Super Mario World

Not as good as the first and second show. I feels off for some reason. Like as if the story is stale.

Super Mario World is the final cartoon DiC would make based on the Super Mario Bros. Series of video games, as at the time the series aired as a package alongside the third and final season of Captain N, the Children's Televsion Act would pass, requiring more educational content, and worst of all, the year it premiered would be the last year for NBC to air Saturday Morning cartoons, as after the season, it would do away with the practice in favor of a block aimed at teens with live-action sitcoms in the vein of Saved By the Bell.

Based on the Super Nintendo game that most people will remember as it came with most consoles, Super Mario World sees Mario, Luigi, and Princess Toadstool leave the Mushroom Kingdom and take a vacation in Dome City, a town populated by cavepeople in Dinosaur World, after finally banishing King Koopa and his Koopa Kids. However, the Koopa family is in Dinosaur World, and they are not about to let the plumbers and princess have a peaceful vacation. Therefore, the three have new adventures, this time joined by Yoshi, a dinosaur whom in one episode, was revealed to have been found by Luigi as an egg, and sometimes involving Oogtar, a brash cave boy who sometimes gets into trouble.

As I said, this series would fall victim to the times they are made in. Thanks to the Children's Television Act (a law that would eventually become one of the major factors as to why Saturday Morning Cartoons are no more), most of the episodes were written with a moral in mind in order for the show to comply with the new law (as we have episodes like Born to Ride, which is an episode about gangs, and some episode have Yoshi overcoming a certain fear, like his fear of water in Fire Sale or learning a lesson, like teamwork in the episode The Yoshi Shuffle). Immediately, this sounds like a major downgrade to the awesome adventures that were seen in The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3. Also, Princess Toadstool is changed to be more of a parental figure than a damsel in distress.

Most of the cast from the last show is here, with their actors from Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 reprising their roles. As Toad is not in this cartoon (possibly due to the character not appearing in the game it's based on), he is replaced by Yoshi, the dinosaur who was introduced in the game. However, unlike the incarnation in the video games we are used to, this incarnation is capable of speaking (referring to himself in third person sometimes), and is basically a little kid meant to be the one who learns the moral of most episodes. Also joining in some of the adventures is Oogtar, a cave boy who is exclusive to the cartoon, and in the episodes that he appears in, he gets into trouble, requiring the Marios to save him.

Also, the animation is different. As DiC decided to go to a new animation studio instead of the one they used for the first two Mario shows (as well as the Legend of Zelda cartoon), the animation will look a bit iffy compared to them, as the animation looks like it was made on the cheap (then again, it could be due to the show having a lower budget due to NBC deciding to stop airing Saturday Morning cartoons). This is an okay cartoon, as it tries to do what it can with the new laws and budget. A shame after this, DiC did not attempt to do another Mario cartoon for another network (maybe Nintendo decided not to let DiC renew their contract for licensing, being ashamed of the cartoons made), although it would mean they would move on to another video game mascot, Sonic the Hedgehog.

With this show it's a mix. It's good, yet it's bad. To start with the bad stuff, animation was really down here. Super Mario World fared okay, but Captain N was really bad when it came to animation. I can't recall the Captain N segments as well, but with Super Mario World, I remember there always being an annoying song that slowed down the show. Stories for both were okay, some lacking, but overall okay. It's good and bad.

For the longest time, I was hating this show as viewing the aspects of this show "rigged", until this year when I became completely acknowledged after I learned about what went down. First of all, the animation was done at Pacific Rams Production in China, as Chinese equipment aren't the best in the world. Secondly, this show was given stricter guidelines after Federal Commission Command enacted the Children's Television Act thing in October 1990. Notably that Princess Peach's personality was changed into a responsible adult (she was more of a coming-of-age stereotype on the predecessor) prior to Betty Boop's sexuality was seized in the mid 1930s when the Hays Office Code was enacted. Also, the potential relationships were off-limits on this show, as educational values, such as telephones, wheels, no bullying at schools, and avoid junk food, were plotted throughout. Yep, guidelines were strict as the predecessor, "The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3", is more at a 10 year old level.

I don't remember this show very much, but I remember it a little bit. I remember thinking that Yoshi was cool. In fact, I still think that.

There's one episode in particular in which we learn that Yoshi is afraid of water (in the video game, however, Yoshi has no problem with water. Also, all of Koopa's kids have completely different names than they do in the video game. Why?). But, he overcomes his fears to save a pirhana plant trapped in a melting ice cave. Isn't that cool.

I think there was an episode where Yoshi and Mario played football against Koopa's kids. That was cool too.

From what I remember, this show was good. Some episodes are available on DVD, along with a couple Legend of Zelda bonus cartoons. Mind you, those bonus Zelda cartoons are pre-Link to the Past, and for some reason Link is portrayed as a wisecracking jerk, trying to woo the princess. I prefer the quiet guy who just went out to save his country from evil. I even prefer the big-headed, cel-shaded Link.