By Malice Intended

Friday: The Complete Animated Series chronicles the humorous misadventures of Craig and Smokey in their South Central Los Angeles neighborhood. As the two spend their days and nights meandering aimlessly about, they find themselves at the center of some truly strange goings on.  Along for the bizarre ride are Deebo, Mr. Jones, and other supporting characters from the Friday films.

Friday: The Complete Animated Series transitions the characters and situations made familiar to us from the Friday movies into the world of animation.  Since this series originally aired on MTV2, it is not afforded much leeway in regards to drug references and strong language.  It retains the spirit of the live action films, yet falls well short of being as satisfying as even the least of them.

The character designs go for broad caricature and the animation is the most basic you will find this side of South Park.  In that sense, the series is in keeping with the spirit of the films themselves, which never pretended to be examples of sophisticated humor.  The bright color palette employed by the animators adds the surreal atmosphere, making the world of Craig and Smokey a comedy universe unto itself.  Computer enhanced sheen makes everything seem a bit more polished than it actually is.

The budgetary constraints are not the only limitations that are evident.  Because show was created for basic cable, the more profane and raunchy elements of the films have been excised.  Still, the humor maintains a politically incorrect tone despite its boundaries.  It even manages to sneak in some sly commentary on various issues.  Gross out moments are plentiful.  That it does so, without a hint of subtlety, can hardly be held against it, as that was never a hallmark of the films.

Though the tone is consistent, the humor is anything but.  The jokes are hit and miss.  The show was obviously conceived as a spin off of the films.  It isn’t the least bit concerned with appealing to anyone who falls outside of those parameters.  There is nothing of interest here for people who are not familiar with at least one of the Friday movies.  Even for the devoted, it will be passing amusement.  None of the episodes lend themselves repeat viewings.

Friday: The Complete Animated Series collects all eight episodes in a single volume.  The show was produced in association with Ice Cube’s production company Cubevision. All episodes were directed by Kevin Lofton and the cast is made up of recognizable voice actors such as Phil Lamarr and Khary Payton.  The cast does a decent job of mimicking the vocals of Ice Cube, Chris Tucker and John Witherspoon.  This helps us to accept animated versions of well known actors.    

The DVD itself is bare bones.  Nary a special feature is to be found.  As supplemental materials have become routine for event for even the most seemingly undeserving of titles, this seems rather odd.  At the very least, a short behind the scenes documentary would have provided ample insight into the creation process.  Cartoons featuring predominantly black casts aren’t exactly in abundance, and even a tiny peak behind the curtain would have been welcome.  It also leaves a question mark as to how much input Ice Cube himself had beyond signing off on it.

Friday: The Complete Animated Series is mildly amusing but consistently mediocre.  It can’t measure up to the consistent belly laughs provided by the films.  Moments of inspiration and charm are few and far between.  It is a mediocre time passer the likes of which Craig and Smokey would probably have come up with.  It is an accessory item for completists.  Casual fans of the series will be better off watching their DVD copy of the original cult classic.

 Out of 5

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