Disney's recent lineup of cartoons has been substantially better than in years past. There was a time several years ago where basically EVERY new cartoon on Disney Channel was awful (Fish Hooks, Pickle and Peanut, Billy Dilly, Future-Worm, DuckTales 2017) with only a small handful of watchable ones (Star vs. The Forces of Evil, Wander Over Yonder).
However, recently, things unexpectedly changed for the better. Within the last two years alone, we've gotten the amazing Ghost & Molly McGee, the creative and endearing Chibiverse, the fun and action-packed Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur.
And while I don't like The Owl House or Amphibia as much as most do, I admit I was too harsh on them in the beginning (my old Amphibia review on here is more than proof of that).
However, there is now a black sheep on Disney's line-up: Kiff.
I thought we were well past the era of the Sanjay & Craig/Breadwinners/Pickle & Peanut school of "random/grossout/weird slang = funny." But sadly, Kiff has proven me wrong. So very, very wrong.
What is Kiff about? That's not a rhetorical question... that is an ACTUAL question. Because from what I can tell, Kiff doesn't really HAVE a plot. Much in the spirit of those terrible 2010's cartoons like Sanjay & Craig or Breadwinners, Kiff doesn't so much have a premise as it is just a bunch of random shenanigans starring the obnoxious titular squirrel and her bunny friend. Not much of a premise to speak of, really. Just a series of shenanigans and sounds. Obnoxious shenanigans and sounds.
And then there's the humor. The dreadful, unbearable "stupid/gross is funny" formula that dominated cartoons for most of the 2010's. Almost every episode I watched, I had a massive headache by the end of it from rolling my eyes so much.
The characters? Either annoying or lacking in character. Kiff is just plain irritating, and would feel right at home as a third wheel to Sanjay & Craig or SwaySway & Buhdeuce. Given how few episodes are available right now, most of the tolerable characters aren't very fleshed out, at least not yet. I will say the witch character is somewhat interesting, and besides Barry, has to be the only character that I can say I occasionally like.
The episode plots? DUUUUUMB. Dumb, dumb, dumbitty dumbitty dumb dumb dumb. I couldn't tell you what some of these episodes are even about because they're so nonsensical and aimless, such as The Fourth Bath or Kiff's on a Plane. Only a few episodes have really cohesive stories, and even fewer that are interesting or fun (the ones that come closest for me thus far are Pool Party, Kiff's Mix, and Club Book).
As for the visuals, the backgrounds are somewhat well done though a bit derivative of Adventure Time's backgrounds. And this is very jarring when coupled with the flat, uninspired looking character designs that are almost down to the level of Family Guy or Sanjay & Craig (though in the latter's case, they could get creative sometimes whereas Kiff doesn't really).
I also noticed that much of the background music heard in Kiff is taken from Star vs. And Gravity Falls (it's even noted here on this very site). Would it have killed them to record some more original BGM?
At the end of the day, Kiff, while far from the worst cartoon, is a depressing reminder that the obnoxious style of the aforementioned 2010's cartoons is still very much alive. I can only hope that this is just the team finding their groove since we're only partway through the first season, but I won't get my hopes up.
Kiff sticks out like a sore thumb on Disney's lineup amidst great shows with more heart like Molly McGee and Moon Girl. It feels more like a bad Nickelodeon cartoon like the ones previously mentioned.
One can only hope that Kiff either shapes up as it goes on, or ships out.
However, recently, things unexpectedly changed for the better. Within the last two years alone, we've gotten the amazing Ghost & Molly McGee, the creative and endearing Chibiverse, the fun and action-packed Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur.
And while I don't like The Owl House or Amphibia as much as most do, I admit I was too harsh on them in the beginning (my old Amphibia review on here is more than proof of that).
However, there is now a black sheep on Disney's line-up: Kiff.
I thought we were well past the era of the Sanjay & Craig/Breadwinners/Pickle & Peanut school of "random/grossout/weird slang = funny." But sadly, Kiff has proven me wrong. So very, very wrong.
What is Kiff about? That's not a rhetorical question... that is an ACTUAL question. Because from what I can tell, Kiff doesn't really HAVE a plot. Much in the spirit of those terrible 2010's cartoons like Sanjay & Craig or Breadwinners, Kiff doesn't so much have a premise as it is just a bunch of random shenanigans starring the obnoxious titular squirrel and her bunny friend. Not much of a premise to speak of, really. Just a series of shenanigans and sounds. Obnoxious shenanigans and sounds.
And then there's the humor. The dreadful, unbearable "stupid/gross is funny" formula that dominated cartoons for most of the 2010's. Almost every episode I watched, I had a massive headache by the end of it from rolling my eyes so much.
The characters? Either annoying or lacking in character. Kiff is just plain irritating, and would feel right at home as a third wheel to Sanjay & Craig or SwaySway & Buhdeuce. Given how few episodes are available right now, most of the tolerable characters aren't very fleshed out, at least not yet. I will say the witch character is somewhat interesting, and besides Barry, has to be the only character that I can say I occasionally like.
The episode plots? DUUUUUMB. Dumb, dumb, dumbitty dumbitty dumb dumb dumb. I couldn't tell you what some of these episodes are even about because they're so nonsensical and aimless, such as The Fourth Bath or Kiff's on a Plane. Only a few episodes have really cohesive stories, and even fewer that are interesting or fun (the ones that come closest for me thus far are Pool Party, Kiff's Mix, and Club Book).
As for the visuals, the backgrounds are somewhat well done though a bit derivative of Adventure Time's backgrounds. And this is very jarring when coupled with the flat, uninspired looking character designs that are almost down to the level of Family Guy or Sanjay & Craig (though in the latter's case, they could get creative sometimes whereas Kiff doesn't really).
I also noticed that much of the background music heard in Kiff is taken from Star vs. And Gravity Falls (it's even noted here on this very site). Would it have killed them to record some more original BGM?
At the end of the day, Kiff, while far from the worst cartoon, is a depressing reminder that the obnoxious style of the aforementioned 2010's cartoons is still very much alive. I can only hope that this is just the team finding their groove since we're only partway through the first season, but I won't get my hopes up.
Kiff sticks out like a sore thumb on Disney's lineup amidst great shows with more heart like Molly McGee and Moon Girl. It feels more like a bad Nickelodeon cartoon like the ones previously mentioned.
One can only hope that Kiff either shapes up as it goes on, or ships out.