A Doonesbury Special

I enjoyed this short from the 70s as much as I've enjoyed any animated cartoon. The key players from the strip at that time are all there -- Mike, B.D., Boopsie, Joanie, Mark, Zonker -- and even some personal favorite minor characters, like Jimmy Thudpucker, make an appearance.

The premise is simple: The characters reflect on how the turbulent socio-political climate of the past decade has changed them. What ensues is an episodic, heart-warming and hilarious series of flashbacks and current events including B.D.'s offensive line engaging in philosophical discussions with their backs pinned against the goal line and the aforementioned Thudpucker doing his best Bob Dylan impression. It's an amazingly faithful translation of the comic strip, the likes of which we may never see again.

This is one of the best pieces of animation I own. I don't necessarily mean in the quality of the art (though it is perfect; fans of the comic strip will be pleased). The script, the themes, everything is excellent. Characters are true to their life, and a central theme runs throughout - namely, the onset of the 1970s and the end of the 60s.

I've said before that this short film makes me nostalgic for a time and a place I never was. Indeed, I was born in 1972 and it is with some amusement that I realize that the young children at the day care center are *my* generation and demographic; when this movie was released I, myself, was in nursery school.

Although I come from a family seemingly untouched by the 60s, the era, for reasons I fail to completely understand, placed an indelible mark on my psyche; in a sense I carry a chip on my shoulder for being born 20 years too late. Feels like I should have been there. But who knows what it was *really* like. I wish I knew more people who were active participants in the era. I want to understand how we get from then, to now. I'm 30 now, and have so many questions about this, an era that has been reduced to absurdity and image. I know there was more to it. Where has everybody gone?

However, this movie makes me wonder what it would have been like to have been there when the whole era came to an end. The movie starts with Zonker suggesting that the commune be dissolved. It proceeds with reminiscing about "the good old days" of activism, protest, and rebellion, and tries to reconcile the past with the present, the onset of adulthood, and more mundane concerns.

Like the excellent comic strip, this movie is humorous with serious underlying themes. I've always admired the ability of people like Trudeau to be able to walk that line, and this film does so admirably. There's much excess in the 60s to ridicule (the football scene in the film, with Zonker stoned on the field, is hilarious), but there's also something precious and valuable about it, and while the film has fun with it, it's never outright mocked. I appreciated that.

Frankly, I wouldn't change a thing. It is worth tracking down. I wonder if we'll ever have an option to buy this on DVD. It truly is one of my favorite things, ever.

Fans of the cool Jimmy Thudpucker soundtrack will be happy to know that the songs featured in the film are available for download legally as mp3s from doonesbury.com

Do yourself a favor and make a little extra effort to locate this one. It's really been a long time since anyone endeavored to do something of this quality and substance in animation.

Summoned from the pool for his dinner, "Zonker" watches a bit of "Thudpucker" on the television before settling down to a dinner prepared by "Mike" that might just be lasagne. It's an extension of this quizzicality that starts to evaluate the changes in society that have occurred since their earlier lives sharing just about everything. Is that era truly finished? Is that even their concern any more? What is worth fighting for nowadays? Steeping in more reminiscences accompanied by some sort of Bob Dylan-esque folky ballads, we take a trip (literally, I think) into their tear-gassed past; play some American football and listen to an increasingly meandering, anodyne and frankly quite annoying tirade of dialogue that I found just a bit too contrived and not at all funny. Spaced out or timed out? I didn't really care after ten minutes of this overlong depiction of things "totally incoherent". It might well resonate better with US audiences, but not being one of those I found it all a bit facile. Sorry, but my heart and mind was elsewhere, especially when it went into philosophical crêche mode followed but the worst parody of a nativity play I've ever experienced. As ever with Hubley animations, there is a quality of animated continuity that cleverly reflects the narrative - there's just way too much of that chat.

Nominated rightfully for Best Animated Short, the theme is close to "Jonah Who Will Be 25 In the Year 2000" -- what happened to the civil rights movement of the 60's into the 70's.

Things change, as Zonker says at the end. Things evolve. It's a pity this short doesn't get more attention.

I'm quite a fan of John and Faith Hubley, whose animated films have an air of free-wheeling improvisation. 'The Hole (1962)' and 'Windy Day (1968)' are essentially casual conversations, captured on tape and brought to life through the artists' simple and dreamy visuals. 'A Doonesbury Special (1977)' has a more solid narrative grounding, having been adapted from what I gather to be a popular American political comic strip, "Doonesbury." The creator of the comic strip, Garry Trudeau, is also credited as director (and John Hubley passed away while the film was still in its storyboarding stage).

The film opens in the 1970s, as the hippie-era was dying a slow death. The residents of a commune, having become accustomed to a lazy, hollow lifestyle, are surprised when scruffy free-thinker Zonker suddenly declares their way of life "passé" and recommends that they disband. This proclamation leads the group to reminisce about old times – including a concert featuring musical hero Jimmy Thudpucker (clearly modelled on Bob Dylan) which accidentally deteriorates into violence, and a college football game repeatedly interrupted by the team members' penchant for marijuana and existentialist philosophy. The characters in the film must learn to accept that their era has come to a close, and that they must make way for future generations.