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Netflix: Carmen Sandiego Cartoon

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    • AnimalKrazed

    AnimalKrazed

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    Everybody asks "WHERE is Carmen Sandiego?", but nobody asks "WHO is Carmen Sandiego?" The iconic woman in red returns for new international capers and a peek into her past. Featuring Gina Rodriguez as Carmen and Finn Wolfhard as Player, Carmen Sandiego infiltrates Netflix on January 18!
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    So, this is now a thing. Came across it while browsing on YouTube and remembered how often that she is mentioned here. Noticed a lack of a thread or discussion about this, so I thought hey why not and now you guys know too. Have fun discussing. :)
     
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    • An origin story and making Carmen Sandiego an anti-hero is not really something anyone asked for. As a middle aged man I don't think this children's cartoon is speaking to how I think the character should go.:V
     
    Tasrill said:
    An origin story and making Carmen Sandiego an anti-hero is not really something anyone asked for. As a middle aged man I don't think this children's cartoon is speaking to how I think the character should go.:V
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    Seems like one of those 'Alternate Universe' interpretation things, I just don't get the execs addiction on gritty-realism and weaker street level characters.
     
    "Carmen Sandiego is a thief...who steals only from other thieves!"

    "Chief, she stole the Great Wall of China. How is that only stealing from other thieves?"

    "...shut up, Player."
     
    Phigment said:
    "Carmen Sandiego is a thief...who steals only from other thieves!"

    "Chief, she stole the Great Wall of China. How is that only stealing from other thieves?"

    "...shut up, Player."
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    Great Wall nothing, she stole the Portuguese language once. And while they might be jerks I don't think they're all evil :V
     
    This show isn't going to go over well with fans of the original show.

    This comment that was on the Youtube video sums up my feelings perfectly.

    'So you took a classic villain and turned her into a generic modern-woman antihero with a 'noble cause'.

    The Carmen in the original cartoon was far more interesting; not entirely evil, but definitely not good either; she was an elusive woman with vast resources and tons of hired goons, she stole elaborate things and left clues for ACME agents to find.

    She did it for the thrill and the excitement, for the sheer challenge of it all, and often didn't care who these thefts bothered; it was all an elaborate game to Carmen Sandiego, and the World was her chessboard. Although far from the most vile villain in history, she was still a villain as she committed these crimes entirely for her own satisfaction.

    THIS new Carmen is 'stealing things to keep them out of worse peoples' hands' and her intentions are apparently entirely noble, in effect missing the entire point of the very idea of the character and the franchise itself and in effect becoming just another run-of-the-mill female hero with a risque style and attitude.

    Blech. Seen it, wasn't interesting the first time.'

    I think I'll stick to watching the original show with my nephews.
     
    Ant221 said:
    Well fact is, when a show is rebooted, fans of the original will watch and if they're not happy with the reboot, they'll voice their displeasure loudly on social media.
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    Any reboot is going to have possessive fans of the original who are furious they aren't being catered to. If you don't like the new version, just don't watch it. Don't make your dissatisfaction other people's problem.

    Also, I'd object to calling Carmen Sandiego a "classic villain". She was barely a character. The games were about looking up geography or history facts, not interacting with NPCs of any depth.
     
    I think it could have worked better with more of a Lupin III esque Carmen Sandiego, than full on hero, but this still has some potential.
     
    mesonoxian said:
    Any reboot is going to have possessive fans of the original who are furious they aren't being catered to. If you don't like the new version, just don't watch it. Don't make your dissatisfaction other people's problem.

    Also, I'd object to calling Carmen Sandiego a "classic villain". She was barely a character. The games were about looking up geography or history facts, not interacting with NPCs of any depth.
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    That comment wasn't one I made. it was one on the Youtube linked in the OP that summed up how I feel about the show.

    Check the comments on the video. There's a lot of negative comments from the fans of the original show on there.
     
    Imagine thinking a character is a villain because they steal things. Imagine being that much of an armchair cop.
     
    Ant221 said:
    That comment wasn't one I made. it was one on the Youtube linked in the OP that summed up how I feel about the show.

    Check the comments on the video. There's a lot of negative comments from the fans of the original show on there.
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    Yeah, I get that. Those are the exact people I was referencing in my reply.

    Kids' TV is sometimes good enough for adults to enjoy watching, especially that aimed at the "young adult" audience. But it isn't made for adults, and adults demanding their nostalgia be catered to are acting like entitled children.

    We've mostly had our childhoods. Having every piece of media cater to people who still have strong emotional reactions to brands is not healthy for anybody.

    Also the only Carmen Sandiego show that matters is the PBS game show with the Rockapella theme song. Fite me!
    Reveen said:
    Imagine thinking a character is a villain because they steal things. Imagine being that much of an armchair cop.
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    I mean the games were literally about arresting people from your computer chair...
     
    Personally, I'm on board with this take. Would I like more of a morally ambiguous interpretation? Yeah. But this heroic version is just as fine, too. Hopefully they can do her good justice.
     
    Gonna be honest; I'm not opposed to a serious conscientious action hero take on Carmen Sandiego on principle, but "Stealing is a game. It does harm people. Especially when you're willing to steal lives" is kind of the level of dialogue I'd expect from a shitpost parodying that concept. Animation looks strong, though.
     
    I definitely miss the Rockapella song, but this looks pretty good. I don't mind the shift to anti-hero; Carmen's motivations were pretty opaque (read, not at all explored) to begin with, and as for the dialogue being silly... she stole *Portuguese*. Carmen Sandiego was always absurdist. I actually hope it continues in that vein.
     
    Carmen Sandiego being a villain turned hero rather than a hero turned villain isn't a big deal, because frankly the vast majority of the public neither knows nor cares that past versions had her be a star ACME agent that quit to become a criminal and found VILE rather than the other way around. Said versions already abhorred violence and returned or allowed to be found what was stolen once they had their fun.

    Which is the real issue. Carmen Sandiego being a dapper thrillseeking impossible thief, unlike the above, actually IS pretty important to her character. Remove those characterizations and you just have a generic good thief archetype. What exactly does the Carmen in the trailer have in common with any prior version besides the aesthetic? If there's any aspect of the trailer that bothers me more than any other it would be the "stealing isn't a game" line, that isn't just taking Carmen Sandiego in a different direction, its going the opposite direction. Hopefully the trailer is misleading.

    That said I like the aesthetic. Going with a younger Carmen Sandiego makes sense if you want her to be the protagonist. I do kind of wonder if they might be going for a twist where Carmen Sandiego does eventually become a rogue more akin to prior versions. And I hope they go for the most ridiculous acts of thievery they could get away with given the medium and tone.
     
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