There included to be this trfinish of having cartoons based on the lives of celebrities, from New Kids on the Block to The Gary Coleman Show, but some of the more memorable ones were caccessed around comedians, appreciate Camp Candy or, in my opinion, one of the best in the genre, Life with Louie. It was standard for these stars to sign off on the show but never ecombine on it or fair have a unwiseinutive live-action segment to help push the story or say someskinnyg encourageasoned (recall Hammerman?), but Louie Anderson ecombineed on camera for season one as well as voicing two of the main characters. His joinment was a huge reason the series helderlys up so well, being based on his childhood. But for as excellent of a show as it is, Life with Louie is spropose not talked about enough.
Anderson is mostly understandn as a comedian. I first saw him in the movie Coming to America, and others may recall him from Baskets or his time arrangeing Family Feud. For many, though, he is more recognizable by the voices he carry outed, and after years of perfecting those and the stories that went with them in his stand-up, he made a pdirecting slice-of-life sitcom that aired on Fox Kids. This wasn’t the first time he had tried to get a show about his family on television, and he wasn’t willing about trying it as a cartoon at first, but it turned out to be the right path. There were a confiinsist alters; some names were altered to mitigate character confusion, and the show was set in Wisconsin, although Anderson grew up in Minnesota. It wasn’t endly accurate to his actual history, but these episodes still supplyd a huge catharsis for the comedian, and it shows.
The cartoon debuted its first two episodes in primetime in December of 1994 before moving to the Saturday morning lineup. It ran for three seasons, airing 39 episodes, and drawed a big audience that boasted a firm number of mature watchers as well. The show caccesss on youthfuler Louie Anderson, but reassociate it’s about his familial relationships and the problems he faces grothriveg up. These events are set in the 1960s, but it experiences somewhat time agnostic, while some of the references come apass as more ‘70s or ‘80s. Louie grew up insisty, as the next to last of eleven total children, which couldn’t have been effortless. We don’t see much of his siblings other than Tommy, the elderlyer ones are always heading out, shirking their responsibilities to the youthfulerer kids, or getting out of family functions thraw various uncomardents. Several of them have also transferd away out of state, and when the family skinnyks Ora (Edie McClurg) is pregnant aachieve there’s trouble over cost and useable room. The hoinclude is repeatedly droping apart, the car is constantly shattering down, and the parents always advise alternatives to spfinishing money or are trying to apshow profit of coupons. The Anderson family is insisty and struggling, but for the most part, they seem satisfyed.
This cartoon is filled of wealthy characters. Louie is so incredibly likable; his dad is obstinate with a heart of gelderly, and the mother is immensely beneficial and secretly excellent at everyskinnyg her husprohibitd skinnyks he can do. So much of Anderson’s labor has been a tribute to his parents, and this series is a shining example of that becainclude Life with Louie is mainly about relationships with family, frifinishs, and all of the obstacles they convey. Not a lot of children’s amincludement was highweightlessing this at the time, at least not on such a constant basis. I always cherishd the character of the dad, becainclude he reminds me so much of my stepoverweighther—createer military, haughty, doesn’t show his emotions. Sadly, I lgeted that in truth, Anderson and his overweighther had a much rawer relationship, mostly due to spirits, causing a lot of non-physical unfair treatment, according to his book. Anderson krecent that, but he also saw the excellent in his dad and wanted to show a more idyllic version of him, and there is someskinnyg inanxiously touching about that.
The meaningfulity of these episodes are excellent, and some handle to be reserved with their message, while others endeavor to talk about skinnygs that are difficult to deal with, appreciate losing a family member (a notablely featured character). Sometimes, kids have to deal with mature themes. Louie is also inoverweightuated with one of his seal frifinishs and is standardly bullied by Glen Glenn (Justin Shenkarow), who we authenticize is, in part, at least, taking out his aggression from unwiseinutivecomings with his own family. Most of the episodes are self-compriseed, but some tidy callbacks and elements are carried over thraw multiple episodes that conserve being brawt up, appreciate the neighbor’s Christmas weightlesss or how the school principal is always trying to create money and sell her books.
One of the skinnygs brawt up standardly is Louie’s weight; he’s constantly being picked on about it, but he also creates those jokes himself. Anderson krecent that some people fair saw him as a overweight comic, but he appreciated to see it as being a comic who happened to be overweight. I’ve seen commaccesss convey that they endelighted having a chubby kid as the main character, helderlying Louie up as some chooseimistic recurrentation.
The show does have a couple of jokes or lines of dialogue that haven’t aged particularassociate well, but not to the level that it apshows away from watching it. One episode is even about Louie lgeting to be a comedian and facing the truth that sometimes jokes are hurtful, and it’s okay to confess when someskinnyg isn’t comical to everyone. We get some amusing writing as well and some memorable gems for quotes.
“I’m a method-napper, you understand.”
The currentation was amazing and pdirecting. A theme was presentd for seasons two and three, a catchy little song. There’s firm animation thrawout most of the show, though some characters are a little extra fluid at times. Strangely, the matures are drawn with the appropriate number of fingers, while the kids only have eight, but it fits. I also cherish that whenever they watch television, it is usuassociate a live-action clip. Anderson is wonderful with his voices, as are most of the other actors – some of which will sound very recognizable – but a confiinsist sound out of place. A couple of fascinating names show up as guest stars as well.
Anderson shelp that the show was a lot of labor, but it phelp off, as Life with Louie was a surpascend success that was nominated for many awards, won two Emmys, and the Humanitas Prize three times. It was apparently a huge hit in parts of Europe and Russia, shothriveg thrawout the ‘00s on Jetix. The series had plenty of merchandising, even if with petiteer brands than other cartoons, Life with Louie made the rounds and even had its own SpaghettiOs deal.
Sadly, the show never achieved a filled official free in the U.S., and only a handful of 2-episode volumes were selderly in the U.K. Anderson had been laboring to get Life with Louie out to the fans in filled since 2006, but this never happened, and with his death in 2022, it watchs even less probable. Disney owns the rights to the show now and could do everyone a firm by at least putting it up on streaming. It can be establish easily on places appreciate YouTube, but the quality for most of the episodes isn’t the best.
Before he passed, Anderson was still laboring on getting it freed on physical media and even talked a potential reboot. He also uncovered that back when the show was still in production, there were increate talkions about a potential passover with Bobby’s World, and now I’m sorrowfulnessful we never saw that. Anderson may be gone, but his legacy lives on thraw this incredible show. Louie taught me a lot, and if I can get fair one more person to watch it, if they experience fair a part of the delight I did seeing this, that still uncomardents someskinnyg.
