Review: Bigfoot “Balloon”

OVERVIEW

Bigfoot attends big festival in Swell with his woodpecker friend Warren, but is shocked to find that it is a HOT AIR BALLOON FESTIVAL, which he is terrified of after many traumatic experiences. Naturally this leads to him causing a massive scene, forcing the suspension of the festival to the outrage of the townsfolk. But at the behest of Warren, Bigfoot decides to fight his fear so everyone can have fun. Now free from his debilitating phobia, the festival is back on, apparently all the planning of Warren since he’s a balloon fanatic himself.

OUR TAKE

So, interesting thing about this episode! It was delayed a whole day and this site was the first to notice! I genuinely don’t know if this is a sign of error on VRV’s part or just an indicator that virtually no one is actually interested in this series! But hey, we’re past the halfway point with our coverage, so let’s carry on.

This episode introduces us to more of Bigfoot’s forest compatriots, this time being Warren, who I’m mostly certain is the first one who is an actual character but doesn’t talk. The thought crossed my mind as to why this wasn’t more common in the show, but then I guess they would pretty much just be the same character but a different animal each time. And to the show’s credit, Warren’s character and personality is pretty well established, even if it’s just through other characters talking to our about him. He’s a caring friend who is willing to help Bigfoot face his fears with balloons, but is also someone who can play the long game under someone’s nose. Makes me wonder if Warren’s machinations won’t be utilized later in a following season or even this season’s finale.

Unfortunately, that’s probably the most noteworthy thing I could really find to talk about with this episode, which seems to be part of a larger issue with Bigfoot the series as a whole. It’s kinda boring and bland. I mean, not kinda. It IS boring and bland. The premise is solid for sure, the writing is pretty sharp and witty, and the episodes themselves are not bad by themselves. This is not a terrible show by any means, but it certainly does not get me excited for more. It’s an odd feeling when I can tell exactly which of the shows I am covering that I would never reach out and look for if I weren’t, but this is one of them.
Maybe it’s the dishwater color palette that permeates throughout the backgrounds and character designs, maybe it’s the noticeably janky animation style (probably having to do with the low budget which I can’t exactly fault them for), or maybe it’s the lack of any really memorable characters aside from Bigfoot himself, but I seriously have to struggle to find any emotional reaction towards this show whether it’s good or bad. And in my experience, that might actually be worse than simply having a bad show.