I thought I should explain the last comment so as not to come off sounding all trollish. :)
I am a HUGE fan of Mr. Roger's Neighborhood and Fred Rogers himself and I had high hopes that "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood" would carry a lot of the elements of the original to a new, young audience, but it just looks like every other kids "cartoon". Daniel Tiger could easily be any other current or recent kid's character (Little Bear, Peppa Pig etc.).
While MRN did cater to a young audience, I always felt it stood out in the fact that it had a timeless quality in it's instruction and subject matter. It felt like having a visit with an adult (a gentle, caring, calm adult) that didn't dumb it down to me....that spoke on an almost adult level. Same with most of the puppets. That's why I can still pull up an episode of MRN and find it thoughtful and entertaining. I have a feeling that won't be the case 30-40 years from now with DTN.
I guess I'm just always a little bummed that kids today won't have easy access to MRN (and it's timeless messages) and instead be stuck with another cookie cutter cartoon.
Then again, maybe I'm just a nostalgic goof. :)
Thanks a million for your blog btw, I really enjoy both it and your podcasts.
I showed it to my little Daniel and he was SO INTRIGUED! Daniel Tiger has a Mister Rogers Suit! Daniel can drive the trolley! The look on his face while he was watching was pretty magical. Wide eyes and full grin. Now, what will be confusing is to explain to a kid who actually watches the original neighborhood the concept of how these are the descendants of the original neighbors. He thought that was just his old pals X and Hen, Tuesday, etc, just animated. . .I guess I will wait until we watch a full episode to break the news.
The pacing is excellent and story lines talk about feelings, just the way Fred Rogers would have intended. It's nice to hear Johnny Costa's opening intro as the trolley goes into Make Believe. So far, wonderful work by the Fred Rogers Company. I feel both Fred & Johnny would be proud. I hope it takes off.
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I hate to sound like an "old man" but this just looks awful....
I thought I should explain the last comment so as not to come off sounding all trollish. :)
I am a HUGE fan of Mr. Roger's Neighborhood and Fred Rogers himself and I had high hopes that "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood" would carry a lot of the elements of the original to a new, young audience, but it just looks like every other kids "cartoon". Daniel Tiger could easily be any other current or recent kid's character (Little Bear, Peppa Pig etc.).
While MRN did cater to a young audience, I always felt it stood out in the fact that it had a timeless quality in it's instruction and subject matter. It felt like having a visit with an adult (a gentle, caring, calm adult) that didn't dumb it down to me....that spoke on an almost adult level. Same with most of the puppets. That's why I can still pull up an episode of MRN and find it thoughtful and entertaining. I have a feeling that won't be the case 30-40 years from now with DTN.
I guess I'm just always a little bummed that kids today won't have easy access to MRN (and it's timeless messages) and instead be stuck with another cookie cutter cartoon.
Then again, maybe I'm just a nostalgic goof. :)
Thanks a million for your blog btw, I really enjoy both it and your podcasts.
B.Easterling -- Thanks for your kind words about the Neighborhood Archive sites. It's folks like you that make this worthwhile!
I can honestly say, this spinoff wasn't what I expected.
I showed it to my little Daniel and he was SO INTRIGUED! Daniel Tiger has a Mister Rogers Suit! Daniel can drive the trolley! The look on his face while he was watching was pretty magical. Wide eyes and full grin. Now, what will be confusing is to explain to a kid who actually watches the original neighborhood the concept of how these are the descendants of the original neighbors. He thought that was just his old pals X and Hen, Tuesday, etc, just animated. . .I guess I will wait until we watch a full episode to break the news.
Jen -- Wide eyes and a full grin were what I saw from my kids, too. So awesome!
The pacing is excellent and story lines talk about feelings, just the way Fred Rogers would have intended.
It's nice to hear Johnny Costa's opening intro as the trolley goes into Make Believe. So far, wonderful work by the Fred Rogers Company. I feel both Fred & Johnny would be proud. I hope it takes off.
"I feel both Fred & Johnny would be proud."
prisdeej -- I couldn't agree more!
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