'Tiny Toon Adventures' is a great, great show that gets better with each re-watched episode. Including the ones that were wonderful to begin with. Like a lot of shows some episodes fare greater than others, but there is far more of the very to outstanding standard than anything less. Loved it as a child, love it even more now with the humour funnier, even more imaginative than remembered and more importantly it's easier to get.
"Starting from Scratch" is one of the 'Tiny Toon Adventures' episodes with an individual story rather than being structured in two and more segments. It is not one of the best of these type of episodes of the show, as far as the previous episodes go that weren't segment-structured it didn't get much funnier, wilder or more inventive than "Her Wacky Highness", but it is still very well done. Parodying 'An American Tail', or having a story inspired by and referencing it, was an interesting choice, as it would have been difficult to put a 'Tiny Toon Adventures' spin on a story that is very emotional. "Scratching from Scratch" does very well in this respect.
It does have a mini-movie feel to it though and with so much going on, perhaps too much as the story did feel very busy by 'Tiny Toon Adventures' standards. It was hard to not feel that the episode could have benefitted from a longer length or from being a one-off special, which would have meant there was more room to breathe.
As said though, a very good job is done with the journey aspect of the story, it is both heartfelt and heart-warming with Flio not being too cutesy and not being annoying. Enjoying the episode may depend on whether you like Furrball or not as it is very Furrball-centric, didn't have a problem with him here and thought he was written with much heart here. Buster and Babs are as wonderfully wacky as ever and Elmyra is fun, once you get over (quite quickly luckily, as it is made fun of) how easily fooled by the disguises she was.
Writing is as smart and razor-sharp witty in distinctive 'Tiny Toon Adventures' fashion, with some neat and not randomly placed references and in-jokes. It is not too adult-oriented this time either, as children should be more familiar than with some other episodes with what is being referenced if they grew up with 'An American Tail', 'Old Yeller' and 'Bully For Bugs'. 'Star Trek' may be a bit more mixed. The animation has bright colourful backgrounds, beautiful colours and well drawn characters. The music is as good as that for prime-Looney Tunes, in being characterful and adding to the action, if not quite enhancing it in the same way. It always helps to have a memorable theme tune, and the one for 'Tiny Toon Adventures' is suitably hip and very catchy.
Altogether, very well done episode if too busy. 8/10
"Starting from Scratch" is one of the 'Tiny Toon Adventures' episodes with an individual story rather than being structured in two and more segments. It is not one of the best of these type of episodes of the show, as far as the previous episodes go that weren't segment-structured it didn't get much funnier, wilder or more inventive than "Her Wacky Highness", but it is still very well done. Parodying 'An American Tail', or having a story inspired by and referencing it, was an interesting choice, as it would have been difficult to put a 'Tiny Toon Adventures' spin on a story that is very emotional. "Scratching from Scratch" does very well in this respect.
It does have a mini-movie feel to it though and with so much going on, perhaps too much as the story did feel very busy by 'Tiny Toon Adventures' standards. It was hard to not feel that the episode could have benefitted from a longer length or from being a one-off special, which would have meant there was more room to breathe.
As said though, a very good job is done with the journey aspect of the story, it is both heartfelt and heart-warming with Flio not being too cutesy and not being annoying. Enjoying the episode may depend on whether you like Furrball or not as it is very Furrball-centric, didn't have a problem with him here and thought he was written with much heart here. Buster and Babs are as wonderfully wacky as ever and Elmyra is fun, once you get over (quite quickly luckily, as it is made fun of) how easily fooled by the disguises she was.
Writing is as smart and razor-sharp witty in distinctive 'Tiny Toon Adventures' fashion, with some neat and not randomly placed references and in-jokes. It is not too adult-oriented this time either, as children should be more familiar than with some other episodes with what is being referenced if they grew up with 'An American Tail', 'Old Yeller' and 'Bully For Bugs'. 'Star Trek' may be a bit more mixed. The animation has bright colourful backgrounds, beautiful colours and well drawn characters. The music is as good as that for prime-Looney Tunes, in being characterful and adding to the action, if not quite enhancing it in the same way. It always helps to have a memorable theme tune, and the one for 'Tiny Toon Adventures' is suitably hip and very catchy.
Altogether, very well done episode if too busy. 8/10
