The new Inspector Gadget series

[mr3urious]

I was a bit skeptical of this new series at first, but after seeing it firsthand, it's pretty good, and still miles above the damage Disney did. I like how it's set in the not-too-distant future with Gadget coming out of retirement and Penny (now a teen like in Gadgetinis, and voiced by Tara Strong) directly working alongside him, and Dr. Claw even has a nephew with whom Penny has a crush on. The two even seem to be stealth romantic rivals in that regard.

There's a lot more comedy in here with rapid-fire pacing, particularly in the visual gags. The various technologies are also updated, such as the self-destructing messages and Penny's computer book.

Animation-wise, it's obviously not as great as the wonderful hand-drawn animation provided by TMS in the original series, but it at least manages to have a bouncy, cartoony look to it. I like how Penny's design seems to be a combination of her '80s and Gadgetinis looks.

 

[dwayne1115]

I watched the first three shows this morning, and it had the feel of the 80's cartoon, which I loved. All in all I would say that the people who are making this are fans of the original, and want to make sure the show stays true to itself.

 

[Drtooth]

Inspector Gadget is one of my top favorite cartoons of all time. I've been pretty disappointed that Gadget's been screwed out of a decent comeback while other 80's series are on their like second or third comeback. Gadget and the Gadgetinis never made it out of Europe because of Disney's ownership of Saban. The live action movies sucked, the second one less so, but still not great. The animated movies were okay. I really like the Christmas special, even though the animation was garbage and the overly 90's synth Casio keyboard music was worse. Not saying a thing about Gadget Boy. Then the whole Cookie Jar buyout of DIC quelled the first potential comeback because why make a beloved 1980's based series when you can make an ugly Flash animated Doodlebops cartoon. Remember Doodlebops? I mean from anything besides the Simpsons reference? Yeah. I was very skeptical when DHX announced it was going to make another series. Pull the other one, Mate. But this time it actually happened, and thanks to Netflix, it's distributed in the US!

As for the show itself, I'm really loving it so far (I've only seen the premier episode, though). Nice that they continued from the old series, even though that means Gadgetinis never happened. I like how Penny's in on the action now, instead of keeping to the shadows. Gadget still thinks Brain is a Mad Agent when he's in costume. That's great. Seems that they managed to so far keep Gadget as woefully oblivious and not a complete idiot (as he started to become in the second season of the original, and definitely was in Gadget's Last Case). Kinda wish they were able to get Maurice LaMarche back, but this new guy is okay. Loving the new Dr. Claw voice actor, actually sounding like Claw this time. And all around, I like how they didn't fuss too much with the redesigns. I hated that they turned MadCat into some crossbread Cat/Bulldog thing back in the 00's. Here he keeps his hints of Alfred E. Neuman from the original. Wouldn't want to lose that inside joke (we all know what Dr. Claw's organization is called). And don't forget the nephew. The play between him and Penny gives her an extra spark to the character. Not to mention his Starscream-esque position, basically calling out Dr. Claw's cartoony schemes.

Overall, I'm very happy with the series. Nothing can replace the original for me, but I'm glad they put a solid effort this time around. I don't want to jinx it, but I really hope this brings some focus back on the character. We have yet to see any solid merchandising comeback for the character other than a decent graphic novel with inconsistent artwork and a T-shirt that was in stock for a week.

 

[mr3urious]

I also like how there's a plainly obvious Canadian flag in the background of Chief Quimby's office. It implies that Metro City is actually located somewhere in Canada, at least in this continuity.

 

[Drtooth]

Clearly an homage to the fact this cartoon is produced by a Canadian firm.

Come to think of it, the original series was partially funded by Nelvana.

 

[mr3urious]

Wow. In the episode where Gadget gets sick and Penny is forced to take over on a mission, the self-destructing message (which Penny handled) doesn't blow up in Quimby's face for once! I also liked how bad@$$ she was in the same episode, which seems to be a trend in the new series overall.

On a similar note, won't those new messages be more cost-prohibitive than the old sheets of paper seeing how they probably use a lot of raw materials?

 

[Drtooth]

While I don't know why I put this off, I finally managed to watch the second 2 episodes last night. While I wasn't overly skeptical about this series, I was a little concerned how a 2 shorts at 11 minutes would work for Gadget. I'm glad that it does, and quite well might I add. I really love this new series, even if it doesn't replace the old one (which it never was, but it's always great to see these characters continue on in quality programming). I'm getting used to Ivan's Gadget. Don't see exactly why they didn't go with Maurice LaMarche, but Ivan's holding his own. He doesn't go overboard on the Don Adams impersonation, and gives it a nice subtly. Still sounds like Don Adams, though. Loving Claw's new voice actor (didn't exactly love the one on Gadgetinis), and Tara's Penny is one of my favorites. Not quite Cree Summer, but better than whoever played her second season of the original and especially the Christmas special. I like seeing her more outgoing instead of seriously concerned as she was in Gadetinis. Have to admit, seeing her fangirl out in the original series in the Rick Rocker episode was strange, but I like how she's able to do so in this series. Seems they decided to make her more confident as an agent, and she doesn't seem to worry as much about Gadget. Which is great and shows a nice level of time passing since the first cartoon... and I kinda have a dark, Venture Bros style theory about her.

Now, while the Trololo reference is far from fresh, I actually really liked what they did with it here. Better so than Family Guy's "look what we just found on the internet" use. Kinda have it as a wallpaper now, and love the subtle reference to Gadget having a mustache. Mime Chief Quimby was priceless.

 

[mr3urious]

2nd season confirmed!

http://nexttime-gadget.blogspot.ro/2015/07/breaking-season-2-of-dhxs-inspector.html

 

[Drtooth]

Second season of the show or second season on Netflix? Because I checked it out and apparently season 2 is already on there. Unless that's what they're calling season 2, which is most likely.

I'm glad that Gadget finally got the revival he deserves. 80's cartoons are on their third revival, and thanks to Netflix, we actually get the darn thing. Unlike Gadgetinis which is only available not legally on Youtube and gets taken down routinely.