a bathroom in their treehouse?

Critique:

The most cerebral sequel to the highly-praised episode Cyranosaurus Rex and one that would inspired others loving-themed episodes from the series. But instead to seen Whiskers trying to wooiing Gabriella and a fun call-back joke of a monkey trying to seek Brandy as his match like in Rex, this is just a routine love cartoon. The elegant leopard is for once, more interesting at a one-off foil than was the generic assortments like Lorenzo or Boris from the equally Marcus' written adventure To the Moon, Whiskers. Unfortunately, the plot bogged down about Whiskers having to assert the mammal's intrusion on the waterfall, but everyone been a jerk to him, and notably Brandy whom she is been very grouchy and oft-putting in this one, by make some of Cuoko's vocal lines more grating to heard about. The title-card and episode's title sadly spoil the "surprise" as the way the "Bugs Bunny in..." billing from Hare-Breadth Hurry revealed that Bugs taking place of the Road Runner on this title. However, despite its biggest flaws, Brandy and Mr. Whiskers start to own more fully-developped peronalities than what most TV Disney productions offered at that time, which make them no longer generic furries figures. (The reason why they're a pooch and rabbit first was always unexplained) The battle scenes between Whiskers/Brandy and the leopards' herd are a pretty thrilling challenge, with choregraphy and kick-paws been turning in every directions, and all that are respectful and admirable transitions to the martial arts, to what most Anime Action series struggled hard to earn it. The finale scene is sadly, another "bathroom" gag while a visual of the interior treehouse is covered against a dark-blue colored palette and font, which it was an unique opportunity for made it more artsy, but it's not that hilarious. Above-average episode that would tent to grew the series better from time to time.