 |
|
 |
 |
Boy, do I feel
old when I say that the kids of today might not
appreciate what ABC's "Schoolhouse Rock" meant to my
generation.
"Schoolhouse Rock: Election Collection" is now available on DVD.
The ABC television network was my choice destination for
entertainment when I was a kid. It had the hippest shows
and the best Saturday morning cartoons. It's hard to
believe in my family, but I used to wake up at 6:30 a.m.
every Saturday morning to watch hours worth of cartoons
and children's entertainment. Nowadays I value my sleep,
and my parents who used to like sleeping in tell me that
they wake up now before dawn. How times have changed.
Times have changed since those Saturday mornings. Kids
now have a plethora of entertainment options to chose
from. I don't know of any kid my daughter's age who says
they wake up to watch Saturday morning cartoons. They
can watch hundreds of hours of cartoons on cable,
DirectTV/Dish Network, DVD, iPod and free television at
any time they want.
I guess in my mind, those Saturday mornings were special
to me. When I received "Schoolhouse Rock: Election
Collection," I ripped open the case and popped the DVD
into my Playstation 3. My daughter's eyes opened wide as
I told her these cartoons were cool and I loved them as
a kid. She was excited to see what Daddy was raving
about.
She sat through one cartoon, and then left the room.
My giddy excitement was toned down. Now I know how my
parents felt when they'd rave about "The Mickey Mouse
Club" from their youth. One generation's nostalgia is
another generation's boredom.
Well, I still think "Schoolhouse Rock" is cool. I can
still sing "I'm Just A Bill" in my head, and sort of
remember the lyrics to "Conjunction Junction." Though I
didn't like all of the "Schoolhouse Rock" cartoons made
in the 1970s, they were still a fun part of my Saturday
morning. The songs were pretty catchy and simple to
follow, while the mostly comical episodes gave me a
chuckle. I don't remember if I learned about government
as much as the producers probably intended, but I did
come away with better understanding of how American
government works. I'm sure there were scholars and
teachers who frowned upon "Schoolhouse Rock" for making
government and history palatable to a 7 year-old. But it
did stick with kids of that generation, even if it was
in song.
The "Election Collection" ties together the American
themed shorts. These were especially fun to watch during
the 1976 Bicentennial. I seem to recall that the whole
country was wrapping itself in the American flag, and
"Schoolhouse" made history and government fun.
It looks like the more recent "Schoolhouse Rock"
episodes were added in this collection, because the
animation is a bit more refined and I don't recognize
them at all. It's great to see the classics like "Mother
Necessity" and "Great American Melting Pot" gracing my
screen. "I'm Just A Bill" is probably regarded as the
most classic example of "Schoolhouse Rock." You just say
the phrase and almost anyone from my generation can hum
the tune.
The animation and drawing style was very limited. These
were truly cartoons of their era. Very, very '70s. I'm
not complaining. I have a special place in my heart for
the goofy music and goofy styles of the day.
Which leads us to the question of will today's children
enjoy this DVD? Depends on your child. My daughter
watches almost any kid program with no problem, but she
wasn't interested in "Schoolhouse Rock." I asked her why
she didn't want to watch it with me. She said it was
boring. Perhaps the idea of watching a cartoon and
learning doesn't go to well for her. The animation,
music and style of the shorts are dated. I can remember
having to watch 16mm films from Encyclopedia Britannica
in school. Many of those films were from the 1950s! So
you can imagine the snickers from hip young 1980s kids
over the styles and music of little Timmy learning about
sequoias. I'm thinking that "Schoolhouse Rock" looks
like a relic from Daddy's past to my daughter.
Okay, so my kid doesn't like what I liked as a kid. I
can't and won't force her to like something I enjoyed as
a kid. Maybe her friends would get a kick out of
watching these in class. Then again, maybe not.
To watch these today is like stepping back to those
Saturday mornings in my PJs in front of our elaborate
13-inch color TV (it may have been black-and-white). I
still found myself liking certain "Schoolhouse Rock"
episodes more than others. My adult mind admires how a
small group of artists put these shorts together and had
kids humming the lyrics at school on Monday morning. The
child in me just had a good time watching "Schoolhouse
Rock: Election Edition."
Bill Kallay
Special thanks to Click Communications
Photos: © BHVE. All rights reserved.
| DVD Quick Glimpse | |
|
|
 |
