I expected him to play a part in the episode’s conclusion, to pop back up, but he doesn’t. They convince Lazy Larry to help them, and he features to a point (Gumball and Darwin essentially ruin his life), but then they’re done with him. The Laziest, in which Gumball and Darwin have to find someone lazier than their Dad, is a great example of this. Having one of the students in class as a giant CG Tyrannosaurus Rex, for example, feels like something a child would come up with, and that’s because The Amazing World Of Gumball is essentially a child telling you about their day.Īnother way this show varies from Cartoon Network’s crossover programming is that The Amazing World Of Gumball rarely deals with consequences. Gumball, the shows main character, is very much a child and the episodes play out like typical childhood experiences (like babysitting a sibling or having to wear embarrassing clothes) filtered through the hyperactive imagination of a kid. I also think the show is able to carry off the simpler storylines because, particularly when compared to Regular Show and Adventure Time, it feels more aimed towards kids. The Amazing World Of Gumball is colourful, inventive and busy. Tonally, the show is light and playful, so the mixed up visual style really fits in with that. There’s a puppet character, CG animations and even an upside-down human mouth/chin. Then, the supporting cast can be anything. The backgrounds are typically real-life environments. Gumball and his family are traditionally animated in 2D. The thing that stands The Amazing World Of Gumball apart from other cartoons is the mix of animation.
The stories tend to focus on the escapades of the two boys, who unintentionally wreak havoc wherever they go (which is usually home or school). The show, which has just been released on DVD in the UK (prompting this article, which is based on what the DVD dubs the first season – the first 12 10-minute episodes), focuses on Gumball, a young cat, and his adoptive goldfish brother Darwin.
Airing alongside the likes of Adventure Time and Regular Show in the UK, it’s produced in Europe by a team led by series creator Ben Bocquelet. The Amazing World Of Gumball is an animated TV series from the Cartoon Network. The theme song is ridiculously catchy and the busy animation perfectly prepares you for the look of the show.
If you were going to judge The Amazing World Of Gumball by its opening credits, though, it’d probably get full marks. In the same way that you’re not meant to judge a book by its cover, it’s probably best to not judge a TV show by its opening credits.