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Rewatching 'The Raccoons' flipped my opinion on its worth
I once found the show preachy and slow. After a recent binge, the social commentary is sharper than I recall. The animation style has a quiet charm that aged well. It's not just a simple cartoon about forest animals.
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maxh367mo ago
Remember the episode where Cyril Sneer tries to bulldoze the forest for a mall? That was a direct shot at unchecked greed, not just simple moralizing. The hand-drawn animation has a gritty texture that CGI can't match. Those detailed backgrounds in the pine forest create a real mood. The show worked because it didn't talk down to its audience. It presented complex fights about the environment and community in a way that sticks with you.
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anna_flores967mo ago
Was it really that deep though? It was a kids show from the 80s. Those messages were pretty standard for the time, not some bold stand. The hand-drawn look just dates it, which is fine, but it doesn't make it smarter. We might be reading more into it now because we're grown up. It was a good show, but calling it complex feels like a stretch.
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max417mo ago
In a 1987 interview, Kevin Gillis said the Sneer character was based on real estate developers he knew. I read that recently, and it backs up what maxh36 is saying about the show tackling greed. anna_flores96 might call it standard for the time, but the execution had bite. The hand-drawn style added to that rough, lived-in feel you don't get with smooth CGI. It's one of those shows that sticks with you because it didn't sugarcoat the conflicts.
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