February 2020

Posted: 28 February 2020

Wander Over Yonder / Disney Channel and Disney XD / 2013-2016

Recently Watched From July 8, 2019-August 6, 2019

Wander Over Yonder is one of the few Disney animations made in the early 2010’s I can tolerate. I’m glad I found it a couple months into its run. What drew me to it was the fact it was created by Craig McCracken (also created “PowerPuff Girls,” “Foster’s Home…”). The biggest problem was that I didn’t have the Disney XD channel so I had to watch 1 or 2 episodes at a time on the website (the same way I started with Gravity Falls). I was a bored, broke college kid who couldn’t afford fancy cable so I needed my fix of episodes when they rotated the episodes every 2 weeks. Luckily, when I got a job, I was able to buy all the seasons available on YouTube.

How Did I Like It?

I found out about this show early July 2014 (10 months after the initial premiere) after someone mentioned the name in a YouTube comment. After watching the intro for the first time, I wanted more. The show was still pretty young at the time so there was still so much more the writers had yet to reveal to us. The Wander character himself made me feel happy and optimistic. Wander teaches us and the other characters one main lesson: with positivity, tough times will pass.

I used to think Lord Hater was the best villain ever conceived. He wasn’t really that mean but he was evil enough. He had cool things (a cool bedroom, a torture chamber, a cool spaceship). Commander Peepers and the army of Watchdogs were cool, too. He was the best until Lord Dominator showed up (whose female). Despite taking his #1 spot on the galactic villain leaderboard, Hater developed a drooling crush on Dominator because of how evil she is. This domination (no pun intended) turned Hater into a weaker villain but he and Commander Peepers became quite an awesomely close (and loud) duo. It made me forget they had an army of Watchdogs who were after Wander and Sylvia.

Do I Want It Back?

I’ve heard numerous reasons for Wander’s cancellation ranging from availability to the cost of production. All in all, this show is all-around expensive. I’m not shelling out money for a channel that hardly shows my favorite shows at reasonable times. If this show had more exposure, namely for those who can’t afford Disney XD, it would be very popular. This show had so much potential for more viewers and a line of merchandise. I’d buy a Wander backpack for myself. Too bad that potential was never explored. As for a revival any time soon, all I have to say is it had its run. The cancellation gave me more time to watch all the episodes. All I say we can do now is find a similar show just as good but unique in its own way. It might not be right away, but you’ll know when you’ve found it.

Give this show some love!

I feel Wander Over Yonder wasn’t exposed enough during its three-year run. It would be quite a phenomenon had it become more popular; more or less a competitor for Nickelodeon’s Spongebob Squarepants. I really hope this show never becomes forgotten. As a die-hard “Foster’s Home…” fan, I think this show exceeded the expectations that “Foster’s” had set. This show gets 4 stars (the show ended with slightly lower quality than how it started but it was still great). Even if it costs several bucks, buy some episodes of this show, watch them, and you will start smiling.

Nickelodeon Returns to Me!

Revival, Some Stuff, Thoughts / victorica_vic

Posted: 28 February 2020

Note: If I gave the name of the streaming service I use, this post would be an advertisement. I wrote this post for informative reasons, not for profit.

After over 5 years of not having Nickelodeon on any of my channel lineups, I regained access to the main channel in late September. For the time being, a good number of these upcoming posts and reviews will be Nickelodeon (or simply “Nick”)-centered which can help me stay relevant in the ongoings of the animation world of today.

Life Without Cable

I stayed in an apartment with a cable package that eliminated Nick and other Viacom channels from its lineup. I also lived in a household where TV was from an antenna, Netflix, and Hulu (the days before Hulu TV and Youtube TV). It was neat but it got tiring after a while. I was raised as a Nick kid. Seeing how Nick was treating their older properties to movies and reboots made me not want to miss a thing. I even wished and prayed for a Nick OTA (Over The Air) channel. Later on, I found something even better.

Better Than OTA

In the spring of 2019, I knew I was in for something good. I discovered Pluto TV (an awesome cable alternative app). Soon after my discovery, Pluto TV launched its version of a Nick Channel. It’s not the same lineup as the main Nick channel but it’s way better because they show old Nick shows from the ‘90s—my childhood shows! It was sufficient but I wanted to watch new episodes of The Loud House and the then-upcoming The Casagrandes. I was confident that love would find a way.

What A Surprise!

That fall, I Googled streaming services that legally streamed Loud House eps without paying for each episode individually. Not only did I find THE SERVICE that did just that but it also streams live channels included in many cable packages including LIVE NICKELODEON! I signed up the next day so I can have the chance to decide whether this was a wise decision. I got my Loud House and discovered what else this Nick of today had to offer. The package has the main Nick channel AND its premium channels I never had with basic cable (Nicktoons, TeenNick, Nick Jr.). I have no regrets about this decision!

Nickelodeon Isn’t Perfect

Yes, Nick and I had a good break. After seeing all the appealing cartoons they were putting out, I felt it was time to give Nick another try. Sure, they don’t have the best scheduling but it’s a miracle to have the real Nick back. Also, I not only have the main Nick channel but I also have the other Nick channels as well. If I don’t like what’s on the main channel, I can always see what’s on the other Nick channels or find something else to watch that is not Nick-related on other non-Nick-branded channels. This was a luxury I never had using basic cable.

One note about today’s Nick promos

In the Nick promos, they state their advertised times differently than how I remember. In the past, they stated the program’s start time as, for example, “8/7c.” These days, they will simply say the show starts at “8.” I guess they assume each Nick viewer is in the same time zone. If I were younger and tried to watch my show at 8, it would be too late (8:00 to them is 7:00 where I live). That’s something to get used to figuring out when a show starts for my own time zone.

Other Than That…

I like the feel of having Nickelodeon back. Like everything else produced these days, the HD format is a real treat for the eyes though it becomes commonplace after a while. Now I have opportunities to watch all kinds of Spongebob, Fairly OddParents, Loud House, The Casagrandes, It’s Pony, and catch up on my Power Rangers without waiting for the slow Netflix releases. The other Nick channels are a real treat, too. It lets me know there are other viewing options available if I don’t like what main Nick is playing. Nickelodeon isn’t the same as it was in the ‘90s/early ’00s but I’ll take this current one and be open to what else they release.

And don’t worry, I’ll watch other non-Nick animations as well. However, don’t be surprised if I post 3 consecutive Nick-based posts.

Nickelodeon Returns to Me! Read More »

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