Aaron's Review: The Loud House
A Nickelodeon show that on the surface looks pretty generic. Which…I can’t fully say it isn’t. Some of the jokes and plot threads, you can see coming a mile away. With that being said, that is literally the only problem I have with this fun show.
Guys, Gals, & Non Binary Pals, this is Animated-Aaron’s Review of ‘The Loud House’.
!Background!
Lincoln Loud is the only boy in a house with 11 kids. Yep. On top of being the middle child, the other children are girls. He has to argue, defend, scheme, and survive life along with them and the show focuses on their cartoony day to day lives.
!Story!
Okay, let’s get this out of the way. 9 of the girls get a fair amount of screen time as the show goes on. Number 10 is a baby so…yeah. Lincoln acts as the narrator for the show by breaking the fourth wall. Often giving a brief explanation of an aspect about his life at the start of each episode. Whatever happens in said episode is going to in some way focus on that. Him planning on getting the best seat in the van before a long trip. Trying to avoid a classmate he sort of has a crush on but is really rough. Luan always takes her pranks to an extreme on April fool’s day. That sort of thing.
Whoever comes up with these plots for episodes obviously grew up with multiple siblings. While the threads are simple and have been done before, the addition of multiple family members arguing or helping each other get over the problem of the day seems to add just enough life into comedy. Seeing each sister bounce off of one another in different situations is what I really enjoy about the show. I’m not laughing at the fact that Lincoln reads his comic books in his underwear. I’m laughing at his Goth sister’s dry reaction to it. It’s not that Lori is making Lincoln do a double date with her and Bobby where Lincoln is stuck with Bobby’s little sister Ronnie. It’s the way Lincoln & Ronnie end up actually having a good time despite being forced into it. The pranks Luan is pulling on her sisters (and Lincoln) aren’t making me laugh. Their ways of trying to avoid pranks only to walk into one is.
There are a few jokes that feel forced, but the voice actors/actresses manage to make it entertaining. Speaking of the voice actors, they give so much life to the characters that would’ve come across as generic otherwise. Well, I mean the writing is good too and the animation obviously plays a part. But you know what I mean.
!Characters!
There’s 11 siblings so forgive me if it seems like I’m breezing through some of their characteristics.
Lincoln Loud (voiced by Grant Palmer in episodes 1–22; Collin Dean in episodes 23–present), is the 11-year-old protagonist that can be identified by his white hair. A comic books/superhero fanatic who tries to keep the peace amongst his siblings unless he specifically wants the ‘insert item here’ for himself. His comedy is mostly tongue in cheek since he talks to the audience but he receives most of the slapstick in the show.
Oldest to youngest:
Lori Loud (voiced by Catherine Taber) is the 17-year-old eldest child of the Loud family and can be very bossy. Like Lincoln, she’s a little cynical but is more vocal about it. Also like Lincoln, she never wants to see her siblings in turmoil. Unless they get between her and her boyfriend Bobby.
Leni Loud (voiced by Liliana Mumy) is the 16-year-old ‘dumb blonde’ who apparently knows how to pick locks but is still very obsessed with her fashion.
Luna Loud (voiced by Nika Futterman) is the 15-year-old who has a roaming mock British accent since she loves old and new rock music bands. Her signature instrument is an electric guitar but I can’t recall any she doesn’t know how to play. I also don’t recall that many bisexual characters in kids cartoons so kudos to the show for that.
Luan Loud (voiced by Cristina Pucelli) is our 14-year-old comedian who speaks in puns. Thankfully, it’s only annoying for the characters in the show. She has a bit of an ego and is a little psychotic at times, but again, she’s well voiced so it’s never grating.
Lynn Loud Jr. (voiced by Jessica DiCicco) the athletic 13 year old who tries to turn everything into a competition. She’s a little rough, but she’s well-meaning in her actions.
Lucy Loud (voiced by Jessica DiCicco) is a gothic 8 year old girl with interests in poetry, séances, and literature. How her voice actress manages to get so much emotion out of such a stoic character, I have no idea.
Lana & Lola Loud (both voiced by Grey Griffin) are identical 6-year-old twins. They both even have gaps in their teeth. Lana is a rebellious tomboy who loves to get her hands dirty, where Lola is always wearing a princess outfit and loves tea parties. Lana usually tries to fix/alter stuff, being a gear head. Lola usually tries to get things her way, being a selfish brat.
Lisa Loud (voiced by Lara Jill Miller) is the 4-year-old who would give Dexter a run for his money (the red haired cartoon character, not the TV drama serial killer). Despite having a Ph.D. and a Nobel Prize for science, there are episodes where she’s seen in kindergarten. Even more ironically, she’s the most cynical of the siblings often having little patience for their ‘trivial interest’. All that science equipment, and yet she can’t fix her speech impediment.
Lily Loud (voiced by Grey Griffin) is a 15 month old baby…initiate the diaper jokes.
!The Show!
The animation is almost never stilted. At least, not for more than a few seconds. It stays on a shot long enough to let it be shown that 8 of the girls are on screen listing to Lincoln talk, but the shots of them won’t focus on the missing 1 until Lincoln will say, “wait, where’s Lola?” The way everything is cut in the show to me is very well paced and animated. It’s not top notch, but you don’t need top of line animation to tell a top of line story.
The animation and web-comic like art style does its job very well. I like how the show can bounce from scenes of multiple characters having back and forth insults to medium paced slapstick.
I think the only thing I don’t like is how each sister gets a scene for a cutaway gag. Like when they hear the baby say ‘dang it’, all of them remember when they’ve said it in front Lily. Thus, there’s a flashback for all 10 siblings. Each of them are short, but it’s still 10 flashbacks back-to-back.
!Grade!
The Loud House has gotten pretty popular in the short time it’s been on air. It currently has two seasons at the time of this review, and I’m hoping it continues. Not as long as SpongeBob per say, but if the writers, animators, actors, and everyone else involved keep it up, I see it becoming a hallmark of Nickelodeon.
Grade: B+
Final Word: Despite being able to see the joke coming, I can still laugh my butt off when it arrives.
What’s Your Opinion?
Comments
Post a Comment