Rocko's Modern Life is one of my favorite cartoons of all time, so naturally I had been eagerly awaiting the arrival of Static Cling, a standalone special that picks up where the series ended... sort of. Rest assured, it's very funny, full of references to the show and goofy humor on our culture as has always been the show's forte. Great visual style too. But... I do have things to say about it.
In "Future Schlock", the episode that this special's premise is based on, Filburt wasn't on the rocket that went to outer space. He remained on Earth. So why has he been in space too? That's a huge error right there in the very premise.
Way too much spotlight is put on Rachel (previously Ralph) Bighead, who was never that interesting a character to begin with. Meanwhile, beloved characters Heffer and Filburt barely get anything to do. They're relegated to background jokes while the Bigheads get all the spotlight. What a waste of such beloved characters.
The Wolfe family are barely mentioned at all, only Grandpa Wolfe's ghost (not a funny joke to begin with) and Virginia appears in one walk-on part. That's it. The Wolfes were always my favorite side-characters in the series, who even Joe Murray said could hold up their own show, so their omission was a real letdown.
Because yes, Static Cling's problem is the writing. The story is very preachy and shallow. The moral of "you must let go of the past and accept change" is very heavy-handed (there is a character who's literally the Winds of Change). If indeed the story is about change, then why have none of the characters changed at all? In 20 years?
Static Cling is a good view for nostalgia purposes, but it's got a lot of holes in it too, so it's a bittersweet reunion with our favorite wallaby.
In "Future Schlock", the episode that this special's premise is based on, Filburt wasn't on the rocket that went to outer space. He remained on Earth. So why has he been in space too? That's a huge error right there in the very premise.
Way too much spotlight is put on Rachel (previously Ralph) Bighead, who was never that interesting a character to begin with. Meanwhile, beloved characters Heffer and Filburt barely get anything to do. They're relegated to background jokes while the Bigheads get all the spotlight. What a waste of such beloved characters.
The Wolfe family are barely mentioned at all, only Grandpa Wolfe's ghost (not a funny joke to begin with) and Virginia appears in one walk-on part. That's it. The Wolfes were always my favorite side-characters in the series, who even Joe Murray said could hold up their own show, so their omission was a real letdown.
Because yes, Static Cling's problem is the writing. The story is very preachy and shallow. The moral of "you must let go of the past and accept change" is very heavy-handed (there is a character who's literally the Winds of Change). If indeed the story is about change, then why have none of the characters changed at all? In 20 years?
Static Cling is a good view for nostalgia purposes, but it's got a lot of holes in it too, so it's a bittersweet reunion with our favorite wallaby.