Squirrel Boy (pronounced with a pause because it’s about a squirrel and a boy, not one creature) is the newest series on Cartoon Network. Until I actually watched an episode with the opening credits, there was something about the show’s animated style nagging at the back of my mind. When the show’s creator and executive producer was revealed to be Everett Peck, then I knew why its look was familiar. Peck created and developed the Duckman comic strip which became USA’s attempt at a hit animated show ten years ago. I suppose Peck has mellowed because this Squirrel Boy is for kids and Duckman never was.
How is it? I like it so far but I think it needs more time for the characters to develop into their own. Currently, the personalities and interactions of Andy Johnson [Pamela Adlon, Bobby from King of the Hill] and Rodney J. Squirrel [Richard Horvitz, Zim from Invader Zim] are almost carbon copies of Mack and Bloo from Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends. Bloo and Rodney are self-centered and not too bright. Mack and Andy are generous with a parent that greatly dislikes the non-human buddy. Personally, I think the odds favor this show moving out from under the shadow of Foster’s just as Jimmy Neutron did with Dexter’s Lab thanks to it having some of the A-list voice actors in the cast: Billy West, Carlos Alazraqui, Tom Kenny and Kurtwood Smith (yes, Red Foreman from That Seventies Show, but he doesn’t call Rodney a “dumbass.”)