Professor Popinjay's Compendium of Perspicacity

A Non-review by Professor Popinjay

(1995)

I’ll address the elephant in the room just to get it out of the way. The premise of this show is a little confusing because it deals with toons and non-toons (humans) but the humans are animated too. Once you understand the humans in the show are supposed to be actual humans who can’t fall off a building or get wrung through a clothes wringer and live, it’s an amusing premise. I should point out that nothing like that happens to humans in the course of the show. That would be horrific.

This feels like it could have been a Roger Rabbit series. There’s even an episode with a very Who Framed Roger Rabbit plot line. I’d describe it but I don’t want to spoil Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

Honestly, this show grew on me but it still felt… I don’t know… I won’t say soulless. Someone at some point in production clearly cared a lot about this show but it still feels passionless. As if it’s a show created to fill a time slot and that’s it. Perhaps someone wanted to do a Roger Rabbit series but wasn’t allowed to so this was the alternative.

I liked the cameos from other Disney toons who often found themselves being FRAMED for something or other. There was even an appearance made by the internationally (except the US) famous Marsupilami. I find it strange how unknown he is in the states. Same with Asterix and Obelisk. They’re great characters.

Bonker’s cartoon-esque hijinks would drive detective Piquel (human) crazy but the hijinks would ultimately solve the mystery, but not before making Piquel look and/or feel ridiculous.

For some reason they (gnomes) eventually sent Piquel off and replaced him with some lady. She was not so interesting and they seemed less inclined to make her the brunt of the slapstick.

I don’t know. It has some amusing parts but it never turned into something amazing. It’s no duck tales… even if some of the Ducktales cast did make an appearance.