Raccoons, The - Season 2

Introduction

With eighteen months between releases, I think Fabulous Films may have lost any new fans that had been gathered by the first series of the Raccoons when it was released on DVD. Then again, I doubt that they are aiming at the youth of today. With titles like Mysterious Cities of Gold, Starfleet, The Red Hand Gang and Monkey in their catalogue, it's clear that they are aimed right at the nostalgia market, those fans of my age who grew up with these shows back in the eighties. We're the sorts of people who are happy to wait for subsequent instalments, having a hard enough time making the space in our busy schedules to even indulge in a little reminiscence. My first experience with The Raccoons on DVD was less than pleasant though, with a couple of discs that simply refused to work on my DVD player. No such problem with the second series, and it's a good thing too. Lisa Lougheed's rendition of 'Run With Us' debuts with the second season, and I want to experience it in glorious television.


Bert Raccoon is the star of the show, a brash adventurous type who drives the stories through sheer strength of character. His friends are Ralph and Melissa, who occasionally join him on his adventures, but are a little more grown up. They live in the Evergreen Forest, an idyllic haven that they strive to protect. It needs protecting from Scrooge-like businessman Cyril Sneer, a cigar-chewing megalomaniac who lives in a castle, served by a coterie of three pigs who are always on the receiving end of his ire. He's determined to exploit the forest for all its worth. His mild-mannered son Cedric on the other hand is good friends with the raccoons, and always tries to mediate between the two, although he usually sides with his friends. Joining the gang are Schaeffer, an English sheepdog who belongs to the Forest Ranger, Cedric's girlfriend Sofia Tutu and little pup Broo. Together the friends have a series of madcap adventures in the forest. The second season of 10 episodes is presented here on two discs, along with a helping of extra features.


The episodes…

Disc 1
1. Double Play!
2. The Sweet Smell Of Success!
3. Blast From The Past!
4. Power Trip!
5. Stop the Clock!

Disc 2
6. The Artful Dodger!
7. Last Legs!
8. Read No Evil!
9. Courting Disaster!
10. Time Trap!

Picture

The Raccoons gets a 4:3 regular transfer, and the image reflects those broadcasts of two decades ago. The majority of the episodes are in pretty good nick though, obviously taken from the film source and converted for PAL playback, and the image is as clear and sharp as you would expect. The exceptions are episodes 3 and 10, for which the tape origins are apparent, with a degree of softness and an obvious NTSC source. The animation is simple but effective, and unlike similar animations of the period each scene is created fresh, there is no stock animation immediately apparent. The hand made feel is evident; with CG animation still a distant dream. You can see the unevenness of the inks in the way the characters are coloured. It may be quaint, but it works well.

Sound

The Raccoons gets a DD 2.0 English track, no subtitles. Again the sound reflects the original broadcasts. It's a touch better actually, as instead of tinny mono, we get some stereo separation in the soundtrack, with audible placement of effects while the dialogue is clear throughout. The Raccoons also offers plenty of 80's pop music to marvel at, with at least one montage sequence in every episode allowing a different track to be showcased.

Extras

The PR blurb states that the discs come in a collector's edition O-Ring Packaging, which sounds vaguely surgical. There should also be a booklet with the discs, but as I only got the check discs, I can't comment on these items.

Both discs get animated menus, and episode synopses are available from the episode select screens. Annoyingly, there aren't any chapters to select, and instead you get each episode in its entirety.

This time around the extras are split across both discs.

On disc 1, you get text biographies for the characters as well as one for creator Kevin Gillis.

You'll also be able to peruse 34 original character drawings and 13 original character rotations, in two line art galleries.

Disc 2 offers another gallery of episode stills. This has 31 images.

The Behind The Scenes Documentary lasts 10 minutes, and has input from creator Kevin Gillis and other members of the crew on the impact of the show.

Conclusion

If you've read my review for Season 1 of the Raccoons, you'll know how much I appreciate this wholly pleasant show from the eighties. Unlike earlier, mono-formula repetitive cartoons, The Raccoons actually offered something different with each episode. The characters were wholly pleasant, the humour appealed to kids of all ages, and it had an eighties pop soundtrack of the sort that still overwhelms me with gold tinged nostalgia. Season 2 of the Raccoons is singing from the same song sheet, and offers up 10 episodes of wholesome family entertainment with an ever so slightly subversive edge.

There are a couple of changes to the formula this year, with the Forest Ranger and his children not returning this time. Also, Cyril Sneer is no longer the absolutely single-minded eco-vandal Gordon Gecko of the Evergreen Forest. He's a lot mellower, even if he still constantly threatens his henchpigs with a variety of pork-based demises, and we see a gentle, fatherly side to him that makes him a more rounded character. While he still plots, schemes, finagles and cheats, there are moments where he's practically one of the gang.


The show still offers gentle edutainment, with noteworthy messages cloaked in a veneer of humour and dramatic storytelling. Cedric and Bert's friendship is put to the test when the major leagues come calling, Bert is tempted by commercialism when Cyril has a product to sell and Bert's musical talent appeals to the masses; when the Pigs run up the electricity bill, Cyril threatens to flood the forest by building a hydroelectric power plant, and Bert makes friends with an introverted boy who would rather play with his computer than experience the great outdoors. Bert also meets Aunt Gertie, who shows him that the older generation still have a thing or two to teach young whippersnappers, and he and Cedric also help an old man who can't read to protect his swamp from the land hungry Cyril.


Unadulterated comedy comes from moments like Cyril's ex-partner threatening to give him what he deserves, Cyril entering an athletics contest after discovering the fountain of youth, an artistic monster haunting the local caves, Cyril getting some bad news from the doctor and having to put his affairs in order; and then accidentally getting engaged to Lady Baden Baden. The only weak spot of the series is the final episode, Time Trap, which is a clip show, and as a rule, all clip shows are annoying wastes of time. This one made me smile a bit though.


Subsidiary characters like Cyril's rival Knox, and their shared object of interest Lady Baden Baden return, while a new character is Mammoth, a rhino of a financier who's low mumbled pronouncements have to be translated by a duck sidekick. Once again I'm struck by how close to the edge the show could be, and a scene showing Ralph and Melissa sharing a bed raised my eyebrow for a second. They are married of course, but it's hardly what you'd expect from a children's show. I didn't realise until I played the featurette that The Raccoons was actually made for a prime time slot in Canada. And yes, Cyril constantly has a cigar butt in his mouth. Please, someone, think of the children…


The nanny state wrapping a generation up in Styrofoam aside, The Raccoons second season is even more enjoyable than the first for the most part. For much of the season, the characters are more rounded, the stories more interesting, and the messages aren't bludgeoned in as obviously as in the first. It's only that final clip episode which is the fly in the ointment. The Raccoons; still as much fun now as they were 22 years ago.