Le avventure di Jackie Chan

Well, you see I'm more of an anime fan. So this is the best American cartoon ever made, and i've notice that they did pay some tribute for anime which is a big improvement over the lousy Totally Spies.

As for it being a fictional Celebrity-based Cartoon, I've never thought any of the Celebrity based cartoons would even match with the MR.T cartoon. But as usual Jackie Chan proves that no one makes a better real-life superhero than him. It also one of my three favorite Waner Bros. cartoons ever made, the other 2 being Static Shock and Road Rovers.

This show is a must see for both cartoon fans and Jackie Chan fans.

I used to love watching this show as a kid and since I found it again on DVD at the ripe old age of 25 I decided to give it another whirl! Jackie Chan Adventures follows Jackie Chan, his Uncle (Uncle), and his niece (Jade) as they try to protect the world against the forces of evil. What really sets this show apart from others is its villains usually have some sort of middle eastern background without falling into the trap of the typical white wrongdoer. It is probably the main reason why I still have so many distinct memories from episodes of this show, which gave me a major sense of nostalgia as I watched it.

I used to - and still - love Jackie Chan. He is such a brilliant actor, but also comes across as a guy who is down to earth, genuine and fun. This is something that really comes through in the TV show. The shows are well written and their plots are well-conceived. If any actor could be portrayed as a (super)hero in their own right, Jackie Chan is that guy! At the end of every episode we also have the added treat of the real-life Jackie being asked questions by kids. From 'what is your favourite food?' to 'how many types of martial arts do you know?', there are plenty of questions! What I also loved about it was that Jackie tended to go off on a tangent for most questions and never really answered them...

Of course, much of the humour is directed for a younger audience, but there were still many jokes that made me giggle! Indeed, there was even some adult humour littered across episodes that are probably for the benefit of many parents who end up watching it with their children.

Aside from their humour, many of the episodes have a few strong key messages, such as the importance of family, friendship, being truthful and so on. Again, many cartoons lack this element altogether, or fall on the opposite end of the spectrum and are no longer fun to watch. Jackie Chan Adventures somehow gets into this middle ground and this is another thing that really sets it apart from other cartoons.

Of course, this show is not perfect. Some of the jokes got repetitive and the goofy nature of Jackie sometimes put the episode a bit off-balance. I also felt that season 2 (demon doors) was a bit of a slump for the show as it really did not give each of the demons enough facetime. Since some of them were quite interesting, having them on-screen for 5 minutes before they were dragged back to their prison felt a bit lacklustre.

Taken together, Jackie Chan Adventures is a great show. It is not only fun to watch as a child, as I still enjoyed watching it as an adult! If you are looking for a cartoon for your child to watch this would be a great one. It is diverse, well-conceived and solves the dilemma of making cartoons educational without making them boring. As Uncle would say, 'Haaaachaaaaaaaa!'

I'll be the first to admit that I thought this was a very bad idea when I'd first heard of it. I mean, a cartoon based on a celebrity? I laughed when I thought of Billy Baldwin Adventures. But thank the good heavens that the people behind this production know how to take a crappy concept and turn it into one of the better cartoons out there. The action is good and fast without looking ridiculous, the humor is pretty good, and the directing job is great. I also like the fact that Jacky Chan himself is not showboating. Most of the time, he actually gets his behind whupped and humiliated.

Now don't take my summary in a bad way. I like Jackie Chan a lot, I think he is very talented at what he does, and I was intrigued when I saw this. The concept was hokey to me at first, but when it came to seeing the show I was impressed with how it turned out. The story lines are somewhat original and don't feel formulaic or predictable, and the writing is funny and intelligent. Then we have the animation, the backgrounds are unique and the colours unusual but really nice, but I have to say the action/stunt sequences turned out brilliantly. And I like the characters, Jackie is a great character, he is loyal, determined and brave, and the villains are fun, especially Hak Foo(brilliantly voiced by Jim Cummings). And the voice acting is very well done, very dynamic and expressive. I do agree though the first half of the show is better than the second, the second wasn't bad, but I felt there were episodes when it focused a little too much on Jade. Don't get me wrong Jade is very cute and funny, but there needed to be more of a balance between her and Jackie, I got the sense sometimes Jackie was merely a side character on occasions during that occasion. Overall, a surprisingly enjoyable show that made the most of its concept. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Jackie Chan temporarily retires from the Martial Arts film world to help his Uncle in archaeology. He comes across twelve talismans that give the user spectacular powers. The sinister Niles Valmont and his suave squad of foes, Chow, Finn, Ratso, Hak Foo the Black Tiger, and Tohru want the talismans to appease the sinister dragon demon Shan Do and his glee club, the Shadowkhan.

Whoa.

Darn good thing he has hyperactive niece Jade on his side and back up from Section 13's Captain Black, Mexican luchador El Toro and sexy thief Viper. Darn good thing for ME that this cartoon is here! All the Jackie Chan-ness without that excess ghoulash his movies give me. Spectacular performances from James Sie, who's the perfect Jackie, Shan Do and Chow. Is Stacy Chan related? She's cool as Jade. And another thing. . . Sab Shimono's Uncle is very good! Clancy Brown(as Capt. Black) plays his coolest bald guy since Lex Luthor. Julian Sands, Adam Baldwyn, Jim Cummings and Noah Nelson should take a bow for their evil performances(Noah moreso because his Tohru's on our side, now). You also learn everything you need to know about Jackie Chan in live segments. If you don't want to have a bad day bad day bad day bad day bad day, etc., etc., then see this cartoon! And another thing. . . It's a whole lot of fun!