Animation Source Forums

I'll try to explain why, *IN MY OPINION*, Talespin is special among the TV cartoons. (Note : if you haven't watched the show yet, better not to read it because I didn't want to splatter "spoilers" everywhere...)

I believe that what makes Talespin work is the characters AND the scenarios.

A few characters come from The JUngle Book, ok; that could easily be mistaken for an effort to milking them and making easy profits. But let's start by saying that the Talespin writers have done a much better work with these characters than the Jungle book themselves.
Why? Because the characters from Talespin are many-sided :

- Baloo is torn between being a father for Kit, and being his best friend; torn between liking Rebecca, and wanting to quit his job / buy back the Sea Duck; torn between being having fun, and doing his job correctly...

- Kit is torn between being independant and between letting him taken care of; torn between trusting Baloo and trusting Rebecca...

- Rebecca is torn between loving Baloo, and wanting to fire/strangle him; torn between being a good mother for Molly, and running her business; torn between trusting Baloo and following her own ideas.

- Shere Khan isn't really the "bad guy" you may expect, but more a neutral character - while he actually acts more like a Lex Luthor from Smallville...

- Louie and Karnage are more one-sided, although can be "stuck" in unusual situations...(ex : "For a fuel dollars more", "Stuck on you")

Now you'll excuse me, but that's more character development that what I can found in even famous and high budget live series...And that doesn't mean they are "out of character", I mean : everyone has multiple sides.

And I didn't even talk about the high-level voice actors, which were doing a awesome job and gave real personalities to the characters.

It's also one TV cartoon where the focus is on the adult characters : and I find this to be pretty rare. Usually, the adult characters are only there for support, while the youngest are the real "heroes" : there, it's (almost) the opposite. Almost, because there's Kit, but he's not really the typical child...

The show takes place in the 30's, and everything looks coherent from that point : from the look of the planes to the situations. Yes, there can be a few mistakes, but they're enough rare to forget them. It's very amazing to see a cartoon showing both a huge amount of creativity (Cape Suzette, Thembria, Air pirates, etc...) AND a realistic setting.

Talking about Thembria : that's a big parody of the URSS, and a pretty negative one (people without freedom, too much bureaucracy, freezing country, power in the hands of the militaries, etc etc...) Can you honestly quote any Disney film/series which contains a parody like that? I can't. And you would have to look towards more "adult-geared" shows like The Simpsons to see similar ones.

Yes, realistic is the word. Matters like fenimism and machism ("A feminine air") is something I have rarely encountered in any animated film...And almost everyepisode has something that you don't expect to see.

References to the 1st world war is very surprising too, that's the first Disney I see talking about it. (even if lightly)

And, don't forget the two episodes that got banned in the US. One for too heavy parodism (Last Horizons), the other for terrorism...(Flying Dupes)
The show also include some violence : there are guns everywhere, explosions, and they can hurt (or at least, the characters are afraid from being hurt - unlike cartoons from the 50-60's for example where they are used for humor)

Hidden text : click to show

Let's compare the show to, say, Chip & Dale Rescue Rangers for example. Although this is the immediate previous Disney Afternoon show, and we should expect
them to be very similar (and they are on some sides, don't get me wrong), the characters are more one-sided. Same as for the scenarios : I have watched a few episodes including the pilot, and IMO the scenarios were more repetitive, predictable, and almost boring to watch. (No offense to the C&D fans : again, that's my opinion; and I still think it's not a bad show at all either, just not as "special")

So, to summarize : imaginary setting WITH realistic schemes + good characters acting = a winner to me.

(There are many other reasons I like the show though, but I just concentrated on what makes Talespin different...)

I also luv TailSpin. Used to watch it all the time, and actually it was one of my favorites - one of those things I'd actually get up early enough to watch. But I also luv Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers - A Wolf in Cheap Clothing is amidst my favorites (when Nimnul creates a machine that allows him to swap bodies/species with animals, primarily a wolf).

The big thing to me from TailSpin was the Sea Duck, which was a point of contention between Baloo and Becky. Baloo's skills as a pilot and his way of always humiliating the pirates and ticking off Karnage. <3 I'd watch it now, if I had the time and Disney put it back on the air. I don't know, but the 80s and 90s were a time of great American animation and creativity. Besides the Disney ones, there were the Warner ones like Tiny Toons, Animaniacs, and Road Rovers. Now it just all seems just manufactured.

Anyway, great addition to the Source, Steet. Kudos!

Yeah Steet, you gave many reasons as to why I love Talespin. Another reason I can offer is that Talespin is one of the few shows to bring a tear to my eye. Not just once, but 3 times (Her Chance to Dream, Old Man & the Seaduck, & Paradise Lost). Something I can also mention is that it has more variety than any other Disney Afternoon show, perhaps even Gargoyles (I'm still watching the first season, so maybe I'll change my tune). Although I like all the DA shows up until after Darkwing Duck (with the exception of Garg., Aladdin, Mighty Ducks & Timon & Pumbaa), Talespin stands out. Some eps are hilarious (Time Waits For No Bear, Golden Sprocket of Friendship, & several others), some are touching (already mentioned), some are just fun, funny & exciting adventures (For Whom the Bell klangs, In Search of Ancient Bluders, and most of the other eps). Anthromorphic animal cartoons don't get better than this (with the sole exception of Sonic The Hedgehog, SatAM version only of course).

Yes, maybe I didn't mention it but that's entirely true : I have actually never seen any other cartoon that had such episodes. Usually "cartoons" are considered for "comical" or "adventure", while such episodes were a lot more and very special.

I think that with Talespin, they had found the perfect balance of all genres, the same that we encounter in their feature films. And why didn't they follow that example for their other series, is beyond me...

My 5 other favorite cartoons have had moments that made me cry, many of which I thought were sadder than the ones in Talespin.

5.Sonic the Hedgehog SatAM
Hidden text : click to show

4.Gargoyles
Hidden text : click to show

3.Voltron
Hidden text : click to show

2.Sailor Moon
Oh man, despite being aimed at girls, this series sure knew how to tug at your heartstrings.
Hidden text : click to show

1.Transformers
My favorite show, partly because of the superb drama.
Hidden text : click to show

Sorry if this seems off-topic, but I just had to mention these.

Well that's why I precised "cartoons", because I could quote some other animated TV series that had sad episodes too but are very different (with a darker tone from the start)
Many japanese anime made me cry for example (A Dog of Flanders, Princess Sarah, Nobody's Boy Remi...)
But that's not exactly the same thing. The TS episodes quoted are not really sad, but more "touching". Which is something more difficult to do, actually...

I think tailspin was a hit! I used to love watching and I have a really old tape of two of the episodes speaking of tailspin and the episodes I watched them with a friend yesturday. I am alot older than the age of kids that watch it but the show fits all ages I think.

Yes, it does. In fact, so far, I have seen more adult fans than young ones...But that may be also due to the fact that it's almost 20 years old now, and that's it's rarely airing now.

Still, I could list a LOT of things in the series that would appeal more to adults than kids. (or, at least, that < 10 years old wouldn't understand)

I remember not caring for TaleSpin when I was younger, but after catching a couple of episodes on Toon Disney, I couldn't understand why I didn't like the series. The series was pretty mature, if you will, compared to others. I like the mystery behind Kit's character. All you know is he was part of the air pirates. Does he ever talk about what happened to his parents?

It wasn't my favorite when I was younger either; I could take it or leave it. Probably at the time ('90-'94) I was more into slapstick cartoons like Darkwing Duck and Looney Toons, though I did watch it sometimes.

To be honest, I was wary of the show for some time after I saw "Stormy Weather" because it had real emotion, which I wasn't expecting in a cartoon that wasn't a feature film. I felt like I had been blindsided. There I was, watching afternoon cartoons, expecting to be entertained with lighthearted humor, when out of nowhere... WHAM! If you've seen this episode then you know what I'm talking about. That was the heaviest, most emotionally charged non-feature film cartoon/episode I had ever seen.

To quote a letter from http://cloudkicker.50webs.com/Editorials/kchp5th.htm
I think that pretty much sums up how I felt.

I didn't see "Plunder and Lightning" (the TS pilot movie) until about halfway through the series' run (after I had seen "Stormy Weather"), but when I did, I finally realized/accepted that TaleSpin was/is a multifaceted show that delivers on multiple levels. I also liked the show more after seeing the pilot because I could appreciate the characters' relationships to each other. From then on I really enjoyed the show and tried to watch it whenever I could.


Yes it was. It has a lot of potential to entertain kids and adults alike, which is one of the main reasons I want to bring it back in the form of Virtual Season(s). viewtopic.php?f=71&t=28177

Nope, he never says a word. In the TS comic "The Long Flight Home" (available for download here: http://www.animationsource.org/talespin ... &nump=1201 ) he tells Molly that he doesn't even remember his parents, suggesting the died/disappeared when he was still very young. Of course, even though it is a Disney comic, it's not considered series canon. (At least not by the creators.)

Actually it's Molly who said that her father "di..." (eh, good trick )
Yes, Jymn said they weren't in touch with the comics creators - which doesn't prevent them from being good ones though.


Neither do I; I remember watching Ducktales, I had only slight memories of Talespin. (surprisingly, the only two episodes I have some memories of are "Pizza pie in the skie" and "Flying dupes" - which probably wasn't banned in France) To tell the truth I didn't care much about the "new" characters (which is stupid)

This thread helps prove why TaleSpin worked so well; we all have a very personal appreciation for the show. It's emotional, deep, has wonderful characters and voices, and really solid storytelling as well as top-notch animation. TaleSpin has never felt like a "disposable" cartoon series; it's not cheap or shallow entertainment.

I've discussed this elsewhere, but Kit had such a big impact on me when I was going through a rough period that I give a lot of credit to him for helping me try harder and really work on improving my art skills and life in general. That isn't a fluke; it's the effect of a very deep and carefully created personality. And that's just one character out of many. The main ones are all very complex; Baloo, Rebecca, Don Karnage (he's got more than meets the eye, I think), Shere Khan, etc.

Steet, you'd mentioned that the original [Disney's] Jungle Book wasn't nearly as complicated as TaleSpin and I have to agree for the most part. The Rudyard Kipling stories about the Jungle Book were even more different than the Disney version, but it all has a "chain" in a way; Kipling's version was very powerful and brutal to help describe the dangers and uncertainties of the wild, especially for humans during a time when the world was becoming industrialized (he tried to show how as a relatively new animal, we humans needed to find ourselves and prepare for a different way of life than those of the wild). Disney then adapted and made thier version more "contemperary" with adding humor and hip-ness while keeping the characters true to the originals. Then TaleSpin took that further and changed the themes to fit what is relevant today; like complicated family, political and social issues while keeping it fun and friendly. The only spin-off that didn't work as well was the "Jungle Cubs" series. I think that happened not only from TaleSpin's success, but there were a lot of "baby" or "kid" versons of popular cartoon characters at the time (Tiny Toons, Baby Disney/Loony Tunes, and a few years before, "Muppet Babies"). The characters were cute and the show tried to go back to the Kipling morals about growing up, but it didn't have the depth that TaleSpin created.

Oh, and I'd forgot to mention that Chuck Jones (animation director) also made a version of the Jungle Book called "Mogli's Brothers" which was made around the time he did "The Phantom Toll Booth", "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" (also a Kipling story I think) and the "Raggedy Ann and Andy" films. I was lucky to find the VHS tape of Mogli's Brothers about 15 years ago in a used movie sale. It's very dark and pretty intense, but he wanted to capture the mood that the original Kipling stories created.

Sorry this got off subject, but since it's all relative to the Jungle Book, I thought to mention it...

That's interesting info. I'll have to read the "Jungle book"...book one day...
Though Talespin and Jungle book are still totally different to me...

I remember that when I was watching this show (the reruns, I was just born when it first startd to air XD) and it was at the height of my wanting to be a pilot. And man this cartoon, along with SwatKats, really pushed me to strive for that dream. Now that dream shattered and turned into a virtual pilot lol.

Anyway, I don't remember anything else that pulled me into the show aside from the airplane aspect when I was a kid. Now, years later, I realize just how much more I loved this show. There was that character believability as in how they portray their characteristics and how their behavior puts a twist in the situation their in, as well as the drama between characters and the lives they lived I also find very special. Down to the voice acting work, which I find that Disney almost always has the best guys for the job, is superb. Just by the sound alone I can really imagine that Kit is a twelve year old kid. I remember especially when his voice cracks in Last Horizon while shouting Baloo's name in glee. Yeah, it's obvious that I like the characters in themselves a whole lot. In fact I wrote about Kit's personality for my General Psychology class, something I, if at all, rarely do. That's just how special I find TaleSpin. I watch it years ago. Watchign it again now, I find new things that it all the more special. Yeah I believe this is the embodiment of "For All-Ages" XD

I have a feeling this post was a little unorganized. Sorry about that if it's a bother.