Invader Zim

[avram]

A latecomer, as always, to the hot new cartoon trends, I’ve just discovered the joys of Invader Zim. Kevin taped a wad of it for me, six hours of Zimmy goodness, and I’ve watched the pilot and three episodes so far. Very funny, weird, and dark. “Dark Harvest”, the one with the organs, in particular seems like the sort of thing I’d never expect to see on a kids’ network, which may explain why Nickelodeon is cancelling it. The Cartoon Network might have been a better fit.

It also looks like a very expensive cartoon to produce. Lots of sweeping movement, requiring heavy background rendering, and the backgrounds are pretty detailed. Lots of distinctive background characters. The movement in general is pretty smooth. And lots of lovingly detailed action sequences, with stuff unfolding and lighting up. Fun to watch, but it can’t be cheap.