Steamboat Captain: Mutant Mayhem - Renegade Animation #116
In this episode, Captain Kaye and the Animation Guru discuss Paul Rudish's final Mickey Mouse short Steamboat Silly, Captain Fall, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem!
What’s going on, everyone? This is your Captain speaking, and I am quite excited to share this episode! Once again, it seems like we’ve got something for everyone. Tune into the full discussion if you want to hear what Cameron and I had to say about Paul Rudish’s final Mickey Mouse short Steamboat Silly, the Netflix adult animated comedy series Captain Fall, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem!
Steamboat Silly
While I am sad that this is the last time we’ll see Paul Rudish’s irreverent take on the Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse, I have to commend him and his team for their incredible 10 year run. There aren’t that many TV shows in the current landscape that have lasted that long, and remained relatively consistent in quality. This short was a fun trip down memory lane, one that’s filled with some great Easter eggs and references throughout.
“A loving farewell to the Rudish era of Mickey is full of the zany chaos that we have loved with this version of the iconic mouse.“ -The Animation Guru
Captain Fall
This might be one of the biggest surprises of the year for me. I didn’t really know what to expect going into it, but what we have here is a very unique adult animated comedy from Jon Iver Helgaker and Jonas Torgersen, the creators of Norsemen. The contrast between our sweet, but naive titular protagonist (voiced by Jason Ritter) and the ruthless cartel whose ship he helms unwittingly leads to so many compelling story opportunities. It has an off-kilter sense of humor, and a handful of scenes that are both heartwarming and heartbreaking. Hopefully there is another batch of episodes waiting in the wings, especially after that cliffhanger ending.
“I don’t really have a straightforward answer on the overall impressions so far. It isn’t as entertaining as other animated shows I have seen, but it feels unlike any other show I have seen this year. Maybe not reaching the philosophical heights of Fired on Mars, but the fact it went the distance at all with crafting a dark comedy mystery series is really cool.“ -The Animation Guru
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
Writer and director Jeff Rowe, alongside co-writers and producers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit have crafted the best theatrical version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles since 1990. Everything they needed to get right, from the dynamic of the brothers (all voiced by actual teenagers), to the grungy sketchbook aesthetic for the animation, they nailed it. There are great parallel arcs between the Turtles and April O’Neil, as well as Splinter and the villainous Superfly. I’ve already seen this movie 3 times in theaters, and I can’t wait to revisit it again later down the road.
“A great incarnation of the heroes in a half-shell. Some story aspects are clunky, but its overarching story makes up for any small gripes with some great chemistry between our four teen leads with some of this year's most stunning animation.“ -The Animation Guru
That’ll do it for this episode! Thank you all for joining us! Please visit https://entertainmentcommunityfund.org/ and donate under the designation of Film and Television if you wish to support those that are effected by the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA Strikes!
