12 A's!!! Yeah, it rocked. I LOVED it.

Of course I'm going to jump on the bandwagon and give it an A for obvious reasons. I don't know if anything can top it, either...it's by far the best episode the Foster's crew has made, in my opinion.

OMG... Just finished watching it now (Man I'm late! D=) It was... Amazing. Just beautiful. The contract at the end was the best though! Yay for Frankie! We all knew she deserved it and now the characters know it too ^^

I think it appears that Imaginary Friends are essentially created from very, very simple concepts. While it is possible that some might be able to emotionally mature, it's not only very difficult, but impossible in many cases - for example, try as he might, Mr. Herriman always reverts to his basic uptight state. This new friend, similar to Berry, is an example of what happens when a friend is created from a particularly Strong emotion or concept, and is not provided with what it needs to finish developing itself. Thus, loneliness becomes possessiveness and violence, just as Herriman's regard for the rules becomes OCD-level insanity, or Bloo's personality becomes nearly-solipsistic selfishness. Essentially, the toybox face and Herriman are very similar, only they are different kinds of extremes. Both of them are dangerous in their own way, but imagine if, say, one with Berry's level of problems had the new friend's abilities.

Kind of disturbing, isn't it?

I have OCD. I think that "insanity" is rather a strong word. Ditto for "dangerous". :P

As for Mr. H, I don't know...keeping in mind that I've still yet to see this particular episode (yeah, I know, I'm a bit behind), from what I have seen he's never really struck me as an obsessive compulsive disorder sufferer. I think that he's just very fussy and uptight myself, which isn't exactly the same thing.

Sorry, let me rephrase:

"insanity" in that every single friend is insane.

"OCD" as in severe clinical Obsessive-compulsive disorder, the kind that precludes most functioning in society.

For those who don't already know, DI is re-airing this Sunday at 7, as CN's Sunday Flicks next week. There's a new ad showing for the movie too. :)

I guess that's part of my issue...what you're describing there is a rather narrow and extreme representation of the disorder as a whole - and I am thinking of it in entirely clinical terms (one of my pet peeves is when people casually refer to their behaviour as "obsessive compulsive", when all they are really talking about is being a little bit fussy or habitual). OCD can be a very difficult and emotionally painful thing to experience; nonetheless, the majority of sufferers do not become Howard Hughes-style recluses, and are capable of leading perfectly ordinary lives. Defining the disorder by the rarer, more extreme examples, to me, seems like something of an unfair generalisation...though I know that that is not your intent.

Eh, sorry to get too far off topic there. :P

I know that the term applies to a huge range of disorders, some of which are only mildly hampering, others of which have a greater effect on life. it's like Tourettes, which for the most part is NOT about shouting random obscenities. Most Tourettes sufferers ust have a tic or an audible sound. However, generally speaking you'll be discussing the most extreme aspect.

Back on the topic of Foster's, you will never see an IF with a mild disorder. Their personalities are very, very centered on whatever their original concept is - Mr. Herriman follows the rules, so he FOLLOWS THE RULES, even if the rules are detrimental. If they contradict, he just might explode. This also explains why Bloo is never going to "learn his lesson," no matter how many times he tries. He can't!

By the way, I think the turning point for him in the movie was biting the giant monster's tail, not just when he decided to trust Frankie.

It looked like World was going to eat her (which he did), so who wouldn't try to stop that from happening? =P

Well, which of the following methods SEEMS more likely for Mr. Herriman to do?

1. Lift a finger in the air and declare, "I say, young man! This behavior is entirely inappropriate! I must demand that you cease your attempt to eat Miss Francis right this very moment, or there shall be severe consequences!"

or

2. Bodily hurl himself at World, putting himself in harm's way, and actually attack the thing.

...True. But I don't think World would've let Mr. Herriman finish, ZAAAPPP! 8D

8D 8D 8D The funny thing is, I can almost imagine him doing it, after seeing "Let Your Hare Down", not to mention his freaked out reaction to "Bob Marley" in "A Lost Claus".

Well, sure, if you want to keep the stereotypes and the stigma alive. It's a misrepresentation of the disorder, and as an OCD-sufferer myself (not mild, not extreme; just standard), I think I have a right to object to it, much as a Tourettes suffer has every right to object to the assumption that their disorder is primarily associated with coprolalia and little else. Calling it "insanity" is just crass...at least, it is to me.

In the case of Foster's, I do not think that Mr. Herriman's behaviour is intended to be symptomatic of any particular kind of disorder. To me, he is simply an authority figure, and the associated character traits are exaggerated for comic and, on occasion, dramatic effect.

If you missed it, it's on again Sunday (12/21) at 7 PM.

Given that Foster's is a children's cartoon I don't think that the behaviour or personality traits of any of the characters is intended to display any sort of disorder. When Craig was creating Bloo he didn't sit down with a psychology textbook and review the clinical definition of narcissism; he just said "self-centered" and went from there. The characters behaviours and personalities are intended to be funny, period, and no amount of fan overanalysis will ever change that.

I think its just natural adult thinking or theorizing being applied to cartoons which as Cass said, the creators did not think of at the time or were not intending to say that. When I saw Darkwing Duck when I was a kid, I didn't think of applying any ideas of psychological disorders or mental diseases to explain why some of the characters are like that.

Its the same thing I have always talked about when it comes to attraction to cartoons. When I was a kid, I always got confused or never understood why Chip and Dale always went crazy for Gadget's affections or why the Animaniacs always went "Hellooooooo Nurse" when the Nurse came by, same for Minerva Mink.

When we watch cartoons as we get older we tend to look at things with a better understanding, start picking up on things that were hinted at or we missed or possibly implied. Though in Fosters case I don't think there is really anything to Mr. Herriman's disorder theory. One could just as equally theorize that Wilt has OCD (obsessive compulsion disorder) with the "I'm sorry" stuff.

Exactly. Some of Wilt's behaviours (in particular, the excessive apologising) certainly ring a lot truer with my own experiences with OCD than any of Mr. H's, and it is admittedly one of the reasons why Wilt appeals to me as a character, but at the same time I do not believe that he is actually intended to be any kind of portrayal of an OCD-sufferer. These are simply character traits which have been given particular prominence in defining and developing his personality, and utilised for the sake of both comedy and pathos. The same goes for all of the characters' personality flaws.

One of the key problems with taking the exaggerated personality traits of a cartoon character and casually alligning them with a real-life disorder is that there's a strong possibility that you'll wind up offending someone who actually does have that disorder. That's what I've been trying to get at here.

I'd categorize Wilt's "I'm sorry's" as the same as someone repeating phrases such as "like" or "you know" or, as is often the case where I live, finishing off lists with the phrase, "...and (expletive)". It's a habit, generated partially from his emotional state in the past, and partially from the culture and geographical region where he was created. You will hear "I'm sorry" a LOT down here, whether or not the speaker is really apologizing for anything, since it's also a means of drawing attention to a particular situation, as in "I'm sorry, but Zaxby's chicken kicks (expletive, again)", a phrase uttered to me last night on the phone by one of my friends when the topic of take-out food came up, or "I'm sorry, but Clemson has been to WAY more bowl games than USC"(another snippet, from my father this time, debating the merits of their respective college football teams with the preacher, of all people), which means more or less, "I respectfully disagree with you". It could be argued that Wilt has a mild form of OCD, but then, when you really get into nitpicking, MOST of us do. Mr. Herriman is more properly referred to, in terms of personality traits, as "anal retentive". Everything has to be JUST SO, no room for error. Part of THAT has to do with HIS era, too; "back in the day" people were just expected to strive for perfection and adhere strictly to rules. Any of you who have ever had close contact with a person who grew up around the turn of the 20th Century knows how these dear folks frown upon our "lazy" and "careless" society.

pitbulllady

I do not know if I said anything here already. I found this movie wonderful, and adventurous! Everyone had an equal part (even though it centered around you-know-who), and everything about it, spelled AAA. I found the quality in writing equal to the older episodes. Kudos to the writing team. This movie is destined for an award.:frankiesmile:

Saw it. Loved it.

The ending was exactly what I thought it would be.:)

Agreed.

I think instead of "We need you", it probably could've been "We miss you". If not that, then "Foster's isn't the same without you", or something along those lines.

"We miss you because you're like our big sister", perhaps. It's honestly hard to make it appear like the "You do this and that" sort of fashion. At least, it's hard for me to.

My Mom came to mind when you wrote this. I've caught myself doing it too sometimes.

A very definite A. I mean, with a different ending, and put in to a different context, that could have so easily been a horror film if it hadn't had the fosters guys in it.
A perfect composition of animation, classic storytelling, suspense, and even notes on human/imaginary friend nature.
It's going to be really hard for the guys to create anything better than that... Then again, I said that after cheese a go-go, and was proved wrong time many a time.

BRILLIANT! AMAZING! STUPENDOUS! None of those words describe this special! XD Okay, they all do. It was great, and we finally got a decent role for Frankie. She almost seemed like a damsel in distress. World [what people are calling the villain] was a great character. My favorite part was when Mr. Herrimen, from Frankie's point of view, tried to get World to literally SUFFOCATE TO DEATH in a toybox.

That's what happened with Craig's last show, The Powerpuff Girls. You see, every few years, when Cartoon Network'ss profits are waaaaaaaaaaaay down, they have to literally destroy the entire channel and everything that people remember from it. Camp Lazlo, Gym Partner, Squirrel Boy, Billy and Mandy, Out of Jimmy's Head, Foster's, and everything you remember from about a year ago have been completely removed from the schedule. It's a smart business move, as the ratings have gone waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay up. This is the natural order of things whether or not we like it. :'( I got teary eyed while typing this. This proves how much of a dork I am.

Bloo's my best friend...and now he's dead...

*slaps myself for getting too attachted to a drawing*

I watched this special last week. I have to say, it's my favorite episode of the entire series. I loved how it all played out like an adventure, and it really did seem a lot like a video game, especially the whole damsel-in-distress thing with Frankie and the Mario Bros. reference.

I like how they sort of subverted the damsel-in-distress cliche by showing that Frankie stayed with World willingly because she was his friend. I also liked the friendship and chemistry between them. World also has the most interesting powers as an imaginary friend out of any other in the show.

I know this is kind of late, but Destination Imagination just aired over here. Well, I was taping it (because I like taping things) and then when it got to the "peed off" line, there was.. nothing. After Herriman's line, they took a shot from /after/ the line, and lengthened it a bit, I believe (I'll have to do a side-by-side comparison or something, but they definately did something.) I'm sure they did it because it sounded like swearing, but it's still a bit of a.. strange edit :| Especially since they didn't edit anything in the place of that line, so there was just a long silence.

It was a well-done edit, though, I'll admit that. Is this a UK-only edit, or has it been aired over in America/Canada (in reruns) like this?

Finally got round to seeing "Destination Imagination", 4 years later of course - but better late than never I guess. (Bear with me, reviews aren't my strong point.)
Goes without saying that I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish, it was great to see Frankie get centre stage, not to mention finally getting some well-earned respect in the end. Thought the whole concept of an imaginary friend being able to become an entire world of their own creation was a unique concept, and he made for a very engaging character.
I especially enjoyed the underground chase scene, which obviously was a great big nod to a certain classic level of Super Mario Bros. And yeah, I was quite surprised hearing Bloo's "cussing" moment, it sounded very convincing!

An A+ all the way. :D

You know, looking back on this movie, I just realized how aggravating Bloo and Herriman were.

Bloo, because not only did he say that Foster's was all about him, but he also dedicated most of his time to antagonizing Eduardo. Why Ed didn't maul him or pummel him to the ground is beyond me... :edmad:

And Herriman, because everything bad that happened in the movie is all.

His!

FAULT!!!

I don't even know why Frankie hadn't reprimanded him in the midst of him talking down to World, giving him "The Reason You Suck" speech and saying that he couldn't even fire her anyway because she quit her job of being his slave. I sure as fruitcake would have. :frankiemad: