The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy
Creator: Maxwell Atoms
Stars: Greg Eagles, Richard Steven Horvitz, and Grey DeLisle
Featuring the voices of Greg Eagles (Grim), Grey DeLisle (Mandy), and Richard Steven Horvitz (Billy),the series stars the two main characters, Billy and Mandy, having manipulated the Grim Reaper, usually called “Grim”, into being their best friend for eternity after having won a bet over a sick hamster through a game of limbo (playing limbo in Limbo.) Afterwards, having lost the bet, Grim is forced to be their “best friend forever.”
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First things first: Why the hell isn’t this whole series available on DVD? Why can I only purchase season one? What kind of complete crap is that? Unless their marketing strategy is to force people to download the eps, then I guess it’s all right. ‘Cause the plan seems to be working.
I remember when this show first came out on Cartoon Network. It was part of the “Big Pick” phase of programming along with “The Powerpuff Girls,” “Dexter’s Lab,” “Ed, Edd, and Eddy,” “Johnny Bravo,” and “Courage the Cowardly Dog.”
The basic premise is that the rather intellectually stunted Billy’s pet hamster is supposed to die, so the Grim Reaper comes to collect its little animal soul. Billy doesn’t want to let it go, so Mandy, his possibly evil yet — super adorable in her darkness — neighbor steps in and ends up scamming Grim out of his prize. And in the process, because he’s totally Gump, he ends up promising that if the kids beat him in a limbo competition he’ll be their best friend forever (a stipulation that was made much of in the episode “Keeper of the Reaper.”)
After Mandy wins/cheats, Grim is forced into a time-share arrangement with the two kids and that’s when the series starts. There’s all kinds of crazy hijinks and enough pop culture references to make your head spin — Evil Dead, Dune, Fred Flintstone, Harry Potter, and Smurfs, just to name a few homages paid to my childhood.
This is one of those cartoons that appeals to kids of all ages, from 5 to 500. Younger children will see the bright colors and the silly action, while adults can be coolly amused by all the props offered to books and movies. And there’s just enough gross humor to make this show a winner.
“The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy” needs to have the rest of its seasons and all of the movies put out on DVD. It’s for the good of mankind!
rating: 5
Btw, in case you didn’t notice: The voice of Billy is also the voice of Zim from “Invader Zim,” and Mandy is Azula from “Avatar: The Last Airbender.” Who’d have thunk it, amirite?
