18 years later, I learn Rocko’s Modern Life is … OK – CartoonClack

I grew up in the ’90s, the golden age of Nickelodeon. And boy was I a fan! Rugrats, Doug, CatDog, The Angry Beavers, KaBlam … all swell shows that I remember fondly. But for some reason, Rocko’s Modern Life never clicked with me. I was never sure why, but I watched a handful of episodes at the time and I never got into it like the rest of the Nicktoons of the time. Maybe it was because the animation was a little too Ren and Stimpy-like, which is another cartoon that never really kept my interest.

When the Rocko’s Modern Life season 2 DVD (which comes out today) got to me this past week to review, I figured this was the perfect time to really look at this series that I put aside when I was younger. But the truth is, as big a fan base as this show has … it’s just alright. That’s not to say it was bad, because I enjoyed parts of it and the 2nd half of the season was far, far better than the first in terms of both animation and writing. Honestly, the last 5 episodes of the DVD set feel like a completely different show and were much more enjoyable. “Crusin'” in particular was a fun full-episode plot involving Rocko accidentally stranded on a single seniors cruise. Still, I just don’t find myself as engaged in Rocko as much as other cartoons of the time. It’s pretty good and even had a few moments of great towards the end of the set, but I’m still not as enthusiastic about it as the cult fanbase of adults my age. Could it be because I don’t have that high level of nostalgia for the series? Maybe.

The writing staff of the show included some of the creators of future hit cartoon shows, including Stephen Hillenburg and Mr. Lawrence (Spongebob Squarepants) and Dan Povenmire and Jeff “Swampy” Marsh (Phineas and Ferb). And I catch traces of both later shows’ humor in Rocko, which is why I did end up liking parts of the show. Heck, Spongebob and Rocko are really similar setups (and they both share voice actor Tom Kenny), with Spongebob the character being a more manic version of the wide-eyed Rocko on his own for the first time. As much as I liked their influences on Rocko, I just don’t think either pair of writing partners had gotten to their prime level yet, which is why the show seems … just OK.

For you die hard fans who are wondering about special features … you don’t get much. The 2nd disc has the original pilot, which was interesting but short. The only other special features are series creator Joe Murray drawing each of the main characters … which would be great if they weren’t obviously taken from Murray’s blog since each video mentions this being posted on his blog. While finding out Heffer’s body is based on fast food shapes (hamburger for his body, hot dog for his mouth) is interesting, it would be nice to have actual original content for the DVD considering it’s listed as $20.

When it comes down to it, the show is better than I expected, but reviewing season 2 hasn’t made me a hardcore fan. If you like the more surreal art styles in Adult Swim’s lineup and (more-or-less) kid appropriate humor, I’d suggest checking out Rocko’s Modern Life on Netflix Instant before you shell out money for the DVD. If you’re a die-hard fan of the show, I’d still probably suggest just watching the whole series on Netflix due to the set’s lack of compelling special features … unless you feel absolutely compelled to collect every season of your favorite cartoon of your youth.

Clacked by Katie Schenkel
on Feb 07, 2012 @ 10:30 EST5EDT