The Barbapapas vs. The New Shmoo

Two cartoons for which I have an odd sentimentality had a similar protagonist and yet were at polar extremes.

The New Shmoo featured a squeaky transforming blob that led a group of teens on mysterious adventures – one of many Scooby Doo derivatives.

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The Barbapapas were blobs as well, but pink and but did not follow such inane narratives, instead offering a simpler child-like perspective on solving environmental problems.
Screenshot (1121)I was loyal to both, passively thinking they were somehow affiliated.Screenshot (1117) Screenshot (1109)The truth is that The New Shmoo and Barbapapas were just a blip in pop culture, like a girl-cop buddy show.cagney_and_lacey The-Heat-url11

Gravity: All Style

There are moments in Gravity that are worth something – although I’m not sure if it’s worth the $100 million budget nor the $18 ticket. GV-FP-0132rThe visuals are impressive, like the camerawork and music; however the narrative is superficial at best, offering only caricatures and predictable cliffhangers, as it jumps from one space station to another, with a cloud of space debris always in close pursuit. gravity-debrisIt’s a shame, with all that money, time and ingenuity, that such little effort was invested into fleshing out the details of why we are supposed to care.