The Sissy Duckling

Guy Gilchrist published a "Silly Shape Book" in 1989 titled "Strummer, the One-of-a-Kind Duck." I've always loved it and have thought it should be made into a production of some sort, and last night saw "The Sissy Duckling" on HBO. WOW! I liked it. It expanded on the theme of the small board book, but the music was sweet and the voices were great. All children should grow up knowing the lesson of these stories. Hurray for the self esteem builders!

I get tired of my 4 and 5 year old daughters constantly being subjected to watch Nickelodeon, Disney and the like. It all seems to be the same old tired cartoons rehashed over and over again. When my daughters couldn't go to the fair this afternoon because one of them was sick, I wanted them to just relax and rest for a while. I flipped the TV on and in searching for something different, I flipped the channels. My finger stopped channel surfing the moment I heard Harvey's voice. I adore every single solitary thing this man has done and when I saw that he was doing voice-over work for a little duck ... well, I couldn't change the channel! My daughters were instantly mesmerized by the cartoon and the more we watched the show TOGETHER, the more I grew to love it along with the message that was being portrayed. It's not necessarily a proponent for "gay rights" but rather for anyone who has ever been ostracized as a child for ANYTHING. I had friends who were picked on for one thing or another .... too fat, too skinny, too feminine, being a bully, not being smart enough, only having one parent .... you name it! Kids, as a rule, can be very very cruel to one another so I was happy to see an entertaining cartoon that actually conveyed a LIFE MESSAGE to its audience. My girls already accept others as they are and don't pick on others for being different. My older daughter actually stands up for her friends if they're picked on (one happens to have a single Mom and that little girl is picked on quite often -- it warms my heart when Kassie stands up for her!).

So, those of you who are condemning this show because you feel that it's an advocate for "gay rights" or are being forced to "accept certain views", you clearly and completely missed the point of this poignant little cartoon.

And if you need it explained to you .... well, you need more help than any television show could ever offer.

I saw this by accident one lazy summer afternoon. It was playing on the family programming channel of HBO. At first I was drawn in, by what I thought was a Disney animation. But then, after a few minutes, I found myself searching for the remote, so I could find the 'INFO BUTTON', to find out what in the world was on my TV. I have nothing against Harvey F., I enjoy him in many of his films, but one thing he is not, is a voice-over artist. Sure he has one of the more unique voices in Hollywood, but it works only as a part of a bigger visual package. Attaching his voice to a cute duck made watching somewhat difficult. As for the rest of the cast, uninspired. I suppose working on this film didn't appeal to the really good voice over talent out there.

So, weak voice talent, strong animation...who was this film targeting? Gay adolescent ducks? I don't get it. Is there really such a dearth of role-models for young up and coming homosexuals, that we must resort to animated ducks? Cute story, and like the title, this movie I found hard to love, just like an ugly duckling.

I just wish the voice actors were better cast. Harvey Fierstein was NOT a good choice, at all, for Elmer's voice. It was waaaaaay to distractedly raspy. Not AT ALL believable that a duckling would even have this kind of voice. Unless that was part of the point of Elmer being different. But, I believe as Ferstein is a homosexual, that the story was more about homosexual tolerance. (Or specifically, his own story) The name "sissy" could be argued that it was used to make a better point, as opposed to, say "fatty". Not that I have no issues with subjects, like homosexuality, but the voice actors just made it hard to take the story seriously. Harvey Ferstein's singing didn't help at all, either. While I was listening to this without actually watching (I'm typing this while the movie playing midway going towards the end) I could not even imagine that a duckling was talking. All u could hear was Ferstein. Even Ed Asner got corny. But, as for tolerance stories, it was pretty smart. But, the voice actors needed to offer better performances. Even for 1999.

I have to say I totally loved the movie. It had it's funny moments, some heartwarming parts, just all around good. Me, personally, really liked the movie because it's something that finally i can relate to my childhood. This movie, in my opinion, is geared more towards the young gay population. It shows how a young gay boy would be treated while growing up. All the taunting, name-calling, and not knowing is something I, like most other young feminine boys, will always remember, and now finally a movie that illustrates how hard it really is to grow up gay. So, I would definitely recommend seeing this movie. Probably shouldn't really watch it until a person is old and mature enough to understand it