Amphibia - DisneyCember

[@ChannelAwesome]

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[@chasehedges6775]

I have not watched it but it looks really interesting

[@trinaq]

I loved it, the character development was amazing, and it's an excellent watch.

[@chasehedges6775]

@@trinaq Thanks for giving another reason to watch it even more.

[@anthonyness5360]

It's just such an amazing show( which i don't say quite often). The music, the drama and the traumatic moments that will probably scar some children!😅😂 There where also some moments where it legit got me like when hop hop was telling the backstory of *********(If you know you know)or TRUE COLORS.... oh my god that finale and "THE" moment actually shocked me, because i couldn't belive that disney had allowed such an extreme scene to be in one of their Shows but it was still amazing.

[@PLCTheCd]

While I agree mostly with you but you made a mistake. Hop Pop is Sprig and Polly's grandpa. NOT their uncle.

[@robpagenkopf5829]

I kind of like how the show almost tricks you into thinking it’s merely an episodic style show at first. Which would’ve been fine. Phineas and Ferb is episodic, and it’s wonderful. But if you stick with it and watch all three seasons you’re rewarded with a really great show full of genuine character development and a satisfying arc.

[@chasehedges6775]

I love Phineas and Ferb and I might check this one out. 😊

[@trinaq]

Agreed, I love how the show got better as time went on.

[@chasehedges6775]

@@trinaq Same with Avatar The Last Airbender.

[@Colejones9505]

Same with shows like regular show, adventure time, and Steven universe they start out episodic and gradually get the plot going on. I'm fine with shows like this but it can make it hard to get other people into the show with the first season.

[@chasehedges6775]

@@Colejones9505 Regular show is a masterpiece

[@hopemullinax6839]

Matt Braly has said before that season one had to be more episodic because Disney was fighting him at every turn to do so. So he and the crew were working within their restraints of their corporation to lay a lot of the lore groundwork in season one for when they could go more serial in S2 and S3. Personally, I love season one because it's all world building and character building. Anne has such growth until "Anne of the Year" and it's all because she learns to love Wartwood. It's home base. Braly also said on Twitter he had to fight to have Anne HATE Amphibia in the beginning because Disney wanted a "sunshine and rainbows" protagonist to start with. So S1 is so important for Anne's growth and for the audience to build that home base to always go back to. It's great. Character development IS plot.

[@jeffbrehove2614]

I also like season 1 because it also fleshes out the Wartwood citizens. Like Anne, we the viewers are getting to know Wartwood too. It's like getting to know/be a part of a small country town. And I love that. Also a big bluegrass fan, so I LOVE the incidental music.

[@ai_izi]

Disney murdering epic and creative ideas, no matter when you read this

[@bombkirby]

My favorite part of this show was how it's finale was all about how Anne's friends put their friendship to the test to save the entire world, and then years later they still grow apart. No matter how close you are to your friends, and even if your friendship is deep enough to save the entire world, sometimes people still grow apart and living different lives when they grow older. And that sucks. But its also bittersweet that they still were able to stay in contact and have a base level friendship in their adult years every so often, while not quite being the BFFs they were as kids.

[@motherplayer]

Ah. Very much reminding me about a certain series about giants and walls....

[@yogibear8683]

Fun Fact: the creator himself actually modelled nit just his own grandmother as a wild teen but even based her on Pepper Anne herself and even gave her a brief cameos near the end if the series finale.

[@AngelJD]

He also based Anne (and the other girls in time) and overall was inspired by Pacifica Northwest. Particularly in themes of character growth and somebody toxic or bully transforming into a better person. Matt felt disappointed that Pacifica didn't have a full showcase towards her transformation and show lessons sink in and be transformed as the season went on in a consistent set way. Among his early ideas Anne and Sasha was going to be horrible bullies to their peers, school, and teachers and Marcy was actively planning to separate from them (show how much can change from early versions to when the show's official writing and animation is happening to even change of plans during the midway of a structured story made).

[@motherplayer]

Some of my favorite gags early in this series is that just when you're getting comfy about how Amphibia isn't too off from our world, something comes about to completely shatter that for a moment. Favorite bit was the spa day and Anne trying some pastries that look completely normal before she was informed they were made out of dung beetles. Always cracks me up. Also really appreciate the nod to "Castle in The Sky" later on.

[@RoundtableVids]

Fun fact: Season 1s are extremely episodic entirely because of executive meddling. A lot of showrunners have to slowly sneak in pieces of the story before going all out once they get more creative freedom! Glad you enioyed Amphibia:)

[@jwroot]

WHOA! HEY GUYS!!😃

[@ThePreciseClimber]

Yeah, sounds about right. Those buggers still yearn for rerun-friendly shows like Spongebob. It's curious because it's the polar opposite of the typical Japanese manga/anime formula. Western companies don't want serialisation, they just want as many casual viewers as possible. While Japanese companies are more interested in creating loyal fans through serialisation and attachment. The kind of fans that go out and buy an entire boxset of manga.

[@alibrennan5977]

Hey fancy meeting you here

[@Doodle1678]

I think it did some good though I totally would have loved more Sasha Episodes though instead of only one before the finale but it did really endear me to the characters getting to know them and it makes you invested enough to care about what happens to them later on when the real story kicks off

[@TGWTGCensored]

I'm just a nobody who's self-publishing my comic, and even I don't want to play all my best cards first, instead spending time getting to know the characters, if that makes sense.

[@trinaq]

I really adored the voice acting and character development the most. You can really tell that Anne is a different person at the end than she was at the beginning.

[@Tornado1994]

Anne is voiced by Mrs Macaulay Culkin herself, Brenda Song.

[@trinaq]

I liked how the show wasn't afraid to get dark and tackle tough themes, especially with kids being the target audience. It wasn't preachy, nor did it talk down to them.

[@chasehedges6775]

When Children’s shows have dark and terrifying themes, you know something is being done right.

[@valentinkambushev4968]

To be honest I think Amphibia's dark moments are a little forced. Don't get me wrong, I love dark moments as much as the next person, but most of the time I feel like the show is just doing them so the Gravity falls fans won't abandon them for The owl house (a show that, in my opinion, does the dark moments a lot better).

[@bjp4869]

@@valentinkambushev4968 Could you elaborate? Because I literally never got that feeling

[@ddjsoyenby]

exactly.

[@valentinkambushev4968]

@@bjp4869 of course. (This is based on my point of view) Amphibia is just too lighthearted and comedic, so when a dark moment happens if feels completely unnatural and only made for shok. I never have this feeling with Gravity falls and The owl house, because they have this dark aura to them that when these really dark moments happen they feel like a part of the story, instead of something that was added their so that the older fans won't stop watching.

[@DanGamingFan2406]

This show really is one of the best I've seen. Great comedy, great characters, amazing emotional moments, and an ending that leaves you wanting more. Also, Hop Pop is their grandpa, not uncle.

[@myriadmediamusings]

I get that Doug needs to get these things out on a time crunch but yeesh these extremely obvious mistakes are just so glaring, especially if he's purported to watch the whole show and had this character relationship hammered in. Still not as bad as Falcon's sister being mistaken for his wife.

[@HB-fq9nn]

I wonder if he got confused with Gruncle Stan. 😆

[@deadlockraven1849]

This sounds like the exact same thing you can say for all these other types of shows.

[@MoonGhostDoodles]

@@deadlockraven1849 What’s wrong with having lots of great shows pop up? Lol

[@ramdelure]

Like Gravity Falls?

[@Clownbelt-u2s]

I’d say that the first season is the way it is so that people also get attached to the characters. It establishes the character dynamics, puts the characters in situations where they need to interact, all to make the next couple of seasons more impactful.

[@NEVETSGILBERT1233]

Yes thank you literally everyone including Doug I see talk about this show seem to over look that fact and he even compares it to other shows who do the whole stay in the town in first season thing I think for the reason you pointed out I think Amphibia works better then those but I will still agree that season 2 and 3 are definitely where the show peaks

[@myriadmediamusings]

I get a feeling that if Doug is gonna do a Disneycember on Andor, he's gonna be one of those that gets down on its first three episodes for being a "waste", not realising that the slow burn on the show's start makes the finale even more impactful. I hope to be proven wrong but I'm not getting my hopes up.

[@ddjsoyenby]

agreed.

[@MrGabeanator]

Doug’s right about Bill Farmer the first time I saw after the rain I was amazed that such a raw dramatic performance coming out of goofy also I’m suprised he didn’t bring up Marcy’s reveal in true colors as a liar revealed moment but anyway I’m glad he enjoyed the show and I can’t wait to see what he thinks about the owl house next Disneycember

[@zenaku666]

@@MrGabeanator I think that particular liar revealed moment gets a pass because of how well it served the story.

[@Goleon]

Shame you didn’t talk about Keith David as Andrias cause I feel like that’s his best role ever. He does a great job of being this big goofy dork, a menacing cunning villain and a sympathetic man who due to bad circumstances (plus a manipulative crappy dad) was led down the wrong path that’s all rolled into one amazing fun character. Also it’s official this man will have you simp for him no matter who he voices cause I never thought I’d big time simp a giant blue humanoid salamander yet here we are. Thanks Keith David for making me question myself.

[@antonanderson1965]

I also love the fact that both Keith David and Anika Noni Rose are together again in yet another animated flick involving frogs (both were in The Princess and the Frog, with Keith David as Dr. Facilier anf Anika Noni Rose as Tiana). That to me is one of the funniest jokes in the entire show.

[@matthewbuckley7757]

Keith David is definitely one of my favorite actors he has that awesome voice and he does well voicing good and evil characters, Imagine him voicing Ganondorf.

[@darksev.6468]

You know what's insane? In the 2001 Justice League show, he voices an evil, world-conquering, multi-eyed, vaguely reptilian/amphibian large blue man. He's had time to practice.

[@Sonichero151]

Keith David gave a masterpiece performance on par with when he was Goalith on Gargoyles

[@matthewbuckley7757]

@@Sonichero151 He was awesome and that to, And we live again!!

[@neonstarch3210]

Honestly, I feel season 1 is important to watch because it highlights the best aspect of this show: the character development, specifically Anne's. At the beginning of the season, we see that Anne is more of a follower, going along with what Sasha wants and emulating her behavior. Then, when they're separated, she learns that that is not how friends should be and, when reunited with Sasha, Anne stands up to her and her toxic behavior. The show really highlights how far the characters have grown since their introductions and I love it for that. This is why I consider this to be a part of Disney's trifecta of shows, alongside Gravity Falls and Owl House. Gravity Falls has the best story/mystery, Owl House has the best worldbuilding, and Amphibia has the best character arcs.

[@FireRevontulet]

I agree, what this guy is saying feels absurd to me, the show would not have the same depth without the building season 1 did

[@707葉采穎]

I agree with both of you, if you just skip all the season 1 episode, then there wouldn’t have emotional depth in the finale, and it defeats the point of watching this show.

[@Nasser851000]

This came out when the world was going through dark times so thank you Matt Braly for giving us a place to shelter and have fun :)

[@benwasserman8223]

Amphibia and The Owl House are by far Disney’s best modern cartoons. Which is fitting since they’re both developed by Gravity Falls alumni.

[@Twilight17Petkoton]

Yeah Amphibia having a Easter Egg from Gravity Falls having Alex Hirsch voicing frog version of Stan and Soos. Not confusing the Greek God Soos spell with a S not a Z.

[@TheEman590]

Man, I still say Phineas and Ferb was the last awesome Disney channel cartoon with Milo Murphy's Law being a good runner up. I'm giving Gravity Falls a chance thanks to a friend recommending it to me, but I'm having fatigue of these Adventure Time inspired shows. At least Amphibia doesn't have a fan base that's soured me on watching it unlike Owl house. That show is so over hyped and I see way too much about shipping that's turned me off.

[@antonanderson1965]

Gravity Falls in my opinion is still better than either of them, but Amphibia is not too far behind. Owl House is too woke for my tastes. At least Amphibia is a lot more subtle with its wokeness and not in-your-face like it is in Owl House and Steven Universe.

[@TLoMaCM2]

@@antonanderson1965 how is owl house too woke?

[@ThatTonnatoTenrec]

Hmm, wonder if he will cover Owl house actually...

[@johntumahab323]

Bill Farmer apparently commented that he actually preferred Hop Pop to Goofy, simply because he could take more of an original spin on him without worrying about living up to a voice acting legacy.

[@basicvideos5740]

Think of Amphibia as a three course meal. Season 1 is the appetizer, giving a taste of what’s to come. Season 2 is the main dish, finally giving what was promised for so long. Season 3 is the desert, ending with a satisfying reward.

[@imsomewhatcertain1024]

Disney’s live action sitcoms and tv movies pretty much relics of their time at this point, but their cartoons are still kicking butt.

[@archive6094]

Fun Fact: Anne's character design is based on Matt Braly's grandmother when she was a little girl

[@gamerbear84]

Oh that's kinda adorable.

[@elder-woodsilverstein7716]

I am so glad to hear Brenda Song as Anne. She made me laugh a lot when she was in Zach and Cody, so it's great that she is still in comedy.

[@MrStyro]

Season three has so many super fun and cool moments especially when Anne's parents are included. Like Kipo, Owl House, and Kid Cosmic, it's nice when the main character's family are actually allowed to join into the adventure, and while some of them have to warm up to it, they still do eventually help out and support everyone in awesome moments.

[@DarthBiomech]

Yes, the extinction of the "grownups are useless" trope (with it's ugly brother "...So we must keep the story a secret from them") is so damn nice to withness.

[@ShadowstormProducts]

Don't skip Season 1. It's all character building and world building. Yes it's episodic but it establishes all the main town characters who are important to know about.

[@basicvideos5740]

Here's what I have to say regarding the story structure of Amphibia. Season 1: The first season consists of 20 episodes, which can all be split into 4 sections regarding its story structure. - Episodes 1-5 help to not only set up the main character's personalities, but also Anne's relationship and dynamic with the Plantars. Anne not only becomes best friends with Sprig, but also develop a big sister and little brother type relationship. Polly is skeptical of Anne at first, but they develop a sister like relationship. Hop Pop is the parental guardian/authoritative figure that butts heads with Anne's rebellious/care free attitude, but grow to like and respect each other as people. - Episodes 6-10 help to develop Anne's relationship with the town itself. Now that she has to venture more into the town of Wartwood, she has to deal with how others perceive her. At first, the town doesn't trust or like her, resulting in everyone treating her with disrespect. It's only when she stands up for the town that she's finally given respect and is accepted as a citizen. - Episodes 11-15 help to develop Anne's relationship with more of the individual characters that inhabit Wartwood like Wally, Maddie, and Mrs. Croaker. - Episodes 16-20 help to show not only just how much of a difference Anne has made ever since she was transported to Amphibia, but also how much she herself has changed. Her time with the Plantars, the Town of Wartood, and all the crazy adventures she's been on has helped her to grow as a person and be better than she was when she arrived. All this culminating in the season finale where Anne faces off against Sasha, after realizing how much of a toxic friendship they’ve had for most of their lives. Season 2: The second season also follows a similar structure to the first season with its 20 episodes. - Episodes 1-5 show Anne and the Plantars’ new journey to travel to Newtopia. We finally get to go outside of Wartwood and explore more of the world of Amphibia, resulting in new kinds of adventures for the main characters. - Episodes 6-10 show life inside of Newtopia and the wonders to explore in such a kingdom. It’s also through these episodes that were given more answers as to what the music box is and how it works. - Episodes 11-15 show our main characters returning to Wartwood and giving more focus to some of the other side characters that haven’t gotten enough screen time. It’s also through these episodes that we visit the three temples that restore the power of the stones and what they each represent. - Episodes 16-20 help to develop the growing conflict between the group of characters. Sasha’s inner conflict about manipulating her friends, Marcy’s secret deal when returning the music box, and Andrius’ true intentions about using the music box. All this culminating in the season finale, where everyone’s “true colors” are shown and the fight for the music box takes place. Season 3: The third season is the only one with a different structure compared to the previous two seasons. Seeing as how this is the third and final season with only 18 episodes, it does have a bit of a different structure compared to the previous two seasons. - Episodes 1-10 sees Anne return home and the Plantars travel to Earth for the first time. These episodes are important for different reasons. Firstly, since most of the show has spent time in Amphibia and showing why it’s worth saving, it’s equally important to spend time on Earth and show why it’s worth saving as well. Anne’s parents, many of the people they’ve met and made friends with are reasons why they need to stop Andrius and the Core’s invasion. Secondly, it helps to show the urgency of the characters’ current situation because while they can enjoy things that Earth has to offer, they also need to find another way back to Amphibia and stop Andrius. - Episodes 11-18 sees Anne and the Plantars return to Amphibia, but in a state of oppression and many of their friends/allies forming a resistance against the upcoming invasion. These episodes are important because they show everyone throughout the entirety of the show coming together to stop the big threat. All this culminating in the series finale, where everyone’s story arc comes to an epic and bittersweet conclusion.

[@jessehcreative]

This needs to be pinned. Great analysis

[@g.g.3794]

Well said

[@AngelJD]

I also feel for season 3 just as Anne bonded with many from Wartwood in season 1 making her and us by extension care about them the Planters bonded with various people of LA. The people (Amphibia and Earth) are the greatest treasures and those that came from the other found and was affected by communities and different people imprinted on their hearts.

[@Mayonnaise-m8h]

Yes, thank you! It honestly annoys me so much how people discount large portions of Amphibia as filler (mainly the entirety of Season 1). The story is paced and structured very well, and all the stepping stones to get to the big stuff that everyone talks about are just as necessary as the big stuff itself. Everything within the story is there on purpose, it is not filler.

[@jessehcreative]

@@Mayonnaise-m8h I wouldn’t have been as hype for Sash VS Anne if it weren’t for Season 1. Oddly, the True Colors fight paled in comparison

[@sirraven_]

I don't believe you should skip season 1 at all, since all of the character development, callbacks, etc will make it worth even more.

[@myriadmediamusings]

This isn't the first time that Doug has had this criticism either. Does Doug just not get this idea of there needing to be episodes just being slice of life in order to invest us in the character and world more when the show really starts putting the pedal to the metal? I get if Doug is coming from a position where he lacks time and needs important stuff asap, but he's brought up this thing so often that I think he just automatically sees it as a bad thing and was one of those spoiled by the idea that "filler" is innately bad.

[@PLCTheCd]

@@myriadmediamusings I agree. While I get where Doug coming from, he at least needs some assistance to keep track.

[@chazzergamer]

@@myriadmediamusings Because filler is innately bad, yes it can have a side effect of character development but that’s always a side effect. I remember watching the new Owl House episode and feeling a wave of comfort, because the episode actually has pacing and is able to nail the development when it needs to for a satisfying payoff. It didn’t need to have 20 episodes only to have the last 10 mins of episode 20 be the only part with story progression. The point is, if done well, development can be capitalised without having to waste a viewers time. Amphibia season 1 does waste a bit of time that could have been spent on more meaningful interactions. Like did we really need to see Sprig and Polly get into a ship war? Was that necessary? Anything that happens to characters will feel impactful if you have spent hours watching them do pointless stuff. having those same characters feel impactful along with a tight pace? That’s talent!

[@DarkKnightofAnime]

@@myriadmediamusings I think there’s two possibilities with that the first is that he has made it no secret that he has ADD now as someone who doesn’t know what that’s like I’m not gonna pretend to know how it works but maybe in Doug’s case if a show isn’t balanced in a certain way then it is hard for him to get invested The other thing that it could be though and this coming from someone who loves the show is that while I don’t fully get behind Doug’s assessment with Season 1 I do agree there are a handful of episodes in Season 1 especially where it does feel like character and story don’t completely mesh almost like the character development and investment is there but it could be utilized in a more unique setting that’s still within Wartwood but also in a more unique location

[@myriadmediamusings]

@@chazzergamer That is fair given how it's only until fairly recently that filler has learned to be a bit more balanced. Though I would think that in Amphibia's case, same with a lot of the other shows mentioned, wasted time is subjective since there are many coming to the defence of the first season and how they enjoyed their time with the town, its denizens, the jokes, and outlandish situations.

[@veronicapiccinini7956]

I know the reason why Amphibia started slow. Think it as a travel in a new land. You can’t jump right in a place without learning their customs, traditions, language etc. first. After all, Amphibia is based on Matt Braly’s travels in Thailand when he was a child (since he’s an American descendant of a Thai family), and he always imagined Thailand as another world

[@Tokuman100]

I think you meant to say "customs", not "costumes".

[@veronicapiccinini7956]

@@Tokuman100 tomayto, tomahto.

[@jeffbrehove2614]

Here's my conspiracy theory: there were talks that Disney channel was wanted to do more episodic shows that they could churn out without end. Amphibia premiered when they were just starting to put this in place. I think that's why season 1 and 3 feels so rushed.

[@kylemorello4787]

I mean, this is how most of these shows start. It's not Dipper and Mabel started looking for the author immediately. Or Steven was alerted immediately about the cluster. Or Bojack's past was immediately given to us. Or Adventure Time immediately started with "HEY! IT'S EARTH AFTER AN APOCALYPTIC WAR!!!"

[@devonjeffers5898]

While I know Season 1 wasn't exactly the starting point for everyone, I believe the purpose of why Season 1 stayed in one location is that so they could develop the characters to see if the audiences likes them for what they are and what potential they have. If you ask me, the first season was kinda experimental in a way.

[@GBmovieluv]

That seems to work with some shows. But then there are shows like Wednesday that was instantly interesting

[@traviswhitfield8045]

In my opion, the first season of any show is supposed to experiment, to try to see what will make it work and what will drag you in.

[@devonjeffers5898]

@@traviswhitfield8045 Yeah. That's what it was in a way.

[@devonjeffers5898]

@@GBmovieluv I understand why there exists shows like that. They must've done more effort and material there than the ones that started out experimental. For all we know, they were lucky shots in the television industry.

[@ThemeParkAvenue]

On the third Disneycember, my critic gave to me: Three best friends Two dodo birds And a game perfect for a livestream

[@GokuUzumaki03]

The legend has returned to commit the 31 Days of Disneycember. I look forward to these comments everyday.

[@cmzf947]

I always love these Disneycember countdowns. They’re fun to read.

[@oscarljungberg8821]

I actively went & searched for you in the comment section, my man! OI! Everyone! Rate this comment up so Doug sees it!

[@Depth217]

I think it’s really cool to see Bill Farmer get some work that’s not Goofy, he’s such a talented actor.

[@Sonichero151]

The voice acting of Amphibia is one of the biggest and bestest surprises. Like it has been years since I heard Brenda Song doing anything, and out of nowhere, she gives a beautiful and powerful performance, both in the comedic moments and the serious moments. Bill Farmer surprises everyone with Hop Pop, showing he has more than thay goofy voice, and he can bring a character like that to life. And finally Keith Fucking David gave an absolute masterful work of art in King Andrias that I haven't seen from a Disney Animated show since fucking Gargoyles. The voice work is just absolutely specactular

[@aertnadle2466]

Plus there's Haley Tju's performance as Marcy.

[@myriadmediamusings]

Amphibia IMO is the best Disney Channel show since Gravity Falls popularised this current age style of quirkiness and drama that Star VS The Forces of Evil tried to emulate but came up short. Great animation, excellent writing, memorable characters, fleshed-out world, nuanced themes, and just the right length make for a truly excellent show. I'm so excited to get the upcoming Marcy's Guide to Amphibia reference book later this month.

[@MargaretRodriguez9GenY]

I feel the exact same way!Amphbia is great all around in my book.

[@tomkatt8274]

@@MargaretRodriguez9GenY me too.

[@marktapia8327]

It’s worth the journey. Sometimes the painstaking stuff is worth it and this was one of those cases. The last three episodes are epic! There’s even a gravity fall’s reference!!

[@knottyorchid1212]

Technically not a reference more of a tribute

[@IAmJonis]

Amphibia is gonna go down as a classic Disney show for years to come. I'm glad I got to experience it. S1 was good introduction to the characters, S2 we got more in depth with outside of Amphibia and S3 GOD TIER SEASON!!!.

[@707葉采穎]

Amphibia is not only about friendship, it also has a deeper theme "Change", understanding the story is one thing, but seeing the true meaning is more important. We would not have seen how Anne "changed", if it weren’t for the season one episode, these non-plot related episode are important to the characters’ arc. The story is important, but without understanding the true meaning, you might miss something that’s more important…

[@707葉采穎]

In defense of Amphibia’s filler episode : kzbin.info/www/bejne/jafXiquMf5mCf5Y

[@linedwell]

I finished this show about a month back. I cried at the ending... Like really cried.. it was so beautiful. When considered as a whole, it's one of my favourite cartoons.

[@Hansen104th]

This is definitely my favorite Disney animated show. Love the characters, themes, worlds, and emotions.

[@DarkKnightofAnime]

Ya Amphibia is one of those shows that starts slow but speedballs into insanity by the time you hit the end of season 1 and beyond which in itself does actually make the grind worth it in my opinion

[@Schmidteren]

What I find most amazing about this show is the voice acting. Also the art style and anmiation, I just love it! So good! The humor is also right up my alley. So I was not bored by season 1 at all. Awesome stuff!

[@timwoods2852]

As someone who loves frogs and has always fantasized about a world of frogs, this show was like giving my inner child an all expenses paid trip to every candy store and arcade rolled into one show! And, while you may have been able to see what trope they were referencing and how they were getting there, you weren't usually sure how it was going to end. They do a great job of taking a premise and twisting it on its head about 80% of the time.

[@TheJittering]

I actually find Amphibia’s patience in season 1 very refreshing.

[@jbcatz5]

Season one being the slice of life model does work because it’s how we get to know Anne and the Plantars, as well as how they develop (as individuals and in terms of character dynamics) while introducing and fleshing out the residents of Wartwood. It does a lot of heavy lifting so the other two seasons can do more around plot. Anne’s character development is most prominent, going from someone who is a bit too much of a people pleaser and rash decision maker to a character who doesn’t need the validation of others and can recognise as well as call out and act against those acting selfishly. The episode Best Fronds demonstrates the start point of this, where In Sasha’s absence she makes herself the Sasha of the her and Sprig friendship and telling him that being a good friend is making other people happy no matter what. She makes a turn around in this by Toad Tax, where she makes a solid development in her moral compass and by the conclusion of the season has become enough of a better person that Wartwood vote her Frog of the Year. You lose this by skipping season one. A fantastic character trait that also acts as cultural representation is that Anne has Thai heritage that comes up from time to time, especially in season 3A. It’s something Anne shares with her voice actress Brenda Song, and to see it on a widespread family show is fantastic because it’s not a culture that gets a lot of international recognition in media.

[@TheMikesShow1]

After Gravity Falls ended, 6 YEARS AGO, I thought there would be no more great series like that anymore. Luckily my best friend introduced me to this gem. Like you said it takes time but I fell in love by the end. Now I have faith in the future of animation, I'm checking out new shows I never bothered with before and they're just as good or somewhere in between. Thank you, Matt Braly

[@timsheppard6204]

I have never cried at a show so hard then i did with the finale the show is so good as in from beginning to end including season 1. It was nice seeing Brenda Song not in a live action show like Suite life and Wendy Wu she's a terrific VA as well as Bill Farmer and Keith David. Best part i don't think there is a bad or annoying character in this show

[@ericlundquisthere]

Amphibia tricked me. It introduced itself as a (quite good) episodic comedy, then season 2 kicked the story into high gear and I let my guard down. The Season 2 finale was twist after twist after twist that wreaked havoc on my heartstrings, and season 3 escalated and wrapped up the story so perfectly. I've seen the finale several times and I still can't get through it without crying. It weaseled its way into my psyche to become one of my absolute favorite shows of all time. I absolutely love it.

[@mrawesome8611]

If you liked this show, I'd recommend the next Disneycember be about The Owl House. It's also in the isekai genre, just with a heavier emphasis on fantasy than Amphibia. And way less frogs lol.

[@ryanchungus8972]

Woah. Surprised youre talking about it. This show made me almost cry at the end. I felt like genuinely bad that i couldnt see Marcy and the trio anymore. I hope theres a Marcy show next

[@LloxieFox]

I should check this show out. I gotta say, I love this whole genre, whatever it's called. Adventure Time, Star Vs. the Forces of Evil, Gravity Falls, Owl House... I eat it all up. I can't put into words exactly what it is they have in common that could be given a genre name, other than they have a similar *feel* to them. And I love it. It's like this great mix of silly, cute (and charmingly awkward at times) fun with serious, dramatic, and even sometimes dark overarching plots and themes.

[@jeffbrehove2614]

Hmm, I'm struggling of a way to think of a way to come up with a name for this genre. So let's start with a long version and see if we can shorten it: "Periodically Serialized Animated Fantasy Series for Families"

[@nateclone3828]

To be frank with you, I don't think EVERY episode in Amphibia Season 1 is integral to the show's plot, but many of them very much are, even with tiny things. The purpose of Season 1 is to introduce you to the main cast and find out what makes them tick, and you meet and understand just about every resident of Wartwood, in this season. This makes just about every side character having at least something to do in the S1 finale make them all feel like unique characters and not just some incidentals in the background. I've seen so many people saying you can just start a number of episodes in, when things start to get interesting, but how can you care about a character and their conflicts if you just skip to only the interesting moments of it? The creator of Amphibia has stated that you shouldn't just classify an episode as "filler" just because nothing important happens, on the surface, because you're learning and caring more about the characters through their escapades. Not to mention, it makes Wartwood actually feel like a real place, with actual people living there. It's important to make a world feel lived in, it makes you care about the characters far more than if you just "Skipped to the Sasha episodes".

[@motherplayer]

So it's like the audience that honestly believes you should skip "Phantom Blood" and "Battle Tendency" because Part 3 of JoJo is where stands come into play, even though you'd never have an appreciation for the return of Dio from Part 1 and the protagonist from Part 2 returning.

[@noahzinar1178]

One of my favorite things about the show is how the girls are connected to the themes of wit, heart, and strength and how it's represented. It's very powerful and universal, I think we can all connect those themes and ideas to not just ourselves, but just life in general. For example: I saw one comment saying hoe the Calamity Box's HEART is the power source, it's WIT is the processing power, and it's STRENGTH is it's durability, that was GENIUS! There are lots of themes and ideas you can connect dots with these traits and it's helped me look at things in a new light. God bless Matt Braly!

[@demimonde4archives947]

My roommate and I had the same complaint. We watched Owl House first, and there's a moment which hints at shared universe, so we watched Amphibia. Season 1 took up multiple days to get through. Seasons 2 and 3, we binged those a day each. The show is worth it, but really drags its heals to get there.

[@Talongirl333]

A difference between the owl house & Amphibia: both have an episode where everyone goes to the market, but OH takes advantage of being in a magic world. Tons of even background actions where it’s clear they’re not on earth. Merchants aren’t just in black cloaks, they walk different, eat different things, have thing eat them, etc

[@nickioleary8577]

I kinda figured the more simple season 1, at least for this show, was mainly to get us to care about the characters. Anne grows a lot throughout the first season, and I really started to like the Wartwood residents because they focused on them and their growing relationship with Anne. I get why other people don’t like it, but I personally really like it

[@violetrose674]

Season 1 not only sets up the world and the characters, it's crucial for Anne as a person. Her development happens through those filler episodes, which is where the conflict with Sasha comes in during the season 1 finale. If we didn't have those episodes, we wouldn't have reached that point or any point after it. It's what makes Anne such a good protagonist

[@mysticalkeyblade759]

True Colors made me cry and mourn for a couple of days or weeks. I loved Marcy. She’s my favorite character.

[@zacthedededefan2249]

I feel like this show has the theme of friendships, but then also worked in change towards the end, which is definitely a massive aspect of people’s lives. It can be scary for a lot of people because deep down, you know certain things you love about life will eventually come to an end and the fear comes from not knowing how you’re going to deal with it. But as we see from the episode “All In” there’s that quote that I absolutely adore, which is “We spend most of our lives afraid of change, but after many years I realize the beauty of life is the change.” While it may be sad to exit a certain phase of your life, the next one could be the one that changes your life for the better. And friendship is impacted by this heavily, as friends come and go in your life, and sometimes, there’s nothing you can do about the ones that leave. But, as also seen in this show, you’d be surprised what makes it way back to you.

[@carlintaylor2996]

Very happy I decided to give this series a chance Brenda song one of my favorite Disney channel actors grew up watching her stuff put this show up there with regular show haven't been this into a Disney series since phinas and Ferb back in 2007 outside of the MCU this was My favorite cartoon this year thanks to Disney plus

[@disneygirl884]

I watched Amphibia from the very beginning, and it was so fascinating! In my opinion don`t skip any episodes because you will connect with the characters a lot more

[@M644theawesome]

Amphibia is a great show, definitely one of the top shows from Disney, like Gravity Falls, The Owl House, and others. Also you should never skip season 1 of any show, and when it comes to Amphibia, you really should not, as what the creator of this show said, "filler" is a dirty word, as every episode has something that relates to the story of the show, be it knowing more about characters, the town, or anything else that will come back later, it is a great show and should watch all 3 seasons Also the creator of the show Matt Braly, was a part of other shows like Gravity Falls and Steven Universe, he was a storyboard artist and director of 8 episodes on GF, and for SU he was a writer and storyboard artist for the episode "Lars and the Cool Kids"

[@aidanredding8058]

2 slight corrections 1. Hop Pop is their Grandpa, not Uncle 2. It was always going to have 3 seasons Other than that, great review. I love Amphibia, it's one of my favorite cartoons ever made.

[@TheDatabaseNetwork]

Three corrections. I think Doug mistaken the theme for Amphibia. It's not just the trust in friendship, but mainly accepting the changes in our lives.

[@marmik961]

1:02 Hop Pop is their grandfather 2:33 I'm surprised by that, Polly is hilarious. I like this show, season 1 is a lot like Tangled the series. There's a mystery but it wants you learn more about the characters, how they learn and grow. Being in one spot kind of helps with that probably, I don't think it's a budget thing. Season 2 was fun as well as the main characters travel to Newtopia. I thought they'd get there in by the end of the season like Tangled, but they get there a little a fourth into the season. That was a bit of a shock to me. As for season 3, I think it was the idea to end it there. Makes sense 3 girls stuck in a world where they power 3 stones to make the box work.

[@MoonGhostDoodles]

1:38 That’s a consequence of how story driven shows have to be pitched nowadays compared to before. The pitch of a show usually consists of a season with an episodic structure with slight hints of story to assure backing and funding from a studio. So at that point it’s up to that season to build up the characters and make them likeable. Which I feel Amphibia does pretty great anyway. Just wanted to inform on this because not many people get why first seasons usually take their time with the main story.

[@deadlockraven1849]

Weak beginnings are becoming such a common thing for these types of shows. You offered an incredible explanation though. I really get it.

[@MrStyro]

On the third day of DisneyCember, the critic gave to me: Three talking Frogs Two Dodos fighting over a melon And an emotional web-slinging adventure

[@IceyKunai]

This is my absolute favorite show, my guilty pleasure one might say. Love that Amphibia got your attention! It needs more love. “Don’t stare into the abyss Anne. After all, it stares back.”

[@valentinkambushev4968]

About the theory that Amphibia was originally meant to have four seats: No, it was always meant to have three seats. And it's not even Disney's mandate about story shows have three seasons, the creator just likes three part stories.

[@pufelmulticolorido]

On the third day of Disneycember, the Critic gave to me... Three hoping frogs Two extinct mammals And a web-swinging pigeon retriever!

[@VikingZX]

I think the reason we're seeing so many shows just being episodic while feeling like they want to break free is executives. Executives are stuck in the past and don't trust the new things show creators want to do. And so the creators play by the book until the executives are satisfied and take their focus elsewhere ... and then the show's creators have the trust to do other stuff. We've seen the same with network TV like The Orville. The only reason The Orville had such crass humor in its opening episodes was confirmed to be because the executives demanded it and babysat the creator to make sure it was there. The moment they were "satisfied" and looked elsewhere, the show started stripping all that crap out. It feels similar with a lot of shows these days. You've got creators that want to do new stuff, and executives that are unsure of the new and want the same old same old they understand.

[@nickdorenkamp959]

On the third day of Disneycember the critic gave to me... Three anthro frogs Two frozen acorns ...And an AMAZING MARVEL GAME!!!

[@14s0cc3r14]

The fact that the show very explicitly ends with the main character *dying* and being replaced with a clone is still so shocking to me

[@jessicamalca]

The letter Leif wrote to Andrias tells me that they were more than just friends I think they loved each other Andrias blushes and looked away during Leifs dance, the secret messages to each other, Andrias the frist to rush to Leif after she fell to her hands and knees after the vission, the worried look on his face, Leif crying into Andrias, Andrias the one that took her betrayl the hardest and his blushing tears in his eyes and scraming her name when she left, and Leif dubbing her self as "your Leif" and her calling him my derest Andrias and saying I wish my love will reach you. Also in the painting Andrias and Leif are looking at eachother and there is a art that Matt Braly did Andrias Berral and Leif are back together and they are on his sholders and Andrias and Leif are looking at eachother. There was and still is something more than just friendship between Andrias and Leif.

[@jeffreyquinde6707]

The creator said that the show was always meant to be a three-act story, so I don’t think they wanted to do another season. Though it might’ve benefited the rushed elements

[@valentinkambushev4968]

The rushed elements could have been fixed if they didn't waist so many episodes on pointless Earth shenanigans.

[@zacharybartolo5111]

@@valentinkambushev4968 As someone that liked the earth shenanigans I agree or at the very least add a couple more episode or replace the episodes. We def needed more episode on the return to Amphiba and I feel the episode that revealed Andrias' backstory could have benefitted as a two-parter.

[@valentinkambushev4968]

@@zacharybartolo5111 agree. Especially with how the episodes are separated on two, it could have been one half is Earth and the other one is Amphibia.

[@Sovreign071]

I think apart from Season 1 of these shows being PoC, it also establishes a baseline. It creates the "normal" that the writers can subvert later.

[@pmgmsd]

LOVED this show. My 11-year-old introduced me to it and it is a home run

[@rebeccacalledalice]

No, no, no, no, no, no. Never skip the first season! Otherwise, you miss the character-building!! And also Anne and Sacha's arc too. That's very important. Don't skip! Also I think you're getting this show mixed up with Gravity Falls. Hop Pop is their grandpa, not uncle.

[@mariogirl8100]

So... Season 1 focuses on Character Building, Season 2 focuses on World Building, and Season 3 takes those things and wraps them up nice and neatly in a little bow?

[@rebeccacalledalice]

@@mariogirl8100 sums it up perfectly

[@huntermatzer2430]

On the third day of Disneycember, Doug Walker gave to me: One of my favorite Disney shows, Blue Sky’s first movie, and the best Spider-Man game ever!

[@sarahmcmann5253]

Awesome

[@johnathanholmes1297]

Where is the count down?

[@Artizm_Music]

Amphibia. A show so good it even got Kermit The Frog's stamp of approval. He even makes a cameo in one episode.

[@artistanthony1007]

Marcy Wu is basically just William Dunbar from Code Lyoko as they're teenagers that get possessed by their own masters and they both have a Battle Suit, Weapon with an Eye on it and while William has a single Eye on forehead and Marcy has many, they basically are the same then XANA has many Eyes that can appear on monitors but The Core having it on walls.

[@KTKomedy2813]

Hop Pop is actually Sprig and Polly’s grandpa.

[@Goleon]

I was gonna say that.

[@violetthebookcat7457]

This show is once of the best shows I have seen yet!

[@Herowebcomics]

The show looks cute and so does the fan art! So many fun characters!

[@exeggutivejudge3747]

1:56 Ducktales had the family go to all kinds of places in the world while also having some episodes take place in Duckburg. Idk why it's included in this list

[@dacodafabrega3432]

Disney Junior’s Lion Guard kinda has a similar vibe as the other shows. In season 1, it’s mostly stayed at the pridelands. In season 2, they still stayed, but there are a few good stuff in one of the episodes like Scar returning as a fire. In season 3, it gets pretty interesting when they travel to the Tree of Life.

[@connorthompson8376]

Another thing to note about season one is that you get to sit with the characters and get to know them. Other people have mentioned this in the comment section, but I’m suddenly reminded of how it is when you’re in a homestay environment, like if you study abroad. It’s mostly the same spot unless you go do things on the weekend, but just being in that new environment is wondrous enough, and you can end up coming into your own in so many little ways along the way. That being said, though, this is a story, and we want things to move along, unless you’re into something that is purely episodic. I guess another thing would be that you may be right about selling the product during the first season and seeing if they can get an audience at all, but at some point during season one the work on season two begins. I don’t know how long they wait before starting anything that they can’t change, but with. #TheOwlHouse they said that they had most of the writing done on season two before the season one was finished. However, given the production, hell that show went through, I don’t know how indicative it is.

[@GingerofMassDestruction]

This show is a masterpiece. I watched seasons 1 to 3 and I have never been so interested in a show before. I love the characters, the writing is great, and the visuals are beautiful. I remember watching the final the day it came out and I cried watching it. I've seen many finals to shows I loved, Adventure time, gravity falls, regular show, etc. I would feel sad that they ended those shows but I never cried while watching them. This show did something no other tv show I've seen could do, it made me cry. I Love this show and thank you Doug for talking about it.

[@1805movie]

I'm a HUGE sucker for slice of life. I guess that's why I love the first season more than most people. It allows you to get to know the characters and the environment before the big stuff happens in the later seasons. To me, that's much, MUCH more important than seeing flashy stuff first, and all of the character development is shoved to the way side. Because if you don't care about the characters before the said big stuff, then why should you care at all what happens in the show? And I never once thought it was "kid focused", especially the dark humor sprinkled in every now and then in the said first season. To sum it up: There are no filler episodes, only character development episodes. I think people need to learn to be more patient.

[@slashermaster28]

I find it funny how Doug was able to see all the plot significance of every episode of season 1 of Tangled, yet here he seriously believes only the Sasha centered episodes are actually plot related. He does acknowledge many things from season 1 happen later, but he still treats them like they don't matter. Seriously?

[@Maniac4Bricks]

1:52 I think that's some sort of syndication thing: these episodes can be played for a while before more of the show picks up, thus inviting in more people to see what it's about, regardless of what order they're played.

[@TheStorrman]

Yesss, Amphibia is one of my favourite cartoons in recent history

[@jacobb4795]

I started watching it not long before season 3 started and now I’m obsessed with it

[@emilnordlund5708]

Its a god show season 3 its most epick

[@averymerrick]

Word of God: -Matt Braly confirmed on Reddit the series is a three-part story. -Matt Braly confirmed that time between Earth and Amphibia does not operate on Narnia Time during an Amphibia x Owl House panel during Comic Con @ Home 2021. -According to Matt Braly, Marcy is Taiwanese and Sasha is German and Slavic. He also confirmed that Marcy's parents are second and third-generation Taiwanese immigrants, which is why when they are heard in "True Colors", they have no apparent Taiwanese accents. -Matt Braly confirmed in his last interview that there would be no canonical romance amidst the Calamity Trio, but there would be some worthwhile intimacy across the main cast to be found in the incoming finale. -When the possibility of the girls using Terri's portal was brought up, Matt reminded that at best it could be used to send messages to Amphibia in the form of a pinhole sized portal and that said portal was confiscated by the FBI. He did however, hint that Mr. X and Terri could call the girls some years down the line... -Also, to not bring any drama around the recent confirmation of Toadie and Frodrick being a couple, he also confirmed Toadie's age the next day: He is around his 30s, confirming that he was never a kid during the show.

[@superzimblue4971]

I can guarantee that if Amphibia actually did move to the adventure format after a couple episodes that Doug would have complained something like - insert screechy whine voice- "They didn't tell us anything about the world! They just show us all these characters acting like we should know them". or maybe "Why did they think it was a good idea to introduce all these characters so quickly?" With Doug it's usually a damned if you do and damned if you don't.

[@loganjoh1]

I watched this show just from posts on the internet thinking it was just a silly frog show but then I teared up watching the finale

[@tommykammers1847]

i definitely enjoy this including the music throughout the show

[@kevindolan9]

This is easily one of the best Disney shows ever made but I do agree a lot of it has been done before especially the “travel to another world” element I mean almost every recent anime release is the isekai trope but I will say this everything that they do that’s been done before has been executed amazingly. I mean one of the reveals I saw coming was Marcy being the reason they all got stuck in amphibia but from what she says and how she delivers her lines is hauntingly Real and you 100% understand why she did it especially after seeing flashbacks of how she was treated in the friendship I also really like how she joins her friends in the fight right after the reveal instead of just “Soon you’ll understand!“ or something like that.

[@TheBatIsRad6435]

Apparently this show was originally gonna focus more on the story. As shown in the og pilot, but Disney wanted the show to be more episodic cause shows like the loud house were popular

[@siddaleetylermalone]

I've wanted you to look at Amphibia for a while now and accept for Hop Pop not being an uncle you did not disappoint! It's interesting you mention you can skip the first season because, that's exactly how I watched the show. I watched the first episode, Sasha's episode and a few in between episodes. Then got to season 2. It's a great fun show. I cannot wait for you to eventually look at Owl House!

[@moxxiedemongamer3019]

5:30 that maybe the funniest moment within the show of the guy in therapy and got scared by a Clown Balloon

[@onijester56]

In point of fact, there are two reasons that many of these shows don't explore much of the overall world that exists in-universe. Yes, production costs are high. Creating different completely-unique backgrounds and settings requires a lot of time and effort from the animators and such. Which invokes a lot of money needing to be budgeted for that part of the creative efforts. But, also, many of these shows are given little to no actual foresight into their final length. I think it was Netflix's "Dragon Prince" which released its entire first season a full month before Netflix even thought to maybe possibly greenlight Season 2. So Season 1 *had* to be able to exist such that it could be enjoyed even without a Season 2. Nick's "Legend of Korra" was similar, being intended as a single season but then expanded and cut at random points so that sometimes the creative team had to dice up completed episodes a day before the next episode was supposed to air since Nick removed slots, only for the next week having its episode created from scratch in a couple days because Nick changed their mind and instead doubled the amount of episodes that season would get. And then all those spontaneously-created episodes would have to be stitched into some Frankenstein's Monster the next time Nick told them that they were only getting, like, 7 episodes total to the season the day Episode 9 was airing.

[@wstine79]

Lloyd: "Just where I wanted to go to. A world that's wet and slimy." Buster: "It ain't easy being green." Lloyd: "That's the wrong frog."

[@greninja-qm2tz]

I remember watching the sneak peak repeatedly in anticipation of this show. And I've watched every episode religiously with the exception of a few season 3 episodes. All in all though, this show still delivered big time and I'm glad to have watched it. Definitely worth the wait.

[@jamesmoyner7499]

Okay I'm going to throw my hat into the ring: On the Third Disneycember my Critic gave to me: Three Leaping Frogs, Two Quiet Moments, And a Spider Flying Round the City!

[@Jungoguy]

This show helped get me through the Pandemic and get over Star vs ending. I loved it. One of the best Disney’s done in years.