This is Andrew Rannells’s other episode of Ridley Jones. Like episode 2, it’s cute but more than a little flimsy, but this one features less Rannells, so there’s less to interest me.
In “Un-Fit for a Queen,” Ismat the mummy spends the night with Ridley when the Egyptian wing gets flooded, which winds up being a much taller order than Ridley expected. And in “Peaches, We Have a Problem,” the museum installs a new high-tech security that threatens to expose the living exhibits.
Once again, the big theme of each story is painted in very broad strokes, telegraphed so there’s no way to miss it, and in this case, both stories have pretty much the same theme. Watching shows like this for actor reviews make me appreciate stuff like Disney, Pixar, or the recent Maya and the Three even more. Apart from the excellent animation, topnotch writing, hard-hitting emotion, and (in Disney’s case) fantastic music, these are stories that don’t talk down to kids. There’s no assumption that the only way for them to learn is to spell the lesson out in an “are you paying attention, kids?” way. Instead, movies like Moana or Inside Out let their lessons get drawn naturally out of their stories. Now, obviously, something like Ridley Jones is probably made with way less time/money, but it still stands out to me.
One bit of casting to note: Jane Lynch appears in a comedic-opponent role as an employee at the museum, one who doesn’t know the exhibits get up and hang around at night, and Ridley plans on keeping it that way. IMDd tells me it’s a recurring role—even if I’m not overly impressed with the show, it definitely draws some good voice talent.
Like I said, not as much Andrew Rannells in this episode. Again sharing the (animated) screen with Chris Colfer, Ismat’s dads offer a few comic cutaways in “Un-Fit for a Queen.” With their exhibit flooded, Ismat gets to have a sleepover with Ridley, but her dads have to bunk in the dodo exhibit. Dudley the dodo is a very welcoming host but not exactly an ideal roommate. Anyone who’s familiar with Rannells knows he can play exasperation/annoyance well – and for that matter, so does Colfer – although, with this being a friendly kids’ show, it’s very polite, restrained annoyance.
That’s it for Ridley Jones! Season 2 was recently released, but IMDb doesn’t really have any casting info up for the individual episodes. It’s possible that Rannells is in one or more season 2 episodes, but I’m not tenacious enough to watch more without the promise of Rannells—if IMDb gets updated later, I’ll swing back around to it.
Parting thoughts:
Recommend?
In General – Maybe for kids. I do think the setup/premise is fun, even if the show itself seems like it could be better. Maybe season 2 is an improvement?
Andrew Rannells – Not a must. If you’re curious, check out episode 2, which features him a bit more.
Warnings
Nothing, really.
No comments:
Post a Comment