To say that the nineties had alot of superhero and comic book related animated shows out would be a huge understatement. As such it would be understandable if people just straight up forgot about one or two shows or didn't even k now that the show that they were watching is actually based off of comic book with this show being one that's kind of been lost to the sands of time as you don't really see it being talked about all that much and so then join me as I review the episode that saw another Jim Carrey character start it's own animated series with the two part episode in question being called simply just "The Mask Is Always Greener On The Other Side" enjoy.
The plot of this episode is fed up of The Mask causing him trouble Stanley Ipkiss finally decides to get rid of it once and for all only for him to realise that he may need it once again when an evil doctor starts terrorising Edge City looking for The Mask. Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in these very episodes well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in these very episodes being not that bad but at the same time the plot for both of these episodes really could have been alot better as for those of us that saw the movie they would know that at the end of the Stanley already got rid of The Mask and yet here he is with it again with no reason given and while yes it could be argues that Milo gave The Mask to Stanley at the end of the movie this is still something that should have been addressed in these episodes with the plot not even being epic enough to warrant being a two parter as you very easily could have told the plot of both of these episodes in just one episode and heck there's nothing in both of these episodes that fully justifies being a two parter as all that does is make the vast majority of part one feel like filler that's only there so that they could justify putting those scenes in the intro and not because there actually relevant to the plot of these episodes with the plot of these very episodes also being really rather entertaining and as well as being really rather engaging as well in my freaking opinions anyways / at least.
Starring in these episodes is voice acting legend Rob Paulsen as Stanley Ipkiss and voice acting legend Frank Welker as Milo and Baby Forthwright. Also starring in these episodes is voice acting legend Tress MacNeille as Mrs. Peenman , Heidi Shannon as Peggy Brandt , Tim Curry as Doctor Pretorius , voice acting legend Kevin Michael Richardson as Mayor Mitchell Tilton , Mark Taylor as Charlie Schumaker , Neil Ross as Mitch Kellaway and voice acting legend Jim Cummings as Doyle.
Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in these very episodes well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in these very episodes being alot better then what it really had any right to be. As by all rights the acting in these first two episodes really shouldn't have been as good as it was as the acting in shows that are based off f movies and comic books typically aren't that good and yet that's exactly what we got in both of these episodes as not only do none of the characters that are playing characters from the film NOT do impressions of the films actors which allows them to really make the characters there own but all of this episodes actors also turn in some really good performances in there own right which is something that really does make alot of sense when you take into account that alot of this episodes actors are a bunch of voice acting legends who are mostly still acting to this very day but that they are also just a bunch of really good actors in there own right as well with the true standout performer in this episode being Rob Paulsen as he not only has to create a very distinctive voice for Stanley Ipkiss but also do the exact same for The Mask and yet still turn in a good performance and he does so effortlessly with the acting that's in these episodes not really being helped by the fact that the script for these episodes is really bad as it gives none of these episodes actors absolutely nothing to work with interms of what it is that there respective characters personalities are even meant to be in the first place which is something that really does harm the overall quality of the acting that's in these very episodes.
Doing the animation for these episodes is Cuckoo's Nest Studios and the legends and the greats that are currently over at Wang Film Productions Company. Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual animation that's actually featured / presented to us in these very episodes well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual animation that's actually featured / presented to us in these very episodes was in all honesty really good and was just like the acting in the episodes in that it was alot better then what it really had any right to be but at the same time tho you could tell that this show didn't have a big animation budget as there aren't that many people walking around on the streets and the animation looses alot of detail during certain in episodes one which does add an air of cheapness to the episode which is something that does make sense as you have to spread your animation budget out over several episodes but at the same time you only get one chance to make a good first impression that's something that these episodes don't get the chance to do from an animation standpoint as they both just like the kind of show that would only air in the nineties where as comic book shows such as X-Men: The Animated Series and Batman: The Animated Series look like they were made a few years ago where with both of these episodes you can tell right away that this really was a nineties show due to the dated and at times rather cheap looking animation in both of these episodes.
What this show has both working for it and against it is the fact that it's more based off of the comics then the film. This is something that does work both for and against these episodes as it does allow for these episodes to use villains like Walter who never appeared in the film but at the same time due to the fact that this a kids show that also borrows elements from the movie it also works against these episodes as well as it creates a show that doesn't know what it wants to be as these episodes could have a really hard hitting scene that would feel right at home in the comics and then they'd end it on a joke that feel right at home in the movie with nothing inbetween the two thus creating tonal whiplash and it sometimes go the other way around as well with them having a more light hearted scene but then that would feel at home in the movie but then get more serious and adult like in the comic with the best example of this being in the opening to Part One where Mrs. Peenman yells at Stanley for thinking to loud which is something that would work in the movie but then when she leaves Stanley goes to his closet and threatens to put on The Mask so that he "take care of her" in a threatening way which is something that would have worked in the comics which were more adult and more violent then the movie version ever was and yet there's nothing inbetween the two to ease you into it and both of the episodes are like that and it gives the impression that the makers of this show wanted to please both the fans of the movie and the fans of comic book instead of creating a pair of solid episodes that really could have stood on there own with the audience having to have seen the movie or read any of the comic books.
As a comedy these two episodes do work really well as there are alot of painfully moments in both of these episodes. With Part One even kind of putting there own spin on the gag of Milo mishearing what Stanley want him to do from the movie only here instead him getting the police keys to let Stanley out of jail he licks his own lock that Walter put him in which was a cute little throwback joke as was the fact that near the end of Part Two they have Milo put on The Mask again which was another cute throwback to the movie but where both of these episodes shine is them doing jokes that's unique to the series as that's when they get to take full advantage of the fact that it's an animated series and so the jokes just become more wild and zany as The Mask himself who was already a cartoon character in the movie can now be even more wild and zany with his jokes but with that being said tho alot of the jokes in these episodes haven't aged as well as they could have done like the fact that alot of the wordplay between Stanley and Charlie just isn't that funny and Peggy off handedly mentioning the fact that she turned him into a bunch of Mobsters in the movie just isn't that funny either as all it does is remind you that you could be watching and the second that she makes that joke it then makes you wonder how Stanley got The Mask back from the end of the movie in the first place but when these episodes do tell a good joke it can be really funny joke with alot of thee episodes best jokes rather rightfully coming from The Mask himself.
This episodes main villain Doctor Pretorius is a really fun character and while he is of course played beautifully by Tim Curry. The character as a whole just isn't that interesting nor is he really that threatening in these two episodes with him not really doing anything all that threatening for the vast majority of either episode until near the end of episode two when he decides to take over the robot house and that Charlie and Stanley are trying to clean up and that's really it heck Walter is more threatening main villain for these two episodes as he's literally an unstoppable machine that is something that's perfect for the opening villain of a kids TV show as it then forces the main hero to have to think outside of the box to try and defeat there foe where as with Doctor Pretorius you don't really have to do that as all you have to do is just outsmart him once and you've got him beat which is a shame because the idea of a mad scientist who is so crazy and smart that he figured out a way to detach his own head from his body and have the two of them not only be alive but act independently of each other is a good and to the episodes credit it does take full advantage of that idea but at the same time tho that idea doesn't make the character threatening as all it does is prove that he's a super smart character and that's really it and while that is indeed a good thing you main villain also has to have some sort of menace about them so much so that you actually fear for the heroes life and want to see the main hero succeed because of it and that's something that's sadly missing from Doctor Pretorius.
Now then episode one has / had an exact grand total running time of exactly twenty three minuets and five seconds whilst episode two has / had an exact gran total running time of exactly twenty three minuets and three seconds. With both running time pretty much being the bogstandard running time for alot of nineties kids animated TV shows to have but this episode really doesn't have alot of plot there to fully cover two episodes as the main plot of both the episodes episodes doesn't really kick in until about the half way point of Part One and even then is filled with padding that it makes it feel like that this episode was originally meant to be just the one episode but for one or another it ended up getting an extra episode when it really doesn't need it as there's nothing about this episode that screams that it needs to be a two parter and yet because it now is a two parter that means that part one for the most part feels like a trailer for part two as nothing that's set up in part one doesn't get payed off in part two this is a good example for the plot should always dictate how many episodes that it should be as really there's only enough plot for one episode and if these episodes were condensed into the one episode we end up with an episode that has a much more better focus on it's plot and where every single scene is about advancing it's plot and where no scene feels like filler or padding but I really will admit this episode really does gave some really good pacing to it tho.
So now then as this is an action show that really does mean that I have to actually talk about the actual action that's actually featured / presented to us in these very episodes well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual action that's actually featured / presented to us in these very episodes was in all honesty not that bad. As this is still a kids comedy show and so the action can't be as good as it is in say Batman: The Animated Series for example and with that in mind the action that we got in these first two episodes was really good and while most of the action does come in episode two we do kind of get a small fight scene near the end of episode one which was really fun even tho it was just Peggy trying to get Stanley out of the device that Doctor Pretorius put him in it was still a pretty fun scene and while it was right that these episodes save up alot of the action for the second episode it still would have been nice if episode one had more then one fight scene as while yes there is a scene at the start of episode with The Mask trying and failing to stop a bunch of bank robbers that's more of comedy scene then it is an action with the best action in both of these episodes being the final showdown between The Mask and Doctor Pretorius as that's when we get to see this episode really just go all in on the craziness that The Mask as a character does bring and because of that we do get a really fun filled action sequence as well with the action in episode two also being really good as well in my freaking opinions anyways / at least.
Overall out of this show Dumb And Dumber and the Ace Venture animated series with all three even premiering in the same year with this show ending it's run in 1997 Dumb And Dumber ending it's run in 1996 and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective ending it's run in 2000 and heck even this show and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective even had a two part crossover on each others show but this is the only one of those shows that feels like that it was taking full advantage of the fact that it's an animated show and while these two episodes aren't that good of a start to the show they do leave plenty of room for the show to grow and to improve as well in my freaking opinions anyways / at least. Now then i've talked about all of the good and as well as being as all of the bad things that are in these first two episodes in this very review and such that really does mean that these first episodes really do earn themselves a grand total combined score of exactly a 7.5 out of 10 from me.
Now then as for where I personally got all of the images that I personally used in this very review well then boys and girls and as well ladies and gentlemen I personally got all of the images that I personally used in this very review from the official The Mask fandom wiki page , IMP Awards . Com and Google Images. With my personally preferred website to use to get the images from these very episodes that I used in this very review being the really great the official The Mask fandom wiki page really simply just due to the fact that really alot of if not really all of the images that are all really from these very episodes with alot of them being better quality then what you'd really think of and all of the images are really of course up and really on the official The Mask fandom wiki page are also really all fairly high in quality and as well as them all being really fairly freaking high in definition.
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