Television Review: Out of Jimmy's Head
What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that this follow-up series to the
Cartoon Network's original movie
Re-Animated continues the story of a tween who can see
and communicate with cartoon characters. While the adult
characters are still a bit detached (mom's always busy with her
space travels, and dad is a junior high counselor so out of
touch that he could use some counseling of his own), the main
character is now slightly more confident and able to stand up
against peer pressure. Parents may not buy into the far-fetched
plot, but there's nothing here, content-wise, to keep tweens
from tuning in.
Families can talk about what it's like to get picked on by
peers. Tweens: Have you ever been the brunt of jokes from
classmates? How did it feel? How did you respond to it? Did it
affect your self-confidence or make you look at yourself
differently? Do you usually judge yourself by others' standards
or your own? Have you ever picked on anyone else? If so, what
made you do it? Why do you think people are so judgmental of
others? Families who've seen
Re-Animated can compare the movie and the show. Which do
you like better, and why?
Based on the Cartoon Network's original movie Re-Animated, OUT OF JIMMY'S HEAD continues the story of junior high student Jimmy Roberts (Dominic Janes), whose life was forever changed when a brain transplant gave him the mind of cartoon mogul Milt Appleday -- and the ability to see and communicate with the cartoon characters Appleday created. The series picks up shortly after the movie's end. Jimmy's life has settled into a routine now that he's gotten used to the constant interruptions of his cartoon entourage. Whether Jimmy is at home, at school, or at play, Golly (voiced by Carlos Alazraqui), Dolly (Ellen Greene), Tux (Tom Kenny), and the rest of the animated gang are always ready to shake things up, making Jimmy stand out among his peers (from their vantage point, it looks like he's talking to himself) and turning him into a frequent target for their ridicule. Only his best friend, Craig (Jon Kent Ethridge II), and his secret crush, Robin (Tinashe Kashingwe), know the truth about his unique ability.
As if a constant barrage of cartoon personalities wasn't enough, Jimmy's family makes his animated friends look almost normal. His astronaut mom is in outer space (literally and figuratively), his adopted alien sister has little to do with him, and his dad (who's also a counselor at Jimmy's school) thinks the best way to resolve his son's popularity problems is by drawing maximum attention to them. To top it all off, Appleday's ne'er-do-well son Sonny (Matt Knudsen), who lives with the Roberts family, hasn't given up on forcibly extracting Jimmy's cartoon visions in his quest for success in the family business. With all this mayhem, it will be a wonder if Jimmy survives junior high in one piece.
Tweens who enjoyed Re-Animated will no doubt be glad to tune into Jimmy's continuing adventures. Aside from the outlandish plot and exaggerated characters (which account for much of the show's comedy), there's nothing here that's likely to concern parents; that said, the series is equally lacking in quality content -- it's just fun fluff. It is worth noting that the show is an improvement on the movie in terms of Jimmy's increased confidence and ability to fend off peer pressure, which is certainly a welcome change.
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