I bet we all had a comfort show growing up...or in my case, many comfort shows. On the top of the list was the animated series Hey Arnold!, so imagine my excitement when I realized Josh was involved with another project from the creator of my beloved childhood cartoon, Craig Bartlett.
I am curious if Josh got to meet this legendary showrunner when he lent his voice talents to Bartlett's film Party Wagon...I'd be extremely jealous! I'd also love to know if he was a Hey Arnold! fan growing up as well, which I'll bet would've made being part of this project even more exciting. Bartlett's charming animation style and Baby Josh's cute little southern accent (more on that later) was a great combo.
Party Wagon originally aired on Cartoon Network in 2004, but I was able to view this blast from the past on YouTube. From what I've read, the concept was supposed to become a television series, but ended up a standalone film.
As a Craig Bartlett fan, I found the animation style nostalgic, found myself laughing frequently, and COULDN'T GET OVER THE CUTENESS OF JOSH'S SOUTHERN ACCENT! He plays Toady, an adorable little orphan boy with blonde hair, overalls, and freckles.
I wonder how natural that accent felt to Josh at that age, or if he was really hamming it up for the microphone. Either way, it was super fun to hear Josh's first voice acting credit and I love that it has such strong ties to my childhood!
Even though I enjoyed this film, I also felt a little puzzled during my viewing. The movie feels a little too adult for kids, but not quite adult enough to be aired after Family Guy...so it's kind of in this awkward middle ground where I couldn't really quite pinpoint the tone. Had it been more clearly for adults or clearly for kids, perhaps the show's team could have leaned into one or the other more to create a stronger story and script.
Overall, I view Party Wagon as an extremely unique movie, since it's not every day we see cartoons taking place during the Oregon Trail. While I don't feel it quite lives up to Hey Arnold!, I think it's worth a watch.
Peace and Joshperity,
G
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