Movies / Animé and Toons

Bob’s Burgers: The Complete 1st Season - A Family Toon Worth Checking

By Hervé St-Louis
April 19, 2012 - 16:18

Fox seems to like series based on dysfunctional families and to add to its line up which includes classics like The Simpsons, Family Dad and American Dad, the network has pitched Bob’s Burger to audiences. Bob’s Burger is now in its second season but Fox just released the first season on DVD which includes all 13 episodes of this series launched in January 2011. Bob’s Burger is about Bob Bercher the owner of a greasy spoon and his family consisting of wife Linda, geeky daughter Tina, spirited middle child and son Gene and youngest mischief queen Louise. The series was created by Loren Bouchard.

These family based-cartoon series have a long tradition thanks to The Simpsons, and even old series such as the Flintstones. Can Bob’s Burger match them? Well at first glance yeah. I laughed continuously while watching the antics of this family and their bad luck. These series, as they take a life of their own always have a breakaway character that just takes over the show and becomes its star. It’s never quite clear which one it is.

 One thing is certain, it’s never the mom! Linda is as annoying as the Nanny and has that Eastern Coast Italian accent that just annoys. She’s kinda dumb but very supportive. She gets into these trances where she wants to do everything right and becomes asphyxiating  for Bob. It’s a toss up as to which kid will be the next Bart Simpson or Stewie. Louise, the youngest just creates mischief even when it goes against the interests of her family like when she said in school that her dad used humans in the hamburger meat used in the food served at the restaurant. She’s the one who initiates the condemnation and boycott of her family’s restaurant or denounce the fact that they use meat at all. If there’s shit to be disturbed, she’s the one to dish it out.

Tina almost feels autistic and is definitely socially impaired. She has no clue about anything and is often on the receiving end of Louise attacks. While Meg of Family Guy could be a lesbian and Lisa is an annoying feminist, Tina is just a loser with raging hormones. She’s as ugly as Scooby Do’s Velma but lacks any of her brains. She loves boys and doesn’t have any problem spying on them at the school gym or being infatuated with her caporeira instructor. Between her Louise, anyone could be the break away character. Tina definitely has more charm than Meg, even if she’s the butt of jokes and at the receiving end of pain.

Now Gene, the boy is definitely not as interesting. He’s more like an accomplice of Louise rather than the instigator of trouble like his little sister. He shares the same chaotic predicaments but is less confrontational. It’s amazing that for once, in these family shows, the boy is the least interesting of the kids.

Bob is lame and although he isn’t as dumb as Homer Simpson or Peter Griffin, he’s not as charming. He’s really a loser with some brains. Complicated relationships with other characters are quickly established.

One thing that I found interesting was the reliance on Adobe Flash for the animation. It won’t be as smooth as traditional 2D animation, but it works most of the time. It also probably reduces the costs of producing the show by making use of the same sets as much as possible in multiple episodes. The amount of reused animation is not Hanna-Barbera-like, but it’s noticeable. Still the animation is well animated.

Now the extras are limited but the commentaries on multiple episodes are interesting. I will say that not much insight was added to Bob’s Burger’s production in the commentary. It was mostly about making fun of what was on screen. There’s not much behind the scenes value. If you haven’t discovered this new family cartoon contender, check it out with this collection. The series hasn’t quite gelled and caught that moment where it has a real soul where you know they could be making some for the next five years. But so far, all the ingredients for a classic American family cartoon series are there.

Extras

• Bobs Burger's Audio Outtakes – Stars H. Jon Benjamin, Kristen Schaal and the rest of the gang go off script and fill you up with hilarious uncensored dialogue!
• Louise and the Burger Menu (Story Extension) – Very funny piece about how Louise names the “burger of the day” with custom animation and voice over (Kristen Schaal)
• Bob’s Burgers Original Demo with Intro by Loren Bouchard – This is the “studio pitch piece” and Loren’s explanation on the process and changes of the characters and casting
• Lifting up the skirt of the Night – Music video inspired by an original song from the series
• Audio Commentaries

Rating: 9 /10

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12