DreamWorks Animation is still churning out the hits and one series fans may not know of is Curses! That’s because it’s exclusive to Apple TV Plus, and unlike Fright Krewe (review coming soon) which can be found on specialty cartoon networks, I suspect this company wants to keep a firm hold on where it can be seen.
This series is a lot better than the other one because it feels like an animated version of Friday the 13th the TV Series. This piece of 90s television was about cousins searching for cursed objects and if they can’t remove the hex, it gets sealed in a vault. In this cartoon, Pandora (Gabrielle Nevaeh) and Russ (Andre Robinson) have a similar task. However, instead of freeing the objects from their enchantment, if they can find where they were stolen from, the spell can be broken, and hopefully for every item returned, they can free their dad from being a statue!
However, not every member of the Vanderhouven can be made free. At least two generations have been lost, and as for whether these kids’ great, great grandfather even cares, that’s something I can’t wait to see whenever season two airs. Early in the series, it’s easy to see that Cornelius (Robert Englund) is a rotten apple. He doesn’t care for anyone else but himself, and just how anyone from this family could’ve descended from him makes me think it was his brother who continued this family line, and everything that’s occurred was happenstance.
But for this terrible individual, I’m still amused that after stealing some Mayan puzzle box, his final words become this series’ title. Creators Jeff Dixon and Jim Cooper have a marvellous concept in hand, and I love how each episode delves into some past civilization, its history and why returning that artefact matters. This series is almost like Carmen Santiego in some ways because it also provides quality educational content. However, the real fun happens when these objects come to life, and we have to wonder what they’re after! Not all of them are bloodthirsty beasts. Instead, they can be babies who simply have been taken away from their mama!
And there’s also Larry, a reanimated skull and Stanley, an animated tiki doll! These little servants are more than comic relief, and the talents behind bringing them to life are a hoot! I can only imagine the fun James Marsters and Rhys Darby must’ve had when recording, and it’s tough to imagine them not being together at the booth. It’s because of how they help out when we’re dealing with how these kids find themselves unsure of themselves. Plus, what’s presented has a bit of that charm that I recall from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,. where father and son have a lot of hilarious arguments.
Stand out episodes include “The Olmec Babies,” “A Japanese Painting” and “The Memory Box” (which brings Cornelius back). With the former, I actually learned something new about Mayan spiritual beliefs, and as for the second work, I was pleased it delved into something else about the culture that’s rarely portrayed in folklore. While seeing paintings come to life or be its own world is nothing new, just how that story flowed had a charm.
And as for bringing it all together (not the cursed objects), I’m glad that the villain is not entirely lost. He’s trapped in another world, and just what the kids changed about their family history will no doubt come to haunt them! I’m more anxious to see this series continue than Fright Krewe, and as long as the producers know that the story must eventually come to a close, what’s made has the potential to keep on going or have that final showdown when the plug eventually gets pulled.
5 Stars out of 5
Promotional Trailer for DreamWorks Curses!
