3 Swirlies

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikf4PBxuu4Y

Interesting.

It looks like the animation studio that does Happy Tree Friends is trying to branch out into something new. This 10 minute video features three shorter videos; “Weaponized Animal Regiment”, “Buddhist Monkey” and “Mole in the City.” They are all very different, but still have that blood and guts and violence Happy Tree Friends style of comedy. It feels more like a programming block than a series.

I wonder if they felt they were running out of ideas for Happy Tree Friends, and they wanted to move on to other concepts? This one’s called “Alpha” and the next one is called “Beta” which makes me wonder if these are only test episodes to see how the internet audience would react. Maybe the three different series will change based on feedback, or maybe “Beta” will feature different characters. We’ll have to watch the next one to find out.

I kinda feel the same way about these cartoons as I do about Happy Tree Friends, they’re really well done and super polished but the gags are all just blood and violence. I have nothing against blood and violence, but for me the jokes feel repetitive.

The first one, Weaponized Animal Regiment, reminded me most of Happy Tree Friends. I feel like they were trying to give it a formula, with Flippy ruining the mission and getting everyone killed and then his split personality taking over and giving everyone around him a beat down. I didn’t really understand Buddhist Monkey, and I’m not sure I was supposed to. It is essentially a parody of martial arts films. There’s a shadowy bad guy, and an assassin sent to kill Buddhist Monkey and they fight. All that I get. But then the Pig Assassin’s wicker bowl/hat turns into a crab monster? I’m confused. And finally, Mole in the City made me think of spy vs. spy, maybe just because the bad guy’s a rat. I felt like it was the least like Happy Tree Friends, in that there was less violence and more caper type fun.

All in all, I guess my sense of humour just isn’t the same as the guys behind Happy Tree Friends. I’m more of a Moolt guy, I suppose. But I am interested in this experiment in new shows, so we’ll check into Ka-Pow Beta when we get a chance here on The Watch List.

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3 Swirlies

Parts 1 & 2:

Click here to view the embedded video.

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The tales of a hapless super hero.

Happy Tree Friends is an institution, always good for a chuckle. One thing I like is their commitment to their story – everything that happens has consequences. Consequences that invariably involve a cute cartoon character revealing their internal organs.

The animation is great, but there’s rarely anything in the way of surprises. Cause you know that whatever is happening, it is going to blast, slice and otherwise pulverize the nearest character.

Happy Tree Friends “From Hero to Eternity”

2 Swirlies

Click here to view the embedded video.

It is hard to make a gag in only 18 seconds, but this one didn’t grab me.

Still, as their YouTube logo says, Happy Tree Friends is YouTube’s Most Viewed Animation. If you like your Happy Tree Friends, here’s more for you to enjoy!

Happy Tree Friends Break – Take Your Seat

5 Swirlies!

Uh… wow. It’s an interactive episode.

Through the magic of YouTube annotations, you get to help Lumpy with a card trick. The mechanics behind the illusion are pretty easy if you think about it (and many commentators will helpfully explain it to you) but it is still fun and well done.

I also like that each of the six endings has its own unique fun visual gag after the trick is done. And yes, I did play the trick four times.

Super short, but very enjoyable! It’s nice to see Happy Tree Friends do something very different from the formula they have grown into. I’m giving it 5 Swirlies on the idea alone. But I don’t think it’ll end up in the Friday Playlist…

Happy Tree Friends “Lumpy’s Lame Card Trick”

2 Swirlies

[NOTE: This is marked as under 5 minutes because of the length of each part. Taken together they are longer.]

Some Happy Tree Friends just grab me and some don’t. In this one, Sniffles pulls an “Increadible Journey” and shrinks a sub down to fight an infection. I love the angry viruses he comes across – and I chuckles at the gags when the sub’s timer ran out and he started growing while still inside the victim’s body.

But we take a long time to get there – the episode is posted in two parts. I find that Happy Tree Friends relies heavily on the gross factor – and where it underscores a good joke it works. When it is the joke, not so much.

What do you think? Am I being an old fuddy duddy? Is seeing chunks of brains enough to make you snort your milk?

Part two of the episode is below. Who’s making it easy for you? The Watcher, that’s who!

Happy Tree Friends – “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”

2 Swirlies

Mime needs a job!

Part 1 of 5, Mime to Five chronicles the attempts by a mime to find gainful employment.

The jokes are mostly based on the fact that mimes can’t talk, and they pretend to act out things instead of actually doing them.

There’s a few chuckles, but nothing I would say that makes this installment stand out. Maybe the next 4 parts will have what this one is missing?

Keep watching this space!

Happy Tree Friends – Mime to Five (Part 1)

4 Swirlies

34 seconds!

Back in my sketch comedy days, this is what we used to call a blackout, one short gag and then you’re out.

Happy Tree Friends Break is a shorter version of the internet staple series, Happy Tree Friends. And this one is a good one.

If you want a quick laugh, watch this. If you’re prone to seizures, you can view it as a cautionary tale…

Happy Tree Friends Break – Seize The Day

3 Swirlies

Brilliant ending.

Happy Tree Friends is something of a webseries institution. This latest episode involves trying to stay cool on a hot day… an attempt that goes horribly wrong.

I gotta say, it takes a while to get going. The first half or so isn’t so great but the second half is when things take off. The ending is awesome, both comedically and conceptually.I love it when something surprises me and then feels like a natural progression.

To tell you the truth, Happy Tree Friends has been around so long I was surprised to see they’re still doing new stuff. Which leads me to wonder…

Can a webseries jump the shark? Let us know what you think in the comments below!

Happy Tree Friends – Swelter Shelter