The Best of my Youth: The Proud Family

In the years I spent as a child watching cartoons on Disney, no show had ever broken barriers on race or stood out as a regular family animated sitcom better than The Proud Family. The Proud Family is an animated cartoon show that debuted in 2001 on the Disney channel. It was created by Bruce W. Smith and was nominated (and won) for multiple awards over the years, mostly for ‘Outstanding Performance in a Children’s Series’. To this day, this show is revered for it’s take on topics most TV shows would be nervous to air in today’s day and age.

The show follows Penny Proud, a young African American middle schooler, her family and friends during day to day life. Penny is a perfect mix of respectful and kind with the bratty ups and downs most middle schoolers experience. While she is the main character we follow in each episode, there are enough unique and spunky characters she bounces off of that it makes each one a joy to watch. The best thing about it is each character is relatable in some way, shape or form that makes you think, yeah I’ve experienced this to.

This show dared to touch upon subjects that most show nowadays would never show in fear of backlash. In episodes like Culture Shock, Seven Days of Kwanzaa and I Had A Dream, Penny deals with learning about and accepting her heritage as well as learning about others- including Black History Month. I episodes like The Altos, we learn about bullying and what a child deals with while their parents divorce through Sticky’s eyes. Nowadays tv shows are too scared of backlash to air things like these, heck Disney hardly shows anything remotely similar to it- but these are proof that children can handle and learn from shows the right way. It’s all about respect taught at a young age and being open to watch them.

TV shows of today need to bring a little more substance to them similar to how The Proud Family ran. It not only opens up the demographics of who watches them, but it also teaches youth without throwing it into their face blatantly. I know the show is also not perfect, as it does play to stereotypes mostly for comedy. Would shows like this help turn around today’s world? I can’t answer that, but at least our children would learn about morals and have a bit of a laugh doing so!

The Best of my Youth: Recess

So many of us look back on our days at school and remember how much joy it brought us. Ignoring the tantalizing homework that now as an adult doesn’t seem so bad, we tend to remember all of the things we particularly enjoyed. Friends, our creative minds and most importantly: recess. In the case of the t.v. show Recess created by Joe Ansolabehere and Paul Germain, we can relive the freedom and creativity that being a kid meant.

Recess premiered on ABC in 1997 before moving onto the Disney channel in the early 2000’s. The show was a success to both the young and older audiences, bringing a fresh take on what it means to be a kid in elementary school. It has trends that follow the normal school cliches while making it unique enough to remain a staple in most 90’s kids memories as one of the best kid shows aired on Disney.

Recess follows six kids in the day to day life of school and their daily struggles in growing up alongside their peers. T.J. Detweiler, the leader of the group has excellent leadership and rallying skills when it comes to standing up for what’s right. Next in line is Vincent LeSalle who is the athlete of the group and presumably the best one in the school (I am always amazed to this day how he can play just about any sport SUPERB, heck he even cooks). Ashley Spinelli (aka Spinelli) is the tomboy and tough guy who isn’t afraid to stand up for others with force. Mikey Blumberg is a gentle and large 10 year old who, instead of fighting prefers poetry and dance even when viewed as uncool. Gretchen Grundler is the smart one in the group (like extremely smart), and Gus Griswold who is the shy and unpopular (often bullied) new kid in the school. Each of them together better the others and counters their flaws- making a perfect cast.

Though the cartoon is made for kids, it represents freedom in all of its forms. When watching the show, themes of social orders, monarchy, justice system and finding oneself rings true in each episode. Not only that but each kid had their own problems to learn to deal with that they either learn on their own or with help from their friends. Take Spinelli for example: she is the toughest kid in the show but has to deal with feelings of love, embarrassment and stereotypes of young ladies of the social norm. Another prime example is T.J. himself going so far for freedom that he may be irrational, as seen perfectly in the episode Economics of Recess. Each learns to mature through their friends, and the dynamic they all have together still shines through to this day.

This show was a staple to my childhood. I’d come home from school with a snack, or lay in bed sick watching this show. There were funny jokes, cool pranks and I could see a little of myself in each of the main crew. I remember learning about how being a child watching this, my recesses were filled with hopes and imagination spent with my friends.

I love Recess as a kids show. While it’s animation in today’s world seems lackluster and there are a few poor episodes, it still holds high the value of being a kid in school just looking to be a kid. Every character was memorable and if I can remember a show 18 years after watching it and go to rewatch it, then it sounds like a pretty good show to me. We all have to be an adult someday (trust me it happens quickly), so why not enjoy the time you have as a youth?

Old Shows VS New Shows

I thought I’d start my blog with the topic of television shows that are on Disney. When I was a kid, nothing ever beat watching cartoons when I got out of school! The shows were pure enjoyment and memorable, but how do today’s shows hold up to the good old days?

To be honest they don’t.

I can hear a few people picking up their pitchforks but please hear me out; are there honestly any TV shows on Disney in today’s day and age that could withstand the test of time? I’m sure many 20+ year olds reading this remember many great shows from the 90’s and early 2000’s. Recess, The Proud Family, The Ink and Paint Club, That’s So Raven and Duck Tales are a few to name that even if you didn’t watch it, I’m sure you’ve heard of at least one before. They were a pleasure to watch no matter how many times an episode aired, and to this day I still watch them.

Now let’s talk about the current shows.

What do you remember about them? Liv and Maddie, Bizaardvark, Bunk’d and Stuck in the Middle are great examples. Each TV show is basically live action and the cast have to know how to sing with each show having almost he same exact episodes just with different cast members. Animation isn’t cheap, I know, but it’s frustrating to see how much the company milks a child star who has to be able to sing, make stale reused jokes while adding nothing new to the mix. It’s all very repetitive and boring to watch.

While today’s shows aren’t all up to par, it doesn’t mean there aren’t a few diamonds in the rough *coughs*. Andi Mack is a compelling TV show with complex characters and a fresh story, and Tangled The Series brings new concepts to a movie with characters we love and broadens the horizons. It seems like there’s less shows on Disney nowadays to enjoy (heck my young sister doesn’t even like watching it) but the ones that are being aired are worth watching.

So what does this mean exactly?

I’m hoping that Disney tries to head back to their old roots by bringing in more shows like the older ones I’ve mentioned previously. To be honest, they are already heading back on the right track; with the Duck Tales reboot ending it’s first successful season, it seems that maybe they are starting to listen to their consumers who care deeply about them. But this is a topic for another day.

What are your thoughts or opinions on the new and old Disney shows? Let me know, and I’ll see you tomorrow!

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