Welcome to Elwood City Central Forum! If you haven't already, we encourage you to sign up and join in the fun of discussing the Arthur franchise!




Author Topic: The Long, Dull Winter  (Read 721 times)

A Lotta Moms

  • In Mr. Ratburn's class
  • **
  • Posts: 199
    • View Profile
The Long, Dull Winter
« on: January 01, 2014, 01:48:10 pm »
This has got to be one of my favorites.  It featured so much goodness in a single fifteen-minute blast:

1.  Francine spontaneously breaking out in song and showing off her impressive, curiously grown-up singing voice for a span of about 40 seconds. 
2.  Maria prominently and quite happily playing hopscotch.
3.  The utterly incomprehensible art film that Arthur and Buster walked out on while discussing their plans.  Anybody else catch the 2001 Space Odyssey homage?
4.  Fatass Buster.
5.  And of course...Pooooonyyyy Daaaaaaay...

Ah, happier times.  If only they still made 'em this good.  :'(
http://theslumsofelwood.forumotion.com

"Mommy, what's wrong with Buster?"

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter


JAO93

  • New Kid at Lakewood
  • *
  • Posts: 35
  • Location: Wisconsin
    • View Profile
Re: The Long, Dull Winter
« Reply #1 on: January 08, 2014, 07:49:08 am »
I feel Arthur's lost its touch. Episodes like the one you cited were pretty much what made Arthur itself.
The slightly deranged animal people world where all the kids learned how to get along with one another - it was quaint. Not extremely deep, but charming enough.

I think the problem was they tried keeping the same format after they've used up all potential storyboards - instead of trying anything new past the 5th season, they decided to rehash most of the series without adding much to it. Arthur and the others are perpetual third graders, continuity is loose at best, the same storyboards used up already were done over and over again, mixing and matching characters used per plot. The decline in animation quality (FLASH) didn't help matters. Arthur was never "The Prince of Egypt", but it did had fairly nice animation and style compared to other shows of the period.
« Last Edit: January 08, 2014, 07:51:38 am by JAO93 »

Bionic Bunny

  • Guest
Re: The Long, Dull Winter
« Reply #2 on: February 02, 2014, 12:21:55 pm »
I think it's too bad that not only has Arthur lost its touch,PBS refuses to rerun the greats like this one anymore.

Snowth Woogle

  • Aquaintance of Arthur
  • ***
  • Posts: 419
  • Location: The Sugar Bowl
    • View Profile
    • The Joseph Scarbrough Universe
Re: The Long, Dull Winter
« Reply #3 on: February 13, 2014, 04:27:24 pm »
This has always been one of my favorite episodes too... it really spoke to kids, because let's be honest, haven't we all wanted to invent our own holidays as kids?

My city actually does have its own holiday every year, we call it Boomsday; it's the Sunday before Labor Day, and it's basically like an encore of July 4, we have a big fireworks show downtown, basically as a way of officially concluding summer with a bang.

I stretch like a snake, and I shimmy and shake, and I bounce like a ball, and I say something cute when you give me a squeeze!

A Lotta Moms

  • In Mr. Ratburn's class
  • **
  • Posts: 199
    • View Profile
Re: The Long, Dull Winter
« Reply #4 on: February 13, 2014, 10:29:40 pm »
Another thing I particularly love about this episode is that it feels much longer than just 15 minutes.  It feels almost like an hour-long special, and probably due to the fact that it involves multiple feature songs.  It makes me wonder if this episode wasn't originally planned as an hour-long special, but eventually got cropped down.

Happy Anniversary is another one that achieved a strangely epic feel due to the story involving so many different, rapidly-changing and almost dreamlike scenarios.
http://theslumsofelwood.forumotion.com

"Mommy, what's wrong with Buster?"

Sebeya

  • New Kid at Lakewood
  • *
  • Posts: 2
    • View Profile
Re: The Long, Dull Winter
« Reply #5 on: April 24, 2018, 11:15:40 pm »
It is very useful. I like this forum very much.