 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Seth MacFarlane's Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy
- Review Date: May 26, 2009
- NR
- Genre: Comedy
- 2009
Common Sense Media says
Profane animated shorts offer ribald humor, few laughs.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this collection of animated comedy shorts is definitely not aimed at kids. Many of them start with well-known fairy tales, popular TV characters, and well-known pop-culture icons, and then creator Seth MacFarlane adds a generous dose of adult humor, including plenty of profanity, drinking, and lots of sex (including straight sex, gay sex, and bestiality). There's some cartoon nudity and some pretty explicit under-the-sheets action, with obvious thrusting and even more obvious moans and groans.
What's the story?
SETH MACFARLANE'S CAVALCADE OF CARTOON COMEDY may look, to a casual observer, much like a collection of classic animated short films from days gone by. There's the Roadrunner and the Coyote; Star Trek characters make a few appearances; wise-cracking animals abound, and there are even some fractured fairy tales. But these cartoons are definitely not for kids; instead of slapstick hijinks, expect characters who are more interested in drinking and sex. And when there is violence, it's more likely to be realistic and gory. Put it this way: the Frog Prince asks the princess to give him a lot more than just a kiss, and when the speedy roadrunner is crushed under a boulder, the result is an unpleasant puddle of bloody grossness.
Is it any good?
Anyone familiar with MacFarlane's work (see The Family Guy, which is known for its adult take on the standard, family-oriented sit-com) will quickly recognize his unique sensibilities here. It's rude and crude, and in pushing the cartoon-shock value envelope can veer into territory that some viewers will probably find offensive (anyone up for graphic close-ups of animal genitalia?).
The main problem here isn't the raunch, however; it's the lack of laughs. McFarlane is trying so hard to be outrageous that the script just isn't that entertaining. His idea of humor is to start with a familiar situation and then tweak it by introducing a dose of realism, usually driven by lust or liquor, or both. Sometimes this works – after finally, amazingly, catching the Roadrunner, the Coyote finds he has no purpose in life. But many other sketches have little to sustain them – one short episode is based solely on the premise that Star Trek's Mr. Sulu probably sounds funny when he's having sex. He doesn't, and like too many of these animated shorts, it's not very funny to watch, either.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about coarse humor. The dialogue in these short films is often quite profane, but it also sounds very natural. The swearing is not there to shock, but reflects the way people communicate in informal settings. Do you think there is too much swearing, or do you think it makes sense, given the settings? Do you think the language and the overt sexuality makes the film funny, or does it get in the way of the jokes? Or is it not a factor at all?
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AGE
S'alright.
I didn't hate it, it just wasn't MacFarlane's best.
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AGE
Bad comedy, period.
Seth MacFarlane is an untalented "comedian" that steals ideas and mainstream-ifies them to reach a broader audience than Matt Groening, but fails to yet "Family Guy" has a fanbase filled with idiots like him and the characters in the show. "Seth MacFarlane’s Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy" started out as a YouTube mini-series in the style of cutaway gags like you'd see most of the time in "Family Guy." Each episode has bland 2D animation and offensive, unfunny humor that makes "South Park" look like a Noggin program. In other words, stuff like this would reach to the apocalypse of animation.
The first episode, "Super Mario Rescues the Princess," deals Mario defeating Bowser in the NES game "Super Mario Bros." and asking the princess to kiss him. The princess declines the kiss, leading to a foul-mouthed, cookie-cutter funny, and ridiculous argument. Later, the princess gets eaten. This is just an example of the poor quality this mini-series has.
It's also unnecessary to buy the series on DVD, when the show is available online for free. And the uncensored versions on the DVD is just a scam, because it actually seems more funnier when it's censored, because you kind of know what they're saying, but don't hear them saying it. One uncensored episode is online, but I'm surprised it wasn't flagged for the inappropriate content.
To conclude my review, don't buy it. Superjail is much more creative and funnier.
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AGE
In this cavalcade of cartoon comedy... it shows alot of explicit sex, and the language is always very explicit bad and its incessant and exceptionally colorful and vivid. Please! Never let your children watch this at all! Very explicitly bad!
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Kid, 12 years old
August 8, 2010
AGE
Bad for children under 16.
In this cavalcade of cartoon comedy... it shows alot of explicit sex, and the language is always very explicit bad and its incessant and exceptionally colorful and vivid. Please! Never let your children watch this at all! Very explicitly bad!
Was this review useful?
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AGE
Bad for children under 16.
In this cavalcade of cartoon comedy... it shows alot of explicit sex, and the language is always very explicit bad and its incessant and exceptionally colorful and vivid. Please! Never let your children watch this at all! Very explicitly bad!
Was this review useful?
|
|
Kid, 11 years old
August 8, 2010
AGE
Bad for children under 16.
In this cavalcade of cartoon comedy... it shows alot of explicit sex, and the language is always very explicit bad and its incessant and exceptionally colorful and vivid. Please! Never let your children watch this at all! Very explicitly bad!
Was this review useful?
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AGE
This is a bad example of watching this, this is not acceptable for anyone to watch this at all, its packed with lots of animated sex and lots of profanity, and I wish this was not shown for the rest of the eternity, so this is totally bad to see.
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| Studio: | Twentieth Century Fox |
| Director: | Greg Colton |
| Cast: | Alex Borstein, Seth Green, Seth MacFarlane |
| Genre: | Comedy |
| Run time: | 54 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | May 12, 2009 |
| DVD release date: | May 12, 2009 |
| MPAA rating: | NR |
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