Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears (1985-1991)
Introduction:
Back when I was a wee lad, and Saturday morning cartoons actually meant something, I would get up early and watch all those great shows of the late 80s and early 90s, there are really too many to count. Disney certainly had some excellent shows during this time. Well before the wholesome youth fueled mediocre cash cows of today, DuckTales (1987-1990), Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers (1989-1992), TaleSpin (1990-1994), and Darkwing Duck (1991-1995) ruled Saturdays with classic Disney creativity and ambition. The majority of these shows were quite entertaining in addition to their educational content. It’s amusing to reflect on these shows today and compare them to what’s currently presented to youngsters: watered down programs that seem to focus solely on the lesson and are without a substantial narrative or anything else to truly challenge the viewers above the preschool tendencies. To me, many of the Disney cartoon shows represented the ideal format of children’s television, where creative narratives would entertain with an undercurrent of education. There’s no doubt then why these cartoons were both long-running and popular, especially for the first wave of animated children’s television. While I was a major DuckTales and TaleSpin fan, my favorite Disney TV cartoon series was easily Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears (1985-1991). What I didn’t realize until recently, however, was that even when I was watching the show in the late 80s/early 90s, I was watching Gummi Bears in syndication. While DuckTales may represent the definitive Disney TV cartoon series, both in its quality and scope, Gummi Bears was first, and in my opinion, much more daring.
Gummi Bears first aired in the fall of 1985, about as old as I am, making it the first Disney TV cartoon series (along with the short lived single season The Wuzzles (1985)). Keep in mind that this was during the period where Disney was in a sort of dead zone, stemming from the animation walkout of the late 1970s (of which Don Bluth was a part of). Not the commercial powerhouse or prolific institution it once was, Disney went through a darker and more experimental phase that produced such original projects as Tron (1982), The Great Mouse Detective (1986), and The Black Cauldron (1985). This period lasted from 1979 until 1989, when The Little Mermaid returned Disney to its “Ludicrous Speed.” Therefore, Gummi Bears is a true product of this more experimental time and is often seen as a proto-type to the subsequent yet more commercial series that achieved so much success in the 90s. In actual fact, the show enjoyed quite a bit of success, but was of course overshadowed by DuckTales and such. Gummi Bears holds many distinctions in the annals of Disney. While it doesn’t have the highest episode count, the show lasted six seasons, making it the longest running Disney show of its kind. In addition, Gummi Bears displays a narrative arc that few children’s programs possess, one that spans a well established development, conflict/progression, and conclusion over its six seasons. It’s clear, therefore, that the show was carefully constructed and ran its course, which is quite impressive for the pioneer of a genre.
Gummi Bears follows the narrative of a small band of Gummies (an intelligent race of anthropomorphized bears) and their trials and tribulations in the medieval fantasy land of Dunwyn. There are essentially three factions in Dunwyn: there are the humans, led by King Gregor, who live in Dunwyn Castle; there are the ogres, led by exiled knight Duke Igthorn, who live in the Castle of Drekmore; and then there are, of course, the Gummi Bears themselves (who always try to remain hidden from the other two groups, living in their secret hideout of Gummi Glen). The band is comprised of 6 bears whose characters cross the spectrum: the absent minded magician elder Zummi; the motherly cook and guardian Grammi; the alpha male go-to Mr. fix-it leader Gruffi; the lazy hungry clumsy caring protective Tummi; the rebellious self-denying feminist Sunni; and the rebellious adventure-hungry male youth Cubbi. This small family represents the last of their kind living in human lands, descendents of the Great Gummies. The Great Gummies were wardens of a vast clandestine civilization that possessed some fairly advanced technology and powerful magic; however, the cornerstone of the Gummi race is the Gummy Berry juice. When consumed, Gummies are able to bounce incredibly high and fast, both a defensive and aggressive maneuver. The Great Gummies eventually left Dunwyn because of the increasingly destructive tendencies of the humans, and the threat that had on their peaceful and eco-minded civilization. A small group of bears stayed behind and were charged with observing human behavior and reporting to the Great Gummies only when the area was safe for civilization to return. The bears that stayed behind remained a race in hiding, but eventually lost the magical knowledge of their ancestors. The Gummi Juice, however, remains an essential. From this point forward, the extremely layered narrative addresses episodic lessons while tending to the macro story arc. In addition to basic lessons that are common in most children’s programming, larger and more complex issues such as environmentalism, discrimination, faith, class, gender, truth, identity, and even politics are addressed, all presented through adventurous storytelling. Watching the show now, it’s amazing to see the hidden references and symbols that resonate more with someone in their 20s than someone in their 1s… What’s even more amazing in how dark some of the subject matter is; while the show isn’t quite as dark as The Black Cauldron, it’s clearly cut from the same cloth. All and all, the show is truly one of the best things Disney has produced.
This is essentially the initial break down of the show, but I will continue the analysis with the discussion of each season.
S. McSmoke-Smoke
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