So as we round up our obscure and short themed month , we look at some shorts instead.
Personal story time: So it's 2006 and I am watching Disney Channel and they have this promo for a new thing called Shorty McShorts' Shorts and it will be airing Friday at 7:55/6:55c or 8:55/755c one of those two. I kind of remember it but mostly the title, more than the shorts.
I could call this Disney's attempt at an "Oh Yeah Cartoons" a place to showcase cartoons that could maybe become their own series for Disney Channel and so the best time to profile them would be between two popular series or as filler that the channel does tend to need to fill time with. Shorty McShorts' Shorts (yeah thanks for that title) started in July of 2006 and ran for about 2 seasons with 13 shorts being shown. Now, this post is going to be less formal and way off our normal format because why not?
First short is called "Dudley and Nestor do Nothing" That title sounds like Phineas and Ferb but in reverse. The animation in this short reminds of a certain style , the creators of this one were Stephen Holman and Josephine T. Huang , the duo who worked on "Phantom Investigators". With Holman also from shows like "Life with Loopy" and MTV's "Liquid Television" so this short is that animation style without the varied mixes and puppetry.
Our main characters are at a space center for a school trip and Dudley and Nestor have to find a bathroom and a meteor is coming toward Earth. (I hate when that happens) As Dudley and Nestor look for a bathroom they end up in a space ship that is in lift off and they end up in space. So of course the space center finds out that they were in the rocket and really should have checked before they launched. They also inadvertently stop that meteor and are back on Earth.
Astro- Nots
It would have been interesting to be a series it may have needed a little bit more than 4 minutes, but I see it. It probably would have been one of those series where our main characters go to different things and up fixing or changing something without even trying. (You can watch it here)
2. "My Mom Married a Yeti" (What?)
So apparently a scientist married a yeti because eh why not. They have two children one seems to be more Yeti the other more human. (Though the Yeti's seem to be human-y) So the parents are Chaperones at the school dance and the kids don't want them to be embarrassing. So they spend most of the dance trying to be embarrassed. Long story short: Yeti Dad freaks out because yeti flashbacks and then embarrasses them.
This shows is relate-able
This was made by Dennis Messner who worked on shows like "Regular Show", and "Kablam". The animation is kind of flat, but I do give some lee-way because it's a short pilot for a maybe series , but only a little. I guess I can guess how this could have been a series ,if that was the intention where the kids try not be embarrassed by their parents, or something revolving around Yeti Dad doing something, or their family's misadventures;. (You can watch it here)
3. "Bozzlebags' Zip" ( What this sounds like I sneezed)
So this family is watching something called Bozzlebag's Zip which the 12 year old boy named Collin doesn't seem excited by this. (I know how he feels) So the father got a new promotion and they are moving to Bozzlebag's Zip which is apparently a real place. (That'll be like if you got a new job working in that world Dora the Explorer is in and that place is real.) Also the last name of the family is Mailman. (Better than the last name, Dogcatcher) So, they move the same day because why not? Bozzelbags is there to welcome to the town. I don't think Collin likes this town or zip code, or fever dream, or whatever. Then it tries to end with a heartwarming moment.
This was some of the viewers reactions to the name alone.
I don't know; it was too much in a short, then they rushed the ending. Colin of course would be annoyed about moving and moving that quickly. There was no consideration of what he thought before they made a choice. Again, maybe that's because it's only 5 minutes so we didn't have time or something. The animation was nice though , it might have made an interesting series, maybe the short time worked against the short for me. (You can watch it here)
4. "The Phabulizers" (You are just making up words now)
I have a fun fact for this one, but I am saving that for later. This is going to make fun of those makeover shows either for homes and people. The theme song is catchy as well. Also one of the Phabulizers is a beaver, so there you go. They are going to help this kid named Phil Kennedy. There's not much more I can say about it sense it's so gag driven.
This is the first one these to make me laugh and smile at it. Oh that fun fact, the creator of this short was Van Partible , the creator of "Johnny Bravo" that makes this even better, it's fun. I kind of wish this was a series. (You can watch it here)
5-7. Boyz on Da Run
So the next 3 are a 3 part series, so we combined it into one section here.
Part 1: The theme song is very catchy. This series is a parody of boy bands, and the boy band here is called DaBoys From Yo Cul-de-sac. (DBFYC) Also the band is a lip sync band. So I wonder what could wrong. Yes the tape goes wrong and everyone finds out that they are fakes and funny that the song was "I'll never lie to you". So the fans decide to chase them and they run away.
Ha the tape recorders
Part 2: So they get kicked off the train and find a diner have some food. The end up getting hired by the diner because the owner thinks they were the people she hired. They don't know how to put food together since that was something they never did before. The songs in these shorts are very catchy. The President wants everyone to capture the boy band and he appears on TV as everyone in the diner sees the message they start to chase the boys. (That is indeed a strange universe) So, back on the run they are.
Part 3: They boys run into Canada which stops the people from chasing them because Canada has powers. to stop Americans from chasing them. The border patrol stops them and welcomes them with gift bags. (Because Canada)They have dodgy disguises that work some how. Because one of them decides to spin some maple leaves on his nipples (Well now there is line where we have written that a character on Disney Channel spun maple leaves on his nipples) they thrown in jail. (Because Canada?) They break out and run out of Canada.
Don't do this in Canada, I guess
That's sadly it, because there was a to be continued line that apparently never happened so what a disappointment. It was kind of fun to watch , I kind of wish there was a part 4 to finish it off. Though I don't feel it should it have been a full 30 minute series, or those 11 minute halves because it works as shorts really well or as a short special or something. (You can watch all 3 parts here)
Now we head to season 2 after the jump
8. Too Many Robots
We head to season 2 now. This one has a theme song with exposition. A country girl named Digit moves to the city to go to school and lives with her extended family. She has a dance and wants impress a boy named Matt. (Cyberchase feelings with Digit and Matt names) So her uncle is a mad scientist with multiple robots. He makes her shoes for the dance. (What can go wrong?) Anyway the shoes end up going wrong and mess up the dance. The robot toaster helps but the dance is ruined, and before the angry mob starts the robot toaster saves the dance.
That's a normal mirror , but it's powered by robots
It had an interesting concept if they worked with it a little bit and changed somethings it could have been a good full series. I don't have much else to say here. (You can Watch the whole thing here)
9. Troy Ride (That's a title that is a play on words)
So three teenage aliens are trapped on Earth and try to get off Earth and make this robot boy thing to disguise themselves, but get caught and forced into a school. They call the robot Troy. So they see an advertisement for some shoes that t hey could bounce them into space. A bully takes the comic book, they get it back but then it gets taken away. Eventually it gets torn. They find out the shoes don't take them into space anyway.
Lost on Earth!
It was slightly enjoyable but it does feel like it needs to be smoothed out a little. Yes the idea of a middle school might irritate , but I liked it because the robot that the main characters are in do function like a robot so the bully had no real affect on it except snapping rope as the arm. Would been interesting to see this series and the the wacky attempts to get off Earth. Also if they could build a robot , why couldn't they have made a new spaceship. (You can watch here )
10. Shezow
Ok, there is a thing to tell you, but that's later. So our main character is named Guy and he's doing guy stuff, and doesn't want to help his sister but she forces him to help with the moving in. The house they inherited from their Aunt Agnes to be exact. In the basement they find a ring that apparently reveals their Aunt was a superhero named Shezow. (In this universe the real life superhero has a comic book, that'd be like their being a Batman comic in Batman's universe.) Guy puts on the ring and ends up in her costume and ends up as Shezow. Apparently whoever puts on the ring shall forever be Shezow. (Well. unless they die and somehow get to put in their safe in the basement for their nephew to put on.) He goes out to save his friend from some bullies. I think Jose , the friend, is in love with Shezow, which won't he be surprised.
Sister, Sister
It was alright . though I would change the art style a little and give the sister a name, add a snarky talking computer if this was to be a series. (Laughs) Alright of all the shorts featured this is the one that became a series, not for Disney though. It was made into a series and aired in 2012 from Network Ten in Australia. In the US it aired on the Hub Channel (now Discovery Family) with some changes to the animation and Jose was changed to Maz. The first episode of the real series used a lot of the lines but gave a lot more to the plot. It ran for 26 episodes (52 halves) One day I may write about that series. (You can watch the pilot here ) ( And Every episode of the series starting here )
From the series
11. "Mascot Prep" (Where Mascots prep)
So it's a school where corporate mascots go to school to learn to be corporate mascots. (Where Mr. Clean went?) There's a new student named Kevin is trying to figure out how to do this jingle assignment but he doesn't even have a product. There's a boy named Germ who he gets to know better. (Which is nice) The next day, he decides to sing a duet with Germ. (Catchy too)
I like this one, it's different. The one think might be the bully or something is given a chance and becomes friends with our main character instead. The animation is nice and could be refined a little, but I do like how they went with a retro advertisement style. The concept is different and interesting with some good writing too , it would have been a good series I think. They also had at the time two big Disney Channel stars in this , with Emily Osment and Mitchel Musso from 'Hannah Montanna'. (You can watch it here)
12. The Imperfect Duplicates of Dodger Dare (so we go)
This one has a theme song and it explains our show. Dodger accidentally asks a girl he likds , one of the popular ones, out and he decides to make a copy of himself on the magic copier. He makes a copy is a handsome version of himself. She likes the copy but she says he couldn't change himself even slightly and he decides to take over. Then, he wipes out the copy with limeade (becuase paper) then the other reject copies come around around and also go on the date. Eventually, the date ends badly when a bucket he set up to wipe out one of the copies falls on her.
I have an idea!
So Dodger ignores the girl best friend who obliviously likes him or to be exact ignores her hints. It's one of those series. I do like the concept of the copies and what an episode could entail , only cliche bothers me. The animation looks alright. Fun fact, Lisa Loeb was a voice in this ,woah. (You can watch it here)
13. Flip Flopped ( A politician's story)
In this world the older you get , the younger you look so it like kid run the world and adults are like kids. (Don't over think it , your mind will hate you) The parents are invited to a party and the kids want to stay home without a baby sitter. (which could be a literal baby ,woah) Andy imagines the worst that could happen as his kids are left at home. Taffy does the same. (Also yes baby's drive cars in this world) The parents decide to check on their kids, while they set up Home Alone traps. Guess What happens to Andy and Taffy? Then they get arrested after the kids call the police thinking they were burglers.
Show's weird man.
Uhhhhh alright, on paper there might be some , some good ideas from this concept if you do it in away. I don't think this executed it in any creative way, you just had kids acting like adults and adults acting like children. It's a hard concept to think of what to do with , you can make it work with adults being like kids and the kids (you know) but it would take something but it wasn't this. (You can watch it here)
That was it for ole Shorty as it ended and Disney never really did more of this. My favorites were The Phabulizers, Mascot Prep, Dudley and Nestor, and Boyz on the Run (one character has my name) , I liked the Shezow series a little more than the pilot.
We have the same name, just spelled differently.
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