Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Rockin' with Judy Jetson

Rockin' with Judy Jetson; animated science-fiction comedy, USA, 1988; D: Paul Sommer, S: Janet Waldo, George O'Hanlon, Ruth Buzzi, Charlie Adler, Daws Butler, Rob Paulsen, Penny Singleton

Felonia Funk hates music and thus sends a secret code via her henchmen Quark and Quasar to an alien commander in order to obtain a crystal that will destroy music in the galaxy. However, her message is accidentally switched with Judy Jetson's lyrics for a song, and lands in the hands of her beloved rock idol Star Rocker, who sings the words throughout the galaxy. With the help of aliens from planet Zuma, Judy and Star Rocker stop Felonia's evil plans, whereas George Jetson gets jailed because of speeding while following his daughter at the concert.

Probably realizing that it is about time to dedicate a whole feature length TV film to the most beloved character from the animated show "The Jetsons", and sensing that a neglected subplot from the previous animated film, "The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones", in which Judy had a crush on a rocker, Iggy, tickled the imagination more than the main plot, producers Joseph Barbara and William Hanna paved the way for the solid "Rockin' with Judy Jetson", an easily accessible and sympathetic animated film. It gains a great start with the energetic opening featuring the catchy song Rockin' through the Galaxy, but it, unfortunately, turns out to be the only good song in the entire story, with the rest resorting to even unnecessary, kitschy musical numbers (Judy trying to cheer up an alien with a song), which is a pity considering that good music should have been essential for such a setting, whereas it is somehow sensed that, despite the fact that the relationship between Star Rocker and Judy takes up a fair amount of screen time, its impact is no more powerful than the neglected 5 minute subplot involving Judy and Iggy from "Jetsons Meets the Flintstones". The first act has a certain spark and charm, such as the scene where Judy and her two friends dress into "wild" outfits for a concert, much to the dismay of her dad, yet the rest of the movie is a standard blend of corny jokes and simplistic situations, with a few exceptions (George doesn't like to watch 'foreign' movies from Mars or "Rocky 918") where Judy's charisma somehow does not manage to ignite as much as it did in some episodes from the show, leaving her stiff and mild. For instance, in one scene, Judy finds her beloved Star Rocker tied to a chair, and under a special beam that makes him tell the truth for every question. She instantly turns off the beam and frees him. The real, shrill Judy, a Judy from a good movie, would definitely not have wasted the chance to ask him if he has a crush on her, too, first.

Grade;+

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