Inspector Gadget (2015)

Inspector Gadget (2015)
This isn't the Inspector Gadget that we all know and love.
Genre: Mystery Comedy Slapstick Crime Science fiction Running Time: 22 Minutes Country: United States Canada Release Date: January 3, 2015 - May 18, 2018 Network(s): Netflix Distributed by: DHX Media Starring: Ivan Sherry Tara Strong Derek McGrath Scott McCord Martin Roach Lyon Smith Katie Griffin Seasons: 4 Episodes: 52 Previous show: Gadget and the Gadgetinis

Inspector Gadget is a American-Canadian CGI animated television series produced by DHX Media that serves as a sequel to the original series of the same name, which aired from 1983 to 1986. The show was announced on June 11, 2013, with 26 episodes. The show debuted on January 3, 2015, on Boomerang in France and officially premiered on Teletoon in Canada on September 7, 2015. In the United States, it premiered as a streaming television series on Netflix on March 27, 2015.

Plot

When Dr. Claw is thawed out of his iceberg prison and reactivates M.A.D., Inspector Gadget is brought out of retirement and is back on the beat to stop Dr. Claw once again. This time, Penny and Brain officially work by Gadget's side. The series also introduces a new character in Dr. Claw's nephew, Talon. The series' tone is more comical than the original, with Dr. Claw being portrayed as much less sinister.

Why It Should Go Go Gadget Go Away

1. The idea of bringing Inspector Gadget back as a CGI show is completely unnecessary for starters, because the previous three shows were in traditional animation. DHX only created this show to milk the franchise dry by making it a cheap CGI cartoon.
2. Weak writing, compared to the previous three shows.
3. The show has no connection to the source material, due to DIC Entertainment and Andy Heyward not being involved with the show.
4. Much like Teen Titans Go!, Bob the Builder (2015), Fireman Sam (CGI era, seasons 6-present), Postman Pat: Special Delivery Service, Noddy, Toyland Detective, Monster High (2016), The Powerpuff Girls (2016), the Netflix era of VeggieTales, Thomas & Friends: Big World! Big Adventures! & All Engines Go! and Caillou's New Adventures, this reboot tries way too hard to modernize Inspector Gadget, but it's done very poorly to the point where it doesn't even feel like the same show at all.
5. The dialogue lacks the drama from the original show.
6. Terribly cheap CGI animation that is a pair with Doogal, Norm of the North and The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild's animation. Not to mention, it looks more like a direct-to-video DVD film from the mid-2000s to early-2010s due to the character animation.
7. Ugly and uncanny character designs that don't look like their original counterparts, especially with Penny that feels like a bootleg Fiona from Shrek and Jessie from Toy Story 2. Brain looks like a bootleg Donkey from Shrek.
8. Dr. Claw in this reboot is a forgettable and less menacing villain compared to his original counterpart, in fact, here he is just as incompetent as Inspector Gadget, which completely goes against his original characterization in the original series as a formidable foe.
9. Talon Claw, Dr. Claw's nephew is considered the bland, generic, and weakest villain in the franchise.
10. Ugly and bland character designs for the background characters which don't fit in the same universe as Inspector Gadget. They look like rejected or background characters from Sony Pictures Animation and Illumination movies, because of how they're rubbery/rounded out, cheaply designed, and not as dynamic-looking as the characters in the previous three shows.
11. Continuity Error: Gadget and the Gadgetinis was already a sequel to the original show, hence making the series' existence completely unnecessary.
12. The humor of the show is unfunny, very awkward, and/or cringe-worthy.
13. In a similar manner to how The Powerpuff Girls (2016), Shrek the Third, Cars 2, Minions, and Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon" negatively affected their respective franchises, this show heavily damaged the reputation of both the Inspector Gadget franchise and DHX Media. As solidified DHX's reputation as a studio that was unable to let go of the Inspector Gadget franchise due to how much money the shows made them. And this resulted in the company as a whole becoming widely unable to be taken seriously as an animation studio by a large number of people (as great as the studio truly was despite a large amount of Inspector Gadget shows they made).

Redeeming Qualities

1. Decent voice acting from the likes of Tara Strong.
2. Despite the ugly character designs, no one is flanderized or really out of character in this show, except for Dr. Claw and his nephew Talon.
3. The theme song and outro song is quite catchy and action-packed.
4. There are a few funny moments here and there.
5. The animated title cards are nice to look at.

Reception

The series received mostly mixed to negative reviews for critics and viewers alike with a 4.5/10 on IMDb.

Trivia

• Tara Strong has previously played Agent Heather, who is similar personality-wise to Penny, in the spin-off series Gadget Boy.

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