Like many Americans my age, I think I have some nostalgia for the Disney afternoon programs. The Disney afternoon was a block of children’s cartoons which was shown in the afternoon. It started in 1990 when I was 8 years old. It had some very popular Disney children’s programs.
The cartoons were shown from 3pm to 5pm. The reason is that many American schools ended at around 2:30. The show played from when the children got home to around when their parents finish work. Usually, I would go home after school, get a snack, and watch the Disney afternoon while eating. I would usually watch the Disney afternoon with my brother and our cats.
The first shows shown on the Disney afternoon were “Gummi Bears”, “Tailspin”, “Duck Tales” and “Chip n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers”. All of these shows were very popular.
Another thing that the shows were known for was the opening music. All of the shows had very catchy opening songs which many people my age can recognize easily.
My favorite show on the Disney afternoon was “Gargoyles”. “Gargoyles” started in 1997 when I was 15. I liked it because it was a more mature show than the other shows in the Disney afternoon. Disney cartoons were known for being for children and have many funny characters. “Gargoyles” was a serious show. It is about some good monsters called gargoyles who become statues during the day but come alive at night. Although they are good and protect humans, many humans are afraid of them because they look like monsters. They protect a castle and its humans, but some of the humans betray them and use a curse that means they become statues all the time. They stay as statues for hundred of years until the curse is lifted in modern times in New York City. The gargoyles decide they will protect the people of New York.
The show was interesting for many reasons. The characters were very complex. Usually, they were not black and white. All of the heroes might make mistakes and all of the bad guys had good sides. Sometimes the heroes and bad guys had to cooperate. Also, the show was interesting because many of the characters came from Shakespeare plays and world mythology. I was interested in both world mythology and Shakespeare at the time. I re-watched the show about 10 years ago and it was still very good.
As an interesting side fact, a lot of the voice actors on “Gargoyles” were also in “Star Trek”. “Star Trek” is a sci-fi TV series. I don’t know why, but it was fun trying to find out what character on “Gargoyles” was played by “Star Trek” actors.
I would recommend “Gargoyles” as a good English language TV show, but it is difficult to find ways to watch it. It is not on Netflix or Amazon Prime. Although it was a very good show, I don’t think it was as popular as the more cheerful normal Disney shows and so it is harder to find ways to watch it.
Nathaniel
Vocabulary
block (noun) – a quantity of something or an amount of time that is considered as a single unit
catchy (adjective) – (of music or the words of an advertisement) pleasant and easily remembered
mature (adjective) – in a way like that of an adult
betray (verb) – to hurt someone who trusts you, especially by not being loyal or faithful to them
curse (noun) – magic words that are intended to bring bad luck to someone
mythology (noun) – stories from ancient times, especially ones that were told to explain natural events or to describe the early history of a people or gods and goddesses
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