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The Banana Splits Movie: Makin’ Up a Mess of Gore

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Tra-la-la, la-la-la-la…

Those nonsense words have meant something to me since I was a kid watching the original ‘Banana Splits Adventure Hour’. Now, thanks to the work of writers Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas (creators of Best Friends Whenever, the finest teen-time-travel show Disney ever canceled), it will forever mean something else. Something… darker.

When I watched the trailer for The Banana Splits Movie, I thought it was a fun take on an older show. I did not expect the care and attention that Elinoff, Thomas, director Danishka Esterhazy and the cast would put into this project.

Maybe you remember the Banana Splits as they were. Maybe you’ve just sat disbelieving as an older friend told you of the TV show where grown people in weird animal suits re-did The Monkees. Either way, if you enjoy vicious, efficient horror, you should check this re-imagining out.

Banana Splits–18/02/2019–Marcos Cruz / 2019 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

The movie stars Harley (Finlay Wojitak-Hissong), brother Austin (Romeo Carere), mother Beth (Dani Kind), father Mitch (Steve Lund) and friend Zoe (Maria Nash) as they attend a taping of titular show, which is supposed to be a fun-filled birthday for young Harley and business as usual for Rebecca (Sara Canning), the producer of the series.

The side characters nearly steal the show, with bitter human co-star Stevie (Richard White) and Splits superfan Thadd (Kiroshan Naidoo) both used to great comedic effect. Very little goes to waste in this script, as beat after beat is set up and executed.

The Splits are autonomous robots (a feat of engineering handwaved away without a thought) who, of course, go haywire. Mayhem ensues. The script is tight, clocking in just under 90 minutes. We get to the show taping in no time, and the deaths are spectacular in a campy, 80s horror way. Practical effects and fake blood abound.

Banana Splits — Day 5 — 22/02/2019 — Marcos Cruz / 2019 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

The story is incredibly efficient in how it gets me from opening credits through family introduction and into the action. I felt trust from the pacing immediately. The filmmakers obviously care about the source material, but the eye was on a genuinely entertaining final product. The ending contains both my favorite kill of the movie, as well as a lovely opening for more story.

Banana Splits–18/02/2019–Marcos Cruz / 2019 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

From the trailer, I thought perhaps the robot Splits were possessed, or cursed, or maybe the ghost of a serial killer blah blah blah. I was pleasantly surprised to find the story is even simpler – the show is being canceled, and the robots aren’t happy about it. Something about this setup – the easy revenge motive, the us/them tension it creates between the child fans and the adult co-workers – works wonderfully for me. I found myself siding with and against the Splits at various points, hoping for some parents to get theirs, while scared for other characters.

Bloody, inspired, silly, and streamlined – The Banana Splits Movie made up a mess more fun than expected.

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Paramount+ Reveals Official Main Title Sequence for the Upcoming Series TALES OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES

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During the TALES OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES panel earlier today at San Diego Comic Con, Paramount+ revealed the official main title sequence for the series. The sequence is composed by EMMY® nominee, Matt Mahaffey, known for his work on Sanjay and Craig, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie and much more. 

From the studios of the Mutant Mayhem film, the all-new Paramount+ original series TALES OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES explores the adventures of everyone’s favorite pizza-loving heroes as they emerge from the sewers onto the streets of NYC. Leo, Raph, Donnie and Mikey are faced with new threats and team up with old allies to survive both teenage life and villains lurking in the shadows of the Big Apple. The series is produced by Nickelodeon Animation and Point Grey Pictures.

TALES OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES is executive produced by Chris Yost (The Mandalorian, Thor: Ragnarok) and Alan Wan (Blue Eye Samurai, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles [2012 Series]). Production is overseen for Nickelodeon by Claudia Spinelli, Senior Vice President, TV Series Animation, Nickelodeon, and Nikki Price, Director of Development and Executive in Charge of Production.

In addition to the upcoming new series, stream all things Turtles on Paramount+.

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Comic-Con 2024: Those About to Die Activation

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DISNEY+ CASTS DANIEL DIEMER AS FAN-FAVORITE ‘TYSON’IN SEASON TWO OF “PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS”

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 in Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con, Rick Riordan and Disney+ revealed that Daniel Diemer (“Under the Bridge”) will star as fan-favorite cyclops “Tyson” in the epic adventure series “Percy Jackson and the Olympians.” Diemer joins Walker Scobell (Percy Jackson), Leah Sava Jeffries (Annabeth Chase) and Aryan Simhadri (Grover Underwood) as a series regular. The Disney+ Original series from Disney Branded Television and 20th Television will start filming its second season next week in Vancouver.

Season two of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” is based on the second installment of Disney Hyperion’s best-selling book series titled “The Sea of Monsters” by award-winning author Rick Riordan. In the new season, Percy Jackson returns to Camp Half-Blood one year later to find his world turned upside down. His friendship with Annabeth is changing, he learns he has a cyclops for a brother, Grover has gone missing, and camp is under siege from the forces of Kronos. Percy’s journey to set things right will take him off the map and into the deadly Sea of Monsters, where a secret fate awaits the son of Poseidon.

Diemer stars as Tyson – a young Cyclops who grew up all alone on the streets, and finds it difficult to survive in the human world.  Shy and awkward, with a heart almost as big as he is, Tyson soon discovers that Poseidon is his father, which means Percy Jackson is his half-brother… and that Tyson may have finally found a home. 

Diemer recently starred in the Hulu limited series “Under the Bridge” based off the critically acclaimed book of the same name and a tragic true story of a missing teen girl in Vancouver in 1997. He will next star in the indie “Thug” opposite Liam Neeson and Ron Perlman for director Hans Petter Moland. Daniel was recently seen as the lead in the indie “Supercell” opposite Alec Baldwin and Skeet Ulrich and the lead in the film “Little Brother” opposite Phil Ettinger and JK Simmons. Daniel can also be seen in the Netflix series “The Midnight Club” and recently starred as the male lead in the breakout hit Netflix feature “The Half Of It” from producer Anthony Bregman and director Alice Wu. He is a graduate of Victoria Academy of Dramatic Arts in Vancouver.

Created by Rick Riordan and Jonathan E. Steinberg, season two of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” is executive produced by Steinberg and Dan Shotz alongside Rick Riordan, Rebecca Riordan, Craig Silverstein, The Gotham Group’s Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Bert Salke, The Gotham Group’s Jeremy Bell and D.J. Goldberg, James Bobin, Jim Rowe, Albert Kim, Jason Ensler and Sarah Watson.

The first season of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” is available on Disney+

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