Guest Blog: Early Review of "We Wish You a Merry Walrus!"

If you, like me, are waiting for We Wish You a Merry Walrus to air in your country, you'll probably find this early review by Squidy2008/Tweety interesting.  My review of the special will be out later this week. - Chillin43

I know that many of you haven't seen this special yet, and that's ok. I will try my best to avoid spoilers in this review, but there are some things in this movie that are too cliche and obvious to be considered "spoilers," so I can't leave out EVERYTHING. Herbert is seen within the first two minutes of the movie, so I do not consider that a spoiler.

Herbert being the main antagonist of the movie was a smart move. He's someone that everyone loves to hate, and so CP decided to play it safe by not messing with the classics. Lucky for them, it worked out. Not much backstory (or monologue with visual aides) was needed. The whole Herbert "Operation" thing has always been a success for CP, and I'm glad they went with it in the movie. I think it is worth mentioning that the animation style change when Herbert reveals the details of his plan (I'll let the specifics of said style remain unspoiled) was refreshingly unique.

Roofhowse was a good protagonist. Although I was a little upset that the main character wasn't someone previously established, like Rockhopper, he became likable as the plot advanced. My one issue with Roofhowse (besides his weird-looking neck) is that he is referred to as "Fumbles" more than he is called "Roofhowse." I haven't done an official count on this, but it would be interesting to see the ratio of Roofhowse to Fumbles. Much like Wyldstyle/Lucy in "The LEGO Movie," there is confusion on which name is preferred over the other.

The other new characters fell flat. They were not memorable or likable in any way whatsoever. The living embodiment of static characters, they had no real importance to the story. The only reason they are there are to show the Roofhowse is welcome on CP, but they are dragged along on his adventure unnecessarily. As I write this, I am having trouble even recalling the name of the pigtailed, pookie-like penguin. Lardo? Larda? Nobody knows and nobody cares.

The Walrus feels similar to these characters, but he becomes more important towards the end. However, I don't think he does enough in regards to the story in order to have the movie NAMED after him. The way he is established as a character is incredibly random (he basically just kinda appears), and he feels forced. The only reason he is in the movie is to provide transportation for the main characters, and would seem especially strange to non-CP-players or people who haven't logged on in the month of December of 2014.

Cadence, although she is familiar, isn't necessary either. She just sings portions of a couple new songs and says maybe two lines. It would have been better if she traveled with Roof and Rock, as she would've been more likable and she would've given the audience more of a reason to care (she is the living embodiment of the audience).

With a few minor adjustments, I feel like this story could be told with just Roofhowse and Rockhopper as the main characters. The play scene at the beginning of the movie attempts to provide likability to the new characters, but it falls flat and feels unnecessary by the end of the movie (especially considering the fact that it probably took them a month to make it). Most of the other characters are just too forced to be likable.

One problem that would be a crime not to address is the puffles. Yep, puffles have officially caused problems OUTSIDE of CP. The puffles in this movie are CGI animated, which, as you can imagine, doesn't agree well with stop-motion animation. The puffles look very obviously thrown in there with no regard for the fact that this isn't a CGI-animated movie. Yarr sometimes seems to go through Rockhopper's hat as he sits on his shoulder. This could be compared to Elsa's hair going through her shoulder when she sings "Let It Go" in Disney's "Frozen." The only difference is that the puffles become a distraction to the audience. I felt like I spent more time looking at Yarr and how weird he looks than I did listening to what Rockhopper was saying. Very disappointing. It's a disgrace that the legend that is Dee Bradley Baker had to voice something that is an atrocity both on and off the online game.

Overall, however, the movie had a decent plot. A sense of antagonism was present, and it advanced the plot well. Although we've been through it many times before, it was good that CP played it safe with something they knew would work, and I hope it was enough for them to be commissioned to do more episodes. Fix the puffles, ditch the weird new characters (besides Roofhowse), and you've got yourself a gold mine. Please make more!

Rating: 9/10

I've been waiting for a CP show for years, so I wouldn't feel right giving it a score any lower. Despite minor problems, it wasn't as bad as its party counterpart.

As Chillin43 would say,
As Billybob would say, Waddle On!
- @TweesTweets