‘Green Eggs and Ham’ Review (Netflix Original)
Being an avid fan of the Dr Seuss franchise since a young age it was very exciting to see a new adaptation on Netflix. Most people are familiar with the ‘green eggs and hamʼ poem but many people know the story it appears in and so this adaptation serves as an advertisement for the Dr Seuss storybooks etc.
Certain aspects of this series were adapted to fit into the 21st century and small changes were used to make this show stand out for the other version of this classic story. To start with the narrator (Keegan-Michael Key) delivered the iconic Seussian rhymes at multiple points in each episode, in an almost street style way which gave a really interesting effect on the words being spoken. When I first heard the lines spoken in a gangster-style I was surprised but as the series continued it grew on me and by the end of this series I cannot imagine any other style for the rhymes that build the story and introduce characters etc. I really enjoyed the new theme tune played at the beginning of each episode. The song was fun, energy-filled and had a sense of child-like whimsy which is exactly what the story is about which shows the creative team thought carefully about the introduction show and what the series is about. The song is called ‘Backflipʼ and when you listen to it you can clearly see why it fits the series so perfectly.
If you are familiar with the stories at all you will now that they are traditionally written for children which the creators of the show clearly considered. The series is animated with fantastic bright colours which are obviously aesthetically enticing for a young viewer. The story has some very hilarious comedy scene and also storylines discussing friendship and family which are clearly very important for a young audience. The developers had thought about the history of the franchise and used to pitch this audience to the right audience which is incredibly clever. Aside for the fun nature of the series, this series follows a logical order and important concepts that appear at the beginning of the series reappear later in the series which makes the series much easier to follow and understand from the perspective of the audience. This show family-friendly and contains messages that everyone at any age can enjoy.
This show has the unique advantage of possessing an all-star cast who provide the voice for the characters. One of the best casting in this show is Adam DeVine who voices one of the lead characters Sam-I-am. Adam has an incredibly fun and likeable personality which focuses through his voice in order to make the character one of the most loved people in the show. He was able to balance the fun and the more series side of the character flawlessly which shows not only Adams acting talent but also is able to alter the character to create sympathy from the audience which is no easy task. His counterpart Guy-I- am is voiced by Micheal Douglas who also fitted the role perfectly which also allows for guy and Sam to have sharply contrasting personalities which make the journey into friendship even more emotional.
There are a lot of minor details in this series that a younger audience may not notice. For example, in prison, there is a french accented singing rat who sings about freedom. This is an obvious reference to the iconic film les mis which obviously the parents being forced to watch this show would identify and enjoy. All the evil tyrant Hervnick Z. Snerz who is voiced by Eddie Izzard is an evil person is in control and has a unique hairstyle and does may ‘trump-ismsʼ which is obviously a reference to the current POTUS Donald Trump which again is another reference a younger audience may not the audience. Itʼs incredibly clever that this show layered the show so everyone can find something they recognise and/or can enjoy.
Overall, I would would recommend this show to anyone who has young children. It is an incredibly fun show that everyone can enjoy. There will obviously be a second series and so I recommend you watch this first series before the second is released as there is a lot of important details that series 1 explains, which I believe will be important for season 2.
*** 3/5
Green Eggs and Ham is available on Netflix now.
