I kind of wonder how Disney XD will be seen in the future, it was Disney's attempt at making a male focused network, because of Disney Channel ending up on female skew, then they changed things to focus on animation, then gave up. I liked the network; it was always
more interesting than its sister Disney branded Channel to me.
more interesting than its sister Disney branded Channel to me.
With all that, it might be remembered for Gravity Falls, which is where that show was moved and had sucess with it. It was the home of a many of 2010's Disney Television animated shows that weren't for preschoolers that is.
I'm going to talk about a gem of a show for our One-Shot Posts this "Future-Worm!"
"Future-Worm!" was a Disney XD original animated series that premiered as shorts in 2015, then the full series started on August 1, 2016. Which is important for the fact that the show was running at peak Disney XD is your Disney Channel for animation (and still boys getting a spot too).
"Future-Worm!" was created by Ryan Quincy who worked on South Park and later crated a show for IFC called "Out There" (not be confused with any non 2013 non IFC series of the same name). Like this show, Out There was also animated, but that was going for more an adult audience, whilst I will say this was for a younger/child audience that doesn't mean it feels limited by that.
The basic premise of the show is a boy named Danny Douglas, has invited a time traveling lunch box and meets worm named Future Worm (very easy name) with great titanium reinforced abs (which we have to mention by law) and they go on adventures.
Danny is voiced by Andy Milonakis which is the most interesting and yet perfect casting choice for a character. Future-Worm or Fyootch is voiced by James Adomian who brings a great voice that makes the worm sound like a gruff action character, which is great for our titanium abs, with bullet proof beard and a photo receptor visor. They are our main characters.
This show has 21 episodes as half hours (with ads) and most of the episodes are broken up into 3 segments , instead of the traditional 11 minute segments or a full 22 minute thing. This allows the show to vary the lengths of segments usually at 11 minutes, 7 minutes and 3 minutes. Minus the final episode which does a full 22 minute single story.
Most of the time the segments are un related to each other and do their own different stories. That doesn't mean the show is fully self contained stories, it does reward you for watching episodes and remembering things when you watch a different episode, calling back to certain things and details. This also pays off in the finale, as a reward for watching the series.
The first segment, "Long Live Captain Cakerz!" introduces some stuff that appears in the show like seeing the stake-based superhero show. (That's one of the weirdest thing I've mentioned.) We also meet Danny's parents for a bit, they aren't big in this yet. We (because they already know) also meet a girl named Bug (voiced by Jessica DiCicco, which is ironic, she once voiced an actual bug in a cartoon). Bug's interesting it seems they are friends but not close and she wanted to go with them in the lunchbox, but they leave her. The plot is about Danny wanting his favorite cereal, and wondering where all the boxes went. This is simple premise, but the fun part of the show is to see how it accelerates into madness.
There are some other hallmarks and long running gags, I'm not going to mention them all, but they are fun. Anyway, madness, gloop aliens have taken over the world apparently, so the simple plot of using time travel to get cereal turned into aliens taking over the world, they shot the cereal into the sun. Then Neil deGrasse Tyson shows up (voiced by Neil deGrasse Tyson) that's also something that will be said more than once for this show. Neil knows Future-Worm because sure, and he explains the aliens are made of sour milk and good thing Danny has hidden the cereal in the backyard to fight them. I love how this escalated.
The 2nd segment , "Healin' Touch with Dr. D" is shorter story where Danny has brain freeze and Fyootch brings him to a TV doctor in the year 3000 and the doctor happens to be a T-rex. That all I'm going to say, because I do want you to watch the show. I will say, it uses it shorter time to give a story without feeling to bogged down.
The final segment, of episode 1 is "Terrible Tuber Trouble". Fun fact: this episode has Justin Roiland voicing a character, ironic to those who call this a "Rick and Morty" for kids or family or whatever. The show takes a simple idea, having to make the parents dinner to cash in a coupon, and having something accurate in a strange way.
Episode 2, segment 1"How to Beat a Cold... With Fists!" gives us some more characterization. Danny's dad, Doug (yes Doug Douglas) is a nervous man who for example, is afraid of going near Danny because of the voices in his head telling him that the germs will get him. Future-Worm's plot is he's trying to help cure Danny's cold so Danny can go to Steak Starbolt convention. Everything comes together well in for this one.
Cutting away, from going segment by segment here, the show's animation is nicely done. It has simple backgrounds, but look good. It's a colorful show, not over colorful, when the show goes to other worlds and times it makes good times. The character designs stand out, and make the main characters stand out and tell who they are. Future-Worm is a great design he's keeps his worm features but with added beard, visor, gem necklace, he pops well.
There are some interesting villains in the series as well, beyond random aliens and monsters, there is a bread headed person which of course fits into this show's humor a lot. I think the one thing that might be a dividing line for some people's enjoyment, the humor has a off kilter humor to it. It also does reference humor at times, like a parody of "Unsolved Mysteries" though that more enhances what you seeing if you know what it's referencing ,but it doesn't hurt it , if you don't know what it's referencing.
There are segments that do have a moral to them, giving some needed flaws for our characters and makes some interesting stories as well.
Now back to Bug. "The Very Hungry Killah-Pillah" is the first segment to give some focus on Bug. Bug is a stand out character, her design is nice with a mixture of coveralls with fairy wings, she wears a purple wig with a head band with little "antenna" on it . She has a spot in a junkyard and is a robot maker. In this segment, she makes a new robot to robo-battle. The machine is a little to active and had to be crushed, but it was able to live and turned into a butterfly styled robot. This one is a nice introduction to Bug, who will come into this show a few more times, and is a fun side character.
Sometimes the shorter segments are given over to other things like there's an episode of "Steak Starbolt" So we even get to see our meat themed hero have some limelight.
"Bubble Dad" gives us more of Doug and we get a little more about the mom, Megan, who is also an inventor and the more level headed. I am happy to say the boring things a lot of shows do with parents aren't done here. Future-Worm isn't someone who has to hide from the parents, Doug isn't the dumb dad, Megan isn't the over powerful mom, or snide. I like that it shows where Danny gets some of his love for inventing and science from too.
"Porthole to the Lizard" shows more school characters, which is a nice touch, but also sets up something that will be running through out the series. The school characters stand out as well with their strange quirks. Presto is a magician kid, Paco is a boy who constantly wears a Monster mask helmet and monster feet shoes. Again, this is a good episode that set up something that comes up through out rest of the series, so I won't give too much.
Future Danny was introduced in one of the shorts that didn't seem to be part of an episode of the show. In that short, Future-Worm introduces Danny to Future Danny. Future Danny is essentially older Danny (duh) who in the first segment in the series we see him in "Future Danny and the Ghost Pirates of Tau Ceti" we see him traveling around and and defeating different obstacles with Robo-Carp 2001. (If you like explosions, you'll like Robo-Carp and Robo-Carp 2001)
I do like seeing Bug an Future-Worm together in their own segment, while Danny is visiting his aunt. It also gives some Future-Worm backstory to his character and seeing Danny's aunt have some backstory as well and she'll be back later.
Going back to some parental focus, "The Forever Five" gives us some Megan time with Danny and Fyootch . They are teleported to another world were everything is black, white, and dower. This world saw Megan's invention, a high-five machine, and wants it to help save their world. This world is creative , especially the character designs. The solution of the segment is also creative.
The show has a lot of character relationship development which is a great touch. Future-Worm gets self absorbed sometimes, but he always has his heart in it for Danny and cares about him. Danny really shows his strength with caring about Fyootch even when things aren't going right. He's optimistic in most cases , so it's interesting to see a situation pressure him to have to stay optimistic.
"Bug's Very Important Job" (Episode 11c) Bug meets Future Danny , because he's there to make sure current Danny, doesn't touch pliers because of something that happened in the segment before. Bug doesn't believe that Future Danny is Danny from the future. This episode shows that Bug knows alot about Danny (maybe too much) and will defend him if she has too , even from himself, if she thinks there's a threat. That's pretty good. The episode is funny too.
Episode 13, is an episode that breaks format of the 11-7-3 model by having two stories instead of three, it also is a Christmas episode, at least "Lost in the Mall". Which has as one, does a great job of staying in the show's style whilst doing a mostly typical Christmas story message about family and togetherness and not getting caught up in the stuff that happens. It does it well.
The show has a few reoccurring characters, it's mostly focus on Danny and Future-Worm with some Bug and Danny's Parents. There is also the future Danny plots. There is an episode that focuses more on side characters that again, reoccurred but haven't otherwise been focused on. That's "Egg in the Family" it focuses on Ruby and Paco. These two are students with Danny. Paco is the boy who wears a monster mask/helmet, and Ruby is a hippy. The reason why they are paired is they are both taking care of an egg for a school project. The episode does have Danny and Future-Worm in it, but it gives a nice focus to Paco and Ruby.
The show, near the end, sets up a big villain, and since I do want people to check out the show, I won't give it away. Episode 20 uses it's 3 stories as connected to each other in their own way, then the finale episode, episode 21, is just a great send off to this show, and how it ends is amazing. Since the series didn't get a season 2, it's a perfect ending for this show and is weird like this show.
This show is weird, but fun weird, enjoyable. It's a shame that it didn't seem to get Disney's love, even when it was airing, mostly going around Disney XD without much promotion of when it would be on, especially since it seemed Disney XD was more focused on "Star Vs. The Forces of Evil" (not a knock, I liked that show) and then it also seemed to be ending around the time Disney had decided that the Disney XD as the animation channel era was over and moving some shows over to Disney Channel. This one wasn't moved and it wasn't renewed. Kind of a shame, it would have been nice to get at least a 2nd season. This show is kind of pure Disney XD in essence, kind of under the radar, but did a lot of great things, a little off kilter, a little weird, but embraced that. (I couldn't even see Cartoon Network pick up the mass insanity of "Pickle and Peanut" or Warner Brothers produced (yes) Right Now Kapow) I don't even think Disney Channel would have picked up this show if it was the only choice at the time.
It's a story-driven cartoon too, but done it's own way, it's fun, pure fun, has some heart-warming moments , sometimes loud, and colorful, but it was great. Do give this show a watch, if you haven't , I can't say it will be your taste, but it might click with someone and give it that chance. I think many will enjoy it. (If you are reading this in 2022, it's on Hulu and Disney Plus)
Tune in next time, when we have Robo-carp make a post.... [Explodes] weak.
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