A new show is premiering on Nickelodeon on August 31, 2007. Video game fans may already be familiar with the basic story of Tak and the Power of Juju. The show is based on the video game of the same name, which was released in 2003 by Nickelodeon. Now, the network is bringing their video game to the network with their first all-CGI Nicktoon. I was given the opportunity to check out the premiere episode of Tak and the Power of Juju. The disc also contained a behind the scenes commentary segment with the cast of the television show.
Tak and the Power of Juju is a show that focuses on the life of Tak, who is voiced by Hal Sparks. You might recognize Hal from his role as “Zoltan” in Dude Where’s My Car, “Michael” on Showtime’s hit series, Queer as Folk, and the I Love the ________ (fill in the decade) shows on VH1. Hal has had a diverse career and he has a lot of talent. It is nice to see him moving off in a new direction as he tackles children’s television.
Tak is a shaman in training who always has good intentions. Tak was the assistant to his shaman teacher, who is his uncle. It was during his apprenticeship that he was given a mystical power known as the ‘power of Juju’. Tak is an imaginative teen, so this can only mean that the powers lead to many adventures and often a lot of trouble. Luckily, he has his best friend Jeera (Kari Wahlgren) to help him get out of every sticky situation he seems to get into.
In the premiere episode, viewers get to see two segments (both 11 minutes long). The first segment is called “Woodiefest”. In it, Tak must help to protect his village, the Pupununu Village, from giant wooden creatures known as the Woodies. The Woodies always come around this time of year to trample and trash the Pupununu Village. The small Pupununu tribe members can do nothing so they run away and hide until the Woodies leave. This year, Tak is putting his foot down. The Woodies won’t be attacking his village. However, when Tak’s plan to stop the Woodies doesn’t go the way he plans, he has to find a way out of the mess he’s gotten himself into, and try to stop the Woodies from getting to the Pupununu Village in the process.
The second segment is called “Loser”. One of the tribe members, Lok, loves bragging about himself so much. The villagers think he’s a hero due to all the stories of heroism he tells. So, when a scenario occurs (thanks to Tak) that warrants a hero, the town calls upon Lok to solve it for them. Instead, Lok admits he’s a phony and he lied about everything. As a result, the Chief of the Pupununu banishes him from the village. Feeling bad about Lok getting kicked out, Tak must devise a plan to get Lok back into the good graces of the village, yet humble him so he doesn’t have to lie about his “exploits. In typical Tak fashion, he gets more than he expected.
The CGI animation was excellent. It rivaled many of the CGI films I’ve seen, in its quality. The drawings of the characters are appealing to the eye, and they fit the voices. You can sort of see Hal Sparks in mini form through Tak. The voices also fit the characters well and the timing of lines is perfect in every shot. The actors do a wonderful job of bringing the characters to life.
Tak and the Power of Juju was a really funny show. I found myself laughing in all the right places and I didn’t find the episode overly predictable. I loved the fresh humor the show provided and felt it would be ideal for pre-teens and teens as well as adults. While little kids will love Tak and the Power of Juju as well, some of the humor will go over their heads. It seems as if the writers threw in a little, innocent adult humor so parents could enjoy the show right along with their children.
Bottom Line: In a time when parents have to worry about what their children are watching on teleivsion, Nickelodeon has developed a winning show in Tak and the Power of Juju. With its innocent and fun humor, the whole family can enjoy it together, and nobody should feel left out as everyone can go on the adventure with Tak, Jeera, and the rest of the tribe. So, make sure to check out Tak and the Power of Juju on Nickelodeon. August 31 is the date to watch!
Photo Provided by and copyright of Nickelodeon.
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Looking at the show from a parent and teacher perspective, I have to say that I was really dissapointed. Yes, I like the whole idea of the show, but what dissapointed me was the way animals were treated on the show. They were treated as mere objectes. They were stepped on and used as cannons. Without any thought to it. What are we trying to teach our kids? To not have respect for the environment and the animals in it? I will not let my kids watch this show and as I pointed it out to them. Animals should be respected, Native Americans treated animals with respect and saw them as powerful spirits.
It’s a cartoon. I think that its geared towards an age group where you should be smart enough to know not to shoot sheep out of cannons.
It’s kind of like the cartoons that have animals get hit with an ACME bomb or fall off a cliff. Its so unrealistic that kids should know better. Nobody says Tom and Jerry is wrong, but every episode includes Tom getting skinned, or beat up, burned/set on fire, etc. The same with Wile E. Coyote. How many kids are chasing animals off cliffs because they saw it on the Road Runner?
I loved Tak & the Power of Juju. If your kids aren’t able to watch it because you’re afraid they will learn to treat animals poorly then I have to wonder about your kids.
I agree with Dominick.
this show is really fun and one show for entire family can enjoy together.
I agree with Dominick too. The show is so cute and I hope it turns out to be a good show because we cant judge the show and we only saw the first two episodes. Tak and the power of juju is officially my show (for now)!
As a fan of the video games and someone who always brought the games to children’s attention as fun adventures with wonderful stories and plot twists, I was sorely disappointed in the cartoon. My first most shocking moment came the moment Tak opened his mouth. It is Tak, or the actor or actors who played him in the three games, who made it all so wonderful. The new voice is such a change that I cannot get used to it. And all the voices, except Lok, thank goodness, are different. I cannot imagine why. Were all the video game voice-over players busy? I highly doubt it. Seems much more like production interference. After the voices, i find the episodes lacking in any real story. It is mere skit and anitcs which was not what the games were about. The games were about real dangers and a unexpected hero rising to great challenges. Very, very disappointed in writing and production decisions for the show. It is great visually, a duplicate of the game, but otherwise is severely lacking.